Final: Clybourne Park

Clybourne Park

Produced & Directed By: Teaonca Haddock

Director's Unifying Vision:

 "Clybourne Park" is about racial tension and society's unacceptance of others. Through design we will express the parallel between the racial inequalities present in Acts 1 and 2. We will use the abstract design of the space, the costumes, and the sound to emphasize how society judges others based on superficial elements. We will utilize the colors black and white to express which race dominates during each Act.

Performance Location:

I want my audience to be African Americans of all ages. I feel like the play will have the greatest impact on African Americans because of the irony in Act 2. As Act 1 is performed, the audience will be appaled by how racist the whites are and feel sympathy for the blacks in the story. However, once Act 2 is performed, the tables will be turned and they will see that whites are not the only ones who are racist, blacks can also be racist. I think that this is a key element of the story and African Americans will learn from it.

The Black Ensemble Theatre

4450 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60640

 I inside of this theater is the ideal shape because it allows for everyone to have a good view of the play because it is spherical stadium seating.

Scenic Design:

The style of my production of Clybourne Park will be extremely abstract.

I want the entire set of Act 1 to be the color white to represent how in Act 1, the white people were the majority race. Whites were the ones being racist in Act 1 because they thought of the world as their own, "all white".

The set of Act 2 will be mostly black to represent how the tables have turned and how now the blacks are the majority race. The blacks are the racist ones in Act 2 and they think of their neighborhood as being their own, "all black".

This is an example that will be used to inspire the outter structure of the house in Clybourne Park. Of course, it would be impossible to build an exact replica on stage, but we will remove the fourth wall and make this house seem as though it is very spacious and accomadating in Act 1.




However, in Act 2, the same house over 50 years later, will be run down and in need of some extreme renovations. These pictures will be used as inspiration to give the house the decrepit feeling present in Act 2.  The cobweb will look good against the all black set during Act 2. The fact that the house now has cobwebs emphasizes how it has not been kept us since the Youngers moved out many years ago.

Visual Elements:

 Lines: The lines on the set will be vertical and at a slight angle.


Mass: The set should feel extremely spacious.



Texture: The set will be comprised of many different textures of materials.


Color: The entire play will revolve around the use of the colors black and white.

Costume Design:

These are the clothing that will inspire the entire costume design of Act 1:



Bev and Betsy's costumes will be styled to show their elite social status and will be white to coinside with the all white set in Act 1.



This is my perception of how Karl Linder's outfit will look. The cigar prop adds character to him and makes him seem like more of a business man.



This will be the inspiration for Russ's costume. He has a very tailored outfit with a nice hat and tie.




These are the pictures that will be used to create the costumes for Act 2:



This outfit will inspire the costume for Kevin. It is clean cut and shows his upper-middle class status.



Lena's outfit will be somewhat like the one pictured above. It will be sleek and tight fitting, but also very business-like and respectable. She will look modern and very fashion forward.


A major prop I will use in Act 2 to establish that it is set in modern time, is the I-Phone. The characters will be talking on an I-Phone.

Lighting Design:

Lighting for Act 1:

The lighting for Act 1 is going to be extremely bright to emphasize the brightness of the all white set. The mood will be "happy go lucky" and the entire  theatre will feel like it's under a spotlight.

Lighting for Act 2

The lighting for Act 2 is going to be the complete opposite of the li ghting for Act 1. It will be dim and the mood will be melancholy.

Rhythm:
The light for Act 1 is going to slowly fade out, however the light for Act 2 is going to quickly go off.

Sound Design:

This song will play during Act 1 after the audience finds out about Kenneth's suicide.

This song will play in Act 1, as Francine and Albert drop the trunk down the stairs.

This song will play at the very end of Act 2 as Kenneth reappears and is writing his suicide note.

Dsc Presents: A Night with the Bard

Audience Experience:

I attended the Sunday performance and as always, there were not a lot of people. On the way to the show, I was kind of confused at how it was going to be because I never attended a performance at the Daytona State College theatre building. The play at the News Journal Center was one of the first plays I’ve actually seen that was performed by college students. The show began at 2:30pm and I arrived before 2:00pm. I did not like the fact that there were no signs or people to tell me where the performance was taking place. I ended up walking up to the actual theatre building and finding out that the doors were locked. Luckily, one of the maintenance men was riding around and informed me. There was a woman seated outside the auditorium and she told me that the theatre doors don't open until 2:00pm. She was kind of blunt so I decided to wait outside until the doors opened. The atmosphere was somewhat awkward because besides the performance area, the entire campus was empty. At first, I thought that maybe the performance was canceled. I felt kind of under dressed just because the ushers made the performance seem like it was very formal. I was expecting it to be more casual considering that it was a production performed by college students. As the people arrived, the mood was somewhat boring. No one was excited and most people entered the theatre silently. I suppose this is because Sunday is normally a rest day when people do errands and relax for the upcoming week. I think a lot of people were coming straight from church considering that it was in the middle of the day.  There were no cameras or cell phone use permitted inside the theatre and everyone was instructed to silence all of their electronic devices.  During the play, I was looking mainly to see if I knew any of the performers since I attend the same college as them. I enjoyed the performance because it was not just one specific play. I enjoy watching Shakespeare plays because they are usually very dramatic and have an underlying message. However, I find most of the productions of Shakespeare plays to be too drawn out and I tend to lose interest by the intermission. With so many different plays and monologues being performed,  I wasn’t bored with the same old story the entire performance. I was happy that they did perform the old classic, “Romeo and Juliet” because that is my favorite play by Shakespeare.  With only scenes being performed, the performance didn’t seem as long as past performances that I’ve watched. During the ride home, I spoke with my boyfriend that also attended the show about our experience. We agreed that we enjoyed seeing many different scenes from different plays over watching one entire play.  We also like the fact that the performers were students who attend our same college because it kind of makes us think that if we really want to, we can be in a play also.



Alternative Paths to Performance: Mime

Where did Mime come from?

Mime was first created to help people communicate with each other before language was developed.  When spoken language came about, mime simply changed from a form of communication to something used for entertainment purposes. Mime first became a prominent form of entertainment in Greece where mimes known as ethologues, would perform shows that taught life lessons. In Athens, mimes performed outdoors during the day time at events such as festivals in honor of Dionysus, the god of theater. There were also a more complex form of mime known as hypothesis, where each actor played multiple roles. During the Middle Ages,  the Commedia dell'Arte form of mime became popular in Italy. Commedia dell'Arte was when costumed performers would take on the streets with masks and show off their acrobatic talents. Today, mime can be divided into two different categories; literal and abstract. Literal mime deals with comedy and theater. Abstract mime deals with feelings, thoughts, and emotions.

How Would a Mime Performace Be?

When coming to see a mime peformace, there are many conventions that you should expect to see. First, the lighting at most mime shows is very dim and there is usually a spot light on the main characters. There will be limited props and the stage will be almost completely bare. The entire auditorium will be completely silent and there may be a few sound effects every now and then. The actors will not say anything and you will be expected to use your imagination to create a story.

In the photo above, a mime is pretending to sit on a chair. It takes a lot of muscle and focus to be able to stand at such an angle that the audience can use their own imagination to picture an actual chair.

In this photograph, a mime is performing on the street. Many mimes are street performers who make money by receiving tips.

The mime in this photograph is performing a popular act where mimes act like they are stuck in a box.

In this video, the woman shows how to mime. She shows each step necessary to be a mime climbing up a ladder. Notice the musical effects that add to the imagery.

This form of mime in the video above is extremely interesting because it combines spiritual dance with mime. I think that this is an excellent exampleof how mime evokes feelings without the actors even having to speak.

Interesting Facts!!!!:

• Christianity actually banned mime because they viewed it as indecent.
• The word "mime" means imitation of life

Works Cited:

Felner, Mira, and Claudia Orenstein. "5." The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, 2006. Print.

"The History of Mime." 301 Moved Permanently. Web. 04 Mar. 2012. http://members.tripod.com/~kiko_mime/history.html.


"Click Here To Play: Mime - The World's Worst Art Form." Mime. Web. 07 Mar. 2012. http://www.funtrivia.com/en/subtopics/Mime---The-Worlds-Worst-Art-Form-97882.html.


"Mime Artists." Mime Artist I Mime Shows I Mime Acts I Mime Workshops. Web. 08 Mar. 2012. <http://www.mimethegap.com/acts_french_mime.htm>.

Indian Shadow Puppetry

Indian Shadow Puppetry

What is it?

Indian Shadow Puppetry is conducted by taking a tightly stretched cloth with a light behind it and using figurines to portray pictures. Most shadow puppets are very simple and can be made of animal skin or sometimes leather .Some have limbs to allow the characters to come to life and move around more freely. Not much time is used to add extra details to the puppets because the audience will only be able to see their shadow anyways. The operators of the puppets use either bamboo or cane sticks connected to the puppets to operate them.

How would it be to see a performance?

When going to view a shadow puppet show, one can expect there to be a small amount of light in the room. There can not be much light because the shadows of the puppets need to stand out. You will not be able to see the puppet operators because they will be behind the cloth.  Most shadow puppet shows  include characters that are animals and are stories that have morals.

In the above photograph, a little boy is conducting a shadow puppet show. Since shadow puppets are very simple, almost anyone can create a show.

The photograph above shows leather shadow puppets. In Andhra Pradesh, this form of shadow puppetry is called Tholu Bommalata, which means "dance of leather puppets".

This video is about a young brown haired boy named Adash. He is the smallest boy in his village and no one ever gives him any attention. The other boys run around the town and he follows them. There is a princess in the story and her magic book is missing. None of the other boys knew where her book could be. Adash was small enough to follow the Princess's uncle and see that he in fact had her magic book. Adash retrieves the magic book and the town praises him.

Interesting Facts!!!!

• Early puppet shows were mostly about the histories of kings and heroes.
• Every year during a temple festival in Kerala, India, shadow puppet shows are a temple ritual

Works Cited



"PAVAI." Indian Puppetry. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. http://www.puppetryindia.org/.

Iedesign. "IE's Shadow Puppet Film for World Vision Education UK (www.iedesign.co.uk)." YouTube. YouTube, 25 Jan. 2009. Web. 22 Feb. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cwY2ovk8_I>.


"PAVAI." Andhra. Web. 20 Feb. 2012. http://www.puppetryindia.org/page2/page8/page8.html.


Felner, Mira, and Claudia Orenstein. "5." The World of Theatre: Tradition and Innovation. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon, 2006. Print.


.

.