Ruined

Ruined portrays that in every dark situation, there is a light. It may not be the light you thought you’d see but it will be there, and you can’t let it get away from you because salvation is just beyond faith. We will articulate each characters personalities and features in the costuming, and use the set to articulate the feel of the space. We will use natural colors to resemble an African feel, and in the costumes to represent that everything happens in a natural course.

The audience will be teen and up because the show is risqué and has adult language. We will set it in a 3-quarter thrust stage, to make the audience feel more a part of the show. The stage we will be performing in will be ….

Set

The play is contemporary but it’s in Africa, so it should feel like today’s day, but with a poor feel.

The majority of the play is set in Mama Nadi’s bar. So the space will have wood flooring, and have a bar area set up on stage left. The bar itself will be wood also with a cream counter top.

There will be a door that leads to the kitchen behind the bar, and a hallway that has a staircase to the upstairs. There will be a second floor above the bar area that would be the girls room. Across from the bar will be tables and chairs with a pool table stage right. A fireplace will be upstage right. A window to its left with a microphone set up in between the two. The front door will be stage left but it won’t have an actual door.



Sophie and Salima’s room will have off white walls, 2 small beds with quilted comforters and a burgundy couch. The one bed will be horizontal, stage left of the room and the other in front of a window, vertical, and the couch facing the audience in front of the window-bed.

Costume
All the costumes are contemporary and “preppy” because they all have to be pretty.

Christians new suit.



Josephine's red dress.



Mama Nadi- she should be in a black dress because she is hiding a dark secret that you find out later on, and she’s suppose to be an attractive women so putting her in a tighter black dress will show of her figure. She will have her hair pulled dup because she works a lot and I’m sure it’s hot in Africa. J

Josephine- she will be in reds because she’s supposed to be the seductive one. She has to have a flowing red dress also for one of the scenes.
Salima- will be in purples and greens because they are spring like colors, and spring represents new things, and it will foreshadow her baby, and a new beginning later on when she dies.
Sophie- will be in whites and blues because she is the hope of the group and the happier one even in her pain.

Osembanga's track suit.

Christian – will have 2 brown suits. The first one cotton and raggedy and old, looks like he’s had it for centuries and travels a lot, whites collared shirt stained, and no tie. The latter one will be new, sharp and a darker brown, pinstripe and nice. A new white shirt and a nice brown tie.

The soldiers will all be in similar uniforms in a light tan, with red armbands for one side, and black ones on the other to symbolize what the Nazis wore because the soldiers are as destructive as them.

Osembanga- in a velvet blue jogging suit to represent the peacockness they describe, and the chain and sunglasses as described.

Harari- in a sharp grey suit because he’s an older man and yellow tie. He’s usually happy, and he gives a wealthy feel.

Lighting

Natural lights should be used, replication of sun and moon light in the windows. Regular house light needs to be replicated too. Everything needs to be natural and normal so people feel like they are a part of the action. It should start off normal, and fade as the production goes and get brighter again at the end. A spotlight should be set on the couple dancing at the end to black out the rest of the set because peace between the two genders has been met, and love prevailing.

Sound

There will be sounds for all the trucks that drive up to the bar. There is a gunshot heard during the play that needs to be produced. A scream also which can be heard from backstage when Salima tries to give herself the abortion. Hip hop music is also heard a lot during all the night scenes. And the music Sophie sings can be accompanied by an acoustic guitar. The guitar of Sophie’s songs, accompanied by an African drum, will be played lightly in the background of the duration of the play.

 Casting Suggestions

Christian

Salima



Mama



Sophie

Josephine









Dearly Departed (Cinema vs Theatre)

There are many differences in seeing a theatrical play as opposed to a film. First of all the environment is completely different. No matter what kind of play you see, it still feels like a higher form of art than seeing a movie, whether it is casual or not. Even seeing something like Dearly Departed, where the audience was in jeans and t-shirts, you still feel like you are in a more creative, educated setting. Especially because only select people who have a passion for the arts and plays, are the ones who usually go to theatrical performances, where as a movie is something everyone and their mother goes to all the time.

Watching actors live is a completely different feeling than seeing them on TV, just as listening to a CD is different than going to a concert. You can feel their energy and their presence from the stage, which makes the experience more personal. In film it is only a 2-D experience and they seem like they are in a different world because they are not physically there. Where as in theatre it is very personal, and you can sometimes even be part of the action. Like in Dearly Departed when they had the church service scene, where you clapped along; or during the end when they referred to the audience as the guests at the funeral.

 If an actor sucks it reflects your view of the play as well. In Dearly Departed everyone was really great. They had lots of energy and covered their mess ups well (except the laughing when Delightful got the cheese whiz all over her face on accidentJ). The pantomiming was awesome, especially with all the little sounds (I know that’s hard to do). In a movie you always have sets and props to complete your surroundings. In a movie you don’t see mess ups unless it is shot live, or has a blooper reel; they retake the scenes until they are perfect. You also get to see whatever you want to see in a play. For instance, there were times that I was watching Delightful eat her food instead of the conversation going on just because she did such a hilarious job staying so serious and stupid while she ate. A movie restricts you to what the director wants to show you. Transition from scene to scene is also very different. In a play it is usually a black out accompanied by music or something, which they used in Dearly Departed. In a movie they use slide transitions or fades- they have like a bazillion choices.

One thing I noticed that they did in Dearly Departed, that they do in movies was that the scenes individually showed what each group of people was doing instead of having them freeze or something in the background.

Theatre etiquette is also different from a movie. In a theatre people won’t be talking, generally, in the middle of the play. Like when you scream at the girl about to die in a horror movie, which really wouldn’t happen in a theatre piece. Another thing is people don’t eat during a theatre piece (mostly because you are not allowed to) but its tradition in a movie to have popcorn or candy. You also wouldn’t just walk out on a play, usually, like people do for bad movies because you would offend the actors, when a movie they won’t ever know. Also people clap in between scenes sometimes, which you wouldn’t do at a movie. But if it’s a movie premier there is clapping at the end, like in a play.

So plays are pretty much live action movies, but it puts you at the scene too. There’s a lot that differs the two forms from each other, but they are both art. Dearly Departed was hilarious, I enjoyed it a lot. It was uniquely set up too, having so much pantomime and little props. It was cool because it was something that would really happen, but it was missing normal elements so you still knew you were watching a play. I would recommend it, it looked like lots of fun!

Anna and the Tropics

Play Analysis

Anna and the Tropics is a melodramatic production. It doesn't end the way you want it to end but it ends realistically. There is really conflict between all the characters in Anna  but if I had to choose the biggest one, it would be between Jaun (the lector) and Cheche (Santiago's brother). Jaun could represent traditon and Cheche modernization but that's just a really obvious representation. I think the turning point is when they have the part for the new cigar because at that point you can tell everything is starting to go downhill.The climax is when the lector gets shot by Cheche. Everyone goes into shock and depression and Cheche disappears from that moment on. The resolution is when Palomo picks up the book to continue the tradition and make amends with the other conflict in the story between him and Conchita but there really feels like there isn't a complete resolution and you're left to just think about the ending. Jaun was reading Anna to the workers when Cheche came in drunk and shot him. Jaun dieing represents that traditon is over thrown by modernization, and Cheche disappearing for the rest of the story is a representation of not knowing what will happen in the future. Jaun just anted to carry out tradition, his father and his father's father were lectors. He wanted things to stay the same and where they were. Cheche wanted progress, to move on and move forward which The subject of Anna and the Tropics is progress. It's trying to convey that although we have to have modernization to survive we can still have a balance of tradition and if we dont have eaquality in the two one will die, and it will most likely be tradition. Things are always moving forward and we have to move with them.

Are you ready?

The traditional "rabbit out of hat" trick.
Although magic today is known for card tricks and escapism,
this is a never dieing favorite that will forever be
one of the first things we think of when someone says "magic trick".

                            Magic                           

As long as there has been humanity, there has been the magic of illusion and escapism. Just to give a sense of how long magic has existed, over 4000 years ago there was a novel written, titled "Westcar Papyrus", that has mention of a magician preforming for a Pharaoh centuries before the book was even published.

Magic has been preformed all over the world, for quite sometime. It was a great source of entertainment, especially  for Pharaohs and kings.

*In Europe, Reginald Scout wrote "The Discoveries of Witchcraft", in 1584, for those who were accusing magicians of witchcraft. Which, back then, would mean certain death.*

Before 1750, magic was mostly performed outside because magicians did not have theatres to play in. They performed mainly at fairs, market places, and on street corners. Since their space was so limited so was their act. They could only perform with what they could carry, or whatever the audience might have had on them.

Once fairs began to decrease in popularity, magicians moved to the big cities. There upper-class discoveries of this art form led to theatered magic shows. Which then spawned magicians joining other teams of various acts, in whats called a serial structured performance, known today as Vaudeville. Vaudeville theatre allowed magic to be mobile, and watched by changing audiences night by night, sparking the flourish of illusion as entertainment.

*Science was huge in the 1700-1800's, so in order to attract an audience magicians would use scientific terms in the act, or add in scientific lectures to the act.*

Movies took over Vaudeville in the 1930's, which hurt magicians badly. With no where to perform, they turned to night clubs and hotels. The huge difference between the two was that now, instead of performing for a different audience the same piece, they needed to create a new piece every night, to the same audience.

In the late 1900's, television became the new open door. A lot of people were skeptical that viewers wouldn't believe what they were seeing, but it turns out that broad casted magic was a huge hit. Especially seeing as that is how we mostly see it performed today.

                                      Famous Magicians                 

Flier for Robert Houdin

 Jean- Eugene: aka Robert Houdin. 1845, first magician to dress in evening wear instead of the traditional star covered robe.

John Nevil Maskelyne, George Cooke: brought magic back to  the stage when they permanently moved into the Egyptian Hall in London, in 1873.

Harry Kellar: first touring magician, most famous magician in the USA in 1884.

Howard Thurston: toured with Harry Kellar, in Kellars retirement in 1908, took his place as most famous magician.

Cardini: famous for his tipsy gentleman, reappearing card trick on Vaudeville.

 P.A. Benjamin Rucker: aka Black Herman. African -American magician, famous for his buried alive trick, where he'd appear dead, be buried, and come back days later. Died on stage in 1934.

P.T. Selbit: used the first woman for a torture trick in 1921, the wooden box, and then cuts her in half. This caught on like a forest fire for magicians everywhere, believed to be so because of the women's suffrage uproar.

A.J. Cantu: first to make doves appear in a trick.

Channing Pollock: revised this trick, and became famous for doves appearing from thin air.

Dai Vernon: specialized in close up magic, and card tricks. He was a teacher to many magicians.

*Close-up magic is magic done for a small audience who can see everything.*

Mark Wilson: one of the first to air magic on TV.

"Wilson believed that magic needed three things to work on TV:

• Always have a live audience

• Never have the camera cut away during a trick.

• Let viewers know that they see exactly what the studio audience sees."

Doug Hanning: Created "Doug  Hanning's World of Magic", aired on 26. Dec. 1975, it was the highest rated magic special of its time.

Milbourne Christopher: had the first nationally aired magic special.

Sigfried and Roy: German magicians who came to Las Vegas, and turned our rabbit in a hat, to a cheetah.

David Copperfield: brought the rock star edge to the world of illusion.

And for last, but not least, probably the two most famous magicians to ever exist:

Harry Houdini,  born in Hungary as Erich Weiss in 1874. He moved to America as a baby. He took his stage name from an idol, Robert Houdin. He became professional at escapism and illusion at the age of 17. He had an obsession with psychic mediums in an attempt to regain communication with his mother. He died in 1926, on Halloween day.

Here he is performing one of his most famous escapes, hanging upside down in a straight jacket.

And Criss Angel, born Cristopher Sarantakos on 19.Dec1967 in Long Island New York. His biggest influence being Harry Houdini of course. Criss has been in love with magic all his life. He has a hit series Criss Angel: Mindfreak, which just ended it's sixth season and a Cirque Du Soleil show titled "Believe" in Las Vegas Nevada.

"Angel is the only magician to have won the Merlin Magician of the Year award twice: in 2001 and 2004. He holds the world records for longest time submerged underwater (24 hours), the longest body suspension (5 hours, 42 minutes), fastest time to perform the Metamorphosis illusion (under a second) and the fastest straight-jacket escape (2 minutes & 30 seconds)."

And has recently gained world record of most people to vanish in an illusion, making 100 people disappear.

He has surpassed his own idol in many ways, and has become the Houdini of our century.

Here he is duplicating Houdini's straight jacket escape in New Orleans, with a twist. Instead of a magicians jacket, he is using,not one, but two asylum approved straight jackets.

Sources:

"The World Of Theatre" by Mira Felner and Claudia Orenstein

http://www.magicexhibit.org/story/story_hist_1750.html

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1630927/bio

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkIFoNt_jmc&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg2__0e2TJk

http://www.photobucket.com

Commedia dell'Arte

This is a drawing of four characters from Commedia  dell'Arte, three of which are gentlemen, and one is Pierro.(1)

   Commedia dell'Arte

A mask like this would often be used for Puncinella,
 known as Punch in America. (2)

Italian for "unwritten or improvised drama", Commedia dell'Arte was amongst one of the most popular theatre forms of the past and was created to be an art of comic relief.

Rising in Italy  in the 14th Century up till 18th century. This masquerade like show style flourished from 16th to 17th century, especially in France. Commedia dell'Arte is unique in the fact that it doesn't come about through a written script. The actors play by scenario or canvas, situations that were outlined before the show. They would play out simple things such as star-crossed lovers, a father and son falling for the same girl, or heroes being mistaken as villains.

Many places in Europe sell figurine collectibles of these
 memorable characters, shown  above from left to right are:
 Arlecchino, Pantalone, and il Dottore. (3)

"The actors had to find the proper words to make the tears flow or the laughter ring; they had to catch the sallies of their fellow-actors on the wing, and return them with prompt repartee. The dialogue must go like a merry game of ball or spirited sword-play, with ease and without a pause." Mantzius, History of the Theatrical Art.

This is Lightwire Theatrical Production's performing 'Cafe Floriani'
They are demonstrating Commedia dell'Arte. They use few words, interact with the audience, are costumed in recognizable ways, and throughout use duplicated movements to symbolize  who they are.

The magic of the mask is that with the right actors,
 they seem to come alive with expressions even though they are only
crafted with a single personality. (4)

Commedia dell'Arte is the source of many types of improvisation today, such as clowns, acrobats, mimes, etc. The actors use little words, and mostly physical movements to tell the story. Much of it to disengage that language barrier normal theatre has. They use a lot of the lazzi technique that often did not have anything to do with the story, it was just to make people laugh. Lazzi is often portrayed through slapstick, acrobatics, pantomime, juggling, or wrestling.We also have inherited it's creation of symbolic characters we still use in television, theatre, and movies today. They are called stock characters, who appear with the same names, personality, and costuming in every performance. Every character overtime has developed certain movements, looks, and sayings passed on through generations.

The masks are crafted from leather, wood and sometimes glass.
The actors themselves used to create their masks themselves,
which would often help with connecting to the character.(5)

                       Characters 

Every character represented in the show stemmed from Italy being an un-unified country when the art was created. The characters are all from different parts of Italy and portray the stereotypical attitude of those people.

Pantalone- old man, miserly, sometimes an impotent merchant, often from Vienna. Sometimes a father figure who thrawts young love.

Il Dottore- also older, pompous, always a scholar of Some sort, he gives stupid advice although he really holds valuable knowledge. Often from Bologna.

Il Capitano- boastful, soldier, often from Spain, he would talk about old war stories but at a hint of real danger would be the first to take off. ( a lot like Capt Jack Sparrow..*coughcough*)

Zanni- the jester

Arlecchino- aka Harlequin, trouble maker

Puncinella-  aka Punch, hunchback with dark features, a cape, and 3 corner hat, trouble maker, a lot of the slapstick comes from this character

Brighella and Tartaglia- other famous male characters

Primo Amoroso- female, not masked, conventionalized, ignorant, helpless. Often went under names like Isabella, Lucinda, Leonera, or Ardelie

Hero- saved the primo amoroso from everything. Went by names like Flavio, Leonardo, and Valerio.

Servants/Maids- they scold, aid, and assist plotters. A famous maid goes by Columbile.

Inamoratio- youn lovers with frustrating passions.

Fun Facts:

• By 1760 there were no italian born Commedia dell'Arte performers in France
• The English hated this artform, but later created what i snow known as  pantomime, in the 18th century, from it.
• The French Revolution striked liberated people to form mimes, which stemmed from Commedia silence.
• February 25th is Internatiional Commedia dell'Arte day
• The United Nations has not recognized thiis arts stock charachters as a form of theatre tradition, when they recognized Japanese Noh and Kabuki.
• Commedia is divided into acts and scenes with a prolague at the beginning.

Info, pictures, video from:

http://www.nytheatre-wire.com/ss06021t.htm

http://www.theatrehistory.com/italian/commedia_dell_arte_001.html#anchor442530

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95EzlJDaPZo&feature=related

google.com

"The World Of Theatre" TextBook