Chavez started a tradition of a play series produced once a year solely by the students. The playwriting class would write ten-minute pieces, and the directing class would take it on with the company. We attacked the chance to create independently with ferocity. I was in the playwriting class taught by Mr. Chavez. When my pages were read aloud I was so nervous I could taste iron on my tongue. I started to talk rapidly over the scene, attempting to apologize for how terrible it seemed. He told me to take a deep breath and not to respond, just listen. I did. For the first time, I allowed my ideas to exist in creative space without ego interfering. He spoke with me sincerely about the rise of my five-act structure, the character’s depth, and where the act turns could flow smoother. A month and a half later I saw my very first play on stage. I was not afraid to call myself a playwright. Because of Mr. Chavez, I was genuinely proud of myself for the first
Although I have not thought about how I would stage a play I will give myself a chance to thinking thoroughly about how I would want an audience to receive a piece of work written by the four playwrights we have read this semester. Drawing on Wilson’s famous speech, I have an idea about what I would want. The Ground on Which I Stand is one that acknowledges the amazing playwrights we were able to read this semester. I appreciate what they have given to the world through the stage and in print. There have been plays that I resonated with me and some that were harder to grasp. Many of these playwrights talk about connections and family which is a way that I have connected with the characters. I wouldn't use many of the playwrights as influences
After watching the Playwright's Voice and the Real Life Drama of Being a Playwright, I came to the realization that writing a play and producing it takes a lot more work and time than I though it did, as there is a lot of steps that need to be taken before the audience sees the final product. Also, I was surprised to hear some of the major theater companies are closing their doors to the public because they don't make enough profits from the plays they present. One of the reasons I choose to see the Playwright’s Voice and the Real Life Drama of Being a Playwright was because I wanted to know more about the writer’s journey into Broadway, and also I wanted to hear from the people who work directly with the theater company about their view in
Middle School Theatre as a student is really interesting. I have an amazing teacher and I learn everyday. We learn about lot’s of things in theatre that helps me grow in theatre. In this paper I’m going to talk about all the things I’ve learned so far in Theatre and my favorite unit this year.
Through my undergraduate studies in fine and performing arts at James Madison University and my professional theatre experiences, I have built a foundation as a theatre practitioner that includes analyzing scripts, and communicating through drawing and drafting, and have taken advantage of as many opportunities as possible. By attending the Yale School of Drama Graduate Design Program, I will develop my process for formulating ideas and gain more specialized knowledge in scenic design.
Throughout the course of freshmen year I have developed different skills and opinions on writing. I feel I have created a more mature style of writing and a better understanding of literature. I have changed my view of writing over this semester and acquired a strong liking for it. The importance of writing has become more visible throughout the past few months. Writing is crucial in many aspects of a person’s life. I have grown to be a more powerful and well built writer throughout this course.
I think I did a great job of spreading out major points in the play, and feel like this essay deserves an A, but at the same time I still think I need to work on filling in my holes better with quotes, while maintaining the crucial flow. When you grade my essay I’d like you to point out to me the holes in my essay, which I can transition with better. It was really difficult for me to do with that 3-page limit. Which leads me into my next statement. I apologize for going slightly over that 3-page mark, but I cut as much as I could.
Narrator: The setting is right after English class ended. The students are packing up and leaving to go home after being told their assignment to write their own play.
As I was reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor, I was thinking about how much I have missed in the books I have read due to not knowing how to look for certain literary devices. Something as simple as not knowing how to read between the lines caused me to miss out on points the author was trying to make. Over the course of reading How to Read Literature Like a Professor, I have learned many ways to analyze literature that I did not know before.
Seeing the Wilkes production of The Crucible helped me better understand the play, as well as its characters. I am the type of person that enjoys seeing the movie before reading the book, or in this case play. Being able to visualize the characters helps me become more involved with the piece of writing and enhances my understanding of its characters. Although I saw the play in the opposite order than I may prefer, having just finished reading the play days ago, it remained very fresh in my mind. Thus, revisiting the scenes through watching the play bettered my understanding of the emotions and expressions of the characters I tried to imagine while reading.
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.
In the words of Gay McAuley, “for an activity to be regarded as a performance, it must involve the live presence of the performers and those witnessing it…” (McAuley, 2009, cited in Schechner, 2013, pp.38). This statement recognises the importance of both the actor and the audience for something to truly function as a performance. In addition, Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones highlights the significance of the theatrical space and how it can influence an audience stating that “on entering a theatre of any kind, a spectator walks into a specific space, one that is designed to produce a certain reaction or series of responses” (Llewellyn-Jones, 2002, pp.3). The relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space is no less important today than it was at the time of theatre during the Spanish Golden Age and the creation of Commedia dell’arte in Italy. Despite being very close geographically with theatre thriving for both in the same era, sources that explore the social, cultural and historical context of these countries and the theatre styles will bring to light the similarities and differences. This essay will analyse the staging, the behaviour of the audience as well as the challenges the actors faced, and how this directly influenced the relationship between actor, audience and theatrical space.
I have gained many insights I have gained about descriptive and narrative writing over this course. The one that I will take the most away from the course is my realization of my own tone and voice that I possess in my pieces and how to apply them in a narrative. I have also learned how to develop a tone and voice for others when I am writing a piece from the perspective of them. There are significant contrasts between characters, such as the wicked, selfish Amber and the kindhearted, welcoming Horace from Assignment 3, and I have learned how to establish nuances in dialogue and activity to individualize my characters.