TA 10 #11 Creative Project 2

Aladdin- Disney

Our project is a modern version of Aladdin, and we are putting our own twist on the story line. I play the character of Princess Jasmine, but I am actually a rich girl instead of a princess. I go to a market, and try to buy an apple because I just want to be a normal girl. I eventually meet Aladdin, and I am awed by his beauty and his manliness. Being Jasmine, I have to remember that I am not some rich snob, I actually want to be normal, but I am forced to live a glamorous life. When acting, I cannot act like I am better than everyone else, I have to be sweet and kind to all. This really has pushed me as an actress because I am used to playing "the bitch". All throughout high school, I have played the character who has an attitude. I played Annie in "Annie", Hodel in "Fiddler on the Roof", and I played the spunky Snoopy in "You're a good man Charlie Brown". I was not used to playing such a nice character.

Canon camera

     In this project, I learned a lot about how film making works. I have been in many productions on stage, but never anything on film. This was very new to me. we had to make sure that the Mic was up at all times, and no one other than the actors could talk because you can be heard through the microphone. I have also learned how to write music for a play. Avi and I worked hard making songs for this musical. I have realized that you cannot procrastinate on a big project like this one.
    Tommy is the genie, and I think he does a good job. He Is willing to do pretty much anything we tell him to do; which is good. Jose Is the tiger, and also does the microphone in the film when not in scenes. Erick is the one who is filming the action, and I think he does a good job at capturing important moments. Tyler is awesome. He really gets into his monkey character, and he is set to give the best performance he can give. Avi is working really hard, and making sure that he gate the Aladding character right, and he also is doing the music with me. Manvinder is a good Jafar, he is also willing to do what we tell him to do. Will is the director, and tells us what to do. he has good ideas.
     From these great people in my group I have learned that I must not be the boss of everything. I am very controlling, and these people have taught me that I have to trust their artistic ideas.

TA 10 #10 Loose Knit

     Loose Knit was a very enjoyable play. The actresses were phenomenal, and really captured their characters. My favorite part would actually have to be a character. Margie was very electric, and passionate about everything. Every time I watched her speak, I felt her energy on stage. It seemed as if she was the only actress who really caught my attention. Lily was memorable; however, she was not the greatest actor. Margie was always so crazy and fun to watch, she was by far the best attribute to the play. I loved the part when she had dinner with Miles. She was trying to be polite the whole time, but completely snapped at him in the end. I was laughing a lot when she told Miles that she wanted him to "fuck himself"; however, she wanted to have sex with him in his beautiful car. That part of the play was very goofy and amusing.

Knitting Circle- place unknown, people unknown

     Rebeck's representation towards marriage made me think about marriage and sexual relations, and how important those things are to women. This play made me realize that women do not need a man to get by. In my opinion, I think the women realized that the men and wants in their life only created more problems. With Liz being with Bob, Lily and Liz's relationship was very rocky. Lily was always suspicious of Liz, and therefore they could not trust each other. Trust is the foundation of a healthy relationship. Bob was the problem in their relationship. Miles was a man who tore the women apart, and made the women realize that they could do better, and they do not have to settle for a wealthy jerk. I think rebeck was just showing the audience that marriage and relationships are not that important. Everyone should just be happy with what they have, and should not step on anyone along the way.

angry woman- (how they feel about Miles)

     The scene which was not my favorite was the scene where Gina got angry. I did not think that Gina did e very good job at being angry. I understand that her character is more of a reserved person; however, she did not act the part very well. When Gina was confessing herself, and telling the girls how she was fired from her job, I could see her smirking. I think she was trying no to laugh in her speech about men going to the top of the business ladder, while she is hitting a glass ceiling. I caught her a lot of times throughout the play trying not to smile. maybe she saw one of her friends in the audience, and they were making a face at her. I do not know what was happening to her, but I personally think she could have made better acting choices.
   

TA 10 blog #9 The Wild Duck

If I were the director in The Wild Duck, I would create the play how I see it in my head. The beginning scene was different in my head than what Chicago has decided to do with the play. If I were to re-create this scene, I would have the stage have very dim lighting, and the walls would be painted red. The actors would be eating on silver plates, and the glasses would have red wine in them. The people would not be on a bench, they would be sitting on newly-embroidered pillows, that are tied to their oak chairs. The food on the table would be turkey, danishes, and all sorts of treats. the dining room should look extravagant, but it must not show too much wealth. The family is not completely rich, they brought out their nicest thing because it is a welcome home party for Gregers.
     The characters would all be dressed in vests and nice blazers. the women at the table are wearing nice dresses. Everyone at the dinner party is very loud, and having a great time, and all break into silence once Hialmar Ekdal enters the room. The scene will continue, and the fireplace will make the lighting on stage really glow. Fireplace light really gives an erie shadow on the character's faces. The whole act should be very dark and mysterious.

Chicago's production of The Wild Duck

TA 10 #8 To Kill A Mocking Bird best and worst moments

     The moment in the play "To Kill a Mocking bird" that really caught my attention was the court scene. I have seen this play twice, and have read the book twice, and This scene is still my favorite. The SJSU production did this scene justice. The way Mayella Ewell acted was very well done. Although she only had one big scene, she did it very well. In the moments that she was not speaking, she still acted the part. She hunched over in her chair, and slightly leaned away from her father, Bob Ewell. She made me notice that she was uncomfortable with her father. Obviously he is the one that attacked her. The court scene was also my favorite because the stage looked very dark and cryptic. The stage was lit with bronze lighting, making the stage look as if it was happening back in time. watching it, I could tell that the Tech really thought about the lighting, making it look like they were in the depression. When thinking about the depression, it makes me think of dirt, ratty clothes, and depressing colors. The stage was lit perfectly, and really made me feel the character's pain and agony. The costume design of Bob and Mayella also was impressive. Although Bob Ewell's Makeup may have been over-done, it still got the point across that he is a poor drunk. Mayella's torn up dress and greasy, stringy hair really made it apparent that she was not taken care of.

Mayella and Bob Ewell- court scene

     The factor that was not very pleasing to me was Gem. I felt like he was too old for the part. I understand that he is supposed to be an older brother to scout, but in the book he is described as being a couple years older than Scout. Gem's accent was also all over the place. He sometimes appeared to have a slight Brittish accent. I know that he was not really southern, but he could have improved his accent and acting a little bit more. He was too old to be a slightly older mentor to scout and Dill. Otherwise, I have no other complaints about the production.

Scout, Gem, and Dill 

TA 10 blog #7 Creative project

     My group project is a power point on  William Shakespeare. I am contributing the facts of his background, and his reasoning for writing the plays. The reasoning for our power point is to give the students a better understanding of Shakespeare. Growing up, we all have heard many things about him. We have read and analyzed his plays many times. With our project, we are going to clarify who Shakespeare is, and we will introduce the reasons why he wrote the tragedies.
     While looking for information on Shakespeare, I discovered a variety of information about his past. He had three children, and he had a wife, Anne Hathaway.  I also found where he supposedly went to school, and everything known about his past. I was always told that he had very little education, but reading articles on the internet has made me see otherwise. I struggled in my search for his childhood. There is not much to say about Shakespeare, and when it is said, it is not always a certain fact. It was a struggle finding good, solid facts about his past.
     With my contribution to the project, it will give the students in the classroom a chance to comprehend who Shakespeare really is. He is not just some guy who wrote many plays that we all know and love, he is an artist with a story. All of us have heard the same things about Shakespeare; however, we are hoping to reach out to the students  and have them understand Shakespeare's plays and who he is.
     Doing this project, I have discovered a lot more about William Shakespeare. I have always heard facts about him, but doing a project on him really made me pay attention to his life and work. I have also concluded that next project I will be doing something a lot more "hands-on". I want to act! :)

Lindsay Sommers, Jose Torres, and Erick Salazar working in the Martin Luther King Library

LINKS:http://www.william-shakespeare.org.uk/children-william-shakespeare.htm
http://www.william-shakespeare.info/william-shakespeare-children-and-grandchildren.htm
http://www.bl.uk/treasures/shakespeare/life.html

TA 10 #6 Midsummer Night’s Dream

     Midsummer Night's dream's forest scene was different than what I had expected. Watching Nijinska Theilade Korngold Rheinhardt 1935's production of "Midsummer Night's Dream" clarified some details. When reading the play, I focused on what was happening; not really on the relationships the Couples had. I didn't realize how  much Hermia and Lysander liked each other. when I read that Lysander fell in love with Helena, I never really thought anything of it. After seeing the video, it made me see that they (Hermia and Lysander) actually loved each other, and Oberon completely ruined their relationship. Seeing this version of the play also made me realize how evil Oberon actually is. He totally ruins people's lives, and does not even care.
     This production also clarified what kind of person Puck is. I imagined Puck as this as a young man in his mid twenties. I didn't expect Puck to be so little and crazy. It really made it clear that Puck was Oberon's evil minion. Reading the play, you miss these small details that make it much more deep and real.

Puck and Hermia

Bottom and Titania

     After watching this movie, i have a clearer understanding of the characters. Now I know that the things Oberon did were very deceitful. Titania was so sweet and loving, and he just made her love an ass. These characters were innocent, and Oberon had evil plans. Showing the character's reactions made me understand them a lot more, and made me understand why the characters were so frustrated.

TA 10 English vs. French and Italian Theater

Many things come in to consideration when comparing English theater with French and Italian theater. English theater did not consist of opera. Opera was a very big deal in Italy and France. Italian opera was made to show the emotion of the play without much music in the background. France also had operas; however, the operas always consisted of Ballets. Even in the 2004 movie, The Phantom of the Opera, the scene with the "Poor Fool" song had a ballet in the middle. It shows that France fancied ballets in operas.
      In the 16-17th centuries, France was still producing mystery and miracle plays. England was producing comedies and very new boisterous forms of theater. Italy was also producing a form of comedy. they would go out in the town and set up stages to entertain the people passing by. The more people, the better.  English theater was often criticized because of the profanity and the mention of politics. This would never be mentioned in France and Italy.

France opera house

Italian Opera- Carmen

     In France, people who typically saw the operas/ plays were nobles or people of power. In Elizabethan theater, the audience consisted of people from every class. English theater had about 3,000 people attending the plays, and the audience typically got diseases because the theater was always stuffed.

Globe Theater

     Italian theater was a mixture between singing, dancing, acting, and participation of the audience. opera was a great way to combine all of those elements to create a powerful performance. The stage was often filled with extravagant decorations, while the English stage had the bare minimum. The English theater was also often round, so the whole audience could experience everything that was going on. In a way, the English theater was more focused on the actors, while the Italian plays were focused more on the whole performance.

TA 10 Medea Response

Anna Antonacci as Medea

     At first, when being introduced to the character Medea, she seemed as if she would risk anything for her lover, Jason. She seemed like a very devoted person, who only cared about others. Once Jason left Medea for Creon’s daughter, all hell broke loose. I realized that Medea was a very violent person. She killed people, including her own children.

    Medea used magic to help Jason secure the fleece, and fled with him. This showed me that Medea was the kind of person who cared. She risked everything to give Jason what he wanted. They had two children together, and he still left her. In my opinion, She over-reacted. Back in those times it was okay for men to treat women the way they did. Medea was once this loving woman, who turned into a woman full of rage and envy. 

     Another moment that Made me realize that Medea was an evil character, was when she debated whether or not she wanted to kill her own children. Any mother would never think to kill her children, but this was something Medea really thought about. She ended up killing them, in spite of Jason. 

     The ending was very interesting to read. Euripides really made an impact when he made the decision to let her go free. Medea got away with murdering four people, and people usually did not get away with murder in those times. I think Euripides had a sense of empathy for Medea because she was treated unfairly, being a woman. She was under the power of bad men, and did not want the same thing to happen with her children. 

Medea ending- Carle Van Loo (1759)

TA 10 #3 Medieval and Japanese Theater

Medieval theater greatly differs from Japanese theater. two types of Medieval theater are mystery plays and Miracle plays. 

Mystery play (source- Google)

     Mystery plays focused on stories from the Bible. The plays were accompanied by antiphonal songs, and were performed at festivals. The plays consisted of special effects, music, and moments of comedy.  High Priests played Bishops, and Shepards played Yorkshiremen. 

Miracle plays were about the lives and works of saints. They mainly performed on Saint's Day. Not all of the plays were biblical; however, members of the clergy were the actors. The crowds got to be so big, that they had to hold the performances outside in the church yard, or in the street. In 1210, the clergy was not allowed to perform anymore, so the town guilds took over. The Vernacular language took over Latin, and scenes were put in that were not in the Bible. 

Yoshimasa Kanze in "Hagoromo"
© Kanze Yoshimasa/
KAMIASOBI/Aoki Shinji

     Noh theater was a musical drama for of theater that originated from the 14th century in Japan. All of the actors wore masks, and were male. the masks that they wore made it very hard for the actors to see the stage. All of the stages had a roof over them, as if they were outside. They played many instruments, just like the mystery plays. the play was shown in intervals. about every half an hour, they would perform a Kyogen performance. Kyogen performances were either for comic relief, or to explain what had jut happened in the play.  the plays would either deal with the supernatural or every day events. Commoners were not allowed to learn the music and dance. 

Kabuki Theater, Japan

     Kabui theater dealt with the art of singing and dancing. The actors had wild costumes and makeup. This art form was created by a woman; however, it was performed by men later in time. The actors originally were prostitute women, and men loved to watch the plays. eventually, men were brought into the plays as actors. they were typically young males with high voices. the performances would go on from morning until sunset. Kabuki differs from any type of theater because it had female actors, unlike mystery, miracle, and Noh theater. It also was more popular among the lower class.

     Japanese theater has remained to stay popular because people have learned to change it and develop it over time. Medieval theater was mainly about biblical stories, or morality. Japan has modernized and adopted more forms of theater.

TA 10 Blog Prompt 2

Greek and Roman theater was quite different. Roman theater was developed to entertain the audience with violence, while Greek theater was based on religion and artistry. In Roman theater, the actors would wear different colors and costumes to symbolize their character's status, and the actors usually would end up dead. For the Greeks, the characters would face struggles with their morals, and would have the chorus accentuating the morals found within the play. Basically, the Romans were about violence and entertainment, while the Greeks were about the religious and moralistic qualities.

Greek and Roman architecture was not that different; after all, the Romans got most of their influence from the Greeks. However, the Romans built their theaters on their own foundations, instead of hillsides and being completely enclosed. Greek theaters were circular, with two doors on the side so people can get off and on the stage. The Greeks would never kill anyone on stage, that was considered inappropriate. Roman theaters were semi- circular, and had a podium with and orchestra section. Romans also created backgrounds for the different scenes for the actors. the Romans had a lot of slaves while Greeks had richer people.

Roman theater

Greek theater

TA 10 Blog #1

         Theater is a way of portraying a character that is given, and the audience is aware that the actor is simply playing a role. Mimicry is typically found in nature. Animals can use mimicry to fool a predator. Unfortunately, mimicry can also be found in the real world. mimicry can be very dangerous; hence, making laws and moral codes. When watching theater, the audience knows that the actor is not who he portrays to be. Mimicry is dangerous; theater is accepting an identity.

unknown fish

         I believe that humans have encouraged the development of theater because they want to escape reality.  Personally when I watch theater, I somewhat feel what the actors feel. If there is a bad/evil character in a play, I feel as if i need to be mad at the person. When watching  a love story develop on stage, I feel as if I am falling in love with the couple. Theater is very relatable, and it can make one feel many emotions. People like to sit and watch without having to think about the outside world. Theater is also a way of expressing what others can't say. Plays can be about pretty much anything; they are very diverse. People can make comedies, tragedies, plays that make fun of people in power (i.e. government); the list goes on. Basically, people wanted to develop theater because they wanted to relax and enjoy someone else's story.