rdruined

An Audience Engrossed in the Ruins Robert Dong

Many have heard of the struggle in the Congo, but few have been immersed in this fight survival. //Ruined//__,__ a production by University Theatre, engrosses the audience by placing them in the midst of the civil war and genocide of the Congo. The cries of pain by the actor can be felt in the breast of the audience. This immersion into the play is what makes this production of //Ruined// an outstanding experience of living in the face of injustice in the Congo.

Immersion is the act of becoming fully absorbed. Through music, setting, and dialogue, //Ruined// accomplishes this, to create a tremendous production. The setting of //Ruined// immerses the audience engulfing the whole theatre. The walkways of the audience’s seats are used by the director as an extension of the stage. With this stage, the audience views action not only in the front, but also from the sides. This gives a three dimensional aspect to the play. The 3d representation creates the illusion that dialogue by the characters is directed to more than just the characters, but to the audiences too. The 3d setting makes every cry of pain heartfelt and every gunshot more poignant. The action occurs all around the audience. From the props used, it is obvious that the production was not given many funds to create this play. Props were scarce and the props that were present were raw. Normally this would be a negative to a production, but in the case of //Ruined//, the lack of high quality props made the production more realistic. The majorities of those who live in the Congo at the moment are starving and shelter less. Those that own property like Mama Nadi are better off, but that would not necessarily mean extravagant furnishings. The props fit the characters world of civil war and strife. From my seat in the center of the third row, the view of the overall play was perfect. In the previous play, my front row seat in the Keller Theater made me self-conscious as I viewed the action from inches away. The center third row seat for //Ruined// encapsulated me in the action of //Ruined// without self consciously prodding me over tripping or otherwise bothering the actors. My position in the third row of the small Kettle Theatre allowed me an overall view of all of the action that was occurring. This small performance space also made me feel the power of each monologue by characters due to their proximity to me. The way the setting was transformed from scene to scene was also affected by the props used. When the scene changes, the majority of the props stay on the stage and are reused. Instead of removing the stools, they are combined with cloth to form beds. Instead of carrying away the counter, a fabric was placed over it to make it into a table. The way the stage manager transforms the props, made one wonder about the different ways an average Congolese citizen would make do with the little that they have. The transitions brought to the audiences attention the practically that most Congolese must have in order to survive their impoverished conditions.

The counter part to the visuals of setting is the sound of the environment. Throughout the play, there were instances where the actors actually participated in singing to the audience. This added a sense of realism and draws the audience in. The singing became really Meta and thought provoking when one began visualizing a performer performing as a performer. This incorporation of actual music into the production also drew more of the audience’s sympathy into the plight of the Congolese. The audience is made into an audience at the bar and allows the audience to more easily sympathizes with the Congolese because the audience members begin to feel like a native who is also drinking at the bar. The selection of music sung by the actors also played a huge role in ones interpretation of the production. All of the songs that they sing are of joy and a carefree life. This contrasts greatly with the warfare outside the brothels doors. These singing portions were very well done because not only does the singing set the environment, but one can also catch hints of sadness in the singer’s voice. The tinge of sadness sets the mood for the play. One thing that I disliked about these songs sung by the actresses were the obviously faked instrumentation. I could tell in some portions of their playing when the drum played by the actress was poorly synced with the sound system. This distracted me from the play and destroys a portion of the realism that the playwright most likely intended for the play to represent. Other than the produced music, there were also sound effects used to depict the gunfights and surrounding forest. The sound of the forest animals reminds the audience of the brothels proximity to the bush and the sound of the gunfire reminds the audience of the lingering warfare that is inches away. All of the noises and music present in //Ruined// are helpful in setting the scene and engrossing the audience into the daily struggle of the Congolese.

The dialogue of the actors was enthralling. The audience’s attention is constantly grasped between the sadness of war and the light happy events that occur in between this sadness. What I disliked greatly about the dialogue was the moments of intense action that dissipate into the next scene. There is great action, but no resolution to the action. I especially felt this unresolved of action during the reuniting of Selema and her husband. There is great chaos and a foreboding that something horrible is going to happen. The commander steals the cash of Mama and threatens bodily harm to the ladies of the brothel. This intense action is quickly extinguished as the scene changes to weeks after this event. There is no back story that explains what has happened. I was just left wondering about the situation. I would really have appreciated an explanation in how the extremely intense situation was deescalated. The actors perfectly conveyed the frustration of a normal Congolese people trying to make a living. The actress that portrayed Mama captured her fiery spirit and skills of seduction. Her convincing of the Commander and the rebel leader was made believable by her deft portrayal of how a seductress would go about smooth talking the opposing parties. The acting portions of Sophie were minimal, but I could definitely see talent in the way she sings. These portions of emotion were when Sophie shined the most. He singing voice is tinged with a great sadness and her bursts of anger are explosive and heart wrenching. Her voice was pure and crisp, acoustically, in the Cellar Theatre. The actor that impressed me the most was the one who portrayed Christian the salesman. I am not sure whether he was intended to be a light hearted comical character, but the antics of the actor that portrayed him brought a sense of happiness to the atmosphere. The actor really knew how to gain the support of the crowd by adding his own small flourishes to the character. The dancing and silly gestures made by the Christine are icing on the cake to a wonderful performance. One casting role that was less that perfect was the casting of two of the soldiers as white militia men. This casting caused my mind to enter a state of suspension of disbelief in order to accept the rest of the production. From my knowledge of history, the white soldiers were definitely misrepresentative of the make up of the Congolese army. There were white Afrikaners in Africa, but they primarily resided in South Africa. The vast majority of the whites were prospectors and not soldiers. In practical terms, I would doubt that the Congolese commander would even trust white soldiers in close proximity to himself.

In the case of costume, I was disappointed. I was disappointed in the unrealistic nature of many of the costumes present on the set. The play was produced with the idea to shock the audience with the realism of the events that have occurred. The costumes of some of the characters snapped me away from this realism. The military leader was dressed in pristine clothing that shows no wear at all. His pants were clean and his shirt was pressed. This misrepresented the conflict between the rebels and the soldiers. He spoke of conflict and savagery, but his clothes displayed peace. The rebel leader also fell pray to this unrealism. In the case of the rebel, the costume grew from being unrealistic to ridiculous. Months of guerilla warfare in the Congo jungle would leave your clothes ripped and disheveled. All of the supporting actors that played rebels looked as if they just bought a brand new set of clothes from the supermarket. The costume work on the miners was a little better. They had ripped jeans and dirtied t-shirts. This fit securely in my minds representation of the miners’ plight in the conflict. In contrast to the disappoint I felt fro the costumes of the supporting cast, I was greatly impressed by the costume work done for the main characters. The culture of the Congo was well represented in the dress of the main cast. Mama had splendidly cultural clothing that displayed her attitude. The clothing was as bright and outspoken as she was. The suit given to Christian the salesman matched perfectly with his carefree attitude. His costume of an old, large, suit with a casual shirt perfectly represented what I would believe a salesman would wear. When he tried to be comical, the suit added to silly gestures. When he tried to be serious, the suit covered his small frame and amplified his gestures of anger. The costume of Josephina represented the modern edge and sultriness of her character. Her tight fitting clothes amplified Josephina’s characteristic of wanting attention. The costumes of the main cast drew the audience attention into the realism of the conflict in the Congo.

Overall, //Ruined// was a moving play performed by a great group of actors and actresses. The play accomplishes the goal of drawing crowds into the action. These elements of incorporating the audience made the characters more real and intensely emotional. //Ruined// begins in the mind as a fictional play and ends in the audiences mind as a retelling of cruelties present in this world. I felt happiness, sadness, and laughter and in the end a hope for a better future. With this said, I highly recommend //Ruined// to all audiences. Everyone should see and feel the tragedies and triumphs of the life of someone trying to make a living in the harsh land of the Congo.