Tuesday, May 08, 2007

Staged Reading Performance

I had never been a part of any performance before the staged reading of Catastrophe. I didn’t really know how to approach the text, but my group helped out a lot. We decided to go with a stripped down version of the play. We performed the script verbatim, and we also matched the stage directions as closely as possible. Other groups read the stage directions out loud, however, we felt that reading the directions would only serve as a distraction from the play. Compared to the other groups, I think that we had the simplest performance, but their readings were very good as well. The interpretations differed from group to group and it was fun to see the different acts. After performing the piece, I had a new found respect for anybody in the acting business. Overall, I enjoyed the experience of the staged reading, however, I am no hurry to do one again soon!

2 Comments:

At 9:45 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was in a similiar situation as you. I had never been a part of something like this staged reading before. What differences did you see in the various performances? How did your group come to decide that simple is better as far as the reading was concerned. How did your group form their interpretation of the play? If you could change or modify something about your groups performance what do you think would be done differently.

 
At 10:19 PM, Blogger Jon Greer said...

In keeping with the sprit of the assignment, perform a staged reading of Catastrophe, I believe your group did the best job. Your stripped down version of the play appeared to be a first time experience for all actors involved, yet well rehearsed. There appeared to be improvisation with props, such as using a pen to temporarily function as a cigarette. This interpretation showed the skeleton of Catastrophe but missed the over arching effects of the interpretation that the playwright intended to portray.

 

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