Women and War was an interesting production in many ways, but it was also disconcerting in as many.
Format - the format of the production with video interviews of female war survivors projected on parts of the set was a new and engaging. The acting took place before and after these clips on a stage with interesting lighting. Some aspects of the set design were more captivating than others. The one scene of a woman shot through a video camera on the stage and projected to look like she was in a foxhole was particularly well done.
Actresses - I agree with Denise's sentiment about the lack of diversity among the cast members. We actually discussed this on the car ride home. The monologue of a Congolese rape survivor was the best piece in the entire production. This young actress should be looking forward to a fruitful career in the theater.
Humor - As someone with many friends and students who are Muslim, I was offended by the humor of the scene with the woman in a burka and the two stand-up comics. I am a huge fan of dark humor and understand the irony of their attempt. But I did not feel it was the authentic creation of women from that experience. I don't know any of my friends and students from this faith that would have felt comfortable with this scene. It lacked skill.
Finally, in the talk back session I was disappointed with the response I received about how the experiences of the women were portrayed from a primarily western perspective. The stories ended with arrival in the United States as if that was the consummate happy ending to the horrific tales of war. This is often the beginning of yet another round of difficulties for women arriving here despite their relative safety from the immediacy of war. This was 'not their main focus.' I get tired of westerners assuming the struggle for these survivors is over the minute they hit our shores. I felt that was a subcurrent in the pieces whether intentional or not, and I find it throughout media coverage, narratives, and reporting of the lives of those who survive war and find a new refuge in our country.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Monday, February 15, 2010
True to Poe...
Must be honest -- the Muppets are woven into the historical fabric of my family. I did not miss one weeknight show...its time to get things started on the Muppet show tonight!
So my first show at Atlanta's Center for Puppetry Arts was highly anticipated, however, not what I was expecting. First off, I was completely unaware of the puppet manipulated by visible actors on-stage technique. I was very resistant to the performance at first, however it became more interesting as the piece unfolded. Ultimately though, three performers operating a small, inanimate, figure was not fulfilling to me. These days it just seems like wasted energy and space. I was more intrigued with the performance of each actor. The Poe puppet was just not that compelling. I thought the performance was incredibly well-crafted, scripted, and set. The props were captivating. The music and sound effects were superb. I just think I would have been more satisfied watching the actors play the roles. They were really quite good and I didn't see any added benefit of the puppet.
In addition, I can see the irony of these gruesome love stories in February, but I found it sort of off-putting. I would have rather enjoyed this display of the grotesque on a brisk fall night to get me in the mood for a spooky October weekend.
So my first show at Atlanta's Center for Puppetry Arts was highly anticipated, however, not what I was expecting. First off, I was completely unaware of the puppet manipulated by visible actors on-stage technique. I was very resistant to the performance at first, however it became more interesting as the piece unfolded. Ultimately though, three performers operating a small, inanimate, figure was not fulfilling to me. These days it just seems like wasted energy and space. I was more intrigued with the performance of each actor. The Poe puppet was just not that compelling. I thought the performance was incredibly well-crafted, scripted, and set. The props were captivating. The music and sound effects were superb. I just think I would have been more satisfied watching the actors play the roles. They were really quite good and I didn't see any added benefit of the puppet.
In addition, I can see the irony of these gruesome love stories in February, but I found it sort of off-putting. I would have rather enjoyed this display of the grotesque on a brisk fall night to get me in the mood for a spooky October weekend.
Canterbury Tales
This performance at the Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern was really the one I surprisingly enjoyed the most so far. Orlando, my hometown, has a vibrant and lovely outdoor annual Shakespeare festival on the shores of a lake in the middle of the city. I love and hate Shakespeare because I find the material (the language) difficult but the performances enthralling (if they are good). Chaucer scares me even more. But these stories were delightful. I could follow the story easily. I got the jokes. And the performance allowed me to enjoy literature that I usually find very intimidating.
Our conversation after the performance with the actors was also fun. It is so interesting to perceive someone onstage and then see them emerge from their character into a regular person. The company had so many helpful and thoughtful suggestions for teaching Shakespeare and theater.
The rooster story was the best. The costumes and actors for this part were incredibly fun.
The chocolate cake was good too.
Our conversation after the performance with the actors was also fun. It is so interesting to perceive someone onstage and then see them emerge from their character into a regular person. The company had so many helpful and thoughtful suggestions for teaching Shakespeare and theater.
The rooster story was the best. The costumes and actors for this part were incredibly fun.
The chocolate cake was good too.
Workshop Day
I was very clear about how much I was looking forward to doing improv and drama exercises with my classmates. Let me be even more clear about how wrong I was about all of that! Our visitors from Dad's Garage and the Atlanta Shakespeare Tavern were excellent. I feel that day of work equipped me with more practical, classroom teaching techniques than most any workshop or conference I have ever attended. And I was dreading every second of it!
I did not hesitate to jump into planning my lessons with a focus on performance, theater, and sonnets! Yes, Dr. Hubert...sonnets!
Stay tuned for the real life experiences of a teacher implementing these techniques in her class!
I did not hesitate to jump into planning my lessons with a focus on performance, theater, and sonnets! Yes, Dr. Hubert...sonnets!
Stay tuned for the real life experiences of a teacher implementing these techniques in her class!
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Second City!
Wow! What a big difference from our last outing. Second City was brilliant in a small theater I have never visited underneath the Alliance.
Comedy and improv have to be excellent for me to be engaged. I couldn't believe all of the inside jokes this group came up with. Making fun of the AJC moving to Dunwoody is one classic example - many of the audience members weren't even aware! The Clark Howard impersonation was a hoot. Nothing was sacred to these folks - racism, sexism, class warfare - they gutted each of them.
I can see why I really like Stephen Colbert so much. These are talented folks!
The theater was very small and personal. Almost uncomfortably so as one of the actresses took the stage to impersonate a Clairmont Lounge 'creature' with a lit cigarette and beer can that she smooshed between her cleavage. She really didn't have much cleavage which made it even more uncomfortable!
The show was smart, hilarious, and exciting. I didn't want it to end. I recommended it to most of my friends.
Comedy and improv have to be excellent for me to be engaged. I couldn't believe all of the inside jokes this group came up with. Making fun of the AJC moving to Dunwoody is one classic example - many of the audience members weren't even aware! The Clark Howard impersonation was a hoot. Nothing was sacred to these folks - racism, sexism, class warfare - they gutted each of them.
I can see why I really like Stephen Colbert so much. These are talented folks!
The theater was very small and personal. Almost uncomfortably so as one of the actresses took the stage to impersonate a Clairmont Lounge 'creature' with a lit cigarette and beer can that she smooshed between her cleavage. She really didn't have much cleavage which made it even more uncomfortable!
The show was smart, hilarious, and exciting. I didn't want it to end. I recommended it to most of my friends.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Back to the theater
It has been quite a few years since I had the luxury or the excuse to see a play. I saw a clever adaptation of Jules Verne's "Around the World in 80 Days" last night at the Theatrical Outfit, a small theater in the heart of downtown Atlanta.
We began the evening with a tour of the theater lead by their Development and Communications Directors. The theater is newly renovated and LEEDS certified (the first theater in the U.S. to do this) and was not at all like the dusty, black boxes where I watched all of the plays of my youth. I even remember a backstage tour of Whoopi Goldberg's first Broadway production that was that chalky black spray-paint feel draped with heavy black fabric curtains and smelled of cigarettes and old make-up. This was 'back in the 80's.' This theater is modern and spare with well-thought out spaces and feels more like a fancy office. The dressing rooms and green rooms and prop spaces are very orderly, labeled with door plaques, and emanate a sense of order. I remember the backstage areas of theaters littered with old props, smeared with layers of make-up, and oozing with mystery.
The set and stage design for this play was equally well-planned and minimalistic. Communicating the idea of a journey around the world on foot, boat, train and elephant on a small stage seems impossible. This was actually one of the best features of this performance. My last theater experience was "The Lion King" at the Civic Center. Your senses are overwhelmed with sound, costumes and set props in this Disney production. "Around the World" used luggage racks and carefully placed lengths of fabric to create a world of movement and exotic locales on a very small stage.
The actors were convincing. I tend to want to be lost and swept away at the theater and this time I was not. The part of the French butler was played very well and I did enjoy his antics and clever dialogue.
It was a skillful adaptation of a huge novel to a very small stage with only five actors. I enjoyed it very much. Like the Wasserstein article pointed out, the audience was largely white, upper-middle class, and older. I saw two teen-aged looking kids in the audience.
The entire night I wished I could have brought one of my ENG 1101 students to the production. I am already thinking of ways to integrate theater and performances into my spring 1102-literature courses. This will be very exciting to discover more local theater resources and begin to integrate them into my own classroom.
We began the evening with a tour of the theater lead by their Development and Communications Directors. The theater is newly renovated and LEEDS certified (the first theater in the U.S. to do this) and was not at all like the dusty, black boxes where I watched all of the plays of my youth. I even remember a backstage tour of Whoopi Goldberg's first Broadway production that was that chalky black spray-paint feel draped with heavy black fabric curtains and smelled of cigarettes and old make-up. This was 'back in the 80's.' This theater is modern and spare with well-thought out spaces and feels more like a fancy office. The dressing rooms and green rooms and prop spaces are very orderly, labeled with door plaques, and emanate a sense of order. I remember the backstage areas of theaters littered with old props, smeared with layers of make-up, and oozing with mystery.
The set and stage design for this play was equally well-planned and minimalistic. Communicating the idea of a journey around the world on foot, boat, train and elephant on a small stage seems impossible. This was actually one of the best features of this performance. My last theater experience was "The Lion King" at the Civic Center. Your senses are overwhelmed with sound, costumes and set props in this Disney production. "Around the World" used luggage racks and carefully placed lengths of fabric to create a world of movement and exotic locales on a very small stage.
The actors were convincing. I tend to want to be lost and swept away at the theater and this time I was not. The part of the French butler was played very well and I did enjoy his antics and clever dialogue.
It was a skillful adaptation of a huge novel to a very small stage with only five actors. I enjoyed it very much. Like the Wasserstein article pointed out, the audience was largely white, upper-middle class, and older. I saw two teen-aged looking kids in the audience.
The entire night I wished I could have brought one of my ENG 1101 students to the production. I am already thinking of ways to integrate theater and performances into my spring 1102-literature courses. This will be very exciting to discover more local theater resources and begin to integrate them into my own classroom.
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