Clybourne Park

Creating a production of a play for an audience to appreciate is very demanding. The cast of producers, directors, actors, songwriters, and many more work together to achieve this goal. There is a rubric one must follow to create a “perfect” play, and that is a director’s “unifying image”, selection of a theatrical place, an approach to a scenic design, a costume design, a lighting design, and a sound design. Only after achieving these main points will a production see the hope of playing on Broadway. This will show how I would do my mock production of “Clybourne Park” by Bruce Norris, and how it will make it to the top by using the previously stated guidelines.

            First and foremost, a director’s “unifying image” is “integrat[ing] the acting with the play, set, costumes, light and sound to create the seamless illusion of reality on the stage… [and] to unify the stage elements with the play text.” (Felner 219). In “Clybourne Park”, my unifying image will be the portraying of the hardship a family goes through while moving into a predominantly different ethnic neighborhood and vice versa. This will be done through the sets, light and sound, costumes, and symbols. I felt that this was the main theme of the play. In the first Act, Karl Lindner did not want an African American family to move into a primarily white neighborhood. Lindner kept fighting until the end of the Act to prove his point. In the second Act, it starts fairly neutral, but then it quickly riles up. Towards the end of the Act, the African American family does not want a white family to move into what seems a mostly black neighborhood.

            In addition to a director’s “unifying image”, a scenic designer must perfect the texture of the play. This production is going straight to the top. This will be played on Broadway. Although I feel like this play will not make it, playing it on anything else than Broadway will not do it justice. This play must be played on Broadway because not only does it incorporate the past but also the present; therefore, this play can relate to wide range on ages. The play has a feeling of 1950s style, but it also has more modern aspects to it. The set will start with a few houses being visible, and slowly zoom into the middle one. This house will break open in half, and this will be the set. The kitchen and living room will be visible. They will be side-by-side with the kitchen on the right and the living room on the left. The backyard door will be in the back on the kitchen side. Only one couch and one small table will encompass the living room. This is where the first Act will take place because everyone is in the living room while Bev makes trips from the kitchen to the living room. An island will be in the kitchen in the middle. This is where Act 2 will take place because the cast will be around it performing their parts.  While reading the play, I felt that this neighborhood was very close to the city. This means that skyscrapers will be in the background, which can be seen through the backyard door.

            Not only will a scenic designer perfect the texture, but the sound must also be perfected. Since this neighborhood is fairly close to the city, it will have the “city noise” in the background. This “city noise” ranges from cars honking and a train’s horn going off to people shouting. This will make the play livelier and give it a city feeling. Also in both plays, a radio will be playing, but it will not play music. It will play advertisements and commentators for a sports game. The commentators will say the time, place, and the date.

            To complete this play, it still needs a costume design and a lighting design. The costume design for the first Act will be very different than the second Act. In the first Act, costumes will be distinguishable between the blacks and whites. By this, I mean that the blacks will dress very poorly; for example, rugged pants with a dirty dark shirt. This would symbolize the hardship that blacks still suffered through even in the 1900s. The whites would wear comfortable clothes; for example, kakis with a button up shirt. The shirts would be brightly colored and tucked in with a belt to complete the costume. In the second Act, everyone will be dressed fairly similar. Everyone will have jean pants with a collared shirt. This will symbolize that everyone is equal. The lighting design in the first Act will also be different in the second Act. In the first Act, the light will be much darker than in the first. The room will almost look like a tan lighting. This will be from candles spread out and old, dirty light bulbs. In the second Act, the lighting will be very bright and modern; for example, a florescent bulb will be used on lamps. Also, the sun will be much more visible in the background.  This will give it a brighter feeling. 

Clybourne Park

A picture of Broadway. This is where the play will be held.

A mixture of khaki pants and a dress shirt will be what is mainly used in the first Act. These will be tucked in. 

This what Bev will be wearing. A comfortable costume for her role. 

This is what most of the males will wear in the second Act. This is a much more modern style, and it suits well for a relaxed day in the city.

The females in Act 2 will also wear a more modern and relaxed wear. This type will also be used because it gives a more sexy feeling especially suiting it for the city. 

This lightbulb will be used in the first Act to give it a darker feeling. 

This lightbulb will be used in the second Act to give it a more modern feeling.

Duck Hunter Shoots Angel

First off, I would to point out that this was an excellent play. I greatly enjoyed watching this although there were a few bad points. Let us start from my drive to Saint Augustine. During the drive, I pondered on what I was going to watch. I did not find out until I got there that this was a comedy. As informed by the director, my fellow audience and I were the first ones to watch Duck Hunter Shoots Angel live. I accidentally passed the theatre because it is on a very small street. This made it seem very sketchy, but nonetheless, I got out of my car, grabbed my ticket, and went in. Upon entering, I noticed that I was the only one under the age of fifty.  My hoodie was over my head so this attracted much attention. Everyone was staring at me. I felt very uncomfortable so I went into the bathroom. Waiting for everyone to be seated, I wondered what I was doing here. Finally, the line was over, and I handed my ticket over. With my luck, there was assigned seat so I had to sit next to a man that was over six foot five. To my right was a female and what looked like a good friend of hers to her right. I asked them what they expected, but they had no idea what to expect. The lights dimmed, and the director walked out. He explained that we were the first audience of Duck Hunter Shoots Angel. He also explained that since this was the first night, the costumes were under rehearsal. This meant that the play may be stopped and played again. Fortunately, everything went according to plan. The play started. I will not ruin anything about the play so I will explain how the audience responded. The whole audience was very supportive. By this I mean that he audience laughed at almost every joke that was said. Also, the jokes were very modern because there was the (not meaning to be racist) black guy that is always funny. During the break at the middle of the play, everyone seemed to be happy and talked about the play. Many of them went to grab a quick drink of wine or some sort of alcohol. Everyone quickly made it back to resume the play. The lady beside me seemed to enjoy the play the most of out everyone. She laughed frantically at every joke. When the show was over, the actors came out and bowed to the audience. They did not, however, come outside and greet the audience. I was quite disappointed because one of the actors was pretty. There was quite a rush while leaving the theatre because it was such a small place that held a big audience. The audience was speaking about the play while leaving. I learned that one of the actors is actually a dentist. One what was ironic, however, was that he portrayed the dumb one. In the end, I enjoyed this play greatly.

The difference between watching a play and watching a film is that a play is unexpectedable. Anything can happen in a play; for example, one could accidentally fall over or the audience could walk out on the play. Unlike a play, a film is a finished product; therefore, everything is finalized. I know when watching a film that if something happens or if something is focused on, then it was meant to be there. In a play, everything is important in my eyes, but I do not know exactly what the director wants me to see. Also, in a play, everything on the stage is being watched; for example, I can watch anyplace on the stage I want to. Unlike a film, I can only view what the director filmed for me to see. Also, everyone in the theatre has their own perspective on the play. Every seat has a different view.
A play is also much more unique than a film because there is a live performer, live audience, and a set stage and place and time. Each play through of the same play is a different because a live performer can do anything he or she wishes to do. Although there are many differences between a film and a play, there are many similar things. For example, people watch both a film and a play for entertainment purposes. People do not watch it to relieve hunger or to learn math homework. People go to watch it and have fun with their family and friends. Also, a very similar thing is that they both have a cast and a set of producers, directors, make up artists and many other things. They both have a producer and a director that have a certain perspective on a particular idea that they are trying to portray to the audience. Both a play and a film show what they decided to put in the production.
Although there are many similarities, the differences outweigh the similarities. Including the differences previously stated, another difference is that everything in a play is real. By this I mean that in a play, everything must be done as real as possible. Films are able to use special effects and CGI to alter the film. Unfortunately, this makes a play much harder to direct unlike a film because it can be altered and edited to make it better. Although this is subjective, I beleive that plays are choreographed and put together much more uniformly than film. Everyone has to work together to completely perform the play perfectly. I feel like a film relies more on the director to show the actors how to perform their roles. A play has a mixture if both the actors and directors working together to perfect the play.

Almost, Maine

A few days ago, I watched a small play performed by my fellow students. Before writing on my personal experience with the play, I would like to say that they were absolutely amazing. Their acting performance was nonetheless excellent. On my way to the theatre, my mind did not know what to expect. This was my first official play that I have watched. Nervously, I got out of my car and walked into the theatre. Ushers greeted me, and told me that the play was starting soon. I got my ticket and quickly ran up the stairs. As I walked in, the lights dimmed, and the scene started. The mood I noticed was pleasant and warm. The Ushers were very nice as well as the audience. Even though everyone was very nice, everyone was eager to watch the performance. I, personally, was very nervous, not for me but for the performers. Only as the show went on did I finally relax and enjoy my experience. As the prologue started, everyone was quiet. When the performance went on, there were a few chuckles here and there. Towards the middle of the play, everyone was not afraid to laugh or express their emotion unlike when it started. When the prologue ended, everyone started clapping. This unfortunately surprised me. I did not expect everyone to clap midplay. This showed the audience's care towards the performers; for instance, during Scene 6, the one with the best friends, one of the cans accidentally fell off stage, someone from the audience kindly picked it up. Also another thing that surprised me was that the stage did not close off their curtains. Instead they turned off the lights off, and moved all the props. This was done very effectively and professionally. The performance was also done very professionally.
     My personal experience was exceptional to others because not only was this my first LIVE play, but I had to critically think about the performance. This unfortunately caused me to be very nervous, but it made it one of a kind. From the moment I walked in the theatre to leaving the theatre, I felt taken care of by not only the Ushers but the performers. The performers even came out to introduce themselves when the play was finished. This made me feel happy and important because they came to personally thank me for attending their play. I also got a chance to personally congratulate them, and tell them their performance was excellent. This made me feel like I was a part of the play. This adds to the audience experience greatly. Another audience experience I noticed was that people were filled with happiness and joy when leaving the theatre. This was because the play was done exceptionally well. I would recommend this play to anyone who is looking for a good and fun time. The experience is one of kind not only because LIVE play is unexpected and can turn into anything, but because of the mood and energy from not only the audience but the performers also. The performers were very excited and thrilled to be in this play. This made the experience one of a kind.

Variety Video and Picture and Facts

     Unlike Noh, a tradition that is only for the high class and very slow, Variety theatre is very unexpected, loud, and exciting. They hold the audiences attention by performing things that seem unimaginable to the mind as shown in the video below. Variety is made up of many acts as well as many musical performances. It also includes juggling, animal acts, and acrobatics according to Hussey. The variety theatre came from the Victorian era. It then moved to radio then television. Its most popular days were in the 1970s to the 1980s, but it still has some popularity now. Variety theatre is also very lively, the "audience joined in with their favourite songs and performers"(Hussey). This was often the sight in Britian. 

This video shows several variety theatre shows. As seen in the video, anything can happen in variety theatre. It is very unexpected.  In the Max Miller bit, you can see that the audience is very interactive with the performer, and that they are having fun. In the beginning of the video, you can see that variety theatre also takes amazing physical strength and dexterity.

This is on the stage of the Branson Variety Theatre. They have multiple shows and nothing can be expected. 

These two images are from the same show. This is the Wing Project at Relix Variety Theatre in Knoxvillle. It has transformed into an art gallery, circus, and concert venue according to knoxnews. Although its centered on aerial performance, it has also incorporated live music and dance. There are belly dancers, drum players, and even various string instruments. 

Random Facts
- If you wanted a good seat to see Scotland's first Royal Variety Show at the Alhambra Theatre in 1958, it would cost up to fifty pounds.
- A business is a piece of unscripted action meant to be comic and used to establish a character.
- Accordion virtuoso Will Starr was the Scottish Amateur accordion champion at the age of ten, after this he went on to great renown in concerts home and abroad, variety theatre and television.

Work Cited

Felner, Mira, and Claudia Orenstein. The World of Theatre : Tradition and Innovation. Boston: Pearson,  
2006. Print

Hussey, Paul. History of English Music Hall and Variety Theatre. N.p., 7 Mar. 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://thegreatarticles.com/history-of-english-music-hall-and-variety-theatre/>.

Interesting facts from the Scottish Music Hall and Variety Theatre. Scottish Music Hall and Variety Theatre Society, n.d. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://scottishmusichallsociety.webs.com/didyouknow.htm>.

Newbell, Trillia. knoxnews.com. KnoxNews, 20 Aug. 2011. Web. 12 Oct. 2011. <http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/aug/20/wing-project-takes-flight-at-relix-theater/>


Images from Google.com

Peking Opera (a Traditional Chinese Opera)

      Peking Opera is a form of traditional Chinese theatre which includes acrobatics, music, vocal performance, and dance. This tradition started in the 18th century, but did not become recognized until the 19th century. It was mainly popular in the Qing Dynasty. Peking Opera has evolved throughout the years, and is now what we know to be Peking Opera through integration of other traditional art forms, "through a period of more than a half a century of combination and integration of various kinds of opera evolved the present Peking Opera" (Hyaunge). Peking mainly consists of styled fighting, acrobatics, dance, and music to depict a story of what each character is going through.

     Training for Peking Opera starts at a very early stage. Most performers started training at just the age of 8. These children are picked by their physical ability, endurance, stamina, and flexibility. Training for these young children is extremely rigorous, but the outcome is what makes Peking Opera beautiful. Training sessions consists of most of the day. At a younger age, sessions are usually a class full of students, but as they grow older, sessions are one on one depending on which role is given. One famous performer that had to undergo this training is Jackie Chan.

     There are usually four main characters that represent gladness, happiness, anger, sorrow, fear, and sadness. Elegant music greatly helps represent which character has a certain role, "performance is accompanied by a tune played on wind instruments, percussion instruments and stringed instruments" (Hyuange). The four main characters consist of one male called a sheng, a young female called dan, a painted faced male called jing, and a clown which can be either male or female called a chou. These characters are "graded" on how smooth their movements are throughout the play. Costumes in Peking Opera are bright, elegant, magnificent. They are usually handcrafted and embroidered. This makes "the costumes of high aesthetic value (Hyuange).