Catastrophe

In Samuel Beckett’s CATASTROPHE, the characters of the play are identified by letter, D for Director, A for his female assistant, P for protagonist and L for the Luck in charge of lighting. The whole play is based on a director’s vision of the Protagonist appearance and the persona that must be portrayed by the protagonist. Along side the director comes his assistant that is very irritated by his lack of vision, or it seems to come off that he lacks a vision because A is always suggesting things and making improvements.
We were asked to stage the play ourselves and to portray what we thought it would look like. Reading it alone was interesting in itself because the dialogue is so simple and direct that it didn’t seem to be that challenging. Well, that wasn’t the case because after running through it the first time did we notice that even though the lines are simple, the pausing and actions themselves are a little more profound and complex. I was played the part of the Protagonist and even though I had no lines, I found it difficult to “act” and balance the director in the play wanted me to do and what the script wanted me to do. I found it difficult not to laugh for some reason because it seemed to odd to stand on a box and have everyone around me say something and I must remain quite and still through all this dialogue. I think the most difficult task for me is to remain still and keep a stern and serious face throughout this play. Going through this process has given me a lot more appreciation for the work of actors.

Catastrophe

The content of Catastrophe was short and concise. My first glance of the play, with the knowledge that I would eventually act it out in a group setting, was that the lines were simple and I could master it in no time. However, it is not the dialogue in the play that makes it unique but the constant stage direction and attention to detail. There is a repetitive nature that is easy to comprehend the direction the play intends to go in the first ten minutes. The play displays powerful non-verbal communication that also provides a descriptive approach to how the characters are to be portrayed. There was a strict attention to detail on the color of clothing, character color, and manner in which the characters were to act throughout.

Catastrophe

Catastrophe seems to be quite an apt name when I consider that we are going to be doing staged readings of this… It consists of 4 characters: a director, an assistant, a protagonist and a lighting stagehand. The setting is that of a rehearsal. The cast and crew are putting final touches on the performance. There are two characteristics that are most notable to me and they kind of go hand in hand. There is very little dialogue, in that, the character’s individual lines are usually never longer than 5 or less words at a time. However, the stage direction is quite extensive. Often there is a direction for every new line and even multiple directions within some lines. This leads to the sense that there are more stage directions than lines and that, consequently, more is being said through physical language than through verbal language. Also, I don’t understand the end where it is first implied that there is no audience and that it is only a rehearsal, but then the stage direction calls for applause. Now, one could argue that “P” is imagining the applause but the stage direction doesn’t explain that. Really I don’t understand this piece much at all. I feel that it was written as an exercise for a class, which is the exact context that we are seeing it in.

Rosmersholm Performance

I attended the performance of Rosmersholm on Friday, April 20, in the Ida Green Theater. This play was the best play that I saw on campus all year, and I’m not just saying that because my professor directed. The actress who portrayed Rebecca West was enchanting. From the very first words she spoke, I was drawn into Rosmersholm. Coming into the play, I was expecting a two hour bore-fest. The lines I had read in class didn’t really interest me until I saw them come to life. Almost everything about the play was amazing, I only didn’t agree with two things. I had imagined John Rosmer as taller, more captivating character. I couldn’t have done any better and he did an excellent job, but it was a let down in my mind. Also, I had imagined the ending happening more abruptly. The performance had the lights dim into a spotlight the maid, which I thought dulled the action. I had envisioned the lights cutting completely off, ending the play with the audience’s hearts pounding.

Rosmersholm

The performance of Rosmersholm last Saturday night was very impressive. We arrived just in time to see the set of the in full light before the theatre went completely black. The set of the stage was just as involved as I imagined when reading the play. It seemed like dozens of pictures covered the walls and tons of flowers spread throughout the set. From the lighting, I also immediately noticed the window that was so often discussed. As the play proceeded, I took more and more note to both the lighting and the music. They were both arranged much more dramatic than I ever expected, but it wasn’t too dramatic. As dramatic as they were, they went hand in hand with the set and perfectly outlined whatever action was going on. The placement of the study, outside of Rosmer’s room, I never expected to be above the living room. But, the way that the lighting was executed to solely light just that one room whenever in use made its placement an excellent choice. I was also very impressed with the acting. Once again, I never expected that kind of talent from people my age. All in all it was a very impressive performance to watch. Although a little lengthy, it still received two thumbs up.

The Production of Rosmersholm

I went to the saturday night production in Ida Green, and got there just in time for the lights to dim. The first thing I noticed was the set of the stage. While I was reading the play, almost the entire time, I was thinking of how it would be staged. I knew that there would be a window that would be utilized and that it would just be mere reactions and second hand accounts from the actor and that we wouldn't actually see a crossing. I liked how the study was above the living room and could just be lighted up whenever a scene was to be played out there. I also really like the furniture and all the pictures on the wall. Being able to see the front door was something I didn't think about at all when trying to picture how it would be staged. While watching the play, I was trying to think of alternative ways of staging it and couldn't really think of any, so I was pretty impressed by that. This was probably the most enjoyable play that I've watched for this class. I was afraid that 2 1/2 hours was going to be rather grueling, going on the previous plays that I had attended. But it actually turned out to be not that bad at all. I think the reason that it wasn't that bad and that I actually enjoyed it was probably because I had read the play before hand and found myself catching a lot of familiar lines that I remembered. As far as what I saw and experienced, having music played in the background for parts of the play was interesting and I wondered about any significance behind it. Also, the changes in lighting both, between scenes, but also during a particular scene. The lighting would go from being spread throughout the living room to on just a certain part of the room/stage. I also noticed the light coming in through the window alot as well. Overall, a good play with a scream at the end that actually gave me chills for some reason.

Rosmersholm

I attended the Friday night production of Rosmersholm. It was a different feeling going to see a play that I read just days earlier. I felt that the music that was played was suppose to represent the haunting aspect of the playwright because it had that spooky eerie sound about it. In the playwright I read, it never had an appearance of the ghost in the stage directions, so I felt that adding the music was a good way to interpret the haunting aspect. Another thing I thought was used as a visual indicator of a haunting was the blanket the character Rebecca kept using. During the end of the when it seemed like she was being inhabited by a ghost she began wearing the white ghost type shawl which could explain why in the end of the play the nurse thought she seen the white horse when it was really just the couple wrapped in the blanket. During the play I would find myself looking at the set in particular the photos on the wall. Some of the photos looked similar to the characters in the play which was interesting. I enjoyed this interpretation of the play and felt that the visuals and music where used well.

Rosmersholm Production

I saw the production on opening night. In my experience, going to the opening night performance can be much different from going to later performances. Usually the opening night has more pacing issues, and dropped lines than does other shows. However, I feel like there were very few dropped lines and the pacing was very good. It is a long production, and if the show has slow pacing than the audience will get bored very fast. The lighting was also very interesting. I was wondering what anyone else felt the spotlight on the chair by the window was supposed to represent. I loved the various ways and methods that the actors chose to portray their characters. However, I did feel like this was a somewhat lighter production of this particular play. I loved the various ways and methods that the actors chose to portray their characters. However, I did feel like this was a somewhat lighter production of this particular play. When I read the script I felt like it was a very scary story, but the production did not have quite the same effect. This is not to say that this production was missing something, I just felt like it approached the story in a different way than I personally interpreted it.

Rosmersholm Production

On Thursday, April 19, 2007 in Ida Green Theatre Austin College presented Rosmersholm by Henrik Ibsen. The play was by far the most superior play that I have seen on campus. The acting, the stage, lighting, music and set design was absolutely marvelous and I kept thinking to myself that it was so organized and professionally done. The plays in the past were not as realistic because the lighting and set design were not as focused on detail. What really surprised me the most about the play was that it was nothing as how I read had imagined it when I read it. I had no idea that there was comedy in the play and that it really did bring some relief in such a serious theme. Jon Glenn did a wonderful job not only in his portrayal of his character role, but also mannerisms and facial expressions. Also, when reading the play I did not realize the manipulative and composed nature of Rebecca West. Christine Cunningham did an amazing job portraying this character role. She was by far one of the most superior actress on campus, she was so poised and controlled in her actions. She acting with such elegance and grace that at times you realized that you were entranced in her performance. All the actors did such a wonderful job that I wished that I had the time to see an encore presentation.

AC Rosmersholm production

I was not initially excited about watching Austin College’s production of Rosmersholm on April 19th at 7:30pm in Ida Green Theater. I had learned that the play would last about 2½ hours with a 15 minute intermission; it sounded like it would be a long evening, and if it was anything like previous spring semester productions at AC, it would likely be rather dull. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the extremely entertaining and successful production of Rosmersholm. I enjoyed it tremendously. Guest artist Webster Crocker did a fantastic job designing a realistic and functional set that was visually pleasing and gave characters ample space to interact and move around, and the lighting, done by junior Vanessa Linn, was also expertly done. In addition, I thought that actor John Glenn excelled at bringing humor to the production; he seemed to completely embody his character, Ulrik Brendel. His appearance onstage in the first act invigorated the production, and I was happy to see his return (through the window instead of the front door) in Act 2. Also, actor Christine Cunningham did a spectacular job as Rebecca West; her ability to convey emotions, gesture naturally, and interact with other characters kept the audience engaged. I heard other audience members commenting positively on her performance. I left the theatre surprised that it was past ten o’clock because the play seemed to fly by so quickly and smoothly.

Rosmersholm

Though this play was an easy read due to the characters being fairly realistic and believable, I found myself drifting a lot while reading it. I was excited about reading it because I'm a pretty big fan of stories about hauntings and ghosts, but the ghost is only talked about in witness testimonies by the characters. We are not given any data or hard facts/ proof of the past. There isn't any props, just talk about a white horse. Then, at the end of play, the reader has to decide whether to take it literally or figuratively. It is yet another case of eye-witness testimony and does not show the action actually taking place. The play does get interesting as each act comes to close. It seems as if the acts are increase in action and then drop off as the next act begins.

Rosmersholm

This play was supposed to be about a haunting, but to me it wasn't. When I hear that something is suppose to be about a haunting I think that a ghost will make an appearance. However in Rosmersholm, there is never an appearance of a ghost there is just hear say about people seeing a white horse, which is suppose to mean that someone is about to dye but again as I said earlier this is just hear say and there are no stage directions or anything hard core that lets the audience know that there really is a ghost. At the end the play the nurse alludes to the white horses again when it talks about Rebecca and Rosmer jumping off the bridge, while the she looks on. Before the nurse realizes it is Rebecca and Rosmer on the bridge, she mentions the white horse again leading me to believe that she has never seen the white horse before and just believes there is a white ghostly horse based on just hear say. I guess the author leaves it up to the viewer to believe whether or not there is a ghost and this is how ghost stories get started. Something unexplainable happens and we feel the need to come up with some kind of explanation, so we make it up in our mind that if we did not see something tangible that it was probably a ghost.

Rosmersholm

In Henrik Ibsen's Rosmerholm the plot seemed to be go in circles. This is due mostly to the fact that the play is based on hearsay. No one really understands or knows why Beata killed herself. The letter that I thought would answer some questions did nothing; it only brought on more questions. From the moment I started reading the play I was looking for the hero or the main character and I assumed at first it would be Kroll. I thought it was he because of his political ambitions and his profound intellect, he seemed like the character that could bring on problems and answer questions, however, that was not the case. Then I concluded it was Rebecca and Rosmer and their ambiguous relationship that seemed to cause lots of the craze. All the ambiguity was caused by the lack of hard facts or proof and all we get is testimony from all the characters. I guess the purpose of the vagueness was to leave to the audience’s imagination and for each individual to interpret the story the way they see fit. I guess it was a technique to incorporate a variety of audience members into the essence of the play. Whatever, the reason the play I thought generally was good even though there were some aspect that were not per se “real” like the “white horses” that seem to represent the ghosts of the past. Seemed to be very superstitious and more fairy tale like than anything.

Rosmersholm Questions

After reading Rosmersholm, I thought I had a pretty good idea of everything that had happened. However, after our class discussion, I had numerous unanswerable questions: When Rebecca states that she may have caught a glimpse of white horses, is she talking about actual horses or ghosts? Also, is Beata really haunting them, and is she responsible for their suicides at the end of the play? In addition, how much influence did Rebecca truly have over Beata's suicide? Why is the letter never shown? Why does Rosmer never go on the bridge after his wife's death-- until his own suicide? Ultimately, the questions are endless because there is little factual evidence in the play. Even if the play was meant to be mysterious and thought-provoking, I find it incredibly annoying that I was left with such uncertainty. Is there a way to really know what happened? Did Ibsen ever hint at the truth of the situation? Did I miss something?

Rosmersholm

Before I even began reading Rosmersholm, I knew enough about Ibsen and the actual text itself to know that something about the plot was going to be weird. After finishing Rosmersholm, I felt like the plot was creepy, but not necessarily creepy enough for what I had heard about Ibsen’s work. Then I read the introduction at the end of the text. I guess I did not pick up on the fact that Miss West had potentially been the mistress of her biological father or that the text had anything at all to do with the Oedipus Complex. Although the introduction tried to make sense of this to explain the motives for Miss West’s actions, I felt as though much of it might be speculation. I also would have liked more of an argument or explanation for the extent of the involvement that Miss West had in Rosmer’s wife’s death. Perhaps it means more if the audience member/reader has to figure the mysteries out for themselves, but another person’s opinion on the matter might be helpful.

Rosmerholm

One of the most notably "realistic" characteristics of Rosmerholm was that of class-consciousness. John was a type of aristocrat or nobleman that had come from a very distinguished family of clergymen and military officers. We come to find out that Rebecca was adopted (I think…) and yet has adopted within herself also this sense of nobility. Also, there is the concept of extremes in the play. The two schools of thought are mutually exclusive to the town. The characters are either sided with Kroll’s school of thought, or Mortensgaard’s. There is no middle ground as witnessed by the interaction of Kroll with John after John reveals his shift in thought. He is staunchly opposed and denied by his former circle of friends. The idea of the “ghost” or reoccurring spirit also contains within it some type of realism. The spirit, or ideal, of Mrs. Rosmer aids the play without making her a concrete character. In the end though, I really only have one question about this play: What the hell is going on?

Rosmersholm

Realism is a prominent element in Rosmersholm. The issues faced in the play parallel those that people experience in everyday life. The issue about Christianity is something that people think to themselves when times are bad. Also when Rosmer and Rebecca commit suicide, it shows an eerie resemblance to terrorist’s suicide bombings, since they are killing themselves to prove their loyalty. Also, another element of realism is the complexity of the characters. People that we assume are sweet and nice, turn out to be dark and deceiving. Rebecca came into Rosmer’s life with her innocent ways and eventually admitted to “pushing” Rosmer’s deceased wife over the edge mentally, causing her to commit suicide. All of these elements make me believe that realism is a major part of Rosmersholm. I enjoyed reading the play as a whole because of the realism involved. Everyday issues coupled with explosive characters can make for an easy-reading play.

Rosmersholm

Henrik Ibsen’s Rosmersholm seems to be an example of realism because the characters themselves, actions of the characters, and language used are indicative of everyday life. The characters were complex; there was not a ‘good’ guy and a ‘bad’ guy. In fact, the characters seemed to become increasingly complex as the play progressed, often displaying both vices and virtues. For example, the seemingly subservient, sweet Rebecca West ended up being a manipulative, dark individual that was capable of swaying Beata towards suicide. In addition, the ideals of Rosmer seemed admirable as he vowed to spread the ideas of the liberators and democracy; however, he ends up giving up his cause and ultimately dies through suicide with Rebecca at the close of the play. I also found it interesting that the ideals of the liberals were built up so idealistically in the beginning of the play. However, even the liberal Morning Star, supposedly created to promote the free spread of ideas, tells Rosmer that they cannot publish his non-Christian viewpoint--- Mortensgaard claims that the only thing that should be printed is what “our good public needs to know” (Act 2 Scene 5). Thus, the play becomes an intricate exploration of the daily lives of intricately linked characters.

Talley's Folly

Lanford Wilson’s production, “Talley’s Folly,” is based in Lebanon, Missouri in the 1940’s. It portrays the budding romance of Sally Talley, played by Averie Bell, and Matt, played by Michael Brahce. In a world about appearance and class, Sally cannot publicly announce her feelings for Matt, who is an immigrant and Jew. Sally pushes her feelings away and tries to shun Matt; however Matt’s convincing words eventually bring the two together…even if Sally’s family doesn’t agree. There is one dramatic part about the play when Sally unveils that she is unable to bear children, but Matt’s undaunted and decides that love will prevail. More specifically, Matt, along with his “accent,” seems to always be asking why throughout the play…Why won’t you be with me? Why won’t this work? Etc. Sally, however, is worried about what people will think. She is afraid to let her true feelings show. Acting-wise, Michael (Matt) and Averie (Sally) use what I think are outside-in approaches. Michael wears a fake beard and uses an accent to set his character, while Averie uses a slight southern draw. Averie could also be using the inside-out approach because of the emotion she uses in the play.

Concept of Truth in Trouble in Mind

Subject: Trouble in Mind

The concept of truth is played around with a lot in Trouble in Mind. It mainly involves the two main characters Wiletta and Manners. “Truth is simply whatever you can bring yourself to believe, that is all.” On one side of the truth spectrum there is the black actress Wiletta. Wiletta knows what it is like to be pushed aside. Racism is still a strong component of everyday life. On the other side is Manners. At the beginning of the play he lets everyone know that he wants everything to work out well, showing not a trace of racism. However toward the end of the play we see that Manners has been holding his true feelings back a little. In the end one truth remains the same in the play. Truth isn’t always the best ting to hear, but it’s the truth and it feels better. Wiletta may not ever become the famous actress, but at least she is being true to herself by trying.

Melodrama

Subject: Melodrama in Films

Recently in class we saw a clip of Titanic where Rose is getting on a life boat while Jack and her fiancé are watching her leave. Subtle music sets the scene and then the music intensifies as Rose decides that she can’t leave without Jack. The two run to each other and her former fiancé doesn’t like this (which is understanding). He is able to pull a gun and chase Jack and Rose to the bowels of the mighty ship. There, he runs into water and decides to stop chasing…saying, “I hope you enjoy your life together.”
This is an example of melodrama accompanied by comic relief. However, these events probably wouldn’t have happened on the real Titanic. So there is a lack of realism, but it does make for a very good story. The odds that Rose can leap from the boat back to Titanic are slim and somebody shooting a gun on board a sinking ship without anyone trying to stop them seems unreal. But while somebody is watching this it draws them into the film…realistic or not.

Trilogy of Medieval Women

There were several factors of this production that limited my ability to analyze it as a whole because I could only look "at" the production rather than "through" it. I found that the main reason for this lied within the language barrier between the actor's dialogue and my inability to understand the language and dialect they were using. The dialogue used was an essential element of the production that allowed, or in my case disallowed, the audience to fundamentally relate to the characters and understand the full meaning behind this play. As a result, I was forced to analyze alternative elements of the production, primarily the technical aspects, which gave me an insufficient look into the mise-en-scene of the production and didn’t alleviate my sense of confusion as a viewer. For example, several key lighting cues were used to establish a particular mood or distinguish a break in time or setting which were intended to identify important events and pacing of the play that give it continuity. As a result of what was lost in translation, these lighting techniques seemed ineffective and did not give me a sense of continuity or pace that I could relate to as a member of the audience. Furthermore, they used lighting effects to create the illusion of moonlight and its reflection on a body of water. From the use of these technical elements I could identify the general time and location of this particular scene, however, they were clearly an inadequate replacement for what was lost in translation from the dialogue. In retrospect, I should have sat in the English section where the dialogue was translated for me because I would have been able to grasp a much better understanding of the production as a whole.

Trilogy of Medieval Women

I went to see Trilogy of Medieval Women already expecting to be frustrated at not understanding what it was about. I probably would have sat by the English translation side, had I known there was one. I probably also would have read my program before the play began, had I realized that there was an explanation of the action inside it. The point of saying all this is that I spent more time looking at Trilogy of Medieval Women as a production itself and less like an entertainment piece. I found myself “looking at” the play rather than becoming engrossed in the story.
With any production containing a small cast and each actor playing multiple parts, the audience gets the benefit of getting a better understanding of each actor’s acting style. The most memorable part of the production for me was watching the transition from one part of the trilogy to the next. Obviously, an actor playing multiple parts has the ability to use costume changes to help them get into each character. However, the actresses in this play also used another variety of techniques. I noticed that when Antonia Bueno was transitioning from the first story to the second, she even changed her costume the way you would have expected her character to change. It was these clear cut differences in body language between the various characters that I remember most from Trilogy of Medieval Women.

Trilogy of Mideval Women

Trilogy of Mideval Women

My review of Trilogy of Medieval Women by Antonia Bueno is based upon the quote, “Knowing is remembering,” which is mentioned throughout the trilogy. Honestly, I thought the play was confusing and straight up pointless. I really think that I would think differently if the play had been preformed in English. Even though I sat in the “English” section, it just didn’t strike a nerve with me. With that aside, I thought it was interesting that during the play, Antonia would tell the audience why she decided to include certain parts of the play… she was suspending the reality of the play to speak directly to us [the audience]. A few moments of the play stuck in my head; Sancha actually lying on a table to give birth in plain view and the sound of women’s voices echoing, louder and louder. Although this performance was disappointing to me, it had some interesting points.

Trilogy of Medieval Women

I arrived to Ida Green on a rainy Friday at 7:00 p.m. We had to wait outside before being let in. When I walked in I was told to sit in the reserved section if I didn't speak spanish. I was unfortunately the one who had 6 wires with two or three splicers lying across my lap so that everyone in my row could hear the english translation of the play. The translator was saying stupid stuff like "learn a language" and "_____'s class is easy, take it", while we waited for the play to begin.
As far as the play went, the actors were very passionate and the younger girl came from the back of the theatre and down the center aisle, trying to scare those audience members in the aisle seats. I wasn't really sure what was going on throughout the play because the actors on stage were being so passionate and loud and I was trying to take that in while listening to some guy whisper a translation through my headphones. It was a distracting task which I felt took away from the experience of the play. I eventually took off my headphones periodically in order to listen to the play itself. I eventually really didn't have any idea what was going on but felt like I would rather not know what was going on than try to listen to a whispering translation of a rather dramatic performance.
Basically, this play was a journey through the three cultures in Spanish Middle Ages: the Christian Hispania, The Moorish Al-Andalus, and the Jewish Sefarad. It was written by Antonia Bueno. In the first culture, it tells a story about a woman who managed to become the ruler of the Spanish Empire in the 11th century. The second culture is about a medieval moorish girl and how she connects with an African girl trying to escape from a life without hope. It shows an attitude towards problems such as immigration and racism. The last culture is a backward travel through the Jewish culture, guided by her protagonist. The audience witnesses the terrible stories of six Jewish women who had to fight to survive in a world, inhuman and cruel to those who were different.

Trilogy of Medieval Women

On Friday March 30^th I watched the Trilogy of Medieval Women on the main stage in Ida Green. Since the play was completely in Spanish I was not able to analyze the content or make predictions on the director’s intentions for the way in which the audience was supposed to interpret the performance. Not dwelling on the content allowed me to look “at” the play instead of “through”. Through my little understanding of Spanish I was able to deduce that the three skits outlined women and their stuggels from different religious points of view. It was obvious through Antonia Bueno’s performance of a Queen of Spain that the character was feeling anger and hardship because of her role as a queen in a male dominated society. Her voice inflections and demeanor on stage alluded to her discontent with her current situation.

In the second scene I believe it was a gypsy who was showing compassion to a young girl who was attempting to find meaning in her life. Through the pieces of Spanish I comprehended and the gentle touches of the hand by Bueno towards Mrs. Claudia Cortinas the mood set was one of empathy. I believe the third scene also had to do with the struggles of women but by that point I was too burnt out on Spanish to catch even the common phrases.

Bueno had a strong stage presence and accented the melodrama in her scenes. Her swinging arms, extensive range of voice inflections, and her emotional roller costars helped maintain the audience’s attention. I had only one problem with her as a lead actress in a play in Spanish for an audience where three-fourths was not fluent. Her lisp made some words unrecognizable to the untrained ear and I believe this also adds to the numerous list of distractions.

Trilogy of Medieval Women

Trilogy of Medieval Women is a play performed and written in Spanish and tells the story of one actress playing the role of a Catholic, Muslim and Jewish woman. I really had no idea what was going on throughout the show than the performance on stage. I was forced to watch the production and not see through it because I had no clue as to what to expect next.
With each new character role the actress introduced the holy text of that religious character. Right after her representative death scene, Antonia Bueno opens with a passionate and emotional monologue in which she portrays a pregnant Catholic woman. During her monolgue there was as loud noise and yelling from behind the audience. I assumed it was a rude and obnoxious audience member only soon to realize that it actually was the supporting actor. I had no idea what was going on since I have no Spanish foreign language competency and she was just running around and making obnoxious noises. At one point she was standing right next to me and making noise in which I assume she wanted the audience to be involved. This was something that I have not experienced before in a play and honestly I did not find it very entertaining as much as I found it annoying. After the disruption Bueno introduced the Bible and goes off on a monologue that I don’t understand and then goes into labor in which a servant of hers delivers the “baby”, which was only but cloth.
When the scene ends the lights get dark for Bueno to change her character role, where she soon becomes a Muslim woman that is hinted by her mentioning of the Koran and the calling of worship. Here I was really confused as to what was going on, one of the servant girls, or at least that’s what I think she was because of her modest clothing was pregnant. Bueno was dressed in ritzy, bohemian like clothing, and seemed to be like a mother figure for the pregnant girl. They talk about and then Bueno starts dancing with blue sheet that she used as a prop. I have no idea what the sheet was for and what she was going on in this scene.
Her last character role was her portrayal of a Jewish woman in which she wore a trench coat and hat and carried a piece of luggage. She was wandering along the stage and stepped off the stage to wander some more and then gets back on stage where she sits on a stool next to a table. Here she was introduced with another female character that brought over a menorah. This scene I seemed to grasp the historical displacement of Jews and their quest to find a home. With this scene the play ends and honestly I was so relieved. Because it was in a foreign language and there were so many monologues I could not understand what was going on. Also, even when there was dialogue I had problems understanding because their mannerisms were not helping translate the scenes. I did not enjoy the play at all, partly because I had no idea what was going on. However, I did know that there was some profound meaning behind the play and that it had a respectable message, but it was not getting across to me at all.

Trilogy of Medieval Women was an incredibly difficult play to watch. When I arrived at the theater I was not aware that there was s seating section available with headphones for English translations. By the time I was made aware the section was full so I had to endure the performance in Spanish. This was incredibly difficult for me since I have no formal schooling in Spanish. The ONLY information that I was able to gather from the play was what was provided in the English program and knowing when the characters moved from one story to another because of the costume changes and movement across the stage. This is not a play that should be seen by non-Spanish speakers without the aid of translation. The nature of the play is such that you must be able to understand the dialogue.

Trilogy of Midevil Women

I attended the performance Friday evening in Ida Green theatre. Obviously it's quite difficult to review the play in any real way seeing as though it was in a language that I am in no way fluent in. Most of the time we are able to judge the believability of a performance by how well the performer portrays the character. As a layperson, the only real way I can asses this performance is by judging whether or not the actions, inflection, tone, and body language of the performers are in sync with what there character is saying. In other words, I thought that the two actresses were phenomenal in their portrayal and both had wonderful stage presence, especially Antonia Bueno. However, I can never really be sure that the things they did and that I’m praising them for, were the right things to do in terms of the character. Maybe if I would have known what they were saying, I would have realized that in some instances it would have been better of scaled down a little bit but I can never really be sure. On that basis I can only judge the performance on technique alone. As I said before, both women had strong stage presence and wonderful chemistry. They were completely believable as characters in the way the attached themselves to the roles. They did a good job of commanding my attention despite the language barrier. At times I even laughed a bit, not because I thought what they said was funny, but because they had a delivery that compelled me to laugh. Those who could understand also provided the cues. Overall it appeared to me that they did a good job but I really can never give a truthful opinion unless I know that how they acted matched what I would expect.

Trilogy of Midevil Women

I attended the 7:00 pm production of The Trilogy of Medieval Women in the Ida Green Theatre on the Austin College campus. The playwright was written by Antonia Bueno. I came into the play a little annoyed because it was raining outside and I had no umbrella so I had to sit in the theatre cold and wet. As far as the play it was very hard to understand because I did not get to sit in the section where you could listen to the English translation of the play so I was stuck trying to pick out the few words Spanish words I remember and try to draw out a plot and translation from context clues of the words I knew. However, I don’t believe I understood it all. So I will try to make and educated guess on what the plot was from context clues and body language of the two actresses, Antonia Bueno and Clelia Moreno. I think the play was about 6 women and the struggles they went through in 3 different situations. I did hear them keep saying something about Santa Reyna something. It is really frustrating not understanding the language. However, this is basically how most operas are that I have attended you don’t know the language but there are playbills that describe what is going on and you can also pretty much pick up on what is happening because of the exaggeration in facial expressions and body language involved in a opera, which is a type of melodrama. Overall I did not enjoy the play because of the language barrier.

Melodrama in Love & Basketball

Melodrama is the part in theatre, movies, or in television where people are acting extreme or it can be said that they are over reacting. When I say that people are acting extreme or over reacting, I mean that people are exaggerating simple motions, facial expressions or lines. The word melodrama can be broken down into its literal meaning which is "drama with music." An instance of melodrama can be seen in the movie Love & Basketball, during the part where the characters Monica and Quincy are playing a game of basketball to determine whether or not Quincy should marry the airline stewardess he is engaged to or marry Monica instead. During this scene, they are in a driveway playing. They stop talking and then music starts to play and as the game intensifies the song gets louder a game of basketball. There is a point where Quincy bumps into Monica and it takes her about a minute to fall to the ground, and her facial expression is as if she just got shot. This scene of the movie can be seen as realistic meaning that these could be actual events, however the actress over reacts and her motions and facial expressions are slowed. When the game is winding down so does the song, but at the climax of the action is when the song had the loudest pitch and hit the highest notes of the song that is held for a time. At the end of the climax Monica loses the game and the music fades out to complete silence, as matter of a fact everything goes silent as she walks off the court in defeat. So the drama can be intensified with a moment of silence after the melodramatic music and action. This example in Love & Basketball is a classic example of a melodramatic moment.

Trilogy of Medieval Women

As the crowd grew outside of Ida Green Theatre, I began to wonder what to expect from the Trilogy of Medieval Women. A few days prior to the March 30th 7:00pm performance, I had learned that the play would be performed entirely in Spanish. My comprehension of the Spanish language is extremely limited, and I wondered if I would be able to understand the play at all. After a short wait outside the theatre, the crowd entered, and I was instructed to sit in the “Reserved” seating section because I wanted to watch the play with a simultaneous English translation. Headphones were available for theatergoers in the “Reserved” section, and student translators voiced the English translation through the headphones. However, even with the translation, I had tremendous difficulty understanding what was going on. In fact, the translation I heard through my headphones contrasted so greatly with the performance that I had difficultly relating the two. For example, the translations were done by males in two sections of the performance, but there were no male actors in the play. Thus, it was hard to relate the almost whispered voice of a man with the passion-filled female actors onstage. Even when a female translator was utilized, she whispered and added no influx of emotion to her language, contributing to the disconnected atmosphere. Also, it was quite unprofessional when I heard the translators congratulating each other on a ‘job well done’ throughout the production. The most useful piece of information I received was the program I was handed upon entering the theatre. Providing detailed information about each of the three dramatic pieces, the program was a nice outline that was occasionally built upon by details in the production. Even though I often did not understand what was happening in the production, I noticed that the actors in the performance seemed full of passion; it was interesting to see the actors blocking and facial expressions convey their emotions and pain without having a full understanding of the play’s content.