Nscad's Performance Observation Report

In order to understand The Memphis Youth Symphony’s discourse community more analytically, I utilized appropriate research methods. First, I observed the String Orchestra while they rehearsed for their Fall concert on a typical Sunday evening at Independent Presbyterian Church. During the rehearsal, I took extensive notes on the group’s processes and interactions with others from the start of the rehearsal to the end. After observing the rehearsal, I interviewed the concertmaster, Hannah

“This performance draws upon both ‘traditional and contemporary arts and cultural practice. The integration of… contemporary performance art and modern theatrics to form of cultural hybridity.”

As the music began, I started to move; the pounding of my feet blending in with the melodious sounds of the flute, the ghungaroo(bells) around my ankles, the mridangham (drums), and the blood rushing into my own heart. With the music and my first movements, the fear of being on stage washes away and I am focused on my movements and my expressions—using them to tell a story about my culture, my heritage, and me.

Theatre is a collaboration of various forms of fine art which utilizes live performances presenting before the audience on a stage at a specific place within a scheduled time (Dugdale 10). The message is communicated through a combination of various channels like songs, speech gestures or dances. Stagecraft skills are combined with elements of art to make the performance more physical and near to real life experience. Theatre is categorized broadly into drama, musical theatre, comedy, tragedy and improvisation. Any form of these accepts integration of various production modes and collective reception to influence the artwork being presented. As a result of this cooperation of items in the theatre

Louder Than a Bomb has helped allow students to express themselves and grow not only as individuals, but as artists all the while gaining the self confidence to share their experiences, thoughts and ideas with others, and the wisdom to listen to other people’s stories as well. Students also develop their teamwork abilities by participating in a group poem where each member of the group contributes in the construction of the poem, a mandatory exercise for the competition. Students who participate in Louder Than a Bomb find the diversity in it’s participants with differences ranging from age, GPA, ethnicity, and strengths; the one thing that they all share in common: their love and interest in

In this commination class I have learned many ways to communicate my ideas through verity of concepts. Also, working in groups have enabled me to learn a lot and express my thoughts, and words. However, for my final project I have chosen to talk about an organization that many students are not aware that existed on campus. I used a multimedia art performance as my communication concept to communicate to students about the values of this organization, what it stands for, how impacted students on campus, and what it does.

I don’t know a lot about theater, and I can’t name many plays. But, it is easily recognizable that The Laramie Project is a particularly important piece of theatre. It entertains its audience, as any other play can do, but it simultaneously sheds light on a terrifying reality many easily ignore. It is a profoundly moving play that has a vital message, a brilliantly distinct style and in most aspects an exceptional production.

As we dressed for the show, my thoughts were flooded with images and ideas. We descended the hotel stairs, hailed a taxi, and arrived at the theatre; while I remained in a pleasant daze. My first impression of the Nederlander met and exceeded all my expectations. I had envisioned an old theater, forgotten by the Broadway elite. As we walked to the door, we were able to see the wall signed by the cast and photos of the premier. The theater itself had a rundown feel to it and left you with the distinct impression that the magic was within the walls and on stage. As we entered the doors, I soaked in every thing. Our seats were located in the center, orchestra section, which gave us a perfect view of all the action.

“Theatre makes us think about power and the way our society works and it does this with a clear purpose, to make a change.”

Baglia, Jay, and Elissa Foster. “Performing the ‘Really’ Real: Cultural Criticism, Representation, and Commodification in The Laramie Project.” Journal Of Dramatic Theory And Criticism 19.2 (2005): 127-145. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 10 Feb. 2016.

Our choice to tell stories should exist in the same moment that we identify an audience who needs to hear that story – now, in this context, in this time, and in this medium. The best relationship with an audience begins dramaturgically, at the beginning of a rehearsal process. We must ask: How can we keep our minds open to the audience we have and also to the audience we want and the audience with whom we hope to collaborate? How do we enter a community and work with new people, learn from them and hope they learn from us? Partner with our similar goals and share resources. Work with them and never for them. Theatre isn’t a service—it’s a

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.

Since the beginning of human existence, Artists try to communicate an emotion, a point of view or even tell a story through different medium. They are all running for the same ultimate goal, share. Share with an informal and sometime abstract language, art. Plays are a great example of this. Annabelle Soutar’s Watershed present environmental activists’ difficulties to influence governmental decisions in a capitalist society like Canada. Multiple patterns in the acting of this play shows this. Moreover, parts of the text clearly underline the situation.

The above example illustrates not only how the theatrical performance affects the audience, but also how the audience influences its dynamics, development and the characters within it. The actors feel a certain level of acceptance from the viewer, who demands a certain way of depicting the character. Theatre is not just entertainment, itís something much more than that ñ itís education. Theatre should always represent things, rather than

“DV8's work is characterised by the desire to communicate ideas and feelings clearly and unpretentiously, often with a focus on socio-political issues.”(Wikipedia. 2016. DV8 Physical Theatre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DV8_Physical_Theatre. [Accessed 21 May 2016].) DV8's work innately addresses the conventional style and structures which swarm both advanced and established move, and endeavors to push past the qualities they reflect to empower discourse of more extensive and more intricate issues.