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‘Drama’ Category

  1. Model set evaluation

    February 6, 2013 by 16matsutania

    For this project we were asked to make a set based on the play “Dead End” by Richard Parsons. Making a set for this play was actually quite a challenge, as the play  is a thriller and it needs to be able to successfully build tension, and everything in the set must have dramatic importance, so the messages and themes in the play can be conveyed very well. As it is described in the play the setting of it is in a cottage where Arabella and Brian are having a nice conversation, so we decided to mainly focus on the interiors of the house.

     

    Overall, I think that my partner, Nick, and I did a fairly poor job in making our box set. Firstly, the most glaring flaw of our set is that we were unsure of how we wanted to construct the stage and what type of stage to use. We just made a box into a house by cutting out the celling and the wall where the audience will be. As a result, we made it that the audience can only be seated right in front of the set. This is very inefficient as less audience members can go see the play. Instead we should have made the decision to make a thrust stage. By using a thrust stage we can not only allow more audience members to attend the play, but I feel that it best captures the intimacy and the intensity featured in this play. With the interior design of the set, we were trying to go for a simplistic and homely look, to replicate a 1940′s old wooden cottage. We made this decision because we felt that it would fit best with a thriller story, and there are more opportunities for building tension. Although I think that the concept was good, the execution could have been done much better. We didn’t make that many props and intricate design to give a minimalist look, and I feel that worked against our favor. We could have the interior of the set more detailed so the audience won’t get bored of it. Our second, and overall biggest mistake is that we didn’t color it in. This was partially due to time constraints and both of us missing class (I missed 2 classes, Nick missed 1). We tried to pass it off as a minimalist look but it ended up looking too boring and too bland. One thing that I think we did well in our set is the way our set would manipulate the lighting. Because we had an open celling and not many obstructions with a second floor of big furniture, it allows the lighting to be put to good use.

     

    My favourite box set, on the other hand, was the one that Karina and Kathryn made. It was my favorite because not only did it stay true to the script, but it also made some of its own liberties to show a different interpretation of the story. It had a lot of props and a lot of very cool and intricate design but it never loses its cozy and homely feel. In fact, I’d say that all of the new thing things that they’ve added to the set has enhanced the coziness aspect, such as the fireplace and the rocking chair.  They chose to use a thrust stage which, as said before, conveys the intimacy and the intensity of the play really well. The lighting can also be use well by going through the windows and the elevation. Not to mention the elevation was done very well making set feel bigger, and more involved.

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  2. MRI Staging Part 2

    December 14, 2012 by 16matsutania

    Plays that are on a thrust stage are typically known for its intimacy, strong connection and interaction with the audience and the strong projection of the actors’ voices. If there was a play that had all of these things, it would be The Sound of Music, the 1959 classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical. An element of drama I would select to enhance for this scene would be space and place, and also focus. In this scene, Maria, the maid, who is the main character of the play, sings a song in the living room of Captain von Trapp’s house, which happens right after she introduces herself to the children.

     

    The main benefit of Thrust staging, and the thing that sets it apart from other stages, is that it enables us to switch and create focus ver easily on its elongated stage space. Therefore in this situation the main character known as Maria could be starting off at the back, singing ad dancing, and slowly moving forward as she continues to dance. The rest of the stage could serve as a background for the “Von Tramp” children to join in Maria’s song and dance (The children would also come from the back but they come from the wings rather than dead center).

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  3. MRI Staging: Thrust

    December 13, 2012 by 16matsutania

    Part 1

    I feel that drama is a unique tool that allows people to express their ideas and emotions visually, as opposed to just through text. In my opinion, drama is much more emotionally captivating than books or painting per se, as you can see everything that is going on in the story not just from the sound and visuals but also from the movement of the characters on stage, making it a much more interactive experience. As said before, the movement of the characters on stage is very important to a play, but another thing to note is the importance of the stage in a play. In theater, there are many different types of stages to enhance the play/act and accentuate the ideas and messages that are portrayed in the play/act. These stages mainly vary by their shape and the placement of the audience, with all of the different perspectives that the audience can see the from, which can drastically change how the play is executed. The type of stage used in a play may very well determine how the settings, character, and even plot is executed. For example, when performing in an amphitheater, the actors would just be facing one direction (for the most part), as the audience are all directly in front of the actors, but in a more circular stage like the ‘in the round‘ stage, the act will have to be modified, in a way that will accommodate the stage, making sure that audience that is located all around the stage, all seeing the stage from a different angle, will be able to see all of the actors‘ expressions during pivotal scenes in the play. It is also very important to control what the audience can’t see, as some people may be able to see the back stage, and what the actors are doing to prepare for the scene, which may very well ruin the immersion of a scene/play.

     

    The thrust stage, also known as an open stage or an apron stage, has been around for many, many years, and is probably going to be around for quite some time as it is a very unique stage that is open to all kinds of experimentation. A thrust stage is usually where the audience is located around three out of four sides, with a backstage only being in the back, but there are still some alterations with this type of stage. Some thrust stages are actually quite reminiscent of proscenium arch stages, as they have an off stage section at the wings of the stage which extends into the back stage. These types of stages not only hold less audience, but it is also easier to work with as focus is almost always at the front where the entirety of the audience can see what is going on, as opposed to the stage where more of the audience is at the side making it harder for them to see. The main focus point of this stage is at the very front of the stage (down center) as it feels like the character are closer to the audience giving them and the audience a strong connection. Also, as the audience is basically centered around the stage, their eyes naturally fix onto the down center part of the stage. This type of stage is not only commonly used in theater but also in concerts as the lead singer of a band can be situated at the down center part of the stage putting the audience’s attention on him/her.

     

    The thrust stage actually has quite a long and rich history as it began centuries ago. It was originally used in Spain in the 16th century (around 1570), in public theaters known as corrals. This stage was also implemented in Japan, where the traditional Noh theater used it. Further into the 16th century, during the Elizabethan times, Shakespeare began to use this type of stage in London playhouses, including in the famous Globe Theatre. This type of construction was used to set plays outside, in larger, more open areas. Use of the thrust stage declined from the late 17th century when the advent of the proscenium stage was introduced, and became much more popular. Going into the 20th century, this open feel was basically abandoned, in favor of different styles of staging. Fortunately ever since a permanent thrust stage was created by the Festival theatre in 1957, the usage of thrust stages increased rapidly all over the world, and the thrust stage cemented itself as one of the most prominent types of stages.

     

    There can be various pros and cons to this type of stage. First of all, in a thrust stage it can be very hard for the director to arrange props and tell all of the actors where they should be, as there are high chances of the audience’s view being blocked, or the audience facing to the back of an actor, due to so many perspectives that an audience can view the scene from. Therefore, the staging must be done in an intelligent manner. Despite that, there are still some benefits of using this type of stage. Performers are surrounded by the audience, so they can be moving around in down stage and be visible by everybody. Also, because the thrust stage is used to give the effect of openness, it can immerse the audience in the play much easier

     

    http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/429720/open-stage

    http://hsc.csu.edu.au/entertain/industry/core/staging/3459/thrust.htm

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrust_stage

     

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  4. Drama Reflection

    June 13, 2012 by 16matsutania

    For this unit I grouped up with Go and Ray, and we were assigned to create a clowning routine to demonstrate what we learned about clowning, slapstick and creating our very own character. In this routine, Go and I played cowboys that had found santa, just walking around, carrying a big bag of toys. We think of a plan to steal his bad and run away so he won’t catch us. For my character, I needed to be a very bossy and determined person who always tells his partner what to do. To make the scene believable, I talked in a Texas (Southern American) accent. During our planning stages, we had no idea what to do, and the skit wasn’t going very well, but when we got the feedback from Renee, it really helped us and improved our routine. He told us very helpful and substantial advice such as telling us to improve the ending and add a twist ending. He also helped us develop our characters more, for example he told Ray that he needs to act more like Santa, from his deep voice to the way he walks. I think we did a good job on implementing the advice, and overall we ended up making a good routine, and even the children enjoyed it. I was very proud of my work and I think that if I were to do the routine again, I would have added more slap-sticky elements to make it seem more like a clowning routine.

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  5. Drama speech 2 reflection

    January 15, 2012 by 16matsutania

    For my summative speech I chose to talk about film. Watching movies are one of my favorite movies and the art of film is very important to me. I thought that the content of my speech was good but unfortunately I didn’t rehearse my speech which was a hinderance to the delivery of the speech.

     

    Overall I would have to say that the speech had a lot of flaws and went much worse than my formative speech. Instead of using cue cards, I just read the entire speech off my iPhone due to not rehearsing the speech beforehand. Not only did it not feel natural and smooth, but It was also way too long. I wasn’t even given the time to read half of my speech which is very disappointing because I had a lot to say and I couldn’t because I didn’t rehearse and didn’t know how long the speech would be. I think I talked about the history of film too much and I didn’t have a chance to talk about my opinion on certain films and why film is so important to me, which is what I wanted to talk about from the start. In addition, I was also going to talk about my favorite films of all time and what films influence me the most, instead of just talking about the technical aspect of film. I think that I did a good job on the projection of my voice and how I wasn’t too loud or too quiet, but I could have improved on the clarity of my voice. Because I didn’t rehearse my speech, I kept stuttering and the speech didn’t feel natural. I could have put emphasis on some of the words in the speech and I could have used hand movement and facial expression to articulate the speech better.

     

     

    8C Alex Talk 2 from YIS Academics on Vimeo.

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  6. Drama skit reflection

    December 5, 2011 by 16matsutania

    8C Elevator 2 from YIS Academics on Vimeo.

    As a group, I thought we did well in creating and preforming this skit. Even though we were a little behind on the early planning stage, our final performance was well done. Developing the scene wasn’t that difficult. Roshni, Adina and I basically knew what we should be doing in the final performance. However, I feel that some of the characteristics and the back story of the characters could have been more developed, and and the portrayal of the characters could have been shown in a more presentable manner. Some of the scenes at the end felt rushed and needed a little more developing.

    I thought that I did a pretty good job on on displaying emotional changes. I also have to give it out to my teammates because they did a great job as well! Roshni portrayed her character very well a self-centered, obnoxious, and arrogant celebrity. You can see these characteristics in her performance, not only from how she acted, but also her facial expression, posture, and voice. Adina also did a great job displaying a very plausible performance as the dull, boring bodyguard with a monotoned voice and an expressionless face.  I was impressed at how she stayed in character for the whole time and didn’t even laugh at all despite all of the crazy antics that were happening around her. One thing that I could have improved on is the character that I played. At first I wanted to portrayed a relaxed and laid back person, but instead I ended up playing a hyperactive character and I exaggerated my emotions too much. Even though that worked in favor of the skit, I didn’t intend to play my character like that.

     

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