Applied Theatre Analysis

The set used for Vernon God Little was highly symbolic and simplistic; when we walked into the theatre we could visually see that there were flowers, cards and memorable items attached on the audiences seats above our heads, which already created a sombre atmosphere around the theatre.

“Audiences today want a real experience in their live performance, because they can get great script based entertainment at home, through various new media sources. Traditional theatre, which appeals on a mental, and hopefully also emotional level, has not been enough to compete with other media, and audiences have been declining. Physical theatre, by contrast appeals to the audience on a physical and emotional level, providing a much more immediate experience than traditional theatre” ~ (Artmedia Publishing in Zen Zen Zo’s “The Tempest” Teacher’s Notes)

For our critiquing assignment in our Introduction to Stagecraft 1, I ventured to downtown Toronto, to a small indie theatre called, The Unit 102 Theatre. There I saw the production of MISS; written by Dora Award-nominated playwright Michael Ross Albert who wrote such works as Tough Jews, The Spadina Avenue Gang with the Storefront Theatre. The set takes place in the aftermath of a shocking accident in a boarding school classroom, the story explores the tenuous connection between a high school teacher, her fiance, and a troubled student whose lives have been irrevocably changed by tragedy caused by a miscarriage, an affair, and the fear of the consequences that are not yet revealed, and finally, murder. This is a one act showdown between three

In 1933, the Great Depression was at its peak. As people were struggling to find work and survive in a crumbling economy, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created a program called The New Deal to help alleviate some of the United States’ problems; such as helping the poor and unemployed, repairing the economy, and fixing the country’s financial issues. With it, another project was formed which would radically change the world of theatre. The Federal Theatre Project, sponsored by the Works Progress Administration, funded theatre projects, employed actors, and created meaningful art (Simkin).While The Federal Theatre Project was an important tool to keep theatre alive and people employed during The Great Depression, it also had much greater after-effects; altering the role and effect of theatre in the years to come.

IATI Theater seeks NEA funds to support artist fees, production and direct touring costs for “TRIPLE PLAY SERVICES TO LATINO COMMUNITIES”. This program seeks to provide a bridge between artists and under-served communities in the Northeastern United States. The program combines 3 different services with the goal to engage our communities in the performing arts while providing artists a platform to fulfil their dreams and improve their skills.

Merrick Theatre & Center for the Arts presented the musical, Cabaret on Sunday, May 6th, 2018. The book was written by Joe Masteroff and it was based on the play called I Am a Camera by John Van Druten. The music and lyrics of Cabaret were composed by John Kander and Fred Ebb, respectively. The Broadway production was directed by Harold Prince and the Merrick Theatre production was directed by Daniel C. Higgins and produced by Joe Mauro. Not only does the Merrick Theatre perform shows, but it also hosts birthday parties, have theatre classes and summer camps.

There was a group of inmates in a Kentucky prison who created a program within the prison called Shakespeare Behind Bars. It helped the inmates put aside their past and connect with their present selves. One inmate who was changed by this program was Jerry Guenther. He is currently serving 45 years in prison for murder. Jerry said,”We live a lie. But in here, our acting is not acting: it’s telling the truth.” Another inmate who was changed by this program was Matt Wallace. He has directed the plays for the program for three years now. One thing that Matt said was,”The themes that are in these plays resonate so deeply in these guys. Through these plays they’re digging up some of the most painful and horrific parts of their lives.” These plays have helped inmates, who trust few people, open up to each other more. The Shakespeare Behind Bars program has helped inmates dig deeper into their own lives through the characters that they

Service can take on a variety of definitions. Too often, a societal view of service is somehow linked with laborious work at an inconvenient time of the day or somewhat of a burden; that is the stigma associated with service from my home community at least. Throughout my semester volunteering at the People’s Bank Theatre, I have really come to enjoy the service I have partaken in. With my own personal promotion of culture, especially coming to a region of the country which would not typically be predisposed to the arts at such high caliber performance, I definitely felt a real sort of connection to the theatre which in turn made my volunteering experience meaningful.

Unlike the ones that came before and after these are the places that had the entertainment and grew in business very well. People belonging to the working class were the stars of the show they put on entertainment for immigrants and their children, farmers, and laborers. The rise of a pervasive culture of consumerism which dramatically altered the way Americans worked, played, and thought about their relationships to other citizens. During the Great Depression thousands of people were put out of work and had very little money. There was a New Deal program known as the Federal Theatre Project. It’s main focus was to entertain everyone and help their confidence at this time. But, one other focus this project had was that it inspired Americans

Detroit Theatre Collective will mount a production of a classic play that examines corporate oppression, family dysfunction and the fading mirage of the American dream.  We will unearth the timely (and timeless) content of this work, such as economic 'folklore' of the lower classes and the lies that we tell ourselves in order to survive.

I think Shakespeare Behind Bars is a great program to help inmates feel more involved. This program gives them a chance to do something other than the regular daily routines of their prison. Helps them to create new friendships and express themselves in a way they haven’t been able to while stuck in a cell all day. While watching the video about a few of the inmates it told their story of how they ended up in prison. Some of them did really bad things but some did those things out of protection.

Cal State Fullerton theater majors really knows how to make the audience feel comfortable because that is exactly what I felt. Every time I would go to a production everyone who was working there was so happy and always willing to help you with whatever you need. Dealing with the box office was easy because they did not make anything difficult. They were very respectful towards me when I was buying my ticket and it was easy for me to contact them especially when I had to change my ticket to a different day because I could not make it to the original date that I have reserved. The house itself was very clean, which I am very impressed because not many theater is clean and that makes me feel like I don't even want to stay, so cleanliness is definitely

The art form of Pantomime began as early as Ancient Italy. Comedy shows were put on where there would be little talking and rely on over the top actions accompanied by music. Also in many cases gender roles were switched. For example women would play stoic men, and men would play the damsels in distress. After Roman times the Pantomime form moved on to more parts Italy in the 15th Century. It incorporated famous characters such as well known simpletons and jolly men, that acted out scenes. This form is called Commedia dell’Arte.” This was a "comedy of professional artists" travelling from province to province in Italy and then France, who improvised and told comic stories that held lessons for the crowd, changing the main character depending

The participatory theatre for children does not only entertain children with the fantasy world but the aim of this theatre is providing high quality arts projects for young audience and open the door for children to be more cooperative and social development from involving the performance. Fortunately, children have huge enthusiasm to response the performance that it is different from adult character who do not want to be expose in the stage so this benefits can reduces space of theatre that will provides opportunity of children can have deeper understanding. This essay will explore the four main elements which activate the success of participatory children’s

Academic and artistic interest in something is usually a sure sign that matters are unclear, conceptual boundaries are blurred and that old certainties are anything but that. There is also little doubt that the major challenges we face: the media revolution, globalization and migration, climate change, the erosion of public finances and services (to name just a few) – have all in some way a bearing on the public sphere, the realm where issues are debated and where citizens are free to enter and engage in discourse. As the public sphere is primarily a discursive arena located outside and between state bureaucracies on the one hand and economics and business on the other, it occupies a crucial role in the functioning of so-called free societies. The question to be explored here is what role theatre and performance in practice play in this realm and how performance and theatre theory can contribute to the debates.” (Balme