Perry,+Sarah

3rd wiki assignment

There are important differences between __And the Soul Shall Dance__ and the video illustrations linked to the schedule page demonstrating "realism" in the European, English and American theatre. Briefly discuss a few of them that you consider the most important.

//And the Soul Shall Dance// is a unique realistic piece that delves deeper into social issues than many other realistic European, English and American realistic pieces. Wakako Yamauchi centered this play around the time Great Depression when Japanese immigrants were oppressed in California. The play touches on the struggles on two different Japanese family merging old traditions with American ways while struggling with racism and family issues (1).

Similarly, many of the video clips portrayed family discussions or family struggles. However, the family arguments portrayed were minute in comparison to the struggles of Murata’s family. The clips of //August Wilson’s Fences// and //The Glass Menagerie// were both about arguments between a parent and their son; the arguments were fiery but brief (3 & 4). However, the arguments were small moments that taught life lessons. The strained family relationships in //And the Soul Shall Dance// rely heavier on psychological analysis than the video clips. Oka admits in Act 1 during an argument with Emika, “God, who do we do this all the time? Fighting all the time. There must be a better way to live” (2). Many of the video clips featured simple, everyday scenes, such as the bar scene in //Glengarry Glen Ross// or the dinner scene in //Miss Julie// (5 & 6). //And the Soul Shall Dance// also features simple, everyday scenes, but there is so much symbolism within the everyday objects, such as food, that the scene is really not so simple (1).

My point is not that realism is simple by any means. I just noticed there was a greater complexity in the lives of the Japanese immigrants than the sometimes carefree lives of the wealthy in some of the clips. Even the few arguments in the video clips ended in resolution. The symbolism involved in //And the Soul Shall Rise// made each scene much more complex than just a simple meal or conversation.


 * 1) //The Creative Spirit//, pages 218-219
 * 2) //The Creative Spirit//, page 233
 * 3) //August Wilson’s Fences// video clip
 * 4) //The Glass Menagerie// video clip
 * 5) //Glengarry Glen Ross// video clip
 * 6) //Miss Julie// by Strindberg (1987) video clip

Word Count: 317

In debate, there is usually a question that is posed for debaters to answer. It is stated in the form of a resolution. So is the following question in which you may take either the affirmative or the negative position.

"Resolved, directing is a more important art and craft than acting."

Before I took this class, I had many skewed views of theater. I believed the actors were the most important part of the theater and every other role in a production was just side fluff. While I was correct that the actors bring the story to life, the director plays a larger role in crafting the play. “The role of the director as a theatre artist who gives a production a clear stylistic pont of view… It is the director who decides how a play is to be interpreted” (1). Therefore, I agree that directing is a more important art and craft than acting. An actor adds personality to the character, but it is the director who molds and creates the personality. An actor simply follows the orders given by the director. The director is not the one on stage receiving the attention and praise; however the director is involved in every step of the play: the designing, the acting, the script, the lighting, etc. The amount of research and time pondering the play is extensive. It is truly an art because “directors go through their own process of discovering the essence or inner life of the play” (2). The bond between the director and all of the crew members, especially the actors, is a unique and strong relationship. //The Creative Spirit// discusses how the director must make “the imagined world come to life” (3); this occurs through intimate bonds between actors and the director. It is the vision and determination of the director that unifies the actors, the designers, and the rest of the crew. The director’s passion drives the play, and simultaneously drives the actors.

Work Count: 277

Works Cited

1. Arnold, Stephanie. //The Creative Spirit.// … page 138

2. Arnold, Stephanie. //The Creative Spirit.// … page 148

3. Arnold, Stephanie. //The Creative Spirit.// … page 152

Your text offers suggestion on two basic approaches to acting, ie. the internal and the external. Chose either one and take the scene between Emily and George as your reference point and develop a fragment of "inner monologue" OR tactic concerning interpretation underlying a short section from the scene. I suggest the men choose to deal with George and the women choose to deal with Emily, although if you wish you may choose to develop an "inner monologue" or "external tactic" for either character. You may use up to 500 words for this module, given the complexity of the requirement. Be sure you let me know exactly which section of dialogue you plan to use for developing your answer.

I chose to write an inner monologue for Emily. The scene I chose is in the beginning on page 51. I wrote about what went through Emily’s mind as she called George out for being conceited while she is on the verge of tears. She tells him he spends all his time playing baseball and does not stop to speak to anyone anymore.

Inner monologue for Emily:

Why can’t he just be the perfect man I want him to be, the man I know he is capable of being? I am madly in love with him, and I certainly can’t help that. Seeing him change like this does not make me fall out of love with him, it just makes me frustrated. Oh how I love and miss the old George, before he got caught up with silly baseball. He sure is a marvelous player, and he knows it. His talent is turning him into an arrogant boy. I don’t like, not one bit. In fact, I hate it. He is ruining my image of him. I’ve never listened to what the other girls say about George, but this time, I know that they are right. It kills me. He is turning is changing right before he leaves in a year, what terrible timing. If he is changing while he is still here in Grover’s Corner, what will become of him when he is in a new place surrounded by new people? Such drastic change cannot be healthy for a boy who is already changing. Maybe it’s foolish of me to hang on to George. It is inevitable that he is going to leave and all I will have is letters. But while he is still here, I want to have the George that I have always known, the George that I love. My best friend and secret love. Someone’s gotta put him in his place, so it might as well be me. It is understandable that being voted senior class president and becoming a rising star baseball player would make any boy’s head a little larger. I refuse to let it happen to my George. And I won’t have people talking about him like that. I know that this frustration is just pent up emotions about losing him completely in a year. I am so scared of what will happen to George and I. I want to enjoy every remaining moment I have with him before he departs for agriculture school, and I want to enjoy our remaining moments with the REAL George. Maybe I am just picking fights out of sadness that he is leaving. A real friend is always honest, and that is exactly what I intend to be. George knows I would never tell him this out of spite; I tell him this because I care about him. Oh how I will miss him…

Contrast and compare the role and purpose of secular drama and theatre as an expression of the communities from which it arose and for which it has served with that of religious and ritual drama and theatre.

(EXCEPT FOR A SLIGHT MISHAP YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK) As theater progressed from the Greek theater to Medieval Mystery Cycles to the Elizabethan era of theatrics, the art shifted in purpose and style.

Theater is a very telling reflection of societal values of a time period. The Greek theater started this trend; the dramas focused primarily of religion and occasionally on politics. Their society was centered on religion: the laws, holidays, and beliefs about nature all supported religious beliefs. So naturally, their source of entertainment often taught lessons about their gods. In fact, much of the Greek theater stems from the play //Dionysus// (WHO WROTE THIS PLAY? AND DID GREEK THEATRE ACTUALLY "STEM" FROM IT?) that is about the Greek god of the life (1).

The Medieval Mystery Cycle required an entire community effort, usually voluntary service to the theater, just like the Greek theater. The main similarity to the Greek theater was the focus on religion. The Medieval Mystery Cycles were different in a few ways though. The primary difference was that they focused on the teachings of one God opposed to the many that the Greeks worshipped. The Medieval Mystery Cycles were also more sophisticated in their use of special effects, pageant wagons, and more entertainment value (2).

The greatest and most permanent change occurred to theater during the Elizabethan era. Although theater was still a community event, community involvement declined and every step of theater production became a paid occupation (3). Although religion was still intertwined, most plays featured the “complexity of human motivation” (4).

Modern theater continues to reflect society; theater is a great tool for measuring change in society as a whole.

word count: 256

1. //The Creative Spirit//… page 13

2. //The Creative Spirit//… page 22

3. //The Creative Spirt…// page 26

4. //The Creative Spirit…// page 27