Observation At Palm Canyon Theatre

It put me right in the mood and I felt like I was watching a sitcom such as “That 70s Show.” Whenever they switched scenes, they’d turn off the lights and the set management will come out and set the next scene while they played funny acts on the small tv. The lightening was good and the sound was great as well. The costumes were ideal for the 90s and the set design caught my attention the moment I walked in. For example, the high waisted pants and the old fashioned dresses that Florence wore were specifically designed in the 90s. The whole stage design reminded me of a 90s show that I used to watch with my family. Since I was sitting in the front row whenever the actors threw something it always came by my feet and they would pick it up and apologize. This actually made me laugh and it made me feel like I was involved in the

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

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

Everything looked like what you would expect of the late 1800’s. Horse drawn carriages, suspenders, paved streets, it all really added to the movie and helped the story along instead of getting in the way. Something that I think genuinely worked in their favor was the contrast between the wealthy and the poor. Take David’s family for example, a family of five living in what looks to be a studio apartment, maybe a one bedroom and contrast that with Joseph Pulitzer’s office at the top of a tall, domed building finished off with a gold coat. Also, the music used in the background was nice to help create suspense, I specifically liked how in spots during the second half you could hear pieces of “Santa Fe” float around. Along with that, this is a musical, songs are a large part of the plot and how the story is told and I believe that the songs were quite effectful. Songs where all of the boys sing together, like “The World Will Know” and “Seize the Day”, were really strong and gave you this feeling of power, determination, and readiness for what lies

The stage was set up to look like a classroom but everything appeared to be so two dimensional, just like in a story book, or an animated movie. Miss. Swamp's costume was the most eccentric. The huge black hair, dark mole, and green and yellow stripped socks were the cherry on top of her look. I was also shocked to find out Miss. Nelson and Miss. Swamp were played by two different people. I know Miss. Nelson is

I was working late, which is usual since I work at an outdoor theater. The show had just ended and the crew was changing the set over for the show being performed the next day. I was asked to run up to one of the storage containers and find some props from the previous year for another theater asking to borrow it. The lights only reach the larger, main room. I searched that area first. I went around the row of cars and 4 wheelers, but the box wasn’t there. The other side of the room had all of the Christmas decorations and a horse carriage, but I was unable to find the box I was looking for there either. The only place left to look was a small area in the back sectioned off by a boards nailed up into a makeshift room. A little light spilled through the door, but racks of costumes at the entrance absorbed all of the light. After fighting my way through the dusty clothes, I found myself in dark too thick to make out the boxes in front of me. The Wnad-Lighting Charm was perfect for my situation. I moved my wand in a single loop while saying “Lumos.” A soft yellow light was emanating from the wand. It wasn’t very bright, but it was sufficient enough to read the labels on the boxes by. After a few minutes, I found the box I was looking for. I pulled out my leatherman and used the blade to cut the tape on the top of the box. On the top was the prop I was looking for. I pulled out the “magic” flowers and the remote that caused the blooms to open then made my way back to

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.

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.

With set design, I really liked the sense of a fish eye lense created by the swirls and circles in the scene painting. It added to the vast feeling of the territory. I did think the upstage peaks of the, I guess the term would be dunes, were a bit too high in the skyline. They ended up looking more like mountains, which I’m quite certain aren’t prevalent in Oklahoma. I did however; appreciate the convention of the turntable as it allowed some seamless transitioning from scene to scene. Oklahoma! is a very long show and you don’t really want to add length in scene changes. The sets were also a nice mix of rustic, bare bone pieces with some fully realized pieces to show the struggle of the people on the frontier but made them still seemed like civilized settlers, not nomads. I can also appreciate trying to distract the audience from a set change with the toy train that ran across the front of the stage, but I did not find that it served the design concept. I thought it was really cute, but it confused me as it didn’t seem to fit the realism the balance of realism and stage convention I had seen up to that point. I thought the set design and props did a good job representing the resourcefulness of the people in the town. After seeing the corn field, we saw corn husks in wedding bouquets and pop up as decorations all over the place. I think what I struggled with the most

Our Town was done very differently than the other plays I have read and I thought it was interesting. I liked that the stage manager broke the fourth wall multiple times and spoke to the audience, creating more interaction with them and keeping people entertained and drawn in. They also placed actors in the audience for a scene. I think this is a

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 stage background was very realistic and rustic. They made the house in the background seem very real. Not only that, but they didn't have too many props on the stage. They also placed the props on the whole stage, then the props weren't all clustered together. The costumes that the actors were wearing were very minimal. I feel that they did a good job putting the whole scene of the play really well. Also the actors were very good with expression and trying to use up the whole stage and as many props as

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.