Ruined Production By Glenn Luty

            When approaching Lynn Nottage’s play ruined I envision a war torn and worn out environment. This environment is conducive to the conflict within our main character Mama, who is fighting for her right to remain a feeling human being. Through the use of specific set design we can visually see the torment of the war on the inhabitants of the country, and the utter decay of everyone and everything. However, through the use of specific vivid colors in lighting, specific costumes, and even props the lingering of hope will be subtly kept alive.

            The play Ruined is a very personal piece and being a personal piece I feel strongly that it should be produced and have its run in a smaller theatre. A more intimate setting will give the audience a very deep and meaningful shared experience. I almost want the audience members to feel like they are actually sitting in that bar, that they are on the other side of that back room while these heartfelt conversations are going on, while these horrible conflicts take place.

In researching a perfect space for this, I’d like to put this production on at the PSI theatre in Durham, NC. This space is ideal because it’s got the versatility to house up to 200 seats but is also ground level to add that “in the scene” feel to the audience. I feel North Carolina is also a great place to perform this play because there is a racial tension in that community that may be changed if people saw something outside themselves, and that there are “real” issues besides someone’s color or social status. My target audience is anyone with eyes and ears really.

Given the space I’ve chosen scenic design will be tough because everything must be functional given there are two rooms that must be present. I think the bar and back room must be one set divided by a back wall behind the actual bar. I think the whole feel of the bar space has got to be mismatched worn furniture, maybe some mismatched chairs at the tables. The bar stools could have holes in their padding. I think a broken neon beer sign, and just a real cheap worn feel to the bar. The walls have wear in them, Christmas lights strewn against the far wall where there’s a small box with a karaoke machine on it (this is where Sophie will sing). There could also be some old torn signage for Fanta or cigarettes hanging on the back wall as well. The diamond would have to be an LED fed piece of plastic that way it shines like crazy for all to see whenever its out. It’s gotta glow.

The costuming is crucial to this piece given the whole “brothel” aspect, but also to the rebel/soldier difference. Mama should wear some old dresses with worn blue prints, a head dress of some sort glasses. This would give her that kind of motherly wise look, I believe the actresses attitude will bring the life to Mama though. The girls for the most part are going to wear early 90’s mini skirts, and one piece skirts that don’t fit them very well, either too tight or loose. Sophie’s clothes should be gold, or bright turquoise, you always can spot her on stage. In the scenes when they are in the back, I feel droll brown cotton clothes could be worn in their down time. The soldiers would wear old green uniforms like those of the old army. The rebels would wear all different types of clothes just unified by a red bandana. Christians clothes are explained in the text. Mr. Harari’s clothes will always be in a neon green or bright orange, contemporary suits that are well kept. We want Harari’s clothes to stick out because he’s Josephine’s hope.

 

The lighting in the bar has too be bright where Sophie’s singing and dimmer where all other action is taking place. The lights should appear as general 70 watt bulbs, but over in “Sophie’s” area they have to be brighter. I would do this because Sophie is the bright spot in the darkness really.  I’d also like track lighting for when there’s a scene just between two people such as Christian and Mama, or Sophie and Mama. Cue the lights down in the background and just make it seem like they are the only two people in the world having these important discussions, especially during the dance portion at the end. The back room should be lit by a single light bulb (or make it seem like one) dangling in the middle of the room. This would give it a gloomy feel. In the background behind the set would be lit for day and night and also flashing for the scenes when it’s raining.

Finally we come to the sound design of this play, this is very important because it shapes the reality of the situation. Sounds of the different vehicles need to be heard. We need to hear the sounds of distant to near battles. There are scenes when rain is needed so that needs to be heard. There are moments when the radio is on, so you’ve got to have that music, which would be African pop filtered through a radio effect. Sophie’s songs would be sung through a karaoke machine, I don’t feel as though there would be any kind of real musicians at Mama’s, and I don’t think Mama would invest in an expensive set up, for all we know she may not have had a singing girl before Sophie.

Those are just some ideas for my production of Ruined, thanks for your time and a fun class.

My Dearly Departed Experience!!

            Entering the Gillespy theatre I really had no idea what the play I was about to view would be about. I had been to the New Journal Center (i.e. the death of the actual News Journal) twice before. I had never actually been there to view a performance though. You see I had been there for meet and greet conference type things. But once I entered I noticed it was another “in the round” situation just like Anna in the Tropics.

            Since I had arrived early enough I was able to snag a seat that was 3^rd row and center facing the front of the stage. Once I sat down I realized this was a much bigger space than the previous play I had seen. For one thing the stage was an actually raised stage and there was a definite division of backstage and the performance area. Performers could leave and enter from either stage right or left (interesting enough they seemed to enter mostly from the theater entrances from my right and left).

            The backdrop of the stage had different product labels dangling like mobiles. You saw various products that are closely related to a southern way of life. NASCAR, SEE ROCK CITY, Jack Daniels, Moon Pie, Grits etc, could be seen as a character shaping the scene. Also, numerous country songs were blaring out of the p.a. speakers setting the tone, they were mostly playful and “redneck”, the same types of songs were used briefly during the play as a cue the current scene had ended.

            Throughout the play different props were used to set the scene very minimally. Chairs, small tables, a couch, and a door were pretty much all of the props used except for food but I’ll get to that later.

            The play was about a southern family’s coming to terms with the death of the central family’s father/husband Bud. This death occurs at the breakfast table at the very beginning of the family. Raynelle is patriarch of the family with her children Ray-Bud, Junior, and Delightful. Raynelle has a sister Marguerite who is a very religious and strict mother of a lay-a-bout son Royce. Marguerite tends to be right to the point and almost high strung throughout the play. Royce is lazy but actually has a real sense of clarity about life.

            The main story has to do with Ray-Bud and his feelings of responsibility for everybody. He feels like he has to assume control over everything or else things will fall apart and he really despises it. He is married to Lucille who turns out to be his clarity in life, a real sedative to his inner turmoil. His brother Junior is useless in that he is just a dreamer and nothing more. Junior’s relationship with his wife Suzanne and their kids is dysfunctional to say the least. Delightful is an interesting character who turns out to be a great comic relief throughout the play, and food is an extension of her character.

            Throughout the story there are parts where each main character is working their way through Bud’s death and how they actually feel about it. These therapy sessions are worked through with minor characters except for Ray-Bud’s final one with his mother. The resolution really comes when after everything falls apart at the funeral (Pastor diarrhea, Junior and Suzanne making out) and Ray-Bud finally realizes how silly he’s been acting and what is really important.

            This play had excellent execution and comedic performance. I felt engrossed in it and laughed almost continuously at these very lovable and crazy characters. My wife actually snorted at one point when Delightful was eating cheese whiz and put a little to much in her mouth and couldn’t swallow it. Moments like that really kept the light hearted vibe really going throughout the play. I have recommended this play to my friends and I hope they go and check it out!

Anna in the Tropics.....Experience

            When entering the J.M. Goddard Theatre I kind of had an inkling of what to expect from the room itself, I believe I saw a play many years ago there. The large room was set up into three sections of seating. The three separate sitting bleachers were laid out in an almost crescent shape with 10 foot gaps between them giving the audience right, frontal, and left stage views (I sat on the right stage side). The seats weren’t the most comfortable things, plush but warn faux velvet collapsing theatre seats with some pattern on them.

            I noticed the lights all above and the sound/lighting booth in the wall to my right. As I sat down I surveyed the audience from the right to left and I saw all walks of life. I saw different ethnicities, and ages all around. I also noticed a couple that brought a 3 year old and an infant sitting in the bleachers parallel to me. Everyone seemed in good spirits, girlfriends whispering to boyfriends, or girlfriends to girlfriends the atmosphere felt light.

            Once I was able to take in the audience and the general layout I looked at the set and stage. Set up like an old cigar factory with all the wood finished to look like it had been used for a long time. A raised platform that ran along a huge wall with four archways made up the main backdrop. To the right side of the platform a little balcony with a wooden chair jutted out over the main stage area. This really had me curious as to what its purpose was, but I’ll mention that later. The main floor of the stage area was either empty or fitted with cigar desks and crates for the actors to sit at. On top of each cigar desk was fake tobacco and half and whole cigars.

            Once the lights went down the audience immediately became quiet. A crackling of old time Spanish music filled the air and the play began. Because there were two scenes going on at once, the first being between Santiago and his step brother Cheche, and the second with all the female characters Ofelia, Conchita, and Marela waiting for the new lecter Juan Julian, I noticed they used different lighting techniques to set the scenes back and forth. In the brothers they used a darker more nighttime combination, and the women got full lighting for a more optimistic scene.

            Throughout the first 30 minutes the audience was a distraction. First the baby cried, then at the 20 minute mark 10 people came in late very loudly, and finally the door woman’s phone started to ring despite everyone being told to quiet their phones. Luckily none of this fazed the actors or the audience really. The actors performances were strong enough to drag us back in. Throughout the performance we laughed as a unit at all the places where the jokes were put, and we also clapped in the appropriate times, like when the lights would go out after each scene. I definitely would say we were in a community on this night.

           

The Vaudville Formula

       Vaudeville, in it’s most basic elements describes an “American variety show”. Now I could wax on about the “earliest” forms of vaudeville but I think I’ll just start off talking about the man considered the “father of American Vaudeville”.  Benjamin Franklin Keith was a pioneer in the of Vaudeville due to his vision of what entertainment should be, who it should cater to, and what the environment should be to present such acts.

            A former barker from different stints with circuses, Keith resigned himself to opening a “museum” in Boston to which different entertainment acts would perform, the most prominent of which was an act called “Baby Alice the Midget Wonder”. After being very successful Keith came up with the funds to construct the Bijou Theatre. This amazing theatre was a clean and fireproof place for Keith’s acts to perform.

            After procuring the theatre Keith began to book many acts, all of which would have to meet specific guidelines for decency. These acts varied from comedians, solo musicians, comedy duos, and magicians. Keith was very concerned with making sure that the acts flowed well together and also were willing to perform multiple times per day instead of the once or twice a day most performers were accustomed to.

This formula was successful because it appealed to all demographics and really proved successful. So successful in fact Keith began to solicit “legitimate” theater to be involved with his variety shows. This was ground breaking because now the general public could be exposed to the formal and dramatic form.

            After Keith’s success many promoters followed his booking structure and policies and with it came many tours and money was made. This type of Vaudeville proved so successful that a lot of theme parks adopted the craft into their attractions. DisneyLand, Knotts Berry Farms, and many others made the “variety” show a staple as part of their allure. Steve Martin actually got his start doing Vaudeville type shows at Knotts Berry Farms in a comedy musical troop.

Benjamin Franklin Keith

           

Steve Martin

Boston Bijou Theater

                                              Works Cited:
                                       The World of Theatre
                                               Vaudeville!
                                 History of the Musical Vaudeville
                                        Boston Opera House

All These Puppets!

            In the history of theatre there have been many different styles of performance that have evolved. From early Indian theatre all the way to modern day western culture, puppets have been a staple of story telling and entertainment for centuries. The amazing thing is puppets have been used almost universally around the world. Puppetry and puppets themselves have also evolved almost as diversely as the cultures that have used them. It can be argued that the people of India were the first to use puppets or even the ancient Greeks; the truth is no one really knows. However, in ancient Sanskrit (dated 4,000 years ago) the narrator is called Sutradhar which is translated to “holder of the strings” which would be likened to a puppeteer.

Puppetry is the art of animating an inanimate object or manipulating puppets. In any puppet performance it is generally understood that a story will be told and characters will be involved, the characters being the puppets. Now if the puppet requires speech (which is not required) either the puppeteer(s) or a narrator will perform the parts usually. Last but not certainly least a puppet must be created.

Even though the definition is general most puppets resemble people and animals. A puppet can be made from any material from toilet tissue, leather, various metals, to even rocks. These creations can be of any size and shape;in fact the world’s largest puppet is 49ft 11inches and is a marionette. There are no set rules to making puppets or the manner in which the puppeteer operates it.  

When attending a puppet performance, there are no set rules because it is all up to what the performance is about and where the performance is held. For instance, if you were to see a reenactment of “Death of a Salesman” performed by marionettes at the New Amsterdam Theater, you would behave just as you would at any serious Broadway play, clapping where it’s appropriate and quiet while the performance is going on. But if you went to see “A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream” at a Shakespeare festival outdoors with hand puppets, you are more likely to be relaxed and find it okay to jeer and react with the performance. Your behavior and the setting is all up to the party putting the play on. However not all puppet performances are put on for entertainment, in India and most Asian countries a puppet show is a useful tool to teach spiritual and life lessons to both old and young.

           

Ancient Puppets of Indian Tradition

Lion King: Puppets can reach enormous heights

Works Cited:

The World of Theatre by Mira Felner

History of Puppets

Puppet Snow

Sage Craft