The title of the play is “It Can’t Happen Here.” The playwright of the play is Sinclair Lewis. The production company was Foothill College Theatre Arts Department. The director was Bruce McLeod. I watch the play on November 18 at Foothill College. “It Can't Happen Here” follows a middle aged journalist with his and his family's struggles with a new political government. A new popular candidate is running for president. This new candidate is making outrageous claims to make America go back to its right glory. Because of this false hope people believe in him and elect him and then all hell breaks loose. This play is a dark parody of democracy and freedom. The design of the stage was gorgeous. It looked like it was ripped out of a late 30s or 40s movie. Everyone wear clothing from that time period. Everyone was wearing clean cut clothes, dresses, suits, and ties. I believe that there was a time skip in the play which the actors changed their clothes to a more modern look. The always use more technology after the time skip. They use laptops which showed there was some time passed. The lighting was very well done. When a character was talking in their head or by themselves they would a single light showed on them while all the other lights were off. If there was an important scene they would turn down the lights to show the significance. The music that they played was from the 1930s and the 1940s. The songs had a jazzy and blues kind of feel to it. All of this made it possible
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
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
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 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
The play was well interpreted by all whom were involved. Steven Wrentmore, the Director, kept the 1920’s feel by dressing in all 1920’s costumes and everyone spoke as if they were living at the
The scenic design in this play was extraordinary, and I could tell there was a lot of effort put into it. In this play there was a stairway towards the back of the stage. It brought in a new way for the actors to enter/exit the stage. I thought this was very creative idea that was easy to move on, and off stage if needed. There were many scenes that had the moon and the stars in the background. I loved this because it showed the audience when it was night time. I also love looking at the moon and the stars, I feel it creates a very romantic atmosphere. There were times the setting was inside a house or a pub, and then there were times that the setting was outside like the war scene, and the balcony scene. I
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.
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
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
Each time the scene changed the actors would stand still and be turned on this rotating stage. I thought was very interesting because as the audience we don’t usually get to see how the stage transforms into a new location or time. Another scene I found surprising was the clip of The Belle of New Orleans. The movie is about a wealthy white women who falls madly in love only to come down with a deadly illness. The look of the picture was in black and white to match the cinema picture of 1855. The setting took place in Marie’s bedroom who is played by Gloria. Marie in lying in bed and is listed by her best friend. Anna Mae plays her best friend ,Cecilia, a french singer. Marie is wearing a vintage gowns from that time period. Vera and Lottie play as Marie’s maid and they are wearing maid outfits. The film clip is dark and the only use of light is the natural light from the window. The most memorable scene from the movie is where Tilly is standing next to Gloria’s bed.Gloria is dying and in her last words tells Tilly she is free. Tilly then says her infamous line “Stay awake, and together we’ll face a new day”. As Cecilia and Lottie stand by the door while Tilly touches Marie’s face. She then walks to the window and the dramatic music play as the scene closes out. The reason why I found this scene surprising was because thought the play we are told how memorable this scene was and seeing it
My favorite part of the entire play, which may seem weird is that face that the scene changes were in character. As Jean put on her jack, she was in character looking out into the crowd. That was just such a nice touch that they added and should be applauded. Secondly, the fact that they had the performance in the upstage rather than in the large auditorium. It was such a minor thing, but I actually had to move me feet because I was worried that I would accidentally trip an actor. That was amazing! It made the play feel more intimate and like I was actually in the rooms, experiencing what they were.
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.
Throughout the play, I enjoyed the role of music used to set a comic atmosphere and replace the dialogs during comic scenes (e.g. when they chase each other around). I also thought that they made a good use of light to indicate the moment of the day the scene was happening or to set the atmosphere of the scene (e.g. pink colour during the romantic moments). Lastly, I liked the way the play ended. Even though it was a little messy with everyone running after each other off and on stage, and this policeman coming out of nowhere, which really surprised me; I couldn’t think of a better way to end the play.