Theatre+Take+Home+Final

#2.
 * __Theatre Take Home Final __**

I was thoroughly impressed by the video detailing the production of the four Broadway plays that we watched in class. It provided a genuinely behind-the-scenes perspective as to all that goes into developing and producing a Broadway play, and just how much work it really takes

Before watching this video, I was not aware of how difficult it is to be successful on Broadway. I had always heard about the award-winning, famous plays; but after seeing this video I now know that for every profitable play there are multiple failures. The pressure that professionals working on Broadway face is incredible.

I was surprised to see how important the critics are to the success or failure of a play. The opinion of a handful of individuals can be the difference between fame and fortune and embarrassment and despair. That proposition must be frightening for all those involved in Broadway, and is why the soft opening that is not open to critics is a great idea. A premature, negative review can kill a show before it even gets started. One topic that was consistently discussed during the video was what demographic the different plays were going to be marketed to. The critics had doubts as to what audience Avenue Q in particular would appeal to. As a result, they were a bit skeptical at first as to whether it would be prosperous. When all was said and done, Avenue Q was a huge success and even the critics liked it.

What this taught me is that while it is crucial to identify a target audience, the most important part of being successful on Broadway is to first and foremost put on an entertaining show. Critics and fans alike weren’t sure what to expect from Avenue Q. The creators of Avenue Q didn’t even fully know what to expect. However, they had a vision and had faith that it would be a hit. They worked hard and made the play great, and because it was such a good show theatre-goers of all ages and genders were able to enjoy it. Clever and well-directed marketing can improve the bottom-line of a play, but it cannot save a poor play, and will not make an average play great. The success of the show ultimately comes down to the director, producer, actors, and all those directly involved in creating the show. The best marketing is people talking to other people about how good a show is.

The budget of the plays was another point I found interesting. I underestimated how highly expensive it is to put on a Broadway show. “Taboo”, put on by Boy George and financed by Rosie O’Donnell, had the most expensive budget of all the shows yet did not last long on Broadway. The set was extravagant and the lead actor seemed extremely talented, yet the show failed to meet expectations from a business perspective. I was a bit confused as to how it did not succeed, as almost every fan that was interviewed in the video had good things to say about it. My guess is the critics played a heavy role in its failure, and it also did not appeal to a very wide range of patrons. It is amazing how fine the line is between success and failure on Broadway.

The decision of whether to come up with a new idea for a play (Avenue Q) or take on the task of reviving a famous show (Wicked) is something I thought about a lot during the video. I think that putting on a show that already has a following like Wicked would be the easier option of the two, but it also has its cons. Because it has been done so many times before, there is much less room for error as people have other renditions to compare the show to. By putting on a show that has been done before, I think it makes it easier to attract patrons initially, but may be more difficult to impress the fans than it would be by putting on an original show.

This video really showed me the importance placed on being nominated for, and later winning a Tony Award. Being able to say “Tony Award Winning Play” or “Tony Award Nominated Director” is a sure-fire way to improve attendance at a play. This was yet another example of how influential the theatre “elite” are over the success and failure of a play. I can only imagine the politics involved in making the decisions as to who wins these awards, and how personal vendettas or agendas can subsequently have a major impact on the theatre industry. If you can somehow get your hands on a Tony, your theatre career will forever be better for it.

The story about the lead actor in Caroline or Change was heartwarming and it was great to see her get nominated for a Tony. The fact that she was successful, hit hard times and then made it back to the top is a testament to her willpower as a person, and also her talent as an actor. The show was ultimately nominated for multiple Tony Awards as was she, and so I think its fair to say she was an extremely valuable part of the play, and I hope she continues her success into the future.

I really liked this video and would encourage it to viewers of all ages, even those without any particular interest in theatre. Watching the plays develop from square one all the way to the opening, and then seeing some of them flourish while some failed was a great experience and had my attention from start to finish. I learned a lot about Broadway from this video and I now have full intentions of seeing a Broadway play at some point in my life.

#3.

I enjoyed watching this play from The American Place Theatre and thought it was quite funny. It didn’t take long for me to recognize that the genre of this work is comedy. There were many aspects of the play that made this evident.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The first clue that this play is a comedy was the piano tune in the beginning. The best way I can describe it is by saying that it was upbeat and happy. It reminded me of the opening tune of the animated comedy “Family Guy” and led me to believe this play would be comedic.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The next thing I noticed that helped me conclude that this was a comedy is that the audience laughs early and often, even after moments that can only be considered borderline funny. The man in the suit who plays the piano repeatedly addresses the audience directly and speaks with a monotone, yet the crowd still laughs. This indicates that they are anticipating funny subject matter and laughing because they expect to. This clearly shows that this play is intended to be a comedy.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The man in the suit also openly announces “warnings” when the lead actor is supposed to do something, such as change costume. This would almost never happen in any other genre but comedy, as it makes the atmosphere less formal. This practice, however, can be beneficial in a comedic setting as I believe it was in this play.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The main thing that convinced me that this work is a comedy was the way the actors “mess up” multiple times throughout the show. These “mistakes” are almost certainly done on purpose and almost always generate laughter from the audience. This would only be practiced in a comedy, because in a drama, tragedy, etc. these mistakes would take away from the performance, while in a comedy it is beneficial. There are many examples of these comedic slip-ups.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Starting at roughly 7:30, the audience can see the lead actor lean out from the side of the stage multiple times before he actually enters the stage. This was evidently done on purpose for its comedic value, and the crowd laughed so it was successful. Using an actor’s “error” to add to the show is an obvious sign that this is a comedy.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Later in the show the lead actor gets his hat stuck on his head, which the audience finds humorous. This did not appear to be an accident, and is yet another example that this is a comedy. <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">At 16:45, after singing for a bit, the lead actor runs out of breath and has to stop singing. If this were not a comedy and a more serious genre of theatre, the play would have been directed so that the audience does not notice the actor run out of breath. The accompanying audience laughter also would not have happened as a result.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Around 19 minutes in, the lead actor and his primary counterpart begin to slap each other in the face. This is clearly done for humor, and the audience enjoys it.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The main character, at around 26:00, emerges from the trunk with a mask on. This mask is the classic glasses, nose, and mustache mask that is often a part of costumes and other acts intended to be funny. <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">In the beginning of the 30th minute, the lead actor predictably slips and falls onstage, to the delight of the audience. While this could theoretically happen accidentally in any genre of theatre, this appeared deliberate, indicating it was done for humor.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">At 37:40, the lead actor tells the man playing the piano that he will say “ok” when he wants him to play the piano. The man in the piano then proceeds to play the piano every time the lead or secondary actor says “ok”, even when it is clear they do not want him to play yet. This is another example of the actors “messing up” in a humorous spirit.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">At different times during the play the second-lead actor is positioned offstage, and the lead actor spends some time offstage as well. They even make their way into the crowd a few times. This is generally not common practice in the more formal genres of theatre, and is another sign that this is a comedy.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The inclusion of a ventriloquist act near the end adds further humor to this play which is already quite funny. The crowd enjoyed it and though it was amusing, as did I. The audience laughed consistently throughout this performance, so I would say that this play, a comedy, was a success.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">#4.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">(Videos in order starting from the top of the wiki page containing the videos)

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Video #1:


 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">This video is of the playwright, Quiara Alegria Hudes, discussing the play and some of her feeling about it
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">She notes the wide geographical scope of the play
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">This allows for the comparison between “the families we are born with” and “the families we find”
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Shows how family is not limited to those related by blood. Family can mean many things and this is evidenced by the online chatroom members that become a family
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">She also mentions how the characters are facing different obstacles, many of them internal battles
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">All of the characters are recovering in some way (addiction, trauma, bad choices)
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">They discover that their past and their mistakes do not define them
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">This play exemplifies how in our technologically driven world, in which we can communicate across the globe with such ease, we must remember that in these forms of communication things can often “get lost in translation” and we must remain mindful of this fact

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Video #2


 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Quiara Alegria Hudes starts out by saying she wanted to write a piece about jazz
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Wanted to capture the essence of jazz
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Coltrane and free jazz specifically
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">She enjoys the “bigger” pieces and the diversion and improvisation along the way
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Hudes started by listening to John Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” which inspired her
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The music professor in the play discusses Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” and lays the foundation for the rest of the piece
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Free improvisation, noise, resolution, harmony, discord are key points
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Hudes really focused on making jazz an important part of this play and the play would not have been the same (or as good in my opinion) without its influence

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Video #3


 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Hudes is discussing the characters and what they represent in this video
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Different characters in the play embody different levels of the class structure in the US
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">University professor, sandwich maker, mom who abandoned family, IRS paper pusher, daughters looking for parents who gave them away as infant bring a wide range of diversity to the play
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Despite being different in many ways, the characters are also alike in many ways even if they don’t want to admit it
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The range of economic background of characters in this play helps add to the notion that family can come from anywhere and that one’s financial situation is not a limiting factor.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Video #4


 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Davis McCallum, the director of the Hartford production, is conversing about the play
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Says that the story is based on the real story of Hudes’ cousin Elliott
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">He was one of the first Marines to cross into Iraq
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">He mentions how the play is mainly focused on Elliott and Odessa
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Odessa is the “rock” and “a hero” to other people of chat room
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">She plays a crucial role in the development of the online chat room family
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">This leads to the eventual comparison between blood-related, geographically close family and families that develop from other means
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Yaz is a music professor at Swarthmore College in Philly
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Her and cousin Elliott are unlike in a lot of ways
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Elliott never went to college and is the tough guy, impulsive
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Yaz is very smart and went to an ivy league school, rational
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">They complement each other well
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The scene in the flower shop exemplifies this
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The characters that come to Odessa’s website have one thing in common: they are all in recovery
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Chutes: male, IRS worker, black, in 50s
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Orangutan: female, grew up in Maine, Asian, in 20s, living in Japan
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Fountainhead: lives in Philadelphia, “hyperprivileged”, conflicted and ashamed, comes to the chat room in a “cry for help”
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Fountainhead joining the chat room breaks the stasis of the chat room and is a turning point in the play

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Video #5


 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">This video is the trailer for the Oregon Shakespeare Festival trailer for their production of “Water by the Spoonful”
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">I think the individual squares on which each character is positioned on stage are a great way to help show that these people are separated geographically, but are symbolically all together through the use of the internet
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">I think the jazz music in the background is a nice touch and helps draw attention without being too overwhelming
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The black and white visuals provide information about the play without taking away from the action going on when they fade away
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">These visuals highlight the different colors onstage because the visuals themselves lack color
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">I like this color scheme design and it makes the scene design onstage aesthetically pleasing

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Video #6


 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Dramaturg Lydia Garcia of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival is giving her take on “Water by the Spoonful”
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">She talks about how Hudes draws on her own family experience for inspiration of the story(s)
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">She says she is excited by the fact that the playwright is a musician and uses musical structure to structure the plays
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">First play: Elliot a Soldier’s Fugue is based on Fugue by Bach
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Voices layering on top of each other talking about same thing
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The third play is based on folk music of Puerto Rico
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The second play is based on Coltrane and his album “Ascension” primarily
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The play is very much about dissonance and how characters and stories that don’t naturally fit together end up becoming interconnected
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">This is how jazz ties the play together
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Jazz, Coltrane in particular, plays a vital role in “Water by the Spoonful” and helps show the audience how different pieces of the play, like notes in a jazz piece, may initially seem unrelated and jumbled but can in reality fit together beautifully

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Video #7


 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Shishir Kurup (Director) begins by emphasizing how “A Love Supreme” by Coltrane is a key part of the play
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The lack of neatness fits in perfectly with the play
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Kurup mentions a great line from the play about how Coltrane “democratized” the notes and no one note was more important than another
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">He says that “jazz is grey”
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">There is improvisation within the structure
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">This emulates real life, as we have structure in our lives, but we also have moments of spontaneity
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">He emphasizes the importance of breaking free from our automated world and allowing “time to stop” and how jazz can help us do this
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Kurup says the phrase, “ I am a blues man in the life of the heart, and a jazz man in the life of the mind”
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">He wants the play to reflect this idea
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">He wants the play to make the audience feel “the blues” but also have it open the mind of the audience as jazz would

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Video #8


 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">This is a clip from the Chicago Premiere
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Elliott is attempting to log on to Odessa’s Haikumom online account
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Its ironic that her password is Elliott, indicating she still cares for him, as he is invading her privacy with no remorse
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Orangutan knows immediately that it is not actually Haikumom, as Elliott does not greet her with a Haiku and also does not sensor Orangutan as Haikumom would have
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Yaz does not approve of Elliott’s actions, yet does not stop him
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Elliott is very insensitive to Orangutan as he relentlessly asks her about crack and her crack use
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Seems as though Elliott is rebelling and getting back at his mother in a way

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Video # 9


 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">This video is of a different scene from the Chicago premiere
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Fountainhead and Odessa are talking about the difficulties of staying clean
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Odessa suggests some positive outlets to Fountainhead to help him pass the time to make it easier to stop using crack
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">She gives him some great ideas, but he is hesitant at first
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Odessa tells him that he “could be dead tomorrow”
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">This is a bit harsh, but necessary considering he was not responding the way she would like and that he has expressed a desire to quit

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Video #10


 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">This video is a clip of “Water by the Spoonful” put on by The Lyric Stage Company of Boston
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The lighting of the stage is very dark and spotlights are placed on the characters
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The background is also black
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Like the previous trailer video, the background music is jazz, a good choice
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The quote about democratizing the notes and making them equal is stated
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">This is one of the most recognizable and meaningful quotes in the play and is a good addition to this video

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Video #11


 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">Two critics are viewing “Water by the Spoonful”
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">They are quite eccentric and are expecting big things from the show because the play won the best play Pulitzer for 2012
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">They don’t seem to have little to no background knowledge about the play, which could explain why they don’t fully understand it at first
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">They are confused at intermission, and if they had read more about the play before seeing it I think it would have made more sense
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">By the end of the show they understand it
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">They think it would make a good movie
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">This is a very good point, and I agree. A movie version of this play would make portraying the online chat room much easier.
 * <span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">They were not pleased with the set design, and make a good point about how difficult it is to accurately portray an online world on a stage with real people

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">The one idea that was brought up in many of these videos is just how large of a role jazz plays in “Water by the Spoonful” and how Coltrane in particular had such a big influence on Quiara Alegria Hudes. The concept of having music as a key part of a play that is not actually a musical is quite interesting and I think helps separate this play in a positive way.

<span style="font-family: Garamond,serif; font-size: 12.5pt;">After being the stage and light designer for my group project, I would have liked to see a video of a stage designer speaking about how he/she built the stage and why they did what they did. From the moment I read this play, the first thought I had was how are the characters and props going to be arranged onstage to emulate a virtual world. I had many ideas, yet was still puzzled as to what would be the best strategy. It is not an easy task by any means, and the last critic video shows that. Hearing directly from a stage design professional about how they approached this play and handled the set design would have been very informative and interesting for me.