David Wong's Yellow Face: Stage Design

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

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

Most characters either wore a shade of blue, black, white, or gray and there were not a lot of people wearing the same color. The director’s choice with not overloading on a certain color was great. I also liked how every character had some type of accessory so that everyone’s outfits weren’t bland. The added accessories also show a little bit about the character’s personality. I believe one character wore a pair of white washed skinny jeans, some type of band t-shirt, and a plaid button up over it. Based on the character’s appearance, as well as some of the lines from the blogging scene, the audience can imply that this character likes some type of rock. That being said, if the character never mentioned anything about going to a concert and seeing her favorite band, the audience would still be able to assume that she is a rocker. In another scene with the same character and another character it is obvious that the two went on a date. There were a few minor things that were added to let the audience know that they were on a date, but those minor things can go a long way. If the scene didn’t have lines at all, the audience would know that these two characters were on a date not only because of the way the set was blocked, but because there was a little vase of flowers on the table in front of them. There wasn’t any special lighting for the play. In some scenes there would be a blackout so

The first category of design I will be evaluating is the lighting. Many different tactics are used by the lights to illustrate different effects on the audience. One thing done is the color of the lights changed frequently. This was used to change the scene from day to night, change the weather, change the mood of the characters, and more. For example, the sunset and sunrise was often shown when the characters were aboard and on the beach of Neverland. Another tactic used by the lighting crew was changing the angle of the

In the intro to The Dramatic Imagination, John Mason Brown wrote that Robert Jones’ theatre was “an extension of life, not a duplication, a heightening rather than a reproduction” (Jones 1). Of course, we know that plays are about ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. However, Jones poses the question of what can designers do to heighten the “extraordinary circumstances” to the audience without interfering the message of the show? The Dramatic Imagination focused on most aspects of artistry in the theatre, including actors and designers. As someone who does not consider myself a designer, but is an actor with a liberal arts education, this was more helpful than only focusing on scenic design. Furthermore, it supported the need for intense collaboration between all theatre artists when working on a show, a highly valued characteristic of mine.

The scenes and props complimented the attire of the performers, blending together create a magnificent display. The scenery was realistic enough to afford the viewer an escape into depths of the show. The setting was beautiful and the structures almost lifelike, excepting the absence of a front screen door. It seems that almost all plays and television shows I have viewed neglect this detail. The stage lighting played a key role in the show by setting the mood of the performance during soulful, pensive songs. In contrast, the lighting proved to be a detriment by overbearing the performance of the artists, in that one’s attention was drawn to the glare of extreme quantities of makeup rather than the actions of the characters. This was most notable during the final portions of the production.

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

Using certain shapes of materials and color helped the audience understand the scenery of the play, being able to understand what time period this took place. The lighting through the play was great, being able to clearly see in detail for each scene. For example, when the Stage manager introduces the people in Grover's Corner, is was clear and easy to see what type of life style they live. Grisel Torres did an excellent job with the angles, colors, and shadows throughout the play, really emphasizing the emotion and lighting for each scene. Allison Mortimer, the costume designer, did a good job figuring out what each character should wear and allowing the audience to decide which class each character fits in society. The costumes looked like they were somewhat middle class and even looked vintage at times. I wasn't sure if they were recreated or not. Changing costumes for different scenes made it easier to understand the aspect of the scene and allowing the audience to understand what will happen.

Such as, when the show began there were a few moments of music with the lights blacked out. When the song was cut, the lights were switched on and the production began. This faint, yet dynamic lightwork left me impressed and wondering about the hours went into making it so precise. Further into the play, I noticed that the lights were fully lit in the centre where all the actors were. But on the sides, upstage left and center stage right, I noticed that it was more dimmed at those areas because it was not our main focus as an audience. For music, she used only two songs for the entire play. Creatively, they used a “radio” and their voices as their music. For sound effects, she used telephone rings, chimes and gunshots. Overall, even though Jacq did not focus too much on lighting and sounds, I find that she did a great job especially because she didn’t try to overdo it with just

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 took me by surprised by how alike it was to the movie with Tarzan’s parents. The sound effects and the stage took me back into the movie. Without even telling us, the production showed who the characters were with how they acted towards each other and colors they projected onto the wall. The costumes that all the gorillas and apes had on, were not actual gorilla suit costumes, but I could still easily tell what they were and who they were. The stage looked just like a jungle and had other separate stages as well, adding to this effect. Once again, my favorite part of this play was by far the music and lyrics by Phil Collins. All of the songs that were sang were from the movie making it that much more realistic. The best song was, “You’ll be in my heart” sang by Tarzan’s mother, Kala. This song sounded just like the movie and was immensely pleasing to the ear. All of the lighting and even the songs all focused on what part of the story was happening and who was talking next, the behind the scenes production did a phenomenal job on that aspect of the play making it look more professional and like I was watching a broadway musical opposed to a community college auditorium. Every attribute and aspect of this play came together and came to life for me, reminding me of childhood again.

To start, one of the many things that stood out to me was The Lady who was mysteriously present in every scene. Without lines until the very end of the performance, it was like she was watching and learning from the play simultaneously with audience. Initially, I couldn’t pinpoint the importance of her role in the production, yet along with

Everything appears to be correct for the time period some of the art work was questionable like the bronze chines sculpture but besides that the play seem to be very authentic. I also approached the touch of having the British door mat. The director Josh Machamer did an excellent job in working with what he had by recreating a apartment complex on stage where the audience can visually see and hear the actors during certain scenes where upstairs one conversation might be going and downstair a complete separate conversation is taking place and by proving us with a visual of both we are able to see the actors body language through out the play giving a sense of the situation and how the actor portages it. One thing that I would have prefer to seen done diffentley was the use of a really lighter instead of one with a light it made no sense to be that they would use actual matches but not a lighter. Machamer did a great job in porting the play as it was intended and created an amazing stage compared to other performances that used video boards to show the conversations that took place in the upstairs

The lighting of any production is the most important part in my thought. the lighting puts you in the mood that you have to be in, in order to fully understand that part of the show and to actually live it like they do. For example, when they were in the park and it was raining, they had their umbrellas, and the background effects of rain made it really seem as if it was raining in the theatre. The lighting was always focused on every part of the stage, especially on those who were the main parts in that scene.