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.
posted by Jon Greer @ 9:35 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
I really enjoyed the fact that the play was so short and concise. But, then it made me wonder, why would someone go see such a short play? I missed class one day so I don’t know if there is a purpose to a play like this. I enjoyed being apart of the process I was just baffled at as to why a short play like this would be performed. I do agree with you that the repetition in the play made it easier to remember lines and pay more attention to the actions and responses of the play.
In response to Flora's comment, I also wondered why the play was so short, especially since the point the play is trying to make could've been stretched into a longer plot. What is the point of a play that takes less than one class period to perform 3 times? However, it is taken from a collection of short plays, so maybe it is meant to be performed in conjunction with other works by the author. Does anyone know? How often is the play even performed?
I agree with Flora, in that the play being short did not make it easer to understand. I actually think that it made comprehension of the material more difficult. If the play were longer then the audience could be given more details about the circumstances which lead to this scene and more about what actually is happening in the scene. I also wondered how such a short play would be staged. Is it done with multiple other short plays?
The length of the play was definatley intentional and I believe that Kirk mentioned that this was one of a group of shor plays that Samuel beckett wrote. I was curious if this same style was used in the other plays of that group. What do you think the reason for the lack of dialog is. The attention to detail strongly resembles that of Rosmersholm and we discussed this as a style of playwrites. It amazes me that this "non-verbal communication" can be just as powerful in a play, if you pay attention to it.
I like how you how you pointed out the detail in Catastrophe. The costumes were clearly stated and the stage direction even told the ants what to do. (only exaggerating) Throughout the week we had discussed that the protagonist of the play would feel awkward during the play, however, I think that the protagonist’s job wasn’t too hard. I can understand being tired while testing the lights for hours, but 10 minutes? I feel like the play was simply made for the purpose of enjoyment. What kind of non-verbal communication did you see on stage?
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