The routine of everyday life is well-presented in the way In the Heights goes through a weekend of a city block in Washington Heights during the summer. When it comes to the characters and the work they do, there are the usual jobs related to Hispanics. There is Usnavi, the owner of De La Vega Bodega, Kevin and Camila Rosario, owners of the taxi cab service called Rosario's, and Daniela, who owns a salon. Throughout the play, there were a lot of casual activities I was able to relate to, such as my grandmother always taking the time to buy a lottery ticket if it was accessible, having a desire to visit the Dominican Republic again, yet never seeming to have the time like Usnavi, and hearing the idea of someone being sent to the DR for the summer
to get their act together. However, the story behind Nina and her struggles in college resonated with me the most. Not being the exact first to go to college, but being apart of the first wave along with my cousins and siblings, it is hard to not feel the pressure of potentially “making it out” when constantly being reminded. Having heard that since going to high school, I’ve always had the fear of messing up and being overwhelmed with it all, like what Nina was experiencing in ‘Breathe”, resulting in letting my parents down. Also, songs like “When You're Home” give a bit of insight on the disconnect Nina feels from her culture as she sings, “When I was younger, I’d imagine what would happen / If my parents had stayed in Puerto Rico / Who would I be if I had never seen Manhattan / If I lived in Puerto Rico with my people / My people! / I feel like all my life, I’ve tried to find the answer / Working harder, learning Spanish, learning all I can.” Not knowing much about my culture or as much Spanish as my family, I always wondered what it would be like to fully submerge myself into the culture instead of denying it when I was younger. Thus, I always feel a level of alienation with my family especially while being away, while Nina feels it more towards the Stanford environment. Being at home does help with it all, but there is still that underlying question of “What if...?”. But in all, In the Heights does a wonderful job of really capturing the overall feel of being in that community and the many things that go on within it.
The play that was chosen to be read for the actor’s analysis was, “The Norwegians” which was written by C. Denby Swanson. As there is no specific style for this play, it is known to be categorized as a contemporary comedy as well as a character driven play.
The performance ‘Chasing the Lollyman’ by Debase productions succeeded in using the Dramatic Languages to create a Dramatic Meaning that comments on a social and political issue. This, along with the effective manipulation of the dramatic conventions, has allowed Debase to successfully recognised the Epic Theatre style. Chasing the Lollyman is one man show starring one of Queensland's most dynamic and funny Indigenous performers, Mark Sheppard. He shares many stories, a celebration of urban Indigenous identity and takes a satirical look at the media and popular culture. Playing a variety of characters, Mark pokes fun at everything from Neighbours (what would it be like if a Murri family moved into Ramsey street) to polities. The dramatic meaning of the performance is if Australia wants to become one, we need to learn to accept each other for their differences.
Living Out by Lisa Loomer is a play that tells the story of the complicated relationship between a Salvadoran nanny and the lawyer she works for. Both women are smart, hard-working mothers who want better lives for their children. The play explores many similarities and differences between them. Through the main character Ana, we understand what it’s like to leave a child in another country and to come to come to the United States. We also get what the potential cost is like to sacrifice your own child in order to care for someone else's. Through the lawyer; Nancy, we understand the pressure on women today. How they try to do everything perfectly and sometimes having to put work before their family. The play also looks at the discrimination and misconceptions between Anglos (White American’s) and Latinos.
The theme of “These Shining Lives” is the desire for economic independence, it enhances a women’s self worth and shows the exploitation of women worker’s. The play is a historical drama. The play writes message was to show the audience a women desire for independence and being something other than a wife and mother. It shows the struggles and dangers that a women face in the workplace during that time period. I thought the play was really touching. It made me appreciate being young women in the 21st century. I can’t imagine living in a society that sees a women wanted independence to be strange and different. Women and men she equal and this is especially true in the workplace. It also shows how the safety and conditions in the workplace has
In the first short story The House on Mango Street, Esperanza is outside her apartment building where she lives with her siblings and parents. They six were Mama, Papa, Carlos, Kiki, Nenny, and Esperanza. She describes the place they were living in by saying that it was on the third floor of an old building and as well said " The water pipes broke and the landlord wouldn't fix them because the house was too old...We were using the washroom next door and carrying water over in empty milk gallons" (Cisneros 4). Esperanza and her family are going through hardships because of the landlord, even when they are paying their rent. She describes the apartment building as old and useless to the owner, this means that the building has to be very torn down for someone who owns it not to care about it. Esperanza begins to experience difficulties at a young age by having to shower with water from the washroom, they did not even use buckets which can indicate that they did not own one. Usually it is minorities who as well recycle the bottles they buy to give them...
On October 3, 2016, I watched The Woodsman in class at Brigham Young University. James Ortiz directed the play, along with the production team Claire Karpen (Director), Molly Seidel (Costume Design), Catherine Clark and Jamie Roderick (Lighting Design) and Becca Key (Production Manager). A Broadway Production, The Woodsman epitomized the strength of technical design while allowing the audience to fall in love with the characters.
In the article The Practice of Everyday Life, Michele de Certeau he brings insight from sociology and cultural studies. Certeau analyzes how the ordinary person lives. He examines the way people cope with different cultures, laws and language. His essay made me feel like if I were talking a walk in New York. “A sea in the middle of the sea, lifts up the skyscrapers over Wall Street, sinks down at Greenwich.” I never been to New York, but the way the author describes it makes you want to go. I imagine New York as very fast paste life style. With tall skyscrapers, and shopping center in every corner. Don’t let me forget their famous hotdog stands in every busy street of downtown New York. “Memories tie us to that place” This quote is nothing
Written in 1962-3, Play depicts three characters, a man (M), and two women (W1 and W2) trapped in urns with only their heads showing. These characters each present their own version of a love triangle, which once occurred between them. It becomes clear during the play that the characters, once tortured by each other, are now tortured by their situation. A spotlight acts as a "unique inquisitor," compelling each to speak when it shines on them, and to stop when it goes out. As this assault continues, the characters become increasingly maddened by the light, and increasingly desperate to make it stop. The play repeats itself, providing the audience with a sense that these characters have been saying the same words for an eternity, and will continue to do so until the light decides they can stop. Beckett demonstrates how "A style of living, theatrically communicable, is used to express a state of mind."
Within Shakespeare’s Othello, it conveys moral and subsequent reflection of events in its current society. In Act 4, Scene 2 (Part 1) demonstrates the road to Othello’s downfall and the success of Iago’s revenge. Within this scene, Othello interrogates Emilia for suspicion of Desdemona and Cassio’s affair, in which they have none, and with Othello's confrontation, he questions and insults her of her unfaithfulness and infidelity leaving Desdemona confused about what happened to Othello. Iago, called by Emilia, pretends to offer Desdemona comfort and Emilia raises notions of the possibilities and hypothesising that someone is 'feeding' Othello lies. Iago hastily covers these ideas to avoid exposure of the truth. This strong and indecisive scene twists the ideas of human nature within Othello’s mind and convinced perceptions of Desdemona, fulfilling Iago’s Revenge.
In the play, The Piano Lesson, music played an important role. The piano in the play represented the African American history and culture. The ghost of Sutter represented the pain and trauma that had been endured throughout the generations in the Charles family. Berniece did not play the piano because she associated it with pain and the bad things that happened to her family members. She did not want to accept the things that had happened in her family’s past. She thought that she could deny everything and act like it never happened. She believed if she continued to run from everything and everybody that the pain would go away. Berniece was burdened and haunted by the ghost of Sutter until she gave in and played the piano after all of those years. After playing the piano, Berniece was no longer burdened or haunted by the past. She was free from all of the denial. She escaped the pain through the music and reflecting on the carvings on the piano, which represented her heritage. Berniece’s brother, Boy Willie, told her “Berniece, if you and Maretha don’t keep playing on that piano… ain’t no telling… me and Sutter both liable to be back” (Wilson 108). By saying that, he meant that if she did not allow her daughter to continue playing the piano and learning about her culture that she would end up going through the same things that Berniece had gone through. Music has a huge impact on the African American culture in several ways and many things about the past can be learned through it.
Splendid Productions adaptation of ‘Macbeth’ was performed on the 13th of December 2016, at the RADA studios, London, and was performed by Scott Smith, Genevieve Say and Mark Bernie. The original version of Macbeth was written in 1606 during the Jacobean era, and the adaptation created in the 21st century. I would agree with the statement as the interpretation by Splendid was created to be enjoyed, engaged and relevant to the audience of the 21st century.
An expressionist play makes subjectivity the main point. It also is known as a station drama that refers to religion process to being saved. Some formal features that are in an expressionist play have many characters with big monologs. Characters with titles instead of names. The play would have crossfading scenes because this was a moment in theater in the 1920s when cinema expanded. The dialogue was more lyrically poetry based with sound escapes throughout the scenes. A play that has these traits to classify as an expressionist play is The Good Person Of Setzuan.
The whole play of Everyman could be seen as a performance to entertain. Morality plays were very popular during the 15th century and they had a big attraction to viewers. According to the British Encyclopedia, “Together with the mystery play and the miracle play, the morality play is one of the three main types of vernacular drama produced during the Middle Ages. The action of the morality play centres on a hero, such as Mankind, whose inherent weaknesses are assaulted by such personified diabolic forces as the Seven Deadly Sins…” This fits the description of Everyman due to the fact that Everyman reflects mankind and the struggles he faces. This source also states that these types of plays highly relied on its audience and public support.
Christopher Marlowe’s plays present the pursuit of power and passion, they reveal deception, and they deal with obsession. Also, Marlowe’s drama presents farce and comic defeat of events.
In the play “THE LION AND THE JEWEL” we can see the ignorant atmosphere of the people in the village of “ILUJINLE” in such village we can saw a “CUNNING WOMAN SIDI” who wanted to attract many men but wanted a husband of royal status who would pay a bride-price for her let as see about it and getting a cunning “RESPONSE FOR SIDI’S CUNNING WISH”.