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Soundarya Kanthimathinathan Dr. Richmond Theatre 2100 Honors 11 December 2014 Prompt 1: Identify the features of __ Angels in America __ that qualify it to be categorized as an example of theatricalism. In what ways does the play differ from the various video illustrations provided to you on the wiki schedule page for Oct. 23? Provide specific examples to support your opinions. And finally discuss how the video examples from the film demonstrate some of the unique features of the HBO film version of the work linked to Oct. 30 schedule page.  Theatricalism is the approach to theatre which opposes naturalism. In other words, a play falling into this category would be stylized in its acting and set design, and the work would try to connect with the audience as viewers and portray truths of theatre more than give an illusion of reality. //Angels in America// is a theatrical play because despite the fact that on one hand, it follows the realistic stories of life as homosexual men, on the other hand integral parts of the play are supernatural and stylized. For instance, in Act 1 Scene 7, Harper has a hallucination which coincides with Prior’s dream. In this event, these two characters who have not met in real life exchange information about the real world which affects the course of actions in the real the world. Prior’s revelation of Joe’s homosexuality to Harper incites her questioning her husband. Hence, this play does not intend to portray only reality but rather human truths through stylized factors such as dreams and hallucinations.

However, //Angels in America// is not a play with the same type of theatricalism as the pieces from the examples on the Wiki page for October 23rd. On the whole, the examples from the Wiki page were abstract and interpretive. If there were a continuum of styled and dramatic to realistic and literal, //Angels in America// would fall somewhere in the middle while the examples from the Wiki page would be oriented much closer to the stylized side. For example, Wilson’s Sonnet 23 is a reading of a sonnet using a visual which does not directly address the topic of the sonnet (the exploration of facets of love). Instead, the visual is of three people dressed and painted entirely in white who look as though they are filling gas for a car (without cars in the stage). Hence, the way that this production is set up allows for multiple interpretations which connect the written play with the visual presentation. In class, we discussed how the visual could be portraying consumerism; thus, the production could be a commentary on how love has become a part of the consumerist world. Similarly, the piece //Folded// by Shen Wei is an abstract and stylized one. I felt that the work was a raw portrayal of human experiences through dance. For instance, later in the video clip, one actor is standing in the forefront with white lighting on him. He seems to be convulsing within then reaching outward while in the background, there are multiple people performing the same action which seems more internal (with their movements directed towards their own bodies). Perhaps, this is an indication of how one may feel apart from a group reaching out to another side while the group is content working within itself. Though such interpretation could be further explored, the premise of the differences between these videos and //Angels in America// is that these videos are a conceptual and much more personal and theatrical experience than Kushner’s work. //Angels in America// verbalizes a certain issue through people’s interactions and life stories, and it contains elements of theatricalism. However, in my opinion the videos in the Wiki page are on the whole very theatrical because of their wider opportunity for interpretation.

Lastly, the HBO film version of the work is incredibly successful at bringing the work to life because each character is played with such sincerity that draws the viewer into the film. The previous video examples, though they are a far-fetched sense of theatricalism, do portray theatricalism which serves as a Segway into the HBO film //Angels in America//. This film shows tough topics (politics, sexuality, AIDS, relationships) with both sincerity and entertainment incorporated in the work.

Prompt 3: Watch the following recording of a live performance by a group of well-known NY actors, then identify and discuss the genre of the work citing specific moments when the genre is revealed through dialogue, story, and performance techniques and staging. [|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AVifTdjtvE#t=38]

// The Regard of Flight // is a specific type of comedy (a genre which celebrates life in a world where there is no pain yet reveals important details about human society) called Vaudeville in which one show is split into unrelated acts which are meant to hold the audience’s interests for a short period of time. These acts are usually cultural traditions such as types of dances, music, circus tricks, and small comedic performances. This genre corresponds with this work because the definition and visuals match up exactly. For instance, one of the first acts is a man who is trying to grab the pianist’s attention. This miniature comedic piece is soon followed by a stand-up dry comedian who explains that the purpose of his explanation of how the previous act was accomplished is to fill the blank space where the actors are changing costume. The dialogue incites great laughter amongst the audience due to its bluntness. Hence, this piece is also comedic because it shows that such bluntness is beyond the social norm, so the audience is amused by it. Furthermore, the staging is also set up to be conducive for Vaudeville performances because of the multitude of props which can be versatile towards many acts. For instance, the treasure chest serves as a hideaway for one actor in one act. Then, it serves as a transition into another act where one actor pops out of the chest after which two actors chase each other.

Additionally, there is a loose story throughout this piece –the multiple characters must interact with one another despite their varying viewpoints on instituting a “new theatre” (which the characters mention both in the beginning and towards the end). For instance, towards the end, there is an act in which the protagonist resists the inclusion of a director – a prominent element in conventional theatre. Thus, this play does critique conventional theatre, which is a theme weaved in throughout the course of the multiple acts, which further buttresses the idea the play falls in the comedy genre. It primarily engages the audience through slapstick or Charlie-Chaplin-type silent and action filled technique, but it does have a societally significant message. At the same time, this piece is not a traditional comedy in that it falls into the Vaudeville genre because it is not united into one clear story. Rather, I felt that it is more of an experience with which the audience can follow, enjoy, and laugh to yet can take away an overarching concept with them.

Prompt 4: The videos that you were assigned to see regarding __ Water by the Spoonful __ provide some revealing things about the purpose, development, and presentation of the play on stage. Comment on each of the videos that were assigned to be seen that help shape your opinion about the work. Knowing what you now know about production of a play from the work you've done on your final projects, what were some things you wish you could have seen that would have helped you to better understand __ Water by the Spoonful __ and the production of it?

 //Water by the Spoonful// was one of my favorite plays this semester because of its unique presentation which still maintained relatability to the world in which we live. Hudes’s honest characters (going through various conflicts such as addictions, reintegration into the life they have wanted to live) who are all able to communally support one another to achieve a greater purpose were moving to me. Hence, even before watching the videos, I had a positive viewpoint of the play.  In the first three videos, the playwright Quiara Alegria Hudes speaks of the overviews and backgrounds of the play. In the first video, she speaks of the overarching themes – that the story portrays connections between families depicting birth families as opposed to support-systems as families. In the second video, she speaks about her play as a portrayal of the jazz experience – a journey that has improvisations and diversions. In the third video, she gives a background on the careers and personalities of various characters. On the whole these videos, since they are supplementary pieces of insight into the play, helped enrich and helped me appreciate the play more. The first and third videos, as my aforementioned content statements indicate, are simply conceptual summaries which did help clarify the play overall. However, the second video gives a new perspective from which to look at the play. To me, the fact that this play has another layer of interpretation makes it all the more intriguing. Hence, these videos contribute to the viewer’s understanding of the development of the play overall. The 4th video is of a director of the play who is passionate about the play (which I felt was conspicuously conveyed through his explanation). At first, he lets us know a bit of background (who Elliot is, what the story is about); then, he describes the relationships in an archetypal way – for example, that Elliot is an impulsive, tough guy who complements the cerebral Yaz. After viewing such an explanation, what I took away was mostly this director’s enthusiastic and figurative way of looking into the characters. This video also added to the interestingness of the play because of his exciting and fresh perspective.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The trailer of the play was unique despite the fact that I knew of the play’s different presentation style. I had expected the play to have people all facing the audience with computers reading their typed lines. However, it was interesting how the set designer decided to create separate floorboards for each character. I feel that was a better choice than my idea, and that this trailer was an accurate presentation of the actual written play. Hence, my opinion of the play was not changed but the idea of the play was successfully manifested through this video. The 6th video parallels the second video in these series in that it discusses the play from a musical perspective. The dramaturge discusses how this play also reflects the folk music of Puerto Rico. I especially liked her statement at the end which was that the purpose of dissonance is not to reach a satisfying conclusion but to explore topics – which is what the play accomplishes and what music often does. This one phrase made the play even more thought-provoking to me because it made me think of Hudes’s intent which is solely to explore these characters’ struggles rather than the traditional catharsis which playwrights conclude with.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">The 7th video is very enriching and deep-in-thought. Kurup speaks of the balance between structure and improvisation and how the play centers on the basic human desire to find connection. I enjoyed the mental stimulation that came from this video as in addition to the more obvious themes which the playwright talked about in the first few videos, this video covers less thought of themes. Since I had not thought of the balance between structure and improvisation the way Kurup does, I got to acquire yet another interpretation of the play. Videos 8-10 show various scenes presented in the play acted by different people. I enjoyed these presentations of the play. I liked how the characters were slightly different in the different productions even though they all successfully portrayed the script visually. This made me think about how even though this play is very specific about its characters, there is a bit of room left to interpretation in tonal different which can change a lot about the characters. Video 11 almost contradicted the videos prior to it since it was not an entirely positive reflection of the play. Since I have read the play, I would be able to understand the production if I saw it. However, it became clear to me that to just see the theatre production without background information may make for a somewhat confused and disheveled audience. Hence, it reminded me that especially in a play like this where there is a novel way the story is developed and presented, the other elements such as set design must be carefully chosen. Whereas in a play where the story is clear, the set can go from natural to contemporary and abstract, the set design must be conducive to the script for this play.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt;">All in all, I wish I could have seen more parts of the play that were negatively received to help me understand the productions of the play more. Since in our final project we had to link up specific examples from the play coupled with themes to both accurately and metaphorically present the play in our set designs, costume designs, and other visual elements, I understand how that is integral to do in this play as well. Hence, I would like to do see why some of the scenes or aspects of the play were negatively received and why it did not work out through other people giving opinions after being able to see the scene they give opinions of.