I experienced, “Water by the spoonful” at the Rio Grande campus. The purpose of the play was to show the life of an Iraq war veteran struggling to find his world in the place; it paired the idea of the four individuals who connect on an online chatroom, dedicated to recovering drug addicts trying to find their place in the world. The setting was cluttered with upside chairs and a dark blue color all across the stage. I liked that everything was cluttered to represent the feeling that the characters did not what to with their life. The setting was boxes stacked on top of each other of both sides of the stage. I didn’t like their setting structure because I only felt that it matched with the waterfall scene in Puerto Rico. In the first scene, …show more content…
Elliot is in a full subway uniform answering a customer’s huge order of sandwiches. I liked that they showed him first as a familiar low paying job because I immediately felt the feeling that Elliot didn’t have a full grasp of his life. He asks a college professor to translate an Arabic phrase for him at the subway. I never understood the meaning even after the play was done. I felt like they could’ve expanded or referred back to it because I could not develop an understanding of it. Elliot had bad ankles ever since the war, and he had a limp almost the whole play. I liked that the director decided not to give him a leg brace or ankle wrap to symbolize Elliot’s soldier personality. He was dependent on pain medication just like soldiers are at war. In the computer scenes Odessa always wore pj’s while her friends on the chat where shown with suits and nice outfits.
I liked it because it showed that there was a time difference between each individual. The director introduced the computer chat with only Odessa on a computer, the others were just talking. I didn’t like that the others weren’t using a laptop or phone because I was confused of how they were talking at first. In the top right of the stage there were icons that glowed up whenever a person from the chatroom logged on. I liked that effect because every time I saw the glowing icons I knew they were talking online. Odessa the administrator to the chatroom was always shown in the front of the stage while on the chatroom. Others would come to the front of the stage for speech’s or arguments, but Odessa would always be the front to start every chat room scene. I liked that the director showed Odessa in the front of the stage mostly, because it gave me the idea that she was the most important person to pay attention to. During fountainhead’s long crack speech only Odessa is engaged and provides positive feedback. Shuts and Ladders and orangutan had the feeling that he was to fortunate with his life to need help. He physically leaves the stage when he signs off the chatroom which is the only time that tactic is used. I liked that they made him storm off the stage because it showed his anxiety towards the
situation. When the Arabian man walks onto the stage and only Elliot stares directly at him it gave me the sense of that it was in Elliot’s head. I didn’t like however that Elliot tackled the Arab because it broke the realist boundaries that he was a thought in his mind. Elliot’s cousin could still not see what he was tackling which is unrealistic. After Elliott explains how her sister died Yasmin repeats her name “Mary Lou” several times and a long silent pause happened. It showed a feeling of despair and the air and gave me a feeling of sadness. Odessa during his sister’s funeral is on the floor of her apartment going through the spoonful of water motions, she overdoses on cocaine as well. Yasmin and Elliot pickup air while Odessa watches them place in her the tube. I feel like it gave me false feeling that Odessa could see the pain she caused to others. The stage turned bright white colors when Odessa fainted. I felt like the director should’ve made the stage pitch black to represent sorrow, rather than white light. The blue background worked with the theme. It represented water that was shown in three ways spooning the water, washing down Odessa to hydrate her in the tub, and releasing the ashes of Elliot’s Aunt of the water in Puerto Rico. Odessa was being washed by fountainhead at the same time her sister ashes were being spread of the waterfall in San Juan. It worked because it gave the idea that Odessa wasn’t free and her sister was. To conclude, the setting structure of the play was wrong as well as the color scheme that was picked. They had orange and yellow for Elliot’s mom’s funeral which is too unrealistic, it felt like a rave rather than a funeral. The charters were presented clearly and with details you could tell who was the successful people by the way they talked and dressed. In my opinion Elliot shouldn’t have been able to touch the Arab Warrior because he was a figment of his imagination and it’s impossible to touch that. The director placed to actors in the correct spots giving the more important characters more visibility than the others. I would not watch this play again because I didn’t feel included in the plot, and even though it is a trilogy the biggest weakness for me was the lack of background knowledge that could have been explained briefly in the introduction.
The setup of the stage was very simple. It was the living room of a home in the early 1980’s. It looked like a normal household, and it had small things such as crumpled up pieces of paper lying around the wastebasket. It also had a couch, circular class table and a recliner in the living room. The dining room was to the left side of the stage and only had the dining table and surrounding chairs. There was a door in the back of the set where characters entered and exited through. Beside the door was a table and stool where Willum presumably worked on his blueprints for the hotel. The lighting design was great; it put you into the atmosphere of the
Yesterday night I reviewed the play “The Miss Firecracker Contest” In Wilmington, North Carolina at Big Dawg Productions. The play started out as Carnell Scott, 24-year-old orphaned southern girl who lives in Brookhaven, Mississippi. She is tap dancing in her room with a purple leotard and some kitchen utensils used as creative batons practicing her routine for The Miss Firecracker Contest.
Not all plays are character-driven, in fact a great many are not. So if the characters are not what keep the audience intrigued, well then what does? There are many possible answers to this question. Paper Wheat uses the history of a group of people, a specific message commenting on a time period, spectacle elements such as song and dance, and the genre of comedy to keep its audience both engaged and entertained.
The Hippodrome setting played a big role in the success of the play, because the seats were close to the stage, which made the audience feel more intimate with the actors. The set was filled with everyday electronics and video games that were popular with today’s generation, and it was good way to capture the attention of the younger audience. The costumes worked for the actors because they were outfits that teens and young adults would wear, which made it easier to relate to the characters. The lighting for the production was awesome because it went well with the sound effects. For example, when Ian was doing a simulation for his new job, he set off a missile and when it exploded the lights changed from blue to red to symbolize seriousness of the situation.
The set of the play was built decent and looked the same. The only thing I didn't like was some of color of the stones that were painted on the walls. But, that’s just my opinion. However, I did have fun splatter painting those walls and the stairs during class. I liked how there was platforms and different ground levels, that made it more interesting. Rather than just having the stage ground there were stairs you could go up or down which set it apart. Overall, I liked the set and I thought it was built well and sturdy.
For my second article critique I chose to attend a play at the CORP Theatre in Rowlett to watch Steel Magnolias. Throughout the play my eyes were immediately drawn to many aspects of the play such as the characters and use of spectacles. My overall opinion of the play was positive. Although, unless you have seen the movie before it could be hard to follow along with.
I recognized that our playwright’s wanted the characters to emulate their values and outlooks they believed in. We learned that social forces like dishonesty, corporate control, and environmental concerns all played a part in the play Urinetown. As a result of the unfair rate hikes and water taxes the Amenities were forced to revolt. The dark community eventually overthrew the powers that be and started fresh with no restrictions. For a time the people lived happily, but an overuse of resources would be their fate soon enough. They were always doomed.
The director’s concept was again realized in a very creative and simple way. The stage crew did not have time to literally place trees on the stage, or to paint a border that elaborate—the light made the slatted walls look real and really allowed the audience to become a part of the experience.
Second, what is the mood of this story trying to portray with the setting. The setting c...
...transition between each stage was flawless. I enjoyed that screens were used to create the background for each scene allowing for the smooth transitions. The screens gave the appearance of being three-dimensional making the scenes seem much more real. I also enjoyed the lighting being used as spotlights during some of the scenes and being used as a transition between scenes, or day and evening.
The sound design and choreography intensified the overall musical. They created the time, place, and mood through rhythm and great energy. The actors had wireless, behind the ear mikes, that attached to the mike pack which amplified the sound, making it very clear. I could easily understand what they were talking about or singing.
BC, which also won the Pulitzer Prize in 1979, is one of the plays which he dedicated to his father Sam, who was in the military during World War II in Shepard’s early childhood years. Samuel Shepard Rogers III, born November 5th 1943 in Fort Sheridan, Illinois, is the oldest of three children. He was nicknamed Steve, since his name came down through seven generations of men. He then changed his name into Sam Shepard. (Sparr, 6) His play has been influenced by his personal life, especially by his father. In his play, the men are all alcoholics and bound to the darker side. Shepard lived in a family filled with aggression, where the men around him were mostly violent alcoholics. (Lahr, 27) Alcoholism goes far back in his life, to the point where he cannot remember one single sober man . (Howe, 14) Thinking about his father, he believes that he owes his father a large part of his identity and his damage. Shepard remembers that his father lost his farm in Duarte, after he started drinking, in order to forget his ruined life. (Lahr, 30) This can be put into comparison with Dodge not bei...
If I was to direct this play each act would adopt a different aesthetic style that reflects relevant themes. The first act, which describes a suburban version of the Ice Age, would look and feel like a ‘50s sitcom. It would be complete with black-and-white lighting, and I picture a laugh track. In the second act the apocalypse has arrived in the disguise of a ‘80s sitcom. However adding a brightly colored Las Vegas style would hide the essential chaos. The third and final act portrays a deserted postwar landscape. Straying from the TV show format entirely, I’d like to strip away the pop culture deception to reveal the family beneath.
Setting - Identify the physical (when/where) settings of the book. How do these settings affect the moods or emotions of the characters?
The cinematography enforced the mood, drama, and plot. The use of color in the film was telltale of the mood. The colors were drab, lifeless, mellow colors. These colors were telltale signs of the setting and mood of the play. The setting was in a sorrowful, dirty, suffering country; the mood was sorrowful and suffering as well.