Learning Synthesis

Upon entering this class I had only gone to a few plays- some of which were by choice, others I was dragged to. My understanding of theatre was extremely limited, and after taking the course my understanding has changed substantially. Before The Page & The Stage I had never really thought about what choices directors and actors were making in preparation for the show, or how the script transfers itself from the text to the stage. As an extremely casual playgoer I had never really thought about how reading a play before seeing it can have an effect on the experience. By reading scripts, going to plays and discussing the experiences, I have thought about issues in drama that I never would have before.

When I was reading Life Without Instruction there were parts of the play that were funny, but the thing that stood out the most was the fact that parts of the play were difficult for me to read because they were so graphic. I am referring, in particular to the rape scene and the court scene in the play. I felt like this would be a very emotionally driven scene that would make the audience uncomfortable. When I went to see the play however- the director focused more on the dark comedy of the play, and less on the drama. The transition from the text to the stage is different for different people. By reading the text before seeing the play- I had developed my own ideas: what characters would act like, where the audience would laugh, where the audience would feel uncomfortable, and what the stage would look like. Actually going to the play after reading it was a startling experience- because the directors vision was so different from my own. After reading a number of plays and thinking about them and how they will be performed- before actually seeing them, opened my eyes to something that I had never thought about. I should not go to a play thinking it will be exactly like what I have created in my mind- I should go to the play wanting to see how the director views the play- and how the actors perform their characters. You could go to several productions of the same play and have a completely different experience every time.

There was a lot of debate in class concerning the fact that we read the scripts before seeing the play, some people thought it was a good idea, others did not. After realizing that I should see a play to appreciate, or disagree with, the directors choices- it seems pretty clear to me that I should read the script beforehand. By reading the script in advance, I can really get a chance to make my own decisions about the play.

I'm not sure why, but every time I read a script, I am extremely interested in how things will work on the technical side of the production. Things like the gun and the blood in Problem Child and the fight scene in Beaux Stratigem. With the fight scene especially- because on the script, action sequences are always so dry- it leaves a lot of work for the director and the actors to fill in. The jump from stage directions to performance is an interesting and leap- which can either go really well, or really poorly. When playwrights introduce an element like and action sequence or the need for something startling onstage- like a gun or blood- it puts the director in a tricky spot. But, as seen in the plays this year- they can go off without a hitch!

Something that I discovered while going to the plays this year, many of which had suspenseful or uncomfortable scenes, was the experience of being a member of a collective audience. The moments were rare, but they are moments that really stood out for me this year. When the gun was fired in Problem Child- the entire audience was still, there was an eery silence that every person and performer shared. Or in Life without Instruction during the (turned) comical court proceedings, when Artemisia was being tortured with the thumbscrews; instantly everyone in the audience stopped laughing and realized that something terrible was happening. The experience is something that is unique to theatre, and is something that I found I really enjoyed while going to new shows. Going to the Gut Girls was another great group experience- because the theatre was so cramped, and everyone was so close to the stage- it created a more intimate viewing.

After taking this class I am much more conscious of the choices that actors and directors make, how reading a script can affect seeing a play, and how production makes its way from the page to the stage.

Learnign Journal Mar. 28th

This week- I attended Gut Girls, in Sackville, at MTA- and I read The Beaux Stratagem. Like a boob- I forgot to post on the GG forum after reading it. So... maybe Ill be seeing another play this semester.

Gut Girls was a great experience- the stage was so cramped that the actors were right in your face. There was a particular scene (mind you I was in the front row) where on of the mothers was peeling potatoes- Because I was so damn close to her- it was hard to focus on what was happening on the other side of the stage, I just sat there and watched her whittle away at the potato... Probably because I have a short attention span.

It was a shame that the gutting tables were only used once, but to everyones surprise- there is only one scene in the sheds. Im a stickler at times- I though the props for the organs could have been a lot better- they looked really dry... which made it unbelievable. Thats is something you have to work with when you are producing a show in a theater that small- the audience can see absolutely everything that you do. They can see how dry and fake the organs look- or the cracks in the paint of the styrofoam piggy.

I didnt really notice/care about the lack of english accents- but I am sure that if this play were produced anywhere else- there would be a lot more emphasis put on them. The different classes of England have very distinct accents- which are important for class distinctions- but they were, for the most part, ignored in this production.

Again, I say, good job Gut Girls

Learning Journal March 21

Busy week- busy, busy week.

We went to St. John on Wednesday to see the dress rehearsal of Frost/Nixon- there were a lot of high school theater arts students at the show- and the actors had a Q&A session when the play was over, so that was nice. The play has been getting a bad wrap in the forums- but it really wasnt that bad. But there were a lot of things that went wrong. During the asides- many of the actors stoof out of the spotlights- and during the interviews- it became difficult to know what lines were meant for everyone to hear- and what lines were meant for the audience only. The giant TV was really, really bright- and it was a distraction at times. A lot of lines were lost because they weren't loud enough.

Nixon was brilliant- he was the right level of funny and factual. Frost on the other hand came off as abrasive and rude at times- it made it difficult to find him charismatic- which lead to me feeling sympathetic for Nixon... I do not think that I should have.

My biggest complaint would be the timing and delivery of the jokes. Actors need to be aware of what actually makes a joke funny- and if you do not get the timing correct on the back and forth exchange, the comedy is lost. It also could have been the audience that was too young for many of the jokes. In particular- I really enjoyed the 'Ben Hur' joke- but it was completely lost on the age group. I laughed out loud... then realized that no one else was laughing... I soon stopped. Haha- It made me feel weird. Anyways- I mostly focused on the negative- but it was still a good play.

Learning Journal 5

Ive got Gut Girls, Problem Child, and Frost/Nixon all done for right now- I just have to get around to reading Beaux. Im done my work for the Research on Problem Child and Ive put together some stuff for the playgoers companion for Frost/Nixon- unfortunatly- no one else has. Im sure we'll get it done though. Talking about Gut Girls in class was a nice experience- after reading the play, it was good to know some of the history surrounding it.

I forgot about the deadline for the halfway synthesis, Im sure that is going to come back and kick me in the ass :L

The topic of- how much should you know about the play before seeing the play- has been coming up quite a bit lately, with the Watergate scandal in Frost/Nixon, and the history of the gut girls, in... Gut Girls. There are a lot of cases where people go into a play, not knowing the historical background of the setting, let alone what the play is even about. I dont really think that we can come to a definitive answer, as to which is better, knowing a lot or knowing very little. But it is hard to argue that the experiences of people who enter a play with those extremes, or something in between, will all be different in one way or another.

March Break Learning Journal

Bah- it wasn't much of a break- I spent most of it reading. I finished off Gut Girls. It was good, but it was not without its flaws, it is certainly one of the plays that will be much better on the stage. There were too many characters for me to keep tabs on and make note of. This coming month is going to be really busy but hopefully really fun- because I will be seeing three plays.
I was really happy with the exercise last class- its nice to put your thoughts out there with a bunch of other people's thoughts and see how they interpret the same issues. I really enjoyed hearing what characters people liked/hated and for what reasons. Maybe I just like to see people butt heads. Hooray for traveling to see plays!

Learning Journal Three

It is the morning after my second play for the class, so I thought this would be a good time to reflect on what I have learned as of late. Since my last post, I have read the script for "Problem Child" and "Frost/Nixon" and completed my work for the "Problem Child" Task Force, and last night I went out to see the play in UNB's Memorial Hall. I found with this play, I enjoyed seeing the play more than I enjoyed reading the script. About half of the actors were amazing, and more than made up for the average performance made by the other two characters. The role of RJ was so well done. It was really nice to be back at the theater.

Some of the technical concerns that I had were all but dismissed during the production; I always find myself being picky over things like- how will the director handle blood/violence/guns- and I was pleasantly surprised last night. The shot from the gun scared the hell out of me. Its funny how you forget that certain things are going to happen in a play; maybe thats how I know it was a good production- because I forgot a few details about the play, and they really ended up surprising me. After seeing the play- I feel a bit more sympathetic for Helen- and a little less sympathetic for Denise- I think her character could have been portrayed as being more troubled- and less teenage-anxty. (Excuse the neologism)

Learning Journal 2

It has been a crazy week- it is that time of the year, crunch time, where mid-terms and essays are well on their way, and my stress levels are reaching a critical mass. For The Page & The Stage this week, I read "Problem Child" and started work on the Wiki. I don't think that the research is due this week, but I checked the wiki, and information had been posted, so I figured I should join in as well.

I am really looking forward to seeing "Problem Child" preformed, it was great to read, and it (like Life Without Instruction) poses some difficulties for the actors and the director. The play includes some technical tricks like someone cutting their hand and bleeding onto the stage- It seems likely that they will leave it to the viewers imagination, but I always like it when they go the extra mile in the way of little things. For example, I really enjoyed that the paintings in "Life Without Instruction" were shown to the audience, it was a great touch- I am assuming that what the audience saw was a printed version of the images- placed onto a canvas- the result was really nice. I think it had more effect on myself than it would have on someone who did not read the play before hand; because I was forced to question the difficulties that could arise in producing the play. Anyways, I should get back to work.

Ciao for now.