The play Agnes of God is a play by John Pielmeier set in 1979 Upstate New York. In a short summary the play consist of three actors, Dr. Martha Livingstone (Kimberlee Connor) who is a court-appointed psychiatrist sent to evaluate Sister Agnes (Emily Freeman), a young nun whose new born baby has been found strangled, and dead inside of a waste basket, and Mother Miriam Ruth (Shannon Ouellette), who is an overbearing Mother nun who constantly insists that Ms. Livingstone leave Agnes alone. With Agnes claiming a virgin conception and having no memory of giving birth, and Mother Miriam Ruth unwilling to cooperate, Livingstone must figure out between the lies and the nun's perception-altering faith. In the end Ms. Livingstone is left with unanswered …show more content…
And the picture of you that was out front with all the casting actors, wow you looked gorgeous! Once again I was extremely impressed by the stage design. The back Catholic Church wall was such an amazing structure. The paint and texture that was used to build the wall, gave off the appearance of a real stone wall. The wall design was flawless, and the size and scale it in which it was done in is astounding! Ms. Livingstone office was also well placed; it kept a focus point to the center of the room. The decision to go with a see through glass desk and small offices chairs allow the stage space to seem larger and didn’t block or hide when the actors sat down or walked around the desk. The area with the steps that lead to Mother Ruth desk was also well crafted, but I felt it was not utilized enough. It was barley used and wasn’t sure if it was Mother Ruth office or apart of the church altar. The church pew was a nice addition as well. I was also really impressed with the lighting effects, especially from the church windows. I first thought the stained glassed windows were fixed lights that couldn’t be changed, but once Livingstone took center stage and began to speak the colors changed to a red color (I think). When that happened it felt like the world froze in place while she spoke, and resuming when the light turned back to a bright morning light. I also liked how the lights would change throughout the play to set a different mood. For example, when Ms. Livingstone was hypnotizing Agnes, she told Agnes to imagine herself being in water all of the sudden the room color was
The staging of the performance looked extremely nice. The trees looked real and the lighting was exquisite. The snow looked as white as a sheet of paper. However, when one of the actors was trying to make a snowball, it did not stay well. This showed how the snow was made out of something plastic or cheap material. .Additionally, I found the background design really interesting. I love the colors and how realistic
Many women in the 1930’s have done important, effective and positive impacts that still contribute to life today. The Great Depression caused and dominated millions of citizens who made women stronger and helped the economy build up again. One of the main women that sacrificed her whole career to do what she believed in and make a difference in many lives was Agnes Campbell Macphail. Macphail had made numerous contributions in the 1930s for fairness and equality. She was also one of the first women into Parliament. Macphail believed women have a place and right to express their own opinions. She mainly entered
The scenic design in this play was extraordinary, and I could tell there was a lot of effort put into it. In this play there was a stairway towards the back of the stage. It brought in a new way for the actors to enter/exit the stage. I thought this was very creative idea that was easy to move on, and off stage if needed. There were many scenes that had the moon and the stars in the background. I loved this because it showed the audience when it was night time. I also love looking at the moon and the stars, I feel it creates a very romantic atmosphere. There were times the setting was inside a house or a pub, and then there were times that the setting was outside like the war scene, and the balcony scene. I
Seuss. Also, I liked the fact that a lot of their costumes had sparkles on them. I think the sparkles helped convey the lighthearted attitude of the entire production. The set and props were extremely interesting, because it was very simple. All they had throughout the whole play was some boxes used for props and a background piece that helped show the “Dr. Seuss” theme. I thought it was smart that they used the boxes for a number of different things, such as a bed, table, and chairs, because it allowed the children in the audience to use their imagination. Instead of having actual chairs and such, the simplicity of the set opened up the mind of the audience. Overall, I thought the sound was well done, but there were certain times when the microphones would fade in and out. Also, the lighting element of the play probably could have been better. The lighting on the stage was not a problem, but when the actors and actresses got off the stage and began to walk in the area right in front of the audience, it was harder to see what was going on. However, although lighting the area in front of the stage would have been helpful, there were times when I couldn’t see the actors at all because they were
Our Town was done very differently than the other plays I have read and I thought it was interesting. I liked that the stage manager broke the fourth wall multiple times and spoke to the audience, creating more interaction with them and keeping people entertained and drawn in. They also placed actors in the audience for a scene. I think this is a
My favorite part of the entire play, which may seem weird is that face that the scene changes were in character. As Jean put on her jack, she was in character looking out into the crowd. That was just such a nice touch that they added and should be applauded. Secondly, the fact that they had the performance in the upstage rather than in the large auditorium. It was such a minor thing, but I actually had to move me feet because I was worried that I would accidentally trip an actor. That was amazing! It made the play feel more intimate and like I was actually in the rooms, experiencing what they were.
Each element gave the stage a different feel that matched every scene , complementing each brilliantly. The only element that lacked for me was lights, although very bright ; in my opinion the reoccurring blue wasn't the best option. I feel if the lighting designer would have had more warmer colored lights against the already vibrant set pieces, it would have made the stage pop more. But one thing i did particularly fancy, were the costumes the characters wore and how they fit each character. Each character's’ costume showed the dichotomy between the personalities and tastes of each individual. For example Ilona played by Jane Krakowski was dressed in a scarlet / pinkish dress with a high slit up the left side; showing her seductive character type. Meaning when i saw Ilona on stage, I immediately knew who i was looking at . Lastly the sound effects included , like the door jingle sound or The bike bell , added to the whole idea of being inside and outside of a retail building. These effects gave the stage an outdoorsy feel , drawing you in , giving the audience illusions of really being in 1930’s
The most successful aspect of the performance for me were the scene changes. I found that the rotation of the blackboard, center stage, where the actors were able to stoop beneath it in order to enter and exit the stage, was an effective touch to this
This was the first play or theatre performance that I have attended. I was unsure of what to expect, but I heard great things about this play. Furthermore, the first aspect of this production that caught my attention was the design of the set. The design gave the feeling of a run down urban neighborhood by making the outer parts of the stage look like an old brick building. The building looked like one you would find in a low-income area or projects. The scenery of the play set the stage for what type of production this would be. I especially liked the way they carefully chose not to place just any kind of props on the stage. The dusty
The beginning of the play was very interesting in several ways. Firstly, the choice of dialect took me surprise because of its vulgar nature. I personally enjoyed the use of speech because I find it interesting when people use words freely when they are normally looked down upon. The music that was played gave made another strong impression on me. The title of the song was Bonfire by Childish Gambino, and it set a very interesting mood. It definitely took me by surprise and I did not know how to react in that situation. I just stared with my mouth open and tried to figure out why that song was being played. Another thing that I found interesting was when the actors put makeup and different clothes on in front of us. Seeing the actors start changing into new characters right in front of me made me very intrigued about how people can break the socially constructed ideas of how theatre works.
The arrangement of the set also added to my enjoyment of the play. To expand, the characters did not utilize the whole stage, specifically the downstage space. Instead, the
The set was one of my favorite elements of the whole entire show! The floor was painted to look like marble and there were columns erected on a spinning platform. The director, Josie Rourke, used this set brilliantly and really gave us strong moments through the blocking in the show. The costumes and the time felt placed in a very modern time while using the original text. This was a nice contrast and even though it started off weird it ended up meshing together smoothly. I thought this show was amazing and there was not anything that stood out to me or made me dislike in anyway.
One thing that I did not like about the visual components was the furniture and the costumes. I say this because in the playbill, the time and place is set for now in the English Countryside. I did not know this until after watching the play. Throughout the duration of the play, I was given the impression that this play took place somewhere in between the 1920s and 1950s. The plaid furniture just gave that kind of old timey feel. Also, the costumes were old fashioned as well. The mothers’ dresses especially, and also the police uniform aided in this thought.
There were some other nice touches with the mixed media as well, with phone calls on split screens transitioning seamlessly into face to face conversations. This happened most commonly with Wong and his father, as if to show how close they are to each other. These little touches helped keep my attention onto the play and make for a more active and lively production. I truly have never seen anything like this before on a “stage” and to see internet technology affect the physical stage in such a way is fascinating and fun. As for the purely traditional elements of the play, they too were top notch. The backdrops for each scene looked extremely realistic and lively, to the point where I was not sure if the backdrops were photorealistic paintings or green screens. As for the other parts of the set, I liked the very realistic look of the offices, living rooms, and other interior set pieces. The set designer allowed them to not only look realistic, but to also move and flow seamlessly into a different set piece. This, to me, reminded me of how
I really enjoyed the majority of the lighting design. I like the gobo effect that was used for the window and for the walking paths. The gobo for the walking paths was nice because it was an interesting way to illuminate the path and then make it disappear when they were done walking there. For the window gobo, I like how it helped to light up the room as if you were really drawing back the curtains and it helped bring out the audience’s imagination to the minimal set on stage.I loved the way they incorporated ultraviolet light into the show. I thought it gave the sow a little extra eeriness to it and it also helped to make the costumes and set pop more. I liked how each flash of lightening was different. That made it feel more realistic to