Comedic Mystery Play: Kill Your Parents In Viking Alberta

During the first half of the play, I did not really notice the lights except during the scene transitions. The main reason I did not notice them is because their job during the early parts of the play were to establish the location. We were in a standard basement that had one window above the stairs, so most of the light in the room had to be coming from an artificial source, most likely a lightbulb.

The technical aspects of the production such as scenery, properties and costumes also played a keynote in the productions success. The scenery was fabulous it truly made the play. It was very realistic and extremely vibrant. Almost the entire play was performed in one setting, except for the railcar and dance scenes. The house, the main setting, was magnificent with painstakingly placed detail in every corner. All elements in the house matched wonderfully, for example the furniture, the photos on the wall, the telephone and even the trash can. Little bits of detail were everywhere adding to the beautification of the set, for example the lace decorations on the chairs, the etched glass above the front door and even the Christmas tree.

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

In the play, the setting takes place in an "abandoned" and "gloomy" farmhouse out in the country. Almost

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

As well as lighting, sound was used very effectively to stage the story. For example “echoes” were created in the alleyways, to make us think that Eddie’s house was a long way away. These echoes were also used to symbolise Eddie’s loneliness. This could show that there is emptiness in Eddie’s heart that can only be filled by a close friend or a brother. There was a bold use of sound especially in scary, dramatic or important scenes. This added to the drama of the overall performance, it made the audience feel a variety of emotions. In the scene when Mrs. Lyons tries to murder Mrs. Johnston, the sound affects really emphasised how Mrs. Lyons was feeling and her sheer madness. The use of surround sound made me feel like I was in the scene and it made the whole performance much more realistic.

The lighting changes during and between scenes were done extremely well. The shifts in colors and brightness of the lights helped set the mood without overwhelming the audience or being too direct. It became clear when Jackson was angry, sad, or happy. I did find myself picking up on a lot more negative aspects of the production than positive ones. As I said previously, the overuse of profanity distracted from the storyline of the show and led to a decreased enjoyment for me personally. It was also strange how only about

It established the transition from reality to fairytale and set the mood of many of the fairytales. It supported many of the choices that were made on stage but didn't overshadow anything that was happening. The lighting design also did an excellent job of being a support to the show, not a distraction. It also helped establish transitions and mood, but did nothing to distract from the telling of the story.

The set: The set looks pretty unique and legit. It seems like a real diner. You have actual table booths, a small counter, a kitchen in the back. They also had dinnerware and coffee at the diner. Even though it is highly possible the cups were empty it 's amazing how the all the additions they made made the diner stand out. During the play the characters as they mentioned after the play that each of them had their own table they owned in the way each of them came in and sat where they usually sit.

In this production the costumes did well to represent the characters and their personalities. For the character Emily in the beginning of the show she was wearing normal clothes that you would see any old day which is what she was planning on it being that day. Emily's costume was very realistic and this helped make the play more believable in the beginning and towards the end. somewhere around halfway through the production Emily was stripped of her clothes and given a new outfit, a red robe. This red robe adequately showed her struggle and how all of her dignity had been stripped away. The doctors, nurses, and amy also wore very realistic outfits for their current profession and role in the play. Even though many things played a part in this production it truly was the lighting and the set that brought true greatness to this piece. The lights themselves had a great impact on the piece and the way it was present. From the flashing lights, to the stable lights all of them were important. The red lights in particular helped the audience to see the struggle and the confusion happening inside Emily's mind and also allowed the audience to see that something is clearly wrong. In addition the flashing and moving lights successfully demonstrated the confusion going on in the character's head. There was only one issue with the lights that needs to be addressed and that is where they are exactly

Throughout the play, it was amazing how they used the lights to transition when tragic events occurred in play like a cliffhanger. In part three, when Shane confesses about the wrong deeds Kippy did, the light shines only at Darren and Kippy to make the event look serious; which made event suspenseful for the audience to capture their attention.

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

Without light, the theatre cannot exist, that much is certain. As actors, as audience members, as technical visionaries, we are only as powerful as the light we are given. The extent to which we depend upon light in performance has changed dramatically throughout history, however, as light technology developed and expanded. In the history of performance, the artistic community is constantly victim to the limits of lighting technology, and exponentially altered by breakthroughs. From the utilization of candles and natural light to isolated light and electricity, the histories of illumination and theatre are virtually inseparable, and continue to push the boundaries of live performance.

As the play is a memory play the lighting is usually quite dim to give