I must inquire, sirs and madams, as to what purpose you have in wishing to explore my identity. In truth, it is my son, Jack Absolute, who is at present deserving of attention. He will be marrying soon. A lovely girl she is, lovely! I picked her out myself, you know? Or, at least, I think I did. The particulars of that whole affair still get a bit mixed up in my head, so I find it best not to worry over it too long. So no matter! Jack is safe in his position in society now, and will surely continue to succeed splendidly. There's not much more to it than that. As for myself, I'm sure I'll find something to keep me busy. It's all in the best interests of Jack, of course. I can't help if things get a little out of hand at times; love will do that to you. I remember when I was his age and... Ah, well, I mustn't get into that.
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After watching a production of The Rivals, by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, I don't think that it could be produced in many contemporary settings. The basis for the play's humor is in the underhanded critique of the workings of the English upper class. I suppose that you could translate this into any upper class setting, but I think it would lose some of the context that allows the humor to function. I did think that the staging and the way actors would directly address the audience at various points in the production were fascinating and definitely worth exploring for future use. The staging gave scenes depth, and emphasized the audience looking in on these events, rather than them just happening in front of them. The way the actors address the audience does a similar thing, and allows for further personal engagement, like they are sharing a private joke.
Last Friday, our theater class was lucky enough to host professional actor and director Joe Bostick. We spent about an hour and a half practicing various stage combat techniques, before combining them into a sequence we performed in partner groups for the class. In addition to learning a completely new skill, I was able to work with people I wouldn't normally, as our two theater classes combined for the workshop. It was much harder physical work than I had anticipated, and I gained a greater appreciation for the art form. While presenting my work with my partner, I ended up hitting my head pretty hard on the floor, which was a ~slightly painful~ reminder that acting, especially stunts, require an intense awareness of your body and surroundings. However, I'm very glad I was able to try stage combat, because it's not likely something I would ever seek out otherwise. By exploring theater from a different angle, I can better understand the parts I do help with.
Over the course of the film, we got to see a multitude of examples of historical English theater. The film begins with a theater system that excluded women from acting, even in female roles. I found this to be especially interesting in that women were still portrayed as possessing considerable power in the film, as is the case with Charles II's mistress Nell Gwynn. We were also able to see several performance spaces, of varying shapes and sizes. The main theater, where the central theater company performs, is very rectangular and seems to stray from the more classical arched auditorium. This, combined with the realism seen in the final version of the death scene, seem to be elements of modernist theater that could have developed during this time period.
Theater had been outlawed for the period of time that Oliver Cromwell's Protectorate led the nation, but despite it's renewal under Charles II, we saw several instances of Charles exerting royal authority over the art form. As a result of Charles' decree that female roles must be played by women, Ned Kynaston loses control of his life. I find the role that royal power had over the art world to be very interesting. |
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February 2017
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