Pre-Modern Theatre 2010 Kellermeyer

Friday, April 30, 2010

Project #5

The Aphra Behn Page
http://www.lit-arts.net/Behn/

For an actor better understand a play, I think it is important that they know the life of the playwright. This website covers Behn’s life, feelings towards different events going on during the time period and even talks about women in the restoration period. As an actor, I believe that if you know what was going on in the author’s life, then it helps you grasp a better understanding of where the playwright is coming from.

Dusting Off 17th Century Rape Laws
http://www.salon.com/life/broadsheet/2007/04/06/rape

This article talks about how a man in court quoted the common law of rape during the seventeenth century. The Rover deals with the topic of rape, but during that time period it wasn’t considered rape. Like it says in the article under English common law: "Rape is an accusation easily to be made, hard to be proved, and harder yet to be defended by the party accused." Or that is how Sir Mathew Hale put it during the seventeenth century.

Spousal Rape Laws: 20 Years Later
http://www.ncvc.org/ncvc/main.aspx?dbName=DocumentViewer&DocumentID=32701

This article talks about spousal rape in the seventeenth century compared to how the public views it today in the twenty-first century. Spousal rape was basically considered legal until the 1970s when feminist started to the change and now currently in all 50 states and District of Columbia spousal rape is considered a crime.

Brain History
http://www.brainyhistory.com/years/1677.html

This website shows what events were going on during the year of 1677. This is just one year, but it’s easy to fine the other years of the 1600s. I think its very important to know what’s going on during the decade so the actor knows what’s going on politically, environmentally, and health wise.

The Costumer’s Manifesto
http://www.costumes.org/history/100pages/timelinepages/1600to1630a.htm

This website shows mainly the male costumes or clothing during this time period, but does have some female clothing. Though the actor will mostly likely not have rehearsal clothes until after a few weeks into the rehearsal process, it’s good to have an understanding of their restrictions in movements. Like a female will be in a corset which means she wouldn’t not hunch over but sit up straight as best as possible.

http://www.costumes.org/history/100pages/17THSHOE.HTM

This is from the Costumer’s Manifesto as well, but instead of costumes it shows shoes from the seventeenth century. If the play will be put on during the time period the actors will not only have to think about what they will be wearing but the shoe wear as well. The shoes today are much different from the ones worn during the time period.

Health in 17th Century
http://www.nmm.ac.uk/places/queens-house/fact-files/health-in-the-17th-century

Besides knowing about what clothes you could be wearing or the political laws during the time period it’s also helpful to know about the health problems during the time period of the play. This website shows the reader what diseases were around during the seventeenth century, how doctors cured these diseases as well as what other drugs where used or were thought to be helpful.

Oroonoko
http://ebooks.adelaide.edu.au/b/behn/aphra/b42o/

Oroonoko is one of Aphra Behn’s first pieces of work. It is not a play, but a short story. Though this is not the story that the actor will be performing it’s important to be familiar with the playwrights other works. I think it’s important because it helps you get a fuller understanding of their writing.

The Tech
http://tech.mit.edu/V121/N13/Rover-Vlad_13.13a.html

Though the actor is not directing, it’s still important to read theatre reviews on other productions of the show. When I read reviews it helps me make acting choices on what could or couldn’t work. Though, in the end the director makes the final call on if he wants to change the actor’s actions. With your own picture in your head a little help from the reviewers it gives the actor a place to start.

Restoration Comedy
http://classiclit.about.com/cs/articles/a/aa_restoration.htm

This article explains the difference between comedy and restoration comedy. It also goes through the playwrights and plays of during the restoration comedy period. Though The Rover by Aphra Ben does deal with the controversial topic of rape it is still considered a very popular restoration comedy. By knowing these differences this can help the actor find the comedy in the play where it is needed.

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Project #3 Response

The show I chose was A Midsummer’s Night Dream by the one and only William Shakespeare. The main concept that I wanted to keep for the show was the whole fantasy dream feel to it. Though I don’t want it to go to the extreme, but I imagine the show moving like a kaleidoscope. In kaleidoscopes the pictures and colors are constantly changing. In the show the scenes and colors will be constantly changing, coming in and out keeping a new surprise for ever moment. For the color palette I wanted dark colors with a contrast to bright colorful plants and costumes.
One place that I thought about most for the inspiration of how the set looked was almost like Wonderland. No matter what version you see of Alice in Wonderland it is always a blue scale with accent colors such as greens, pinks, yellows and purples to contrast against it and make those specific colors pop out to the audience’s eye. Another aspect of the set that I wanted was multiple levels to the set. There is a picture in my morgue of research that had ladders going to different platforms at different heights. I like having these levels to give focus to different parts of the forest. Another option to the levels was to make some of the levels part of a tree trunk. This can give the actors more space to enter and exit from and give it more of a fantasy feel of having the fairies come in and out of their homes built in the trees. I would like for the tree trunks to be reach all the way to the top but have random strands of leafy branches coming down.
While in my research I came upon a rendering of fairies resembling different flowers and that made me want to incorporate that into this show. Along with the flowers though I wanted to also give the fairies more on a Mother Nature feel and have them also be different plants, water, sky, and maybe some as bugs. One thing that I also think about for inspiration for the fairies costuming is the fairy scene from Fantasia when they are all going around and bringing the seasons to Mother Nature and her animals. For the color palette I imagine brighter colors with accents of neutral colors to tone them down.
For the lighting of the show I want soft edges and warm colors. I don’t want the stage to brightly lit so it gives it a dream feel to the scenes. If there will be trees involved in the set then, if possible, would like hash light coming in at different angels. This will to be give the feel of light coming in through the branches. A thing that I would like if necessary is lanterns for some of the characters. If possible having the candles lit will be best, but we can always resort to light bulbs if we can’t get a compromise with the fire.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Project #3

Nick Bottom's Costume- like the brown color of the donkeys face and how gentle they look.

Elizabethian royalty costuming.

Set for an outdoor theatre and liked the different lighting they have added.

Set for an outside garden, I like the pathway covered with the blossoming tress.

Fairy Crowns- like the webbing of the wires and how it resembles a blossoming flower with water droplets on the petals.

Set for an outdoor theatre. Though its outside and gives you the feel of being in the forest, I dont know how I feel baout the plant walls which looks like there could only be one enterance.

Set Pieces- interesting that they used hands and their fairies were played as puppets.

Set- Liked the levels and the blue sceme and the different levels they added to the set.

Set- Set during the Great Depression. Not something I would do, but was an interesting concept.

Set- Liked the flowers in the back ground and the Wonderland esscene to the forrest.

I like the hair and makeup for Nick Bottom here and how both set of his ears blend into his hair so it almost looks natural.

Color Palette

I like the contrast between the browns and the blues, however having a full donkey head might be too much and could be a struggel for the actor.

I like the time of the play being in a dream secquence.

Like the color and the look of these two flowers. Want big flowers placed through out the set in bright colors and exotic looks.

This is how I imagine seeing the fairies in their colorful costumes and bringing bright lights.

Costuming- each fairy relating to some sort of flower, butterflly, or some part of mother nature.

Color Palette

Lighting- For both pictures having a brighter light come from the ack and streak of the sun coming in through the branches of the trees. Like the bigger trunks in the bottom picture.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Project #2 Pictures

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Project #2

The commedia dell’arte stock character I chose was Comico or the chief comic. Comico is the liaison between the actors and the audience; he explains to the audience the plot or just talks to tem in-between scenes. Not only does he relate to the audience, but he also relates to the other stock characters. If the show seems to be lagging Comico will jump to add some humor, or start a fight with his fancy stick that he is never seen without. Outside and in the show you can see him acting as a mixture between a stage manager and a director making sure that everyone is in line. In a way Comico could also be considered a stand up comedian. If something were to go wrong with the cast or back stage, he would engage the audience in a story or jokes to keep their attention until the problem was fixed. Comico is very flashy in his physical appearance almost like a Vegas showgirl. His stance is full of confidence, arrogance and attempts to show his higher rank in class. This stock character tends to normally not be masked, however if he is his mask is gold with a bird like nose.
While researching my mask for Comico I noticed that there was minimal information for him online. I could find masks with bird like noses, but since his was to resemble a swan or an eagle I looked up images of the birds themselves. When making this piece I started with a full face mask and cut away different parts of he face that I didn’t need. I paper mached the front of the bought mask to add more force and structure for the nose piece. I tried to shape the bird nose by going straight across the mask and filling in the under space with newspaper. I let the mask dry over night and repeated the steps a second time the following night. On the second night of I added eyebrows to the mask. I was inspired o do pointy eyebrows from the pictures of the birds I looked up. The feathers on top of a birds head tend to stand and I imagined that’s what his eyebrows would look like. If they were any other shape, such as big bushy eyebrows it wouldn’t make sense to him being connected to the swan or eagle. When I was ready to paint my mask I covered it with two layers of white spray paint and after that dried I gave it a few coats of gold spray paint. For the finishing touches I added nose slots like ones you would see on a bird’s bill.
This mask is “authentic” by the large bird bill for a nose and the color of the mask. It was clarified that when Comico did wear a mask it was always gold. The mask was not authentic by the materials used to make it such as paper mache (water and flour), duct tape, plastic mask, and spray paint. Though gold leather was not available to create this mask I think the materials used did suffice for the project.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Project #1 Response

Looking at the pictures that I have collected the production dates don’t seem to differ on the shows technical aspects. From costumes to lights and sets a Greek tragedy is still beautifully put on compared to ones that I found that were produced less that a year ago.
One of the sets that caught my eye was the wheel that was made for Seven Against Thebes by Aeschylus put on by La MaMa (2004). Knowing the technical side o theatre a wheel that size is usually not something that can be easily hidden in the wings not built. Not only did the show need a wheel but one that can support multiple men while moving.
Another image that really caught my attention was Melbourne’s 2005 production of Prometheus Bound by Aeschylus. Having the light skinned frail body in a white costume up against a darker background just draws my attention. Not only are there shadows in the background but they throw in an aquamarine color. I think having a color into a black and white scheme gives a scene much meaning; in this case the colors help define the girls emotions.
Out of all the productions photos I found there was only one production I found that appeared to be modernized. This production was American Repertory Theatre’s The Children of Heracles by Euripides (2003). Two of the characters pictured in this photo are in camouflage pants, normally associated with the armed forces. Also, if you look closely the man photographed in the picture is wearing dog tags.
The production photo I found for The Oresteia by Aeschylus put on by Constellation Theatre Company in May of 2008 reminded me of the video “Stomp the Yard” that you played in our class showing us the origin of theatre. By the looks of their poses in the production photo they are somewhere in a dance sequence. A thing I noticed about the body pant on the actors was that it literally goes from head to toe. The girl in the front of the picture is doing some kick and it appears like she has a black or dark green paint on the bottom of her foot.
A picture that I found very interesting was the production of Oedipus the King by Sophocles put on by the University of Utah in 2002. The pictures were taken outside because that’s where they performed. I thought this was very interesting to bring the production outside since that is where Greek Theatre originated-in an outdoor theatre. One reason that also drew me to this picture was because I was able to relate to it with the outdoor productions we have put on here at Sam Houston State. As an audience member I found highly enjoyable being outside in the open doors, it showed me a new side of the campus that I had never seen or had stopped to take in nature’s beauty. Having a show or a theatre outside shows the audience another side to Mother Nature.