Comedy of Errors

1) Comedy of Errors was held at Drayton Hall Theater. Before I attended this play, I imagined that the theater would be much smaller than it was. It was very nice with very comfortable seating. We had very nice seats on the fifth row and could see very well. The backdrop of the play never changed, it was set as though it was outside. There weren't many special effects with only a few back lights and spot lights, and only one or two curtains. There was a table and chairs on the stage where the actors sometimes sat and talked throughout the play. There was a dog typewriting during the entire play and would often bark. The costumes in this play were very loud. Bright colors and wigs were worn by the cast.

2) Comedy of Errors was written by William Shakespeare during the Renaissance period but the play takes place in the Greek Period.

3) What made this play a comedy was the CONFUSION! Even I couldn't keep up with who was who. The play is about two sets of identical twins that were separated at birth. The play picks back up as the two sets of twins are in the same town. There is mass confusion between the towns people and the twins themselves. What made it more ironic is that they had the same name. One cheats on his wife, but the other gets accused, the other twin is waiting on money to be returned to him while the other twin gets his money. It is just mass confusion. Each scene would get a little more confusion as the twins would try to make there way through the day. The actors did a very nice job of keeping in humorous throughout the play. I was very pleased at the amount of comedy in the play which kept me interested and not bored during it.

Phantom of the Opera

Describe:
The movie "Phantom of the Opera" is one of the most popular plays in the world and is based off a novel by Gaston Leroux. The movie opens in a grand theater as the main character Christine shocks the entire cast by her magnificent voice and takes over the lead roll. The Phantom is constantly listening to the music of opera as he hides out and lives under the theater. The Phantom in fact is the one giving Christine music lessons as she thinks it is her deceased father's "angel". The Phantom falls madly in love with Christine during the movie but is completely crushed when he finds out the she is already in love with another man. Christine is confused throughout the entire movie. She knows that she is in love with the man but there is something mysterious and curious about Phantom that keeps her interested. The Phantom causes several distractions throughout performances and practices to cause diversions. No one can ever see is entire face because he keeps it hidden by a half mask. The Phantom captures the girl at the end of the movie and takes her to his dungeon underneath the theater. Her lover comes to her rescue but Phantom is ready for him. He ties him up and says to her lover either you die or she dies.Then the Phantom suddenly has a change of heart and releases the girl and her lover to go and live happy. He disappears and is never seen again in the film. At the end of the movie, an old man goes to a gravestone that says Christine on it to place flowers. Assuming the man is Christine's lover, there is already a red rose lying by the gravestone leading only to believe the Phantom is still in love with Christine but wanted her to be happy and live a normal life.

Analyze:
During the movie, there a several hints as to how the Phantom ended up in the opera and why he still remains there. There is a scene in the movie where a young boy that has a deformed face is made fun of in a circus. He is called the "devil's child" and is beaten. A young girl comes to his rescue and frees the boy leading him to the theater to hide. The young girl is another character in the movie who works at the theater. The young boy hides out in the theater and never comes out, I believe because he is too terrified to leave. He grows up there and learns all of the ends and outs of the theater. He shows up mysteriously and leaves notes with a special envelope seals throughout the movie.

Interpret:
There are several things to interpret in this movie. Why the Phantom is so mean and cold, why Christine is so obsessed with the Phantom, and several other sub-stories throughout. I believe the Phantom is cold and bitter because he was abused as a child and never knew what love really felt like until he meet Christine. Christine would listen to him and and show him affection. I believe Christine is so obsessed with Phantom because of her father. At first she believes that the Phantom is an "Angel of music" sent by her father to help her. After she finds out the it is actually the Phantom, she becomes even more interested in him. His mysterious ways lead her on and his romantic voice keeps her attracted. I believe she wants to bring the good out in the Phantom and show him what love feels like.

Evaluate:
In middle school, our chorus sang each of the songs in the Phantom of the Opera. I was lucky enough to have the lead in Past the Point of No Return, by far my favorite song in the film. It is mysterious and dark but also has a quality that is catchy and fun. After not watching the film since eighth grade, I picked up on several things I had missed. I learned to appreciate the love he had for Christine a little better. Allowing her to live a happy and normal life why he suffered is what true love is, making the one person you love the most happy, whether you are or not.

Assignment 8

1) If you are in the audience at a opera show, everything will be sung, there is no spoken dialogue in the show. At a light opera performance, there is opera, and also spoken dialogue. In musical theater, they story and dialogue is interpreted by singing and dancing, there is always constant movement on stage. 

2) Learning to sing opera takes time and devotion. It takes several years to develop a fully trained opera voice. When learning to sing opera, its not all about having a beautiful sound, its also about protecting your vocal chords. Singing opera takes toll on the body and severe damage to the vocal chords is a huge risk. You must train your vocal chords to be able to take that constant thrashing.

3) La Boheme is one of the most popular operas in the United States today composed by Puccini. This a love story that has ups and downs throughout the performance. The story takes place in Italy where main characters, Mimi and Rodolfo fall in love immediately after they meet. Mimi is a seamstress and Rodolfo is a poet. As the story continues Rodolfo wants to end things with Mimi because of her flirtatious behavior. Later Rodolfo finds out that Mimi is deathly ill and realizes that he has made a huge mistake. In the end, the two meet back up and fall in love right before her death. La Boheme is the second most performed opera in the United States today. A love story where death makes you realize mistakes. Luckily in this story its not to late to make things right.

Assignment 7

 thrust stage

proscenium stage

1) In a theater that has a thrust stage, the stage extends out into the audience. In a proscenium stage, the audience is facing directly toward the stage as it goes straight across.



2) The fly gallery is a raised platform on the side of the stage where the stagehand works the ropes that control the curtains.

3) Scrims are used in theater to produce illusions and backdrops on stage. They are a piece of material almost like gauze that is placed between the light and the audience. They are are almost invisible and not noticed by the audience but really help give the performance flare and add more effects to the show.

Who Shot Rock and Roll (Art Museum)

This is a photograph of two musical artist, Jay Z and Puff Daddy. The picture was taken in by Mark Seliger, a very famous photographer for the Conde Nast Publications, but has also taken several pictures for GQ and Vanity Fair. The picture is in traditional and plain black and white while the two were taking a break from recording a music video. 

When I was walking around the museum trying to decide which artwork to do my blog on, this one immediately stuck out. I really love how Seliger captures the two calmly sitting by one another on their mobile devices. They look relaxed and like normal people. The two famous rappers look like ordinary people in this picture which is what makes the picture so neat. The picture is in black and white, which I think gives it a unique look, you can't see flashy jewelry or bright colored clothes, only the silhouette of the two men. What really stands out about the picture to me is the cigar in Jay Z's left hand. It reminds the viewers that the two artist are still high class that is taken away by the black and white photography.  

The Big Apple

1) The shag consists of 6 steps that are count 1,2,3,4,5,6, and the repeated. Even though the music is in 4/4 time. The male dancer and female dancer are doing the exact same steps just opposite one another.

2) The Big Apple was originally known as the House of Peace synagog. In 1915 the building was burnt down by fire and replaced with the current building. When the building was a place for worship, men would sit on the floor while the women would be required to sit on the floor. The building was sold in 1936 because the congregation had outgrown the church. The same year the property would be renamed as the Big Apple Night Club. Mostly attended by african american youth, but traveled to New York by white students attending the University of South Carolina. The shag would become a very popular dance at the club. The Night Club was abandon  in 1979, and later the building was moved from its original spot to the corner of Hampton and Park St. In 1993 the building was bought by the Historic Columbia Foundation and renovated, but maintained it original architecture (high ceilings and very open) and is now available to rent out for special occasions such as weddings.

3) The shag originated in nightclubs in Myrtle Beach South Carolina in the late 1920's and early 1930's. Also known as "Beach dancing" and is mentioned in several songs such as Shagging on the Boulevard by Alabama, I Love Beach Music by the Embers, and Under the Boardwalk by the Drifters. All of these songs are about shagging in Myrtle Beach South Carolina. Charleston South Carolina and The Big Apple Nightclub are also responsible for introducing shagging to the nation The shag is usually danced to music in 4/4 time, mostly blues and Motown. The shag is danced from the waist down and requires smooth and fast footwork, unlike many dancing involving the hips and upper body. South Carolina is responsible and also the home of the "shag", No wonder its the State Dance!

Assignment 6 (Dance)

1. The Barque dance form is very similar to the styles that are seen in our modern day ballet. It was first developed in France at the court of Louis XIV during the "Barque Period". A slight difference from todays ballet to Barque dance; in modern day ballet, the dancers dance at a very high level, meaning that they are up on their tip toes throughout the entire dance. In Barque dance, the dancers dance at a low level, meaning that their heels barley came off the ground. King Louis XIV developed a school of dance, and also developed an international vocabulary for dance. Some examples of Barque are the minuet, courante, chaconne, and gigue. These dances were both performed by professionals at the time on stage, and by everyday people in a ballroom parties.


2. People dance for so many reasons:
1) It may be their job as a professional
2) Dancing at parties for fun
3) to express themselves
4) at weddings, there is a "first dance" as man and wife
5) some people dance for exercise
6) some people dance for religious practices
7) In some countries, proper dance is required to show maturity
8) people dance to celebrate
There are so many types and different forms of dancing that everyone does it.


3) Some examples of non-western dance are: Belly dancing, Cha-Cha, rhumba, conga, all African dance forms, and folk dancing. These dances greatly differ from the ballroom dances we see here in America. They are very fast dancing art forms with several different steps.