Miss Nelson Theme

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.

The book Found by Margaret peterson has a big part of the book where the author tries to bring out is the theme. The theme she tries to bring out is teamwork is needed in order to succeed. She shows this theme in the beginning, the middle, and in the end of the book.

Broward College, Central Campus Theater in building 6, on Sunday, the 1st of November. The play was performed by Broward College students. The type of stage was Proscenium stage with extended apron. I thought it was a little bit small, but it did not show as a problem. The pre-show was dark and a feel of suspense. I felt excited to see how everything would play out. The play takes place down south of Chicago in the 1950’s.

The first thing my eyes were drawn to was the show poster because of it’s scientific look. It led me to believe that the play’s focus was on science and theories. The designs used also led me to believe that you needed to know about science to watch the play and the title on the poster seemed to me like it was handwritten which made me think that this play was going to be a play that had elements of a lecture and that one of the characters would be a teacher. Going into the house and sitting down the thing that stood out to me was the set. It looked very spacy and galactic which gave me a feeling of excitement and curiosity. I believe that the set played a huge role as far

The setting and lighting was appropriate for the situation, the set and lighting designer adequately presented the scene and made the audience feels as if it was actually night time. The costumes for the play were similar to the ones in the movie, and from the time period 1930’s when the great depression was taking place. The costumes provided an interesting perspective and caught the watchers eye. I didn’t notice the hair and makeup aspects of the play other than Dill Harris’ and Scouts. The overall sound component was consistent, I think that it was easy to hear at all times: However, the sound effects could have been better, they sounded very unrealistic. The fight choreography could’ve used a little improvement, but it didn’t draw away from the play as a whole.

The performers played well together as an ensemble. Each actor was worth noting, but standout would have to go to Nicholas Vitela. To see him switch voices so quickly and move that puppet so quickly was so amazing. The costumes are unique to each character and everything complemented each other.  It was easy to see and hear what is going on, the lighting enhanced the show in its own way. Spotlights played their own distinct parts in the show. The colors on the stage were luminous and pleasant they really helped set the scene and added to the atmosphere. The entrances and exits were smooth along with the scene changes, they changed out scenes quietly and swiftly. There were many stage props that were very effective. Props and how the characters used space made it easy to recognize the character's emotions and see which character had what status.

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.

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

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.

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

Before the performance begun, there was a couch positioned on the center of the stage. Behind the couch, a rectangular entrance was opened revealing a hallway where the actors entered. Falsettos, had changeable scenes that constantly used the rectangular entrance. It easily drawn the audiences’ attention when the actor entered because the lighting drenched the entrance, cueing the actors to enter. The vacant couch placed before the performance began could be distorted into chairs, short end tables, and a love seat. One scene I remembered that distorted the couch apart into an assortment of furniture was Marvin’s visit at the psychologist’s office. Before the scene was cued, the couch was distorted into a love seat, and a chair. These props conveniently made it a less hassle changing furniture pieces. Also, the back wall had photo images of framed pictures and books that were projected to make the set livable.

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 of the most vital parts of putting on a play is a director who will provide an understandable, and watchable performance. This play was a much easier play to put on as it is based on a classic novel by Harper Lee. From the audiences point of view, the director clearly understood the novel. He gave a very well adapted stage version of the book, however he didn't rely on the audience having read the book, he also created a whole new story through different techniques and fresh ways of telling a story. As a person who has read the book and was a fan of it, and Harper Lee I personally thought that he did it justice and filled some large boots. The director employed very subtle and yet effective staging techniques during certain scenes that required a different atmosphere. Some examples of these techniques were during the scene between Scout and Atticus near the beginning of the play. Here the staging was very central, this provided a sense of a close relationship between the characters. Also, a small inclusion of a chair, or a light immediately makes the scene seem more like a home, and the audience immediately have a different expectation of the scene, for example if an armchair is introduced to the stage then the audience expect a scene at home, however if a desk and computer is introduced then the audience expects a scene at work or in a study and therefore the scene will have a completely different atmosphere.

In the book "Speak" by Laurie Halse Anderson, tow adults are Mr. Neck and Mr. Freeman. Mr. Neck is know to not like Melinda and believes she is nothing but trouble, however Mr. Freeman one the other hand is a very positive teacher that doesn't hate his students. Mr. Freeman is the art teacher that tries to teach life lessons through art to help interest the students in what there drawing, he has helped Melinda by helping her express her feelings she is going through. On the other had Mr. Neck is a history teacher that only cares about the teaching subject at hand and not how it can relate to the students he is teaching, the first sighs of Mr. Neck being out to get Melinda is because all she has done is walk into the classroom and he already

In the movie Maleficent, the audience comes to their own opinions about the main character Maleficent in the film. This film also features characters like Aurora, Stefan, and Diaval which allows the audience to see her different sides and views of good and evil through other characters perceptions of Maleficent. This is seen throughout the film and can be seen with her relationship between King Stefan and his daughter Aurora along with her servant Diaval.