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.