spUnderConstruction

Under Construction Review

//Under Construction// is not a play one would expect to watch. It does not have a sort of plot line that one who is expecting a more conventional form of drama would witness. The set is nearly bare, the costumes black as night, hardly differentiable between the actors. The creator of the play synthesized seemingly unrelated storylines into one clear message. That is that America is not an idyllic land where people come for success, but one of harsh realities that people from many cultures face and share. This play was an experiment in its own right, and I believe that the director, C.A. Farris, managed to successfully bring the playwright's vision to life.

I first want to point out the set of the play. It was incredibly basic compared to other plays I have seen. This style, to me, forced the actors to delve deeper into their characters to give life to the drama where the set could not. The minimalist style seemed to actually work very well. It gave me the impression that America is not what it seems to the naked eye, that what we normally would see even in a family setting does not truly elaborate on workings of human life. The opening scene with the family's table did not have much to it, and their food was not even real, it was paper. This struck me as it showed that the American dream wasn't really what it was. Much of the American dream seems like it is there for show, that what we see is really a hollow shell, and this minimal setting showed that. The fact that the play started with the traditional American family setting was also important to the overall play. It allowed the audience to look at what we think of the typical American, and then the director thrusts the audience into the lives and experiences of the many characters involved.

The setting in the scene with the rape could best be described as uncomfortable. This is because the playwright and director wanted us to face subjects that are not normally brought up in every day conversation. The lighting was eerie and the actresses' struggling made the scene creepy and almost downright scary at its core. The black boxes did nothing to take away from the performance and actually allowed the audience to focus on the acting itself.

//Under Construction,// being an experimental play, was an exceptionally unique one considering the fact that the audience was faced with subjects too often deemed as taboo to us. Sex slavery, masturbation, racism, and sexuality were all explored within the context of the characters. And in reference to the characters, the acting was superb. Very few times have I been so truly immersed within the issues of a fictional character. The actors bring the characters to life, blasting the experiences of the characters so loudly that the audience cannot help but establish an emotional connection. One part in particular that exemplified this was the scene where the cast characters appear to give monologues about their individual life experiences. The emotion pouring out from the actors often made me forget they were actors in the first place, especially when the Asian American girl visibly broke down in front of the audience. Another thing I would like to point out is the wide versatility of the actors. Not only could they perform the script successfully, but there were musical talents who could perform their songs well live in front of the audience. The actors were also able to execute comedic parts well without taking away from the seriousness of other scenes, which served quite well to lighten the mood when things became increasingly tense.

Overall, // Under Construction // was well worth the time and money spent on watching it. The acting was superb. I highly commend the actors for their raw skill, the incorporation of many non-acting talents, and the emotion they put into making a convincing play. The fact that many of the scenes did not seem to be related, yet served toward a greater theme when put together in perspective was an incredibly display of intelligence on the part of the playwright. The director executed the playwright's script quite well in this aspect, and the settings and props called for on set did nothing but enhance the acting and the mood of the scenes. This was quite the performance, and despite its experimental and unconventional nature, it truly carried out one of the central goals of theatre, and that is to reveal the truths behind human life and experience through the characters involved.