The Play Fence By Valoriie Grear

The design of the costumes and the stage was, overall, very well done. The colours of the floors, and walls, the shape of the house and the setup of all the interactions was very smooth. There was also a bit of confusion laying underneath too. The way the stairway worked was confusing, as it led to a dock, and the floor being painted with water and floating boards was also a weird nitpick, but once you saw the flow of the scenes, and what those designs meant, then everything came together neatly. The costumes tied in really well with the times. The casual wear was a lot more fancy than modern clothes, but they were still very sleek and comfortable looking. The glasses were not as thick as some modern glasses are, and the containers that hold the liquor and the other drinks look old too. The way the living room was set up also gave that 60s vibe, which is when this play took place.

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

I know that it is a small stage so you couldn’t do much to it, but I wish they at least put up an actual door instead of a pretend door so that you could distinguish between houses. In the end I really did like the play because it kept me interested and wondering on what was going to happen next. My boyfriend came to the first half of the play, but then had to go to class for the second half. Since the ending caught me so off guard I had to tell him what happened in the second half. The play was like a delicious dessert that you could not just stop halfway in; you have to keep enjoying it until the very end.

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.

6. What technical areas did you notice? Make specific comments about the scenery, costumes, lighting, and sound. Did the technical aspects enhance or hinder the production? Would you do anything differently? I loved the scenery for this play from all the plays I have seen this year performed by Henrico High School. The backdrop for the Northern lights was simply stunning. It even a times it shows the twinkling of lights behind the backdrop, that provides the image of dazzling stars. The moving platforms even had the perfect representation of a modern house. It is safe to say, I wouldn’t change a thing about this

Two productions that I had enjoyed seeing very much were Lend Me a Tenor and One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest. Both of these productions were great and had very great storyline and I really enjoyed both of these productions. Each production had great actors and each portrayed their character very well, by using many of the aspects of the six elements of theatre that Aristotle used to explain the aesthetics of theatre. Each of these productions had very interesting characters and also had great plots that kept audiences on the edges of their seats. In each of these productions there were also many recurring themes and important messages that were underlying the whole play. The design and furniture of both plays were also very stunning and visually pleasing. In Lend Me a Tenor, there was a set of a house, which was very neat and very pretty. The house was very great and also had other doors to other rooms that were very neatly and visually set up. In the production, One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest, the design of the set was very horror filled and it was very dark because the setting was inside an asylum. A lot of the plot production and set and use of characters to reveal the theme was prevalent in both of the plays. Both productions had very great and visually pleasing sets, but also had difference in the mood each set gave off.

Sounds like the fireworks going off in the basement helped the audience get immersed into the show. The lights were usually had the whole stage illuminated and was kind of boring, but the way that they brought the lights on when a character would flip to turn the lights would add realism to the show. Props were used throughout the show and were well placed. In fact, I saw a radio that looked exactly the one that was in the show Annie performed by the Palm Springs High School Theatre which makes sense since they both take place during the same time period. The set looked very realistic and included nothing that was created in modern times like iphones or printers. Costumes were chosen very well in my opinion with my favorites being the police ones. Also, none of the clothing looked very modern. After taking a deeper look into the things that occurred to improve the show and how the actors looked, I think that the Palm Canyon Theatre improved the show and made the audience feel more

Visual components were very important in this play, just like any other play. Upon coming into the theatre, the stage was lit with a soft blue light, and a single red light towards upstage. The trees were crafted very beautifully and positioned all across the stage. The snow which had covered the stage floor, and continued to fall down was a very nice added effect and gave the set a beautiful winter look. I liked the fact that the snow was heavy on the stage, but not too heavy. I say this meaning that it was layered on the stage so that you could not see the stage underneath.

I could feel myself being happy and laughing. The time was running but I was too focused to care about it. The stage was full because it had a variety of characters. There was minimal use of props. The big circular shaped giant seemed real which was beautifully designed. The catchy thing about the show was a girl saying Chicken licken many times which was noticeable and I think it caught the audience attention. The costumes were also beautifully chosen. As I'm a girl, I liked the dresses that were used by the princess. There was also a sound of the sky falling and there was a bright lighting of the stage. The play was beautifully played. I was not distracted by the show even though it had many characters and ideas going on. The favorite casting of the play was Robert Willian as he was full of life and I could feel his love and dedication towards the show. He was funny and good at it. The play had a lot of stories going on which had suspense as well. This might have created kid hard to

I thought everything in this play was realistic and the actors did a good job of portraying their characters through vocal quality, movement and facial

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 space used for this play fit perfectly, which helped me focus on mainly the play. I say this because; the play starts off as if two people are in a small group meeting sharing their past experiences and what lead them to the point where they was today; with the Trustus theatre being small and the use of different lightening helps convey the scene of up close and personal set. Normally, meeting of this sort are amongst a small group of people, so the small room gives us that personal space feeling. The scenery was realistic; with the use of partial props and the shifting from one portion of the stage to let me know this was another scene of the story line. The use of hospital bed conveyed the message that someone sick and need help. The use of tables and dishes let us know when the characters, where eating dinner together. The different sceneries help connect the dots between the different homes, the church meetings, the hospital, the bar, and meeting that initially started the play off. The use of these sceneries helps bring together Dr. Bob and Bill W. reflection on how they go to the point in their

The set and props where very compact and were built and moved on and off by the cast because they are designed to be transferred by one person. The props where all cleverly done, for instance they made a bridge out of three ladders, a train out of four boxes and a house from just one door. The door I thought was one of the best props used because the cast managed to make a fairly small stage appear huge just by moving the door and pretending each time that it was a new room every time they passed through it. At one point in the play Richard and Pamela ask the scottish landlords for a sandwich and they come back with a loaf of bread cut in two with one slice of lettuce in the middle, this was such a simple idea but made a big deal and a laugh out of it

This theme is revealed through several literary devices. Firstly, Vicetone writes “I’ve been painting every fence I know.” This lyric emphasizes and describes the person's feelings and which they are feeling lonely and have nothing else to do or discover in life. You can imagine her wandering in a vast, open field. Nevertheless, has nowhere else to go. Secondly, the lyric “Every color bleeds into the same” means that she sees all of her ideas and roads combining into one thought. She is giving the color human traits by saying that the color bleeds. Another example of literary devices in the song is “Cause before you go and walk away.” This lyric is a superb example of foreshadowing. She is talking in past and present tense saying that someone

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.