Acting

For my analysis for this week was acting. I wanted to know, “were the actors believable and convincing. The three elements that I looked at were body gestures, voice, and simply looking the part.
Overall I liked this show. I thought that the actors did a very good job. I am not going to exam all the actors but only a couple, the first was Andrea Frankle (Olga) I seemed to gravitate to her for the way she played her part. The first thing that I looked at in Andrea was her body gestures. She stood tall when she was happy, and when she was feeling tired from the hard day at work she showed me that she was tired, When she came on stage she told us that she was tired but her body movement pronounced it. I know when I come home and I am tired I don’t even have to say it; everyone in the house knows it by my appearance.
As for her voice, in the same scene she did not speak happy or full of energy when she came home from work, rather she talked slower and deeper. The words seemed to stretch giving the sounds of someone that truly just needed to go to bed. I loved how she managed her voice in this manner.
The third element that I looked at was looking the part. I feel that the nurse truly looked her part. For instant, Her face looked old from what looked like she had worked them to the bones for so many years. She was an old maid which meant from the audience point of view she should never be in a hurry. An example of this is when she brought in drinks and was handing them out. She was never in a hurry and when she left the stage it was slow like she had all the time in the world. I loved watching her enter and leave the stage. Again, all of the acting in this play was done well and I’m glad that I had the chance to see it.

Brad Goolsby

Boy im not feeling original at all... Three sisters script/text

I knew very little about this play before going in. The only thing that really stuck in my mind from class before the play, was that chekov's plays were supposed to be funny, but no one ever thought they were. Thats possibly because his plays are depressing, but he tries to laugh his way through it. Like we know were all depressed, but maybe I'll just make a joke here and there to lighten the mood.
I felt like he did a good job of this. I felt like going to moscow was symbolic of a better life in general. They just happened to pick moscow. I felt like throughout everything They just kept getting more and more depressed because they werent changing anything. Irina and the oldest sister Olga kept talking about going to moscow, but it never happened, and who knows what was up with masha the middle sister. She was just unhappy the entire play, I suspect maybe chekov was not a fan of marriage. That seems to be her biggest issue, because when she met the colonel, she was happy and giddy.
Anyway...Im getting off track. The script to me was very well written, and funny. It took real life issues; a sucky marriage, a dreamer, being stuck in a rut so to speak, and having an awful sister in law who you just want to pummel, and throws them in your face with a splash of humor.
I feel like the real underlying issue and theme of this play, isnt that we should make something of our lives, or dream big, but whatever life gives you, try and find the humor in it. I dont think that the characters did that necessarily, but by chekov giving us these characters, with so many different problems that maybe we can relate to, he is giving us a situation where we can laugh, and say yeah, I want to move to moscow (hawaii), maybe thats not going to happen, but I should laugh, dance, and enjoy the company Im with, because I might not be with them forever. Things in life arent going to always work out, maybe you will be stuck in a less than desirable job, but try and laugh a little more.

Thanks for letting me rant.
sorry its late...again....


Alex Ashton :)

Three Sisters

Walking into the auditorium, right then I knew I got excited about the play more so than before. The background definitely got me interested right away; I couldn’t stop staring at it. It was really neat, and I liked the octagon stage and the whole auditorium itself, it reminded me of the pictures in the text, how it looked like an arena stage.

Along with looking like an arena stage, to me it also looked like a combination of a thrust stage and a proscenium stage. I liked that the stage was in a shape of an octagon. It was nice because the actors were acting from all different angles of the stage, and did it well. To me, most of the scenes during the second act seemed intimate when the lights were dimmed and the lights were only on the actors on stage. And I quite enjoyed that, especially from where I was sitting.

I liked the moss on the ground just skirting the stage and the use it made for the character Andrey for example, when he was strolling around with the baby cart towards the end of the play. I liked the use of the background as well. For example, when Irina and the Baron would be on the platform, Masha would be walking aimlessly in the background. I liked how they had her character do that, it had us wondering what she was doing without trailing so much from the actors who were currently talking on stage.

I also enjoyed the scene changes because it showed that time was passing, like seasons. It was clever and fit well with the setting and plot of the play. You also saw the personality of some of the characters changed too. Like Natasha for example. She definitely changed! The scene changes to me, also felt intimate with the audience.

I really enjoyed this play more so than I thought. I definitely didn’t know what to expect. I loved the background the most. I think I was starring at that most of the time instead of watching the actors.. ;)

Sam

Sisters stick together

The play "Three Sisters" was a great story and I am very happy that I had the chance to see it. I had a great view thanks to my nice teacher, thank you Mrs. Christiansen:) I was very impressed with the actors and actresses lines. Each one of them did a tremendous job, not one of them strayed out of character nor did any of them forget their lines. I really liked how I could feel the special bond between each of the sisters. They really care about one another and that was very evident when listening to their speeches to each other. The eldest; Olga, clearly takes her many jobs very serious. Not only is she a very respectable teacher, she is also very important in her sister's lives. She cares about them and she has clearly taken her job as the oldest to heart, especially since they no longer have their parents. The middle sister; Masha has a difficult story where she is stuck in a marriage where she clearly has not been happy for quite some time. Her husband Kulygin clearly cannot see or just chooses not to see just how unimpressed she is with him anymore. The youngest sister Irina is depicted as a happy go lucky women who seems to see the bright side to life and does not have blue days. She also appreciates hard work and does not seem to mind early hours and thinks it is necessary for everyone to have jobs. The director did a great job with the script/text, each line either made you frown or laugh. This story really got to the base of what people go through, the good and the bad. There is a lot of good topics that are brought up. I really enjoyed the lines that Natasha had, she had a killer script. Her performance was well done, I really disliked her and that was the intent on her performance, she did a tremendous job with her script. I really feel that she owned her script, that is just how good she really was. I could feel the happiness that Andrey the brother really felt when making Natasha his wife, and how he progressed into slow bitterness over realizing that the women he married was not as great as he made her out to be. His misery was very clear and he did a great job. Each of the performances really shined with wonderful directing and acting. The script really showed how each one of the actors changed, some for the better and some not so much better. A very tremendous performance by each and every one of them. It was well worth seeing.

Thank you,
Tracy:)

Into The Blue

Three Sisters was a great play. I really enjoyed the story line as well as the actors and the whole piece as one. The actors were very good and the professional feel of it all was great.
The set was very different looking, with all the trees and forestry, yet the inside of rooms were being portrayed on the stage. I liked it alot, the trees were very cool and the backdrop was painted so well that it blended in perfectly with the 3 dimensional tress. I was very confused on that decision though. Although entertaining, I really don't know why the director chose to have the outside clash with the inside on the set.
The stage was set in a thrust/in the round because the audience was not completely around the stage but they were a little bit more than three quarters around. I really enjoyed it that way. And how the corners where the actors entered and exited, and even dressed were right by the audience, was really interesting. The action seemed to be so close, which made it really intimate.
The lights became dimmer it seemed in the second act when it opened on the sad dark scene with the fire. And I noticed that there were a lot of blue lights as well as purples and oranges. They seemed to portray a warm feel yet a hint of sadness with the blues. I thought that was very well thought out. The play started out with a little bit of a warm loving feel, and also some tension, and then progressed more into depression, and I think the lights portrayed that very well.
The set changes were fairly fast and I really liked how the actors were dressed on stage in the blue lights, and the fact that we could see them made them stay in character. The shows we have seen in this class have had minimal props until this one. And both amounts of props are enjoyable to watch. This play had man props and were used very well.
Even though Three Sisters was a long and sad play, I still really enjoyed it.

Heather Harlan

The Directing eye

Even though my job is to talk about the directing of this play, I have to say that the set design was magnificent! The director has say in that, so his eye for settings is great.
The play starts off with the three sisters walking around the stage looking out into space. The other characters did a little bit of that on their way to their position; which was a chair out in the woods. As the three sisters got into their early dialog you could see the cast holding private conversations in the woods, and then someone would shout out something against what the three sisters were saying but it would be directed at the person the character was talking to. I thought that was interesting. I thought the blocking was good, and you'd probably find a lot of directors who may not like the fact that conversations in the story were from a sitting position, or they just stood in one place moving here and there but not much. I liked the way the director used four entrances to the stage, it gave the stage more dimensions. We as the audience got to imagine that there was a living room area by the way the director sold the laughter coming from the speakers above the exit by the lobby.
I thought the play was good, but I didn't like the relationship between the eldest sister and her husband the teacher. The fact that she wasn't happy with him but she felt that a soldier with a sick wife for whom he referred to disrespectfully would be better for her...huh?
By: Patrick Ford

A little on the story of life

Anton Chekhov’s play The Three Sisters has all the elements necessary to create a successful Drama of lies, betrayal, and death. It is a story that many people have experienced. The story of regret.
The three Prozorov sisters, Olga, Masha, Irina, and their brother reside in a small provincial Russian town, where there isn’t much excitement. They lounge around with relatives and friends day-dreaming of possibilities and returning to Moscow, where they lived when their father was alive, as if it were some sort of Promised Land.
In life we all yearn to progress, fulfill dreams, accomplish great things and become somebody. These are the same emotions the Prozorov family have, and like most people, they do not take the necessary steps to nourish their dreams, which leads them down a path of regret and of what ifs.
Because of the unique stage design, a combination of arena and thrust, the director, for the most part, made successful blocking choices. I did not understand why the director made the choice, at certain times during the production, to have the actors face the woods, leaving their backs faced towards all the audience. Also I would have appreciated it more if the forest was moved out a little. From where I was sitting it was hard to view the entire forest and the actors in that forest, perhaps it was the “cheap seats”, lol.
Overall it was an incredible production, I very much appreciated the acting and the Directors vision. I definitely recommend this production.

Thank You
James L.

To Touch or no?

Well, although I was unsure about watching this show, and I felt horrible the entire time, I rather enjoyed the show. I think it was well put together for the most part. I was to be paying attention to the design elements, and there is so much to say.

For starters, the stage itself. Well, we knew it was supposed to be a black box, but I don't think that anyone would argue that they turned it into a thrust stage, that easily could have wound up being in the round. From where I was sitting in seat A1, it seemed almost as if it went slightly past 3/4 so it was a little weird. Then there was the scenery, which consisted mostly of the Birch trees that were mentioned so many times throughout the show. Those trees actually made my spot a terrible place for me to sit. I like to touch and feel things and there were trees all of about a foot away from me. The temptation to reach out and touch them to see what they were made of was nearly overwhelming and quite distracting from me. Somehow, I managed to resist temptation but I believe they were made from some sort of paper mache wrapped around some poles to make them sturdy to stay standing and then painted.

The set pieces they used although moved around quite a bit, were pretty minimal. A few dining chairs, 1 fancy chair, a little vanity, and 2 beds, most of which didn't stay on for very long. Although there was one chair that was sitting amongst the trees I believe for most if not all for the show, and the piano that had stayed in the trees for most of the time. I think they executed moving them on and off fairly well, though. I must complain of some of the placement, though. It is thrust, not in the round, so I am not quite sure exactly my view was blocked so much. From the actors angle, a lot of action seemed to happen stage right when a line of actors would be watching what was going on and preventing me from seeing it. I lost whole pieces because I couldn't see over and around them, it was especially frustrating during one scene, I believe it was during the birthday party at the beginning, when there was nothing up center, but almost all the military people were standing in front of me while two characters were confronting each other. Although, yes, that is largely an issue with the directors choice, it also is part of the design because the space you are using and the set pieces needed on stage go hand in hand. You don't put a tree in the center of arena style theatre because it would block. The same logic applies here. I think logic should have said the stage was too dense over here, particularly during the lighter scenes. A different configuration where there was more space between chairs or if they were divided on both sides would have not only increased visibility but balanced it out on the platform, making a more aesthetically appealing set up.

As for the costumer, they were great. I think they fit the characters very well. And the first costume worn by Natasha was perfect in retrospect. At first I was so unsure about it because it was so different and she looked like a 12 year old. However after seeing the whole story, I think it suited well because it established that Natasha was so very different from the rest of the characters, and they had mentioned in the beginning that she dressed and did her hair like a little girl. I liked the military outfits, a lot. For the most part they were simple while giving that military air, but they also easily showed the main ranks of those wearing them. And of course, I have to say, I loved the belt that was worn by Irina, no matter what Natasha thought of it.

Overall, a good production. Of course, like every good show put on, and, of course, every bad show, it could stand for a few improvements.

Ember Dahl

In the Woods...

I thought that the Scenic Design at the Artist's Repertory Theatre's Three Sisters was beautifully done. The stage was very visually intriguing. As you enter the auditorium and walk to your seat, you basically step in the set. The moss on the floor was a great touch. My seat, which was on the far side stage left, I felt that I was a part of the woods and trees. The birch trees were very realistic looking, even from close up.  Jeff Seats, the designer did a great job.  The idea of combining the house with the woods around them was very dream like yet made sense in the set of the show. The Piano was incorperated very nicely.  It caught my eye without taking me out of the scene I was watching.

Overall, I really enjoyed the show. It was dramatic, however, had nice comic relief moments. The scene changes were done right in front of us by the characters on stage. At first I thought it was a bit awkward, but I grew to like it. It showed a passing of time and the realism of someone changing their clothes. I also thought that in general, the costumes were very consistent with the time period and they were executed pretty well.

The camera of course was one of the best props used in my opinion. The realism of how long it took back then to take a picture was very funny. We all take cameras for granted, not realizing how new of a technology it is.

My experience watching Three Sisters was a positive one and I believe that the set was one of the greatest elements.

Script/Text for Three Sisters

I found the play Three Sisters quite funny and witty. The script was well written, with each personality very strong and contrasting. The play had an overall serious and tragic tone. However, there were characters who gave comic relief throughout. Act I was really optimistic, giddy, and really jolly. I especially loved the super long pause for the taking of the picture. It was a great comic relief. I went into the theatre thinking I was going to cry and feel super depressed after wards. Although it was depressing and intense, the comic relief was just enough to relieve those deep feelings.

Anton Checkov is exceptional, really. He is able to get to the point of depression, loneliness, and the search for happiness and love. As one of the characters says, "There is no happiness." We are just bodies floating around searching for our meaning in life. This is so depressing, and really gives us no reason to live. However, the characters each have an optimistic air about them that gives them hope for the future. The Doctor's monologue really gets to the point of this. Happiness is just out there, waiting for us to grab it. However, our lives are so meaningless really. We're just here for no reason it sometimes seems until we find that reason and live our lives to the fullest. However, he realized that his life had come to this part of old age, and he really knew nothing. He was just floating around and wondering if this was at all real, did he even really exist?? It was definitely a low point in the play. It made me think about where my life is going, what I really want to do with my life.

Chekov, well really Tracy Letts (the adapter) was very good at describing feelings and getting to the heart of them. The script captures the essence of depression and the loss of happiness throughout life. It also gets to the heart of marriage, that sometimes we must find someone to help us continue our life because they will help us be successful, as Irina did with the Baron. Also, since the play was during a span of about 5 or so years, I think that's what Alisha, Chris, and I decided on, it shows how much people can change, and fast!

The adaptation and possibly the director made a great choice for the transitions between the two first acts and the two last acts. The music went very well and the dress change and the actors walking around the stage in character was very well put together. I'm not entirely sure if that was a director choice or in the adaptation/script. But it was very well done.

Eveyone in Three Sisters dreamed of a better life, although some were quite satisfied. Kulygin was very satisfied married to his unfaithful wife Masha. He was happy, although she didn't love him, he was perfecty content.

However, life does change. Sometimes it's unexpected. Olga becomes the head mistress. She even says she never saw herself in that position. Masha falls in love with Vershinin, and yet Kulygin is still married to her and still in love with her. Irina marries without love and moves with the Baron, which she never expected. The soldiers are shipped off to Poland and the house is just left empty.

Chekov wrote a fantastic playwright. He understood the search that all people have for happiness. He understood how people yern for the things they cannot reach. Depression is a feeling that takes over everyone. However, the thing that makes or breaks a person is how they deal with that despression of life.

I loved the play. It was so very well-written and spoke to my heart. Loved it!

3 in 1 for 3 Onstage

The stage at Artists Repertory Theatre was quite unique and had many positive effects on my watching the play. I have to admit, I have never encountered a stage quite like this one; this made the experience all the more exciting.

In some strange way, the stage was somewhat of a mix between a proscenium, ¾ thrust, and an arena-style stage. It had the arch in the back, where the actors still acted in, a thrust/platform that jutted out into the center with the audience on three sides, and on this platform, the actors performed on it in 360 degrees. It is easier to understand this knowing that this is actually a black-box style stage; using the black-box’s all-purpose variability to give this stage the best of all worlds. When the actors performed in the forested background, the proscenium arch was there to frame the action. And although the platform was made to be a ¾ thrust, the actors performed in all directions on the compass. I thought that this black-box style of stage was very effective, constantly switching up where the action took place, which in turn kept me on my feet. An example of this is in Act IV, when Masha kept walking in between the trees and Irina was with the Baron on the central platform. The audience paid attention to Irina and the Baron, while still wondering what was going through Masha’s mind, how she seemed so preoccupied wandering through the gardens.

While still being a relatively large space, the stage was still able to remain quite intimate during some scenes. The stage was large enough to accommodate the entire cast without the effect of overcrowding; an example would be the picture taking scene at the party, everyone was onstage but it didn’t seem like anything was being drowned out. Normally, smaller stages would not be able to fit the entire cast onstage without overloading the audience’s visuals and along with that, confusing their focus.

And during the one-on-one scenes, such as the ones between Irina and Tusenbach or Solyony, the sections of the octagonal platform seemed to point to and highlight the said characters. This sort of highlighting was able to let me focus solely on those two actors. Once again, I believe this was a very effective use of the black-box stage’s universal capabilities and further cemented the black-box stage as my favorite type of stage.

If the A.R.T. is able to do this with this stage, I am very excited to see what they can do with other productions (like a musical?). So I give the production crew props for making such an awesome stage that kept me on the edge of my seat, expanding my focus throughout the entire stage space.

~Chris McVey

gone with the directing.. catchy I hope

There has been quite a bit of controversy towards this play. I myself am going to stay as neutral as I can possibly be. I will make sure this post is centered around the directing and critique that rather than stray and hurt a fellow classmates feelings. I understand that actors/actresses must follow the direction that they are given. I must say that I was impressed by the performances that many of my classmates gave, I was very impressed. None of my opinions on the directing have any threat on the performances themselves. I have to be honest about the directors choice in scenary. I was not impressed with the stage set, I did not enjoy having 3 sides to look at. I felt it was distracting, and not for me. I do know though, that other people enjoy being able to see what other audience members are thinking by their expressions. The hardest part for me in completely understanding the meaning behind this play was the non-existent stage props. It is easier for myself to imagine where the scene is supposed to take place and what the characters are supposed to be protraying when they have something more than their lines to make the story come to life. One thing that really did not work for me was the blocking, I was not able to see the actors expressions on their faces at different times. I really would have enjoyed seeing Antigone's expression at times when she was not yelling at someone else. I hope my opinions are not taken out of context. I really did enjoy the protrayal that everyone gave. I know Antigone is a very intense play and kudos to everyone for their performance. I can tell that lines were rehearsed and went over and over. No one went out of character and I really believed every character.

Thank you,
Tracy:)

Elements of Theatre: Script/Text

Playwright = play-maker

Action/Plot versus Story

Playwrights must consider:

• The theme they want to convey
• Hot topics that may interest the audience
• Time limitations
• How will actions of the play be portrayed
• Stage space
• Mood/Tone--how to convey that
• story: beginning, middle, end
• conflicts, obstacles, complications
• crisis . . . climax

Antigone

Blocking--constant motion--why?

Music--how was it conceived/used?

Why such a short run?

Casting?

Why the messenger and chorus in cahoots?

Why Creon only could talk to messenger/chorus?

Costumes? Half-modern half Greek?

Show in general--why half-modern, half-Greek?

What was theme/message of this show?

Exits--construction issues? Why were the exits so small?

Arena staging decision? Why?

Why minimal props?

Why color-blind casting?

WWII guards--costumes totally modern, not Greek . . . why?

zippers and boots--huh?

why did the director decide to do this show?

What were the artists trying to do?

What were the biggest challenges for the actors in this show?

Why did the adapter of the play choose to make this version?

What was the audience experience? why?

Why not use the actual lights on the poles as motivated lighting for certain scenes? Why not more dimming during the scene changes?


Bertolt Brecht--German playwright-director 1930's to 1950's . . . calling attention to the act of staging a play--big political motivations

Elements of Theatre: Script/Text

Characters:

Extraordinary Characters--larger than life--kings, queens, etc.
They can be extraordinarly good, bad, or funny. They may also be a regular person with an exceptional personality or achievement.

• Nixon
• Creon
• Antigone
• Bright Girl

Representative or Quintessential Characters--represents a large group or type of people with real lives, good and bad combined in one person, well rounded characters.

• Dimitri
• Sergeant Tracey
• Jim
• Guard #1
• Ismene

Stock Characters--flat, not 3-dimensional.

• Tessie
• Jack Brennan
• Guards #2 and #3
• The Queen

Characters with a Dominant Trait--like stock characters, but more of a main character in the play, and more unique than stock characters.

• Officer Charles
• Swiftly
• The Nurse

Minor Characters--play a small part in the overall action of the action.

• Bernie
• Romey (teenage girl)
• Stanley (teenage boy)
• the mom
• the business lady
• Bob Zelmic
• Caroline (girlfriend)
• Waitress/Stewardess
• The Messenger
• Haemon

Major Characters--play revolves around them.

• David Frost
• Jim, the Narrator
• Richard Nixon

Narrator or Chorus--

• Jim
• Jack
• Swiftly
• The Chorus

Non-human Character--

• Louis or Louie

New Eyes

The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.

Wonderings and wanderings--not final statement.

The sandwich principle.

Design- From the Inside

Okay, so the cool thing about writing about the design elements of Antigone is that I got to see the process of how they all came together. I've got the inside track, if you will. So here goes.

I thought our costumes for this show were awesome. As always, our designer, Sumi, did a great job with them. They all seemed the perfect cross between modern and period. Creon's headband was a nice touch; it hinted at his position without being too over the top. The nurse's outfit was simple and rather plain, just the way I thought it should be. And the guard uniforms actually looked official. I still have mine! But they wouldn't let me buy the hat or boots. I'll have to replace them... And I know it's not exactly costuming, but they were even so true to the spirit of the show to make sure that our hair fit. They sent me off to get an actual military haircut, and Tim (Haemon) was shipped off to the cosmetology department for a trim as well.

Another thing that I really enjoyed was the way that the stage was set up. The design of the set was fantastic. It was simple, just a square stage with four posts, but it worked really well. The designs on the floor were entrancing (at least to me... ooh, a butterfly!). And the most notable aspect of the way the staging was done, I loved the fact that the show was in the round. As an actor, I've never performed a show this way, but I can definitely see its appeal, especially in a space as intimate as our black box theater is. Though I'm sure that it was a different directing experience than most, as Rick was dealing with a 3D stage picture rather than a flat proscenium one.

And I really enjoyed the props that we used. There weren't many of them, but they were effective. The cards really gave a picture of who the guards were, playing cards while for the rest of the characters the world is crumbling around them. Not unlike Nero, I thought. I don't know where they got those handcuffs, but they were exquisite. Although they were continually pinching Antigone. (Sorry, Heather...) And all the rest were great too, from the handkerchiefs to James' notebook.

All in all, the design of this show worked hand in hand with the script to create a picture of tragedy that captured the spirit of Antigone excellently. Kudos to all those who helped us make it work.

Directing Antigone

It seems that in my absence on blogger, a little drama has erupted.... and not the drama we apprecieate... (haha a little pun on our class name and "fighting" drama).. whew... tough crowd.
Before I actually start my blog, I just want to do a prolouge. (ha wow, thats funny, im a poet and didnt even know it). I have read everything on here, and pretty much all the comments. I am swiss on this one, (neutral). I know a few people in this class from 1st term acting, but there are some I have never met. When I went to see this play, I was actually nervous about giving my opionion on it, because of the people actually in the play, are in our class, that Ive never met. I actually expressed my concern to someone (cant remember who), and finally decided that I will yes, give my opionion, but not say anything that may cause further.... frustrations. If, what I have to say, does cause offense, please remember that as a critique, and a student, I am not trying to attack anyone, and I really do understand how hard it is to be involved in a play, and I ask that you understand that I understand that.

When walking into Antigone, I was eager to see what Zimmer (the director) did for the play. As many of you know, in 1st term acting, we preformed dialouges from this exact play, so I am quite familiar with it and with Zimmer. I was first and foremost shocked at the layout. The arena seating, with 4 sides, I didnt like at first, but before I prejudged I gave it a chance. During the play, I have to say that I still didnt enjoy it. I thought that with the 2 benches the blocking was designed to fill up the whole stage. I almost felt like there was too much movement. I felt like the characters had to keep moving, because they had to entertain 4 sides. I sat there imagining what the blocking would have been like with say 3 sides. It was an interesting director choice, with the stage layout which I felt affected the blocking.

Another thing I was very shocked by was the music. From reading the other blogs I noticed that it was mentioned that it was the original score, but I have to say I wasnt a fan. I feel like the actors did not fit the music. *please remember my prolouge, im not attacking the actors* I feel like maybe the tempo and the acting did not fit the music, it was like they started playing it and then turned it off and then it started again. I did not get the feeling that it was planned and helped the dialouge. I think that maybe it was a director choice to put in the music to break up the monotony of the lengthy monolouges, but I didnt feel like it helped.

I thought the cast was surprising. Different from what I imagined, because as I mentioned before I have read this play before, so naturally I invisioned my own characters in my head. I thought that as far as choosing a hardworking cast, the director did a good job. The time spent on rehearsal and research was evident.

Im excited for the next play!!! :)

Alex Ashton

Anouilh....

Since I have studied Antigone is great depths in the past, I was expecting to be a bit bored. However, I am familiar with the Sophocles version. I was greatly impressed by the fact that Jean Anouilh's version was very true to the original but used slightly more modern references and things that an audience can relate to.  The discussions of money troubles and war crimes seem as relevant today as ever. I believe that this show is still a good choice and a good lesson to be shown after all these years of this classic dramatic piece being performed. The choice to have all important and dramatic elements of the story take place off stage is a critical decision. This all allows the audience member to create these scenes in their imagination. However, this is also a great risk because if the actors are not engaging enough, then the show will become uninteresting. I do think that our cast did a good job.

I thought that a great line that tied up a needed theme was Creon's monologue during his and Antigone's fight. He says "It is easy to say no, but to say yes, is to sweat".  This could refer to both Creon and Antigone's struggle. Creon accepted the crown and Antigone chose to fight for what she thought was right.  

While I am not usually a big fan of watching greek tragedies, overall I thought that our cast did a good job at keeping the audience engaged and portraying the overall theme.  I love the story of Antigone! I would just rather read the script and analyze it myself.

Knowing Your Space

Well, I was surprised again. I have to give the students in my class a thumbs up for the job they did in the play. I was sceptical of the play before it started, but I was soon shot down by how well of a job they did in remembering their scripts and presenting it to all of us sitting around the stage. The part I have to talk about this week is stage space. First of all when I got the entrance I was all lowed to enter alone. This gave me the sense of ownership of my part in the play of seeing it first hand. I walked in and noted that we were going to watch a play that was essentially an arena inside a black box. It had four sides, meaning that there were seats against to each other. Being that this was an arena stage, I found myself looking at the audience on the other side, which help with the emotions that I was getting with the play.
The second thing that I noticed with stage space is: there were not many props on stage. When I got there was two benches and four light post. The floor was made out to look like marble, which set the scene for royalty. I quickly learned that you don' t have a lot of props to get your point accross.
The third thing that I notece was blocking. I asked the question in class "what is blocking? I was told that blocking is where an actor turns in such a way that thier back is facing the audience. However, with areana stages, blocking is inevitable! At some point, someone is going to be forced to look at someones backside. I found it compelling though, that when block is used in a way to get the pint across, It does wonders for the corilation in the bond between actor and audience.
Again, congrates with the acting jobs on Anigone, and I wish you all well with your endevors in the acting areana

Elements of success

Critiquing a show is a difficult art form. It has recently been discovered just how much feeling is involved and how many elements come into play when reviewing a show. Often it seems your entire opinion is either rejected completely or agreed with wholeheartedly. What really makes this an awkward task is being involved in the show in question. I firmly believe that Mt. Hood Community College's production of the classic Greek Tragedy of Antigone was a stunning piece that has much to be proud of!
It is common knowledge in the theatre realm that shows of this capacity were traditionally preformed in the round, as this specific show was chosen to be. While many people have issues with this because it "breaks the first rule of stage- never turn your back to the audience!" I believe many are not realizing that a show in the round is not typical theatre anymore. It is meant to look real. Often times shows on common stages come across as clearly blocked, there are so many rules to follow. This show went back to the roots of theatre. It is a very challenging way to act and I applaud all the actors in this show for their patience, perseverance and willingness to break the mold of what is accepted and be torn apart for it later. This was truly an exceptional cast.
The stage was beautiful. It was painted with a marble look to it and was cracked and bleeding, a very symbolic choice! The stage was bathed in intricate lighting to portray moods, whether secretive and stealthy, passionate or in despair, so many emotions came through from the lighting. The set was simple, which was perfect for the round. 4 posts stood on each each corner and benches on the "twelve o clock and six o clock" sides. Anything else would have been crowded and awkward.
The music in this show, all originally composed specifically for this cast, added immensely to the dynamics of Antigone! Peter Armetta is an exceptionally talented man and did the cast all a huge service with his gift of music, giving so much to play off of and build with.
Overall, I believe this was an amazing work of art. It was not easy, in any form of the word! It was a challenging stretch for the cast but they rose above the difficulties and harsh reviews of peers, long hours and seemingly no recognition of their work. I count it as a huge honor to have been chosen to work alongside the incredibly talented artists Patrick Ford, Heather Harlan and Rick Zimmer.

Voice of Reason

When I first read Antigone, I was pleasantly surprised that the text had been modernized, which for me is always easier to understand than Shakespearean language. Not only was the text modernized, but also the script was interpreted by Lewis Galantiere, who added his own touch to some ideas in the story. I was a little confused on his choices, but still loved the play. He talked about Polynices smoking cigarettes and he even mentioned cars, but even with those modern items thrown in, the audience was still able to understand and enjoy his interpretation of "Antigone."
The script of "Antigone" really makes you think hard. You really start to wonder who was right, Antigone or Creon? There is a lot of text for Creon and Antigone, and most of Creon's lines are in large monologues that you really have to pay attention to in order to understand the whole story. He talkes about the story of Polynices and Eteocles and it really makes the audience wonder why Antigone is wanting so badly to die. Creon also has a big speech about a ship. Hopefully the audience caught on that the ship was the city of Thebes, and he was the one who was chosen to captian the ship.
The story of Antigone is very intense and dark. It is also very sad. But it is very intriguing to watch because the story really pulls the audience in and makes them think. Did Antigone become too stubborn and need to prove a point? Or in her heart, was she just strongly loyal to her own blood? Was Creon really a brute? Or was he the voice of resason? I guess it's up to your own interpretation.

I can't say much

I found the acting in Anitgone uniquely entertaining. The cast was small, and their voices echo as they traverse the sparse, multi-cornered, arena set. It feels unusual for me, as I play a character in Antigone, to write a review on acting, seeing that I did not get a chance to see the play.
What I can say is, all the actors in this production did their best to prepare for their individual roles.
I agree that the set was different and at times the actors had a vis-à-vis encounter, ergo leaving their backs facing towards the audience. But one must realize that this is an arena setting, and at times the actors back will face the audience. With that in mind I conclude that with the given stage, the actors made great efforts to make moving on stage natural.
Patrick Ford (Creon) was immaculate in performing the anger towards Antigone’s (Heather Harlen) defiance. On the other had we saw a softer side of Creon, when he tried convincing Hamon (Tim), his son, that there was nothing he could have done to save Antigone, Hamon’s lover.
Heather was beautiful in performing the intelligence and sorrow of Antigone. Through her performance we saw the courageous steps Antigone took for the love of her brother.
The same is said for all the cast. All of them gave their best to portray our director's (Rick Zimmer) vision of Antigone.


James L.

The actors of Antigone

My job is to speak on the acting of "Antigone". I was in the play, I played king Creon, it was first play as a lead and my second play overall. It was difficult to keep my momentum when I had to be so emotional throughout the play. it was damn near impossible to get use to seeing the audience as I was trying to stay in character, but all-n-all I felt I kept my mistakes minimal. My job as an actor is to follow the script and the director. I became king when Antigones' brothers (the kings) killed each other in battle, so imagine being a regular Joe and the king dies and you inherit the throne overnight. I challenge any one of yall to get those lines and the blocking down in a month, along with your outside duties (school and being a father of a new born). When you do that, come talk to me.
Antigone was concemmit professional, she worked just as hard as anyone else to give the audience the best show possible with what we had to work with. Her lines were always delivered with a passion and I never heard her complain about it.
The guards were great to me! They reminded me of a comedy relief team. Their characters don't have any stake in the play, so they don't have anything to worry about other than letting the body be burried. If that happens then they will be killed, but that was quickly resolved once they caught the culprate. They were able to relax and fantisize about the rewards they can recieve from the king once they knew that they had done their job. James has a great accent and his delivery was very believable.
Ismene was played by an excellent actress in Desiree. I have been a huge fan of hers sense we were in class together back in the fall. She was absolutely stunning in Guys and Dolls, so it wasn't a surprise that she would bring such great energy to the part of Ismene. He projection was off the charts, she has great stage presence along with being a very pretty young lady. I look forward to seeing her again.
Haemon was very dramatic in the play, In the scene with him and Creon he really delivered his lines with a passion. He made Creon have to think about his actions. His movement was fluent and his eye contact was sharp.
The "nurse" Emily did a great job! No joke, she had a lot of lines and on top of that she had to speak in a different dialect the whole time. She was so believable as an nurse, even though she's younger than Heather she gave the illusion that she was really her elder. A believable job Emily.
The messanger, well what can I say. I've had a lot of classes with Chris and he always comes with an energy that commands attention. I wish the messanger had more lines so that I could watch him work for a while longer, but I had to except what we got which was a wonderful job. He made few mistakes if any, and he engaged the audience well.
-Patrick Ford

Well... the stage looked nice...

Okay, let’s be brutally honest: the actors all could’ve been Broadway level professionals and this play still would’ve been diminished. The original idea for the show was to be transferable to the courtyard according to the director. There’s a flaw with that logic though, as the outside courtyard has three evenly sized, equally leveled and having an equal vantage point with a large set of stairs behind the stage which could be incorporated as a dressing room area or exit space. In the Black Box, however, there are four sets of audience seating, each only has the ability to see one side well, and occasionally over to the opposite side.

I guess that last point is where my train of thought starts careening towards a crashing point. I saw the play on two separate nights; one for watching my friends and seeing the show and it’s acting, the other for doing my critique and taking my notes. Seemed reasonable at the time, but as I sat in the theatre looking for things that might distract (a crucial part of stage design would be to center the attention of the audience) I got distracted. I was distracted while looking for things that distracted me. I didn’t know that was possible. I look for any issues with lighting and sound equipment and I find myself looking at a woman in the first row of the audience with what appeared to be pink hair. The stage itself leans towards serious blocking issues as is, I've only seen one show where the actors managed to overcome the four sided stage. I think it would've been a better choice to go with the less ambitious three sided stage.

For instance, if they had considered the three sided stage, it would've eliminated one issue I had almost entirely. On opposite sides of the stage, lets call them North and South, there are two benches (painted a metallic color for some reason, I can only guess to indicate a higher status) where the actors may sit. Many intimate conversations are held using these benches and that means that the actors are having an extremely personal conversation from across the room, something you'd never do in real life, or right next to each other with both backs to the audience, something you'd never do in theatre. Sadly, both rules are broken, making more problems than I think anyone was ready for. People went there looking for a sorrowful tale set in a grand palace in Thebes, instead they got lots and lots of backs.

I will say however that the stage area was beautifully painted and the light posts were interesting and new, though they were also a bit distracting (the one that Antigone is handcuffed to nearly toppled over during the Thursday performance, not to mention that they obstructed the view of the action at times) but proved to be a wise decision. I would’ve, however, changed the way the lights were presented in the Black Box area. Hanging paper lanterns or some form of suspended lights so that the issue of blocked areas of the audience isn’t as prevalent an issue. The scenery actually could’ve been complimented more with additional pieces of furniture or a backdrop piece. Something that said "this is a royal court," rather than, "we're doing a play. And I know the crew could create one Hell of a backdrop if they were asked.

I can only say that the production crew was a little over-ambitious with this show. With a show like Antigone it can be great or it can be sub-par. Unfortunately Antigone turned out to be the latter on quite a few levels. Working with the stage they had, it was almost unavoidable it seems. Thinking back, if I was told at the beginning of the production my first thought wouldn't have been "Oh cool," or "Good to see a classic," it could've been surmised in two word segments: "Uh-oh..." It would've been wiser to have started using the four sided black box stage for different shows and working forward to bigger ones like Antigone. Like many things it can't just be rushed into. As it was, the play should've been called Icarus rather than Antigone, because like Icarus they set their aspirations to high and unfortunately it all suffered because of it.