Buce,+Trevor

Trevor Buce Chicago Analysis THEA 2100H Chicago “Welcome. Ladies and Gentlemen, you are about to see a story of murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, adultery, and treachery - all those things we all hold near and dear to our hearts. Thank you.” The opening lines of Chicago said everything that was to be played out before my very own eyes in the coming two hours. Due to the risqué, adult-oriented content, it kept me on the edge of my seat for the duration of the performance. Never in my life have I seen a musical, or play for that matter, that was so entertaining, extravagant, or interesting. I loved every minute of it; let me tell you why. Upon the lifting of the curtain at the beginning of the play, my eyes were met by a stage adorned by props so bright and well-made they would make Boy George jealous. First off, the stage was blanketed by a dense layer of fog that came from a fog machine overhead. This effect made the entire set more mysterious and interesting to behold. The main part of the set that held my gaze the most of the play was the large piece of construction that look like the front of a broadway stage. Its frame was large and tall and the curtains that it held up were very bright. I loved this piece because not only was it interesting to look at, but it served a multi functional purpose as well. A wooden stage was hinged to the back of this piece and could be pushed out in order to serve as the background for a jail or the magistrate’s bench in the court house. I applaud the director for his ingenuity in making such a functional and fashionable stage element. The second most interesting thing on the stage was definitely the band stand. There was a live band consisting of about 20 members. They were surrounded by a contraption adorned with fancy woodwork painted silver and gold. This fancy wood work fit the bacn very well - after all, they were all wearing bow ties. In the back of the stage sat a large screen. This screen was about 30 feet high and mainly served to convey mood, I’ll talk about this later. Yet another fun element of the set design was the trap door. It was positioned at the front and center of the stage. This trap door allowed the lawyer to humorously drop his clothes off the stage and also served as a surprise element. At the beginning o the second act, Velma popped up out of the trap door and greeted the audience (this evoked a storm of laughter). Another interesting set element was a chandelier that hung above the stage. It was lopsided. I believe that the lopsided look was a symbol of the lopsided character of show business and the court system. But, symbolism aside, the chandelier was very fun to look at and added a “show-biz” like quality to the set. Other than the five aforementioned stage elements, the set was rather normal - nothing remained on the floor for the entirety of the show and no props were left out for long amounts of time. From time to time, though, actors would carry on little props such as wheeled contraptions that served as jail cells. I loved the set. It was brilliant. The costumes of the play matched the level of extravagance that the set portrayed. Most, if not all, of the costumes were very bright. The murderesses wore satin slip dresses of various colors, even when they were in jail. Brian Flynn wore a shiny silver, satin suit, and the judge wore an outlandish wig and over-sized robe. The extravagance ad out of the ordinary feel of these costumes served to keep the scenes lively even when a boring dialogue was taking place. My favorite costumes were the murderesses’ Rockette-style costumes they wore while singing about lawyer Flynn. Their rhinestone covered skirts were poofed and lifted to an unrealistic extent, they wore feathered head dresses and carried feathered fan-like props in their hands. Visually, this was the most stimulating part of the show. One’s eyes could not wonder from the beauty and extravagance of these costumes, or any of the costumes in the play. Overall, the costumes were not very realistic, or at least not realistic in the sense of the setting in which they were worn. For example, all of the murderesses wore their sexy satin dresses in jail. I had no issue with this, though. The costume designer did a fantastic job with the costumes. I’m sure it took an enormous amount of time, energy, and collaborative effort to make all of the extravagant costumes. The lighting in the play, however, was not that extravagant. Most of the lighting was mood lighting. The big screen in the back of the set was the vehicle for portraying the mood in any given scene. The screen blazed with red when Roxie emoted her anger or when the murderesses talked about the reason they murdered their boyfriends. Red was used to portray passion, anger, and hate. The only other color that was transmitted through the screen was blue. The blue signified night, confusion, or sadness. For example, when Amos was lamenting his invisibility in life, the screen was blue in color. I liked the mood lighting. I liked it because it bolstered the mood that was being portrayed by the characters. One effect that really made the light a visually stimulating effect was the fog. The fog added depth and body to the otherwise invisible beams of light. The fog was really a lighting element, and my favorite lighting element at that. The actors and actresses in the play were amazing. Throughout the entire play, they annunciated their words beautifully, sang with the utmost elegance, danced in sync, and never failed to make the audience laugh. Not once in the play did I ever struggle to understand what any of the actors were saying. They annunciated and projected their lines with the greatest of ease. This eloquence made for a pleasant play-going experience and allowed me to follow character motivations and plot developments. The singing was astounding. The opera-singing reporter was by far the best singer. She combined her singing ability with comedy and the result was a well deserved round of applause after every song she sang and at the conclusion of the play. The whole cast were also amazing singers. I liked the earthy, vaudeville-esque voices in which Velma and Roxie sang. The choral back up of the supporting actors further enhanced the likability of the leads’ ballads. If there was one thing that I didn’t like about the actors and the characters that portrayed them, it was the static nature of the leads’ characters, Roxie and Velma. These two characters remained unchanged throughout the entirety of the play. Not one event, not even imprisonment, changed the stuck up, self-righteous attitudes of these characters. I would have liked to see at least one of them change from an attention-craving, money-obsessed nymphomaniac, into a respectable woman who appreciates her husband and her freedom. But, as a whole, the actors and characters they portrayed did a great job- the dancing was expertly choreographed, the singing was expertly sung, and the characters held the audience’s undivided attention. I would give the actors in this performance an A. The themes of this play were adult oriented and very fun to watch play out on stage. One of the main topics presented in Chicago was fame and money. Roxie was the character who embodied this theme the most. She went to jail and while there she only cared about gaining fame from her despicable crime - murder. She did everything to gain attention, she lied about being a former nun and even faked being pregnant all in hopes that the media would notice her and promote her hopes of starring in a Vaudeville show. I took away from this play that some people will do absolutely anything, no matter how outlandish, to gain fame, attention, and ultimately money. The themes in this play were interesting and served to hold the audiences interest. I liked watching the themes in this play be presented on stage. The sound of the play was amazing because live music was played throughout the show. The on stage band provided background music, title music, and even some sound effects. For example, the drummer would hit the snare drum to signal a gun shot. The band was very well dressed, very professional, and very good. I enjoyed their music very much. In conclusion I can say with certainty that Chicago is my favorite play that I have ever seen. The extravagance of the set and costumes, the adult oriented themes, the scantily clad women, the live music, and the fog lighting made for a very entertaining performance. The director, set designers, light designers, and band put on a very memorable show. I would definitely go see this show again if I had the money! I would give this play a grade of A+.

Trevor Buce Dark Ride Critique

Preface: Dark Ride was a “doozie.” This play perplexed me because of its plat (or lack thereof), the accelerated speech of all of the characters, and the clever set. Setting: The setting for this play was unclear. Based on the costumes and dialogue of the actors, I would say that some of the play is set in the 2000’s and some of the play is set much later in the future- perhaps the 2500’s. I did not like the difference in the times that the play was set because it made for a very confusing story line. It seemed like time periods would shift frequently- one moment, a young woman was reading a book about people in the past, and then the next moment she was actually with the characters that she was reading about in her mysterious book. The time shifts made for a very confusing sequence of plot events, I did not like it one bit. However, I did like that the majority of the play was set in the United States. It was very easy for me to imagine what a character said when she meant that her boyfriend ran off to Indianapolis, Indiana. Having the play set in America was also a wise choice by the playwright because it allows the audience to have a personal connection to the story being presented. In a play like this, when the action was intermittent, scattered, and often times confusing, having the play set in a close by place, such as Indiana, made the play a bit more relatable to the audience. The Set: The set for this play was imaginative, creative, versatile, and brilliant. The one element of the set that set apart the set in “Dark Ride” from any other set I have experienced is the five columns of televisions. These televisions were stacked one on top of another and were stacked as tall as five televisions each. These televisions mainly served the purpose of signaling a change in scenes. For example, if the characters were in a diner, then one of the TV’s would have the image of a hostess station projected on to it, and if the characters were at a train station, the ticket man would stand behind a TV that had the image of a ticket booth on it. These TV’s were a very efficient method of changing scenes. I liked the television aspect of the set because it eliminated the need to constantly change set props during the play. This resulted in the play moving along much quicker than it would have if new sets had to be brought in every scene. The Tv’s also served a great aesthetic purpose. When I walked into the theatre, the TV’s were the first thing I noticed about the set. They served as a focal point for the audience and I also believe that the Tv’s gave the audience something to marvel at as the play progressed. At some points during the play, the TV’s served as the visual presentation of the sky, the desert, and even the outside of a restaurant. I applaud the director in choosing to utilize the TV’s for “Dark Ride.” Aside from the aesthetic and practical use that the TV’s provided, the set for “Dark Ride” was very minimalistic. In the center of the stage sat a smaller stage made up of plain, black boxes that were about a foot in height. To the left of the smaller stage sat a table, which had salt, pepper, ketchup, and napkins on it, and two chairs sat by the table. To the right of the smaller stage was a podium that was used by the female oculist to present her findings about her mysterious book to the audience. The minimalism of the set was very boring. I often sat watching the play wondering when the actors would finally bring on some interesting props to the stage. My expectations failed me, however, and the same props remained on stage for the whole play. I thought that for the director to have the same props remain on stage the whole time was an odd choice because the table and chairs of the diner would remain on stage when there was a scene that took place in an aquarium. Over all, I thought the set was decent. Only decent because it lacked the authenticity of scene changes. I believe that when a scene changes from one place to another, certain props should be added or removed depending on if they fit the setting in which the scene takes place. I love the Tv’s because they served as a practical tool that signaled a change in scenes, and served to cut down on the over all length of the play by cutting out the time it would have taken to constantly change the set. Lighting: The lighting for the play was also very minimalistic. For most of the play, track lighting was used to illuminate a majority of the set but the TV’s were also used as a lighting element. This meant that there was really no one in the spot light. When the characters were supposed to be outside, the track lights illuminated the hole stage, and when the characters were inside, the track lights illuminated the whole stage. Mood lighting was seldom used. Only once can I recall mood lighting being used to highlight the onset of madness of an oculist who had made a so called revelation about the nature of human beings. The TV’s behind the oculist emitted red. The redness of the TV’s highlighted both the oculist’s revelation and his passion about his revelation about the nature of humans. The only time that a spotlight was used was when the female oculist was reading to the audience. The spotlight followed her blocking pattern as she moved about the stage. In conclusion, the lighting was not very impressive. I believe that they should have used more mood lighting to really accentuate the emotions of the characters as they experienced sadness, happiness, and confusion. Happy times could have been lit with a white or green light, sad scenes should have been overlaid with a blue light, and scenes where they characters were confused about their circumstances could have been light with twirling lights of different colors. Acting: The actors in this play performed well! I was very impressed by the speed at which they spoke their lines. All of the characters spoke at a very quick speed. Their words were hard to understand at times, though. If I had to change one thing about their speech, I would change the rate at which they spoke! The plot of this play would have made a lot more sense if you could hear every word that the actors spoke if they stopped incessantly rambling the whole time. The actors were also very good at projecting their voices throughout the theatre. Even though it was hard to understand their words due to their accelerated speech, I had no problem hearing their voices. The most talented actor was actually an actress. The female oculist was the most talented actress out of the whole cast. She was always smiling and seemed like a very likable person. I had no trouble suspending my disbelief that she was a curious oculist. She seemed very interested in her quest to learn more about the mysterious book which she possessed. When she acted sad, she seemed genuinely sad. When she acted confused or elated, she seemed genuinely confused or elated. The worst actor was the gentleman that played the lad that ran off to Indianapolis. He seldom changed facial expression and didn’t seem like the young, wild, and curious sort of guy who would run away from his life on a whim. He seemed cautious and reserved, looked down at the ground the whole time, and didn’t pronounce his lines very well. Overall, the cast was good. They made me laugh quite a bit (the mummy of John Wilkes booth was hilarious), and they generally did a good job of annunciating their lines at accelerated speeds. Plot: I’ll be honest- I had no idea what the plot was in “Dark Ride.” I know that some guy ran off to Indianapolis, met some people at a hotel, and acquired a magical diamond from a heartbroken lad named Ravensburg. The scenes and time periods changed frequently- one moment, the scene was a war command room, the next it was an apartment in a modern city, and then the next moment, the actors were in an aquarium owned by a hotel manager, and then the next moment, the characters were in an oculist convention in Mexico. As you can see, the plot was very confusing. I couldn’t follow a specific plot line from beginning to end. The convoluted and intertwining stories made me frustrated; I like to follow a logical story from the beginning to end of a play. The plot, or lack thereof, was the worst part of the play, plain and simple. Themes: Love was a theme. A girl in the play was heartbroken that her boyfriend left her to go explore the world. Jealousy was another theme. Ravensburg was jealous that his girlfriend left him for another man. There was really no overall theme that tied everything together. At the end of the play, the actors chanted something like “I’m not interested in philosophy, I just want to know how it ends.” This statement made no sense to me, but I’m sure it meant something to the playwright. Conclusion/Rating: Overall, I didn’t like the play at all. There was no plot to follow, no themes that taught me anything or challenged my views on anything. The ups: The TV aspect of the set was intriguing, the mummy of John Wilkes Booth was funny, there was hardly any time wasted changing sets, and it was easy to hear the actors’ voices. The downs: The set was boring at times, the actors spoke too quickly, the actor that played the guy that ran away didn’t express himself well, scene changes were too frequent, there was no overall theme, there was no central character that underwent a dramatic change. Overall I would give this play a 2/5, I give one of those points for effort.

Compared to it's European counterparts, Yamauchi's "And the Soul Shall Dance" is not your typical realistic play. In order to form a less realistic realism play, the playwright of "And the Soul Shall Dance", Wakako Yamauchi, utilizes theatrical elements and uses memory as a story telling device. Firstly, "And the Soul Shall Dance" utilizes some elements of the theatre that could be considered more theatrical than realistic. For example, at the beginning of the play, the sound of flute is played through the speakers in a theatre, and a tumble weed is danced about by a hooded figure dressed in black. The concept of the fourth wall seems to be disregarded when the flute is played. In the realism videos, there was nothing fantastical or theatrical about any of the plays, in fact, they were so real, they were boring to watch. Secondly, "And the Soul Shall Dance" is a play that depicts the personal experiences of Yamauchi, the playwright, as a young girl. It is a play that is based on personal memories. "'And the Soul Shall Dance' takes the playwright back to her earliest memories of her own family history, to a time when her sense of herself as an artist began to unfold." (Arnold). The plays in the video illustrations are plays that are entirely fictional; they have little connection to personal events that occurred in the playwright's personal lives.
 * 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.**

Citations:

Arnold, Stephanie. //Creative Spirit//. Page 213.

Word Count: 233

Trevor Buce Hidden Man Analysis THEA2100H Hidden Man

Hidden Man is without a doubt the most controversial, disgusting, and most interesting play I have ever seen. No play has made me cover my face or laugh as much as Hidden Man. As I analyze this play I must forewarn you that some of what I write about this play may be very well opinionated. The setting of this play takes place in Atlanta, Georgia in the 1950’s. This is very appropriate to the play because this is the time period in which the south really began to be known as the “Bible Belt.” It is no coincidence that the evangelical Christian in the play, Reverend Howard Finster, lives in the Bible Belt. Most of the action in the play takes place in Robert’s apartment and also Reverend Howard Finster’s ranch, called Paradise Garden. The set was somewhat minimalistic, composed of a bed, a shower, a door, and lots of broken bicycles. The ground was painted to resemble paths or sidewalks, and there was fake foliage that encompassed the entire set. Most of the set designs were pushed to the sides of the stage, allowing for an open playing area in the middle of the stage. I liked the quiet simplicity of the set because there was nothing really distracting about any of the set designs, and everything looked realistic. The broken bikes were real broken bikes, the bed was an actual bed, and the door to the Finster household was made with real wood and a real door. Everything on the set looked like it could be found in a house or ranch during the time period in which the play was set. I like that the director made nothing on the set too theatrical and unrealistic. The plot of this play is very simple and involved at the same time. Most of the plot is chronological except for the very beginning of the play. Personally, I like chronological plots better than plays that have non-chronological plots such as Armitage because the sequence of events is much easier to follow. The chronological plot was very effective in that it efficiently gave rise to substantial character development. Over time, you could see how two of the major characters changed, but I will address that in a later section. The language that was used in the play resembled what I think two hardened drug-using teenagers would talk like. The two actors who played Robert and Charlie swore countless times. The swearing was not there just to keep the audience’s interest, but it gave the audience insight into the lives of two young boys whose lives had been wrecked by suicide and drug use. If the characters had not had sworn and had instead said something like “Golly gee, Robert. These controlled substances really do mess you up! You should reconsider using these illegal narcotics.” instead of “Damn, dude. ROBERT! These things are f*g with your brain! You’re f*g killing yourself!” it would have made the plot a lot less believable. The language in the play was spoken in a southern accent by all members of the cast, excluding The Stranger. The accents were also a very effective form of both the setting and the plot. The southern accents made the characters a lot more believable. By speaking in Southern accents, I believe that the audience was able to have a better sense of their suspension of disbelief. Another crucial element to the plot was the development of two of the main characters, Robert and Charlie. At the start of the play, I did not like these characters one bit. They were so freaking loud and cursed like sailors that just stubbed a toe. Throughout the play, the playwright reveals to us that the boys have undergone some traumatic events in their lives, especially the suicide of multiple friends and one of Robert’s girlfriends. Howard helps both of the characters through their pain by offering a listening ear and by disciplining Robert by putting him to work in Paradise Garden. By the end of the play, Robert and Charlie are both more polite and have gotten over their drug addictions. I think that the playwright is suggesting that the homosexuality of Robert and Charlie is a direct result of the traumatic events that the boys have had to experience. Howard even says something like “Those boys had lots of earthly pains, they just used the wrong outlet (homosexuality) to deal with those pains.” However, I’m not sure if this is a political statement from the playwright. I think the playwright knew someone that was gay that committed suicide because they were looked down upon on society for being homosexual. Another element of the plot that played a large role in the play was spirituality. This story is interesting because it examines the relationships of two atheist boys and a pastor. The pastor is presented as a nice man. However, the playwright also presents the Reverend as being a homophobic freak who uses the Word of God to make his argument against homosexuality. I believe that the playwright is making a suggestion that the Bible only causes pain to people when it is used as a weapon against people’s lifestyles. For example, the play opens with Robert, an atheist, being tied to a bed and being force-fed the word of God, against his will. I agree with the playwright in the respect that using scripture to belittle someone is a bad thing. I don’t think that it is right to belittle people by preaching AT them. However, at surface level, it looks like the playwright is saying that scripture itself is a bad thing. I think that the playwright should have done a better job in saying that using scripture to belittle someone else is the bad thing, not scripture itself. He could have done this by having Robert read the Bible and look like he was enjoying and maybe even talk to Howard about what he read. Overall, I think that the plot was very well presented and very realistic and believable and challenged the audience’s view of homosexuality. The lighting in the play was very typical of theatre today. Light colors such as yellow, lit the stage when the mood was happy, red lit the stage when a scene full of angst was played out, and more somber colors, such as blue, lit the stage when something sad or somber happened. Also, blue lighting indicated night, and white light indicated daytime. One of the more interesting lighting conventions was used to simulate the effect of hallucinogenic drugs on Robert. When Robert was on drugs, the lights became a blue green color mixed with some white light and they began swirling and rippling, as if the actors were underwater. During these scenes, the lighting was somber and very visually stimulating. I liked this aspect of the lighting because it was interesting and held my attention. I think that the lighting designer and director did a great job of representing the effect of the drugs on Robert’s mind. The costumes were designed very well. They seemed to fit the time period in which the play is set. Howard’s wife wore a conservative, ankle length dress, Howard, a handy man, wore work clothes with paint on them, and the two boys wore ripped jeans, cut-off shirts, and converse shoes. I like that as the play developed, so did Robert and Charlie and so did their wardrobes. By the end of the play Charlie dresses like a young, successful photographer- with a cardigan, khaki pants and a button down, and Robert wears jeans that are less ripped and a button down shirt. I like that the more sophisticated look of Robert and Charlie’s wardrobes represents their maturation as people from the beginning of the play to the end. The play was also directed marvelously. The director especially did a great job of casting the characters of Robert and Charlie, who had great chemistry with one another on stage. Let’s be honest, having some form of chemistry between two actors who have to perform a naked homosexual scene is very important. Although I thought the naked love scene was abhorrently disgusting and somewhat unnecessary, the chemistry between the two actors was evident. All of the characters that were cast did an amazing job of acting. They all spoke clearly, even with a southern accent, projected their voices throughout the theatre with the greatest of ease, and gesticulated appropriately. I was able to feel the emotion that the actors projected into the theatre. For example, in the scenes where Robert put the noose around his neck and held a gun to his head, my heart began to pound uncontrollably and I flexed nearly every muscle in my body. It was INTENSE. I would give the acting a 5/5 rating. It was impeccable. Overall, I liked the play more than I disliked it. The actors were brilliant, the plot was chronological and easy to follow, and the emotion in the theatre was high at all times- both in the emotions the actors conveyed and in the emotion that I felt as an audience member. I would recommend this play to a mature adult who likes to be challenged in his view of homosexuality.

Trevor Buce Theatre Appreciation Module

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."

Directors and actors play an equally important role in theatre. Without actors, there would be no production for the director to direct, and without a director, the actors would be left to their own devices, chaos would ensue, and the production would probably go up in flames. Their roles in different spheres of theatre, however, are unequal. While actors are arguably the most important part of an actual production, they are under the guidance of a director.

The director plays the dominant role behind the scenes. “Uniting all the elements of the performance- script, acting, set, costumes, lights, music, and sound- into a meaningful whole is the business and art of the director.” (1). The director must visualize the entire production and make sure that the play is carried out correctly by the actors. Without the director, there is a large gap between the script of the play and the fruition of the play being completed. The actors, on the other hand, dominate the scene when the production occurs. “The actor brings the playwright’s character to life.” (1). The actors present the story to the audience and it is because of the actors that revenue is generated to the theatre.

In conclusion, both directors and actors are very important. But the directors are more important behind the scenes, and the actors are more important when it comes to presenting the production. It is important that if only one of these groups didn’t do their job, putting on production would not be possible.

Word Count: 252

(1) Arnold, Stephanie. //The Creative Spirit: An Introduction to Theatre//

Trevor Buce Theatre Module Number 2 Honors Theatre Appreciation

Internal Monologue for George from "Our Town":

Gee, Emily is really pretty. I would really like to talk to her but I’m also so nervous! I’ll just talk to some of my guys first so she sees that I’m popular. She’s busy talking to some of her friends, too. I bet she’s nervous to talk to me! She probably likes me! Oh, good we’re talking now. Gee, she is really beautiful, especially up close. Hmm, she doesn’t like how I’ve changed over the past year? What did I do? I thought it was impossible for anyone to like me. Well, maybe she is right. I can be kind of intimidating- after all I am George. What? She expects me to be perfect? Thats just ridiculous! How can any man be perfect? Only girls can be perfect. Heck, they’re naturally perfect. Emily is naturally perfect, even though she doesn’t think so. Maybe I can change her mind if I buy her a strawberry soda! Yes, that should do it! I’m sure she’ll be impressed if I buy her a drink. Who could ever turn down one of Mr. Morgan’s strawberry sodas? Emily really is a good friend. She tells me things that I need to hear. I’m gonna celebrate this amazing girl, and she ought to know it. She is a really honest girl. I should probably change. Even though I didn’t particularly like what she had to say, it’s true and I need to commit to change. For Emily. This is one amazing girl. Leaving her alone in Grover's Corners while I'm at Agriculture School is the last thing I wanna do. I think I should spend more time with her. Maybe agriculture school actually would be a waste of time? Yes. Yes it would most definitely be a waste of time. I'm going to stay in Grover's Corners with Emily and tell her about how I feel about her. I hope she feels the same way! I’m sure she does. I’ve always admired her and when she told me about the fault in my character. I love this girl. I really do need to change and I’m so excited she is still willing to marry me despite my faults! This seriously is the best day of my life. I love Emily. A nice walk home with her should finish up this conversation nicely! Oh crap, I don’t have the money to pay for the drinks...well this is embarrassing. Maybe Mr. Morgan will take my watch until I pay him back? Haha I didn’t think he would. He’s the best.

Word Count: 424

Trevor Buce Honors Theatre Appreciation

Armitage Armitage is one of the most interesting plays I have ever seen. This play was one in which there was intricate, complicated plot, an array of both dynamic and static characters, and a small town feel that most people in the audience can relate.

Setting: The setting for this play was in Armitage, Ohio. Personally, I have no clue if this is a town that really exists or not but the characters truly brought this small town to life. The timeline of the play is not chronological. The setting frequently shifts from the 1810’s to the 1820’s to the 1840’s. I was a bit confused as to why the play write did this and personally, I didn’t like it. But the shift in the times also served as an informing factor in the play. When there was a scene when Zach Pendragon was angry, the play could shift backwards in time and reveal a turning point in his life that could have made him an angry individual The shifts in time also helped the audience become more aware of what the characters were talking about, the shifts served as flashbacks.

Characters: Zachary Pendragon is the antagonist and also the main focus of the play. He is a mean politician and hardly cares about anything or anyone but himself. He always yells at people- both men women and children alike. When the play started, I felt pity for the man that was coughing and claiming to be talking to his dead father. Throughout the play, Zachary Pendragon mostly remained a static character. He was always mean. I think his personality is a direct result from his traumatic childhood. When he was only a youngster, his father died and he was raised by his mother. His mother is presented as an aloof figure and she seems like she was a bad influence in the life of Mr. Pendragon. I also have a theory that his personality stems from personal struggles such as lust for women, alcohol abuse, and his distant relationship with his son Johnny. Throughout the play, the play write makes it no secret that Zachary Pendragon is a womanizing politician. Through complicated marriages and divorces and being a widower, Zachary Pendragon has become a mean old man and he tends to destroy the lives of everyone in his path. The actor that played Zachary Pendragon did a marvelous job. He commanded my attention whenever he talked and certainly brought the character of Zachary Pendragon to life. Zachary’s son, Johnny, is much different from his father. Johnny is only a kid. I bet he’s supposed to be around 35 years of age and he’s very outgoing and loyal. He even volunteers to fight in a war for the United States even though it is against his father’s wishes. Johnny is presented as an easy going counterpart to Zachary. He has a hate for incest and even has a fling with a servant girl that comes to work in the Pendragon. The fling with the servant girl, Fey, is odd because, unbeknownst to Johnny, the servant girl is actually his half sister. Johnny is easy going until he finds out that he slept with and impregnated his half sister. After he finds this out, he is mad for a while but eventually calms back down. The actor who portrayed Johnny did a fantastic job. Another central character to the play was Fey Morgan. She is a beautiful, fun loving and stubborn girl. She commands Johnny’s attention throughout the entire play and makes hard decisions. She decides to leave Armitage for Maryland and pursues another man for a husband while Johnny is away at war. Fey is a strong woman, even though she is only 16. She is the servant girl that came to stay with the Pendragon’s after her mother died. It turns out that her mother was the former wife of Zach Pendragon and that Zach had tried to save her mother but claims that Fey’s mom refused any help from Zachary (probably out of disgust for Zachary). Zach takes Fey in, and Fey begins to seduce Johnny. This is odd, considering she knows for a fact that Johnny is her half-brother. Johnny makes her pregnant but doesn’t find out because he is in Mexico fighting a war. The actress who played Fey was magnificent. It made it believable for her to seduce Johnny because she was a very beautiful girl. Her strongest point was the scenes in which she cries. In one scene she gets mad at Zachary Pendragon because she thinks that he has intercepted her and Johnny's letters. She yells and cries and I cringed because it was so real.

Stage design: The stage for Armitage was very minimalistic. There were only a handful of black rectangular prisms scattered throughout the stage and only a couple of hanging picture frames at the back of the stage. I admired this minimalism. They never changed any of the props throughout the whole play- all of the sage items were present throughout both acts and all of the props stayed onstage no matter where the play was set. I found it amazing that the story could be so believable even though the same props that would be used in the Pendragon house would be used for the attic or Fey’s Maryland home. Amazing. The lighting for the play was also very plain and minimalistic. On the stage at all times there was either all light, or blue light depending on the scene and the mood. For example, when the characters were acting out a scene that was in a house or outside, white light was all over the stage. But when a scene was being acted out in an out door scene at night, blue light was all over the stage. I appreciate the simplicity of the lighting and of the stage; they seem to compliment each other really well. At the back of the stage was an attic. This attic was merely a platform that was raised about the stage about 3 feet so it could be easily viewed. Even though this attic would remain separate from the main floors of the Pendragon house in real life, it remained on stage as a symbol. I think the attic represents the demons in Zachary Pendragon. In this attic was where Johnny and Fey slept together for the first time and it is also the place where Zachary Pendragon caught Johnny and Fey about to sleep together. Over all, the stage design, lighting and props were amazing. They only added to the authenticity of the play and never once detracted from the realness of life that the actors were trying to portray.

Plot: The plot for this play was simply amazing. There is no better way to describe it. I believe the primary plot of the play was to show the life of Zachary Pendragon and also to show his convoluted and complicated love life and the results from his love life. Zachary Pendragon was a ruthless politician and womanizer. He slept with many women and had lots of children and wrecked a lot of lives as a result of his numerous marriages. His personal life is explored throughout most of Armitage and much is revealed about his personality. Zachary Pendragon’s father dies when he was young. This was probably a negative influence on Pendragon’s life. He was married to at least three women and those marriages ended in divorce. He fathered many children including Johnny, Fey Morgan, and two other girls, whose names I can’t remember. I think that the stresses from his past marriages and his many family problems are what stress Zachary Pendragon out the most. This play was the best play I’ve ever seen and I wouldn’t change a thing about the plot. The characters brought the plot to life and entertained the audience to the maximum degree. I’d give this play a 5 star review.

Costumes: The costumes for the play were very well made. The Pendragon men wore tan suits. These suits were a symbol of class and were probably what wealthy men would have worn in the 1800’s. The dead characters in the play wore white, probably as a symbol of being in heaven. The women’s costumes were primarily long white dresses, typical of women’s dressing style in the 1800’s. The costumes looked authentic and made the play that much more awesome. Simply put, this play was amazing.

Ratings: Actors: 5/5 Plot: 5/5 Stage Design: 4/5 Believability of the Plot: 5/5 Costume Design: 5/5

Trevor Buce Theatre Module #2 1/30/12

(PLEASE COPY AND PASTE THE QUESTION HERE NEXT TIME. THANKS!)

Secular and religious theatre were both expressions of the feelings and current events that occurred in the time that they took place. Though similar on the surface, the reasons for which both secular and religious theatre are performed is(ARE?) very different. Religious theatre’s purpose is to please the gods and secular theatre’s goal is to make money by providing a community with entertainment.(FAIRLY GOOD OPENING PARAGRAPH BUT YOU HAVE SOME SENTENCES THAT COULD BE ELIMINATED, DON'T YOU THINK? SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY DON'T REALLY CONTRIBUTE TO WHAT YOU ARE HIGHLIGHTING BELOW)

Religious theatre holds its origins in antiquity and has always served as a human outlet to please the gods and the church for which the plays are performed. (ARE PLAYS PERFORMED TO PLEASE THE CHURCH OR TO REACH THOSE WHO GO TO CHURCH?) One of the most interesting forms of religious ritual drama is that of the Hopi Indian tribe. In this performance, the Hopi connect with the gods by dressing up as the gods and dancing. This ceremony involves many different people in the community. “[Kachina] performances involve all members of the community in varying responsibilities for the ongoing ritual drama.” (Arnold). The Hopi ask their gods for good weather and a plentiful harvest.(GOOD)

Secular theatre, however, is driven by money. In secular performances, man is the focus- not the gods or church. This change in theatre was brought about by the renaissance. During the renaissance, more emphasis was put on the importance of mankind rather than on supernatural gods, so this is the theme that most acting troupes showcased. Tickets were sold to an audience in order for an acting group to make a profit.

In conclusion, both realms of plays(???) have been essential to the development of modern theatre. None is better than the other, and both offer humans an escape from everyday life.(IN OTHER WORDS DO YOU SEE PERFORMANCE AS ESSENTIALLY ONLY ENTERTAINMENT?)

Word Count: 265

Sources:

Arnold, Stephanie. The Creative Spirit: An Introduction to Theatre. New York: McGraw Hill, 2011. Print.