For our blog this time, I want you to comment on the fall play, And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. A lot of you have expressed surprise that it takes as much work as it does to create a play. For me, the thinking and the creativity behind a piece like the fall play is what makes theater so interesting. I want to be able to think deeply and carefully about a piece so that the audience understands the message I'm trying to communicate.
I'm always impressed with your good thinking on these issues. Tell me...what surprised you the most about the fall play and our discussions about it? Additionally, I want you to think deeply about what you want to say in a play. If you had one message that you could get across in a play, what would it be? What do you think the world needs to hear?
I can't wait to read what you're thinking.
posted by Alicia Corts @ 10:18 AM
7 Comments:
The design of the set was pretty good. It had levels and lots of triangles. I didn't like that most of it was wood. It may have looked a little better if it has something else. The costumes worked well. Nothing much to say, just that the costumes worked. The lights were pretty good. Some parts, the lights didn't work as well as they should have. I did like the orange on the curtains. That was a nice effect. And the green lighting when all the dead victims pop up from below, that was a nice effect as well. Throughout the whole play, it was fine being in the audience, but it can stink when you get stuck next to an old man who goes, "HHMM" everytime there is some good dialogue. Most of the play was just talking, which was not enjoyable. It needed some more action. The enjoyable parts were when I saw my friends, Zach and Mason on stage. They made seem better. Especially when Zach would say, "Old girl." Or when Mason went a little coo-coo with his big monologue. Some of the deaths didn't seem to work for me. They needed to show more enthusiasm during those parts. The ending was a disappointment as well. I didn't think the killer's entrence was the best. He could have done so much better. But I'm not here to criticize anyones acting. Overall, it was pretty good.
The play was really intresting. it was most intresting in the fact that all the different little details we learned about during class and got to work with on our plays, could be seen in the play and made it more exciting to look for. i also enjoyed looking at the photos from the play. all the detials were captured. for example, the green light used on the characters and how the amount of greenlight used increased as the play progressed. i loved the picture of mandy green taking a soilder boy. knowing little details that go into directing and producing a show that is viewed allows me to see how i have previously been directed to feel or think a certain way whether that be a movie, play or any other type of media. sometimes details may seem tedious but the little details are what count. they can make or break whatever you put your hard work into. it was a great learning experience.
-Victoria
I was surprised, or more accurately intrigued, seeing the play develop as a whole and individually. By being part of the cast, I was able to see how everyone developed their character, and the stages they went through to get there. Jack in the beginning had his killer aspect, but it didn't really show through. It wasn't until we started doing run-throughs on the stage that I actually saw and believed Jack was the killer. I was also surprised how often and easily aspects of the play changed; I had just been thinking about the end scene and had a different idea about how the dead should rise up onto the platform. At first I didn't even think we should try it, so imagine how surprised I was to find out that we'd actually be using my idea for the play!
On a different note, I think that the world has become to materialistic. If I had the opportunity of doing a play, I would have it get across the message that we have to stop focusing on the "stuff" of the world, and instead learn to deeply care for everyone. Many people may say that they care about others, like how Wal-Mart makes donations to charities; however, they usually expect something in return. Wal-Mart gives only a fraction of a percentage of their profit to charities, and when they do they almost always get tax breaks and public support. If someone really cared about someone, they'd do everything they could to help, and not just give what's convenient. I believe that Christians are supposed to Tithe not just to make sacrifices to God, but also to help teach us and instill in us the habit and desire to make personal sacrifices for the good of others. Once people become less dependent on "stuff" they become happier, because they won't need it to be happy; they'll be overjoyed with just themselves and knowing that they've truly cared about someone else. No fire or natural disaster can destroy the elation experienced by deeply caring about others. If someone becomes too dependent on "stuff" to keep them happy, then if it ever disappears, they'll have nothing left, because they were never truly happy to begin with. True happiness can never be destroyed.
It was really interesting to see how everything came together. There were so many things that we heard about in class, things that were being worked on in the play, like the set, lighting, ect. and then on Friday night I got to see how all came together and it was great.
I have never thought of what message I would want to get across in a play. I know that I would want the audience to walk away with something to really think about, something that would hopeful affect their life in a good way, but that is a lot to carry in a message.
-Eden
I really liked the fall play! I think the most suprising thing about it was how the deaths came at unexpected times.
If I had one message to communicate through a play, it would be that most of the time you get back what you give. When I feel like I am being treatly badly, it's often from treating someone else negatively - people get back what they project. I think this is true for a lot of aspects in life, like school work and relationships. This might help people to realize that they are much more in charge of their lives than they think they are. My grandma just had her 90th birthday and she got hundreds of cards telling her how wonderful she is. She got all of those cards because she always treats everyone like they are the most important person. I think this is important for people to hear because it might help people want to change how they act in some situations.
I thought the design of this play was very well put togther. I thought how you put the little soilders on the fire place an excllent idea. I also thought at the end of the play when they all came togehter around the last soilder was kind of scary. I also think that the ending was very well put together. I was really surpriesed about the one guy who was still alive and saved the girl at the end. I thought the lights worked out very well, I also loved how you could tell who was talking if you just looked at who was in the brighter light. The costumes worked perfectly with there charcter.
So if i had to put one message across in a play it would have to be Dont turst anyone, To be alert in your surronding and safety in numbers.
~Chris
Overall, I found the entire experience of ATTWN to be beneficial and fun, with a good set, good costumes, good tech, and a lot of hard work from my fellow actors. Other than this, I have little to say about the performances, but I will say that it was very clever of you to find a message in all of the murder and mayhem (although I have personal doubts about it- murder and Xn values are hard for my mind to put together, but your train of thought did work...).
There are too many things I would want to say in any given play- depending upon what play is being preformed, you could get any number of political or religious messages across. For me, I’ll just stick to "to the glory of God, the father"
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