Presentation by a Student From Bangladesh

On November 13, 2012 we had an exchange student from Bangladesh come into our theatre class to talk give a presentation about his native country. This was especially interesting because our class is INTERNATIONAL Baccalaureate, so it is important to be exposed to other cultures. His presentation was fascinating and informative. He told us about the famous authors in Bangladesh. Rabindranah Tagore is their equivalent of William Shakespeare and students there study him a lot. Nazrul Islam wrote about political independence. Humayan Ahmed is similar to Tim O'Brien in that he does simple writing. Finally, Michael Dutta was a famous 1800s writer. All of these authors have written plays. In Bangladesh, the plays are usually very long. I found ti especially interesting that the student told us that students in Bangladesh also study Shakespeare in school. Also, we learned that all of the movies are musicals, similar to Bollywood movies in India. Lastly, we asked the student why he came to America, and he said he wanted to learn more about the world. I found this extremely interesting because that is the whole philosophy surrounding IB, and our theatre class aims to learn about theatre with global ramifications.

Universal Themes

Last night, I was watching The Lord of the Rings: Return of the King, one of my favorite movies of all time! In the movie, Gandalf and Merry go to Minas Tirith. During their time there, they interact with Lord Denethor, the Steward of Gondor. He is extremely depressed because his favorite son Boromir has died, while Feramir is still alive. He admits to wishing that the his sons' places were switched, so that Boromir were still alive, while Feramir would be dead. This sad situation reminded me of the relationship of the mother with the bridegroom in "Blood Wedding" by Federico Garcia Lorca. The mother obsessively laments the deaths of her husband and son, so that it almost seems as if she would rather the bridegroom be dead, as opposed to her other son. Her preference is not as blatant as Lord Denethor's, but it certainly expounds upon the idea of universal themes, and shows how theatre is no exception.
http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/boromir

Epiphanies in the Shower!

I have found that showers are the best places for epiphanies!! I've been working out some ideas for writing my play, and the other night in the shower, I came up with an idea for the premise of my play! It will be about a girl of about 16, named Elizabeth, who lives in a city with her mother during WWII (or some war). Her father is off at the war. Her mother is a skilled nurse, so sick people often come to their house. One night a man comes to their place with a mysterious illness. Several days later, the Elizabeth's mother falls ill as well. Lissie tries to nurse her mother to the best of her ability, but unfortunately, she fails. She tries to send word to her father at the front, but soon receives the news that her father is missing in action. She is sent off to an orphanage, where various trials and tribulations ensue. She must work in a way she never has before, and it is very difficult for her to adjust to her new life. However, she is persevering, and she is able to escape the orphanage and become a governess, for she always loved school and teaching. She stays with a family that lives in a large estate in the countryside, and the family soon begins to take in wounded soldiers. After Elizabeth has been with the family for several months, a man arrives from the front who was wounded and consequently had amnesia. However, he is beginning to regain it upon his arrival at the convalescent home. Can you guess who it is? You got it! It's Elizabeth's father who had gone missing!! Cue a joyous family reunion! :) Now comes the hard part...actually writing the script!

Writing a Play

Mrs. Burke recently told us to start thinking about our TPPP and IPPs, and it made think of how I would really love for our class to perform a play together. I am going to try to write one myself, although I am finding it difficult right now to think of what it should be about. Stupid writer's block. However, I think I want to name the play "Messages Through the Moon" and make it something about two people are separated, so they must rely on sending each other messages through the moon so that they don't feel all alone. My goal is to finish the play by the end of Christmas break. All right ideas, start coming to me!!!!

Henry V Monologue

On November 15, 2012 I performed the chorus monologue from Act IV of Henry V by William Shakespeare. It was a great experience for showing me the reality of live theatre.

I chose to stage this prologue in the Performing Arts Center, an example of a proscenium theatre, because the chorus tries to convey to the audience that they must use their imaginations to see the scene. Therefore, while they may be watching this play in a nice, luxurious theatre, they need to transport themselves to the dismal setting of the war. This also gives more responsibility to the chorus, for they must be convincing in their portrayal of the scene if they want the audience to understand. Also, I imagine the chorus as serving to simply "set the stage" for the scene. Therefore, they would stand at the front of the stage, with a spotlight on them. They would act within the prologue using gestures and movement, but they would stay mostly stationary in the center of the front of the stage. A proscenium means in front of the scenery, hence the PAC would be fitting because standing on the front of the stage, the chorus could convey that idea of being a separate story-teller, with the action occurring behind them, among the scenery. Meanwhile, the setting would be set up behind them, so that they could gesture to the events taking place behind them.

            I also think it is important to note my costume choice, for that also pertains to my choice for setting. I chose to be a woman from Shakespeare's time period because the play mostly centers around men, so I feel as if the audience would need a reprieve in the form of a woman at least a little in the play. I chose her to wear this traditional Shakespearean-era dress because it shows her high class, and I feel as if the chorus woman would be chiding the men for their war-like ways. She could also be more dramatic about the peril of the situation. It also emphasizes the fact that she is a detached observer from the events of the play, hence her position at the front of the stage in a proscenium theatre.

As for the actual recitation of the chorus, I had practiced it so many times by myself that I thought I had the memorization down with no problem. However, when I got onstage, it seemed as if all of the words flew out of my mind. I had to take three extremely long pauses where I tried to remember the next lines and then look down at my paper for help. I had never felt so disappointed about a theatrical performance. Usually, I don't have problems with memorization, so this was incredibly frustrating. I know that this happens sometimes in live theatre, but I couldn't help getting mad at myself about it. Despite my problems with forgetting lines, I thought my acting was actually pretty good. I tried to be very theatrical, as well as project my voice well. Also, I knew there was extra pressure because I went first, so I tried not to let it get to me too much. After my performance, we went to see Frida in the Arts Courtyard. She recited the Act III prologue, and stood above us to portray the idea that she was standing on a ship. She looked almost like a masthead. Also, Frida wore a really cool mask, and I thought it was really effective in disguising her identity, so she could reuse that character later in the play. Frida also struggled with the memorization of her script, and I felt really bad because now I knew how difficult it was. However, I really admired her because her native language is Swedish, yet she was trying to memorize something in English. It actually related to another part of Henry V because I imagine it would be difficult for the actors of the French to memorize lines in French if it wasn't their native language. The last person to do their monologue that day was Katherine. She did the prologue before Act I on the windowsill by the stairs. She did an exceptional job with her memorization because she didn't forget a single line. She was very theatrical as well, and she took the chorus member to be a drinker and a smoker. It was amusing, but going in that direction an actor would need to be aware of the fact that it could offend people. Personally, my grandfather died because of his alcoholism, so I don't find it something to be taken lightly. Therefore, I found the performance to be somewhat off-putting, and I imagine it would taint my view of the play as a whole. However, Frida pointed out that in Europe, drinking isn't a big deal, so audiences there might not be as offended. Overall, I thought everyone did an exceptional job with their monologues, and I wish I had been there to see Aishwarya, Gwen, and Sam perform. I think presenting the monologues was a good lesson in learning what it is like to experience live theatre, as well as the joys and disappointments that accompany it.

Florida Trip

Over Thanksgiving break (November 16-24) I went to Florida for vacation, where I noticed some relations to theatre. On Saturday November 17, I went to a football game at University of Florida. My dad and I were able to get seats in a box with his college friend, Mike Rywant. I took a million pictures while we were there, and I noticed that the view from the box showed the stadium looking similar to an ampitheatre. I was reminded of the time we went to our football stadium during class one time to simulate an ampitheatre. Here is a picture of my view:

Then, on Sunday November 18, I walked around campus with my dad. I am looking at possibly attending University of Florida for college, so it was an awesome experience! And of course, I had to take a picture when I saw the theatre building. If I went to school there, maybe I would take some classess in the theatre building:

Also, at the end of our tour, I was stopped in my tracks when I saw an ampitheatre!!! I told my dad we just had to stop and take a picture for my theatre class because it looked like an ampitheatre, and he told me it was. This would be a great place for an impromptu play, and I bet the theatre students use it often. It was really pretty, and I would love coming to this spot if I go to school here!

PPP Reflection

We also compiled a Practical Performance Proposal (PPP), which is a 250 word pitch about what you would do with a stiumli. Then, you write a 1000-1500 word explanation explaining your choices using research. My stimuli was the Hagia Sophia, and I wrote about performing a play in the dome of the building. We all shared our ideas with the class, and I completed this reflection about the experience of writing/learning about other people's PPPs.

I thought hearing about everyone's PPP's was fascinating! The PPP was really fun to write because it displayed my creativity. I could write about anything I wanted, so that made me more interested and enthusiastic about the paper. I thought I had a pretty creative idea for my PPP, and then when I heard everyone else talk about theirs I got even more inspiration. The most interesting lesson about hearing everyone else's ideas was the difference between them all, yet the similarities as well. That just goes to show we can all use our PPP's to demonstrate our unique creativity. The only other person's PPP who I found about in detail was Frida's, and I thought her idea was brilliant. She planned to perform "Jesus Christ Superstar" in the Hagia Sophia. I thought this was interesting because we both chose the same stimuli but had totally different ideas as to what to do with it. However, our ideas were similar in that we both incorporated the research about the cultural elements of the Hagia Sophia. Frida discussed the fact that she would be performing a Christian play in a Muslim place of worship, using a homosexual actor. I found her tying together of all of these different cultures very interesting and creative. In mine I also incorporated the history of the Hagia Sophia in being transformed from an Eastern Orthodox Church into a Muslim mosque. I briefly learned about everyone else's PPP's and I thought it was cool that a couple people would perform already written plays, while other people would perform plays that they had actually come up with by themselves. I like the idea of writing your own play better, but I think both are creative and effective. I look forward to writing more PPP's in the future, and changing my perspective each time!

RI reflection

So for Theatre HL, we have to write a 2000-2500 word research paper about a theatre practice and how it pertains to an aspect of a play. I wrote about how actors protraying Mother Courage and Swiss Cheese would convey Brecht's idea that theatre should appeal to reason, not feelings. I have written my rough draft so far, and since it was our first RI, Mrs. Burke had us reflect:

The first RI was certainly a learning experience. I'm not accustomed to research of this magnitude, or even writing regular essays of this length, so it was definitely a struggle. Although, in the scope of IB, having to write a 2000 word research paper will certainly prove a helpful practice for our extended essay. However, it was not just the superficial word count that proved difficult. Finding good research was a certainly a challenge, making it even harder to create a thesis because I wasn't sure if my ideas would have enough research to back them up. Organization of my essay also proved to be another challenge. I wasn't sure how to space out my summary of the play, and then it felt awkward not to start talking about what I would actually do with the play until a couple pages into my paper. Although these challenges were sometimes incredibly frustrating, I know they helped me to learn something totally new in writing this research paper. Another rewarding challenge was the actual topic of my RI. I chose to research Brecht's Epic Theatre, which I discovered I didn't really like. It made me uncomfortable to envision that type of theatre. However, it was good because I know I need to expand my horizons to learn about new theatre practices. In that aspect, Epic Theatre was a good topic to choose if only to challenge myself. Yet, in the future I will probably try to pick a different topic that I can find more information about and that I will be more interested in. Despite its challenges, I'd say this first RI was a success in that it taught me a lot. What's life without some learning experiences? ;)

Reflection

As this is the end of my first marking period in IB Theatre HL I, I thought it would be appropriate for a reflection on what I've learned/ experienced so far. WOW! What a fantastic learning experience taking this class has proved to be! I've already learned so much about theatre practices I didn't even know existsed! Theatre of cruelty and epic theatre have taken me to all new realms of possibility, but they have also taught me that appreciating theatre does not mean that you have to like anything. I am certainly not a fan of either epic theatre or theatre of cruelyt because I don't like how they pick at the sub-conscious. However, just because I don't like them doesn't mean I shouldn't learn about them, hence my RI on epic theatre. I have also been incredibly forutnate this marking period to experience theatre performances!! We had a fabulous trip into the theatre world at Penn State, showing me how versatile theatre studies can prove to be. I look forward to learning even more theatre practices, as well as trying to go experienc etheatre around me even more. I know this will be integral to my evolving studies throughout this course. I <3 THEATRE! :)

Henry V Act 1 Scene 2

Mrs. Burke asked us to answer the following questions from Act 1 Scene 2 of Henry V by William Shakespeare.
1.What are the specifics of the Law of Salique?
         The Law of Salique is the law that declares that the French throne cannot be inherited through women, so if the king's daughter has a son, that son may not be king. The French enacted this lawbecause they are trying to take away Henry's right through his great-grandmother.
2. Who sent the tennis balls to Henry?
          The Dauphin of France
3. Why were they sent? What do they mean/represent?
           They were sent to demonstrate his superiority over Henry's childish behavior. Also, he sent them as a symbol of war. He was putting the ball in Henry's court, so that it would be Henry's decision of whether the two countries would go to war or not. Also, going along with the tennis theme, Katherine pointed out that love means zero, so Dauphin starts the score at love-love, but Henry's decision to declare war destroys the "love."
4. What is Henry's decision at the end of this act?
          As I talked about in the previous questio, Henry decides to prepare for war with France because he feels offended by Dauphin's actions and he wants to prove his right to the French thrown.

"Achilles in Vietnam"

For English class, we have had to read several excerpts of "Achilles in Vietnam" by Johnathan Shay. You can probably tell by the title that I found it related to our research about "The Trojan Women." At one point in the book, Shay talks about Achilles dragging Hector around, and I immediately knew what he was talking about because of the research we did about the battle of Troy, as well as the part in the play when Talthybius converses with Hecuba and Andromache about the event. The story that Shay related his veterans' experiences to was that of Achilles and Agamemnon, and I was proud of myself when I kenw the back story about them. I am starting to see theatre everywhere!

Henry V Act 1 Scene 1

On October 25, 2012 Mrs. Burke asked us to answer these questions about Act 1 Scene 1 of Henry V by William Shakespeare.
1. What type of man is Henry now?
         Henry is now much smarter and more responsible. He has basically reformed since his father's death for he used to hang around with no-good commoners, but once his father died he completely changed. He now takes responsibility for the kingdom and has earned the respect of many, including Ely and Canterbury.
2. What is Henry really good at doing?
         Henry is really good at fighting! He is known for his battle prowess, hence his interest invading France, for he believes he could be successful and earn his right to the French crown.
3. What is the "bill" they are talking about?
        The bill that Ely and Canterbury are talking about is one that would give the government the ability to take away much of the church's land and money. This money would then be used to finance the army, the poor, and the king's treasury. Obviously, these church officials don't want that to happen, so they are trying to distract Henry because it is supposed to be presented to him soon.

Fun

IT WOULD BE SOOOO FUN TO HAVE A PLAY IN THIS WEATHER!!!!!!!!

Election

On October 23, 2012 we were talking about the presidential election during theatre class, and several things we discussed certainly related to theatre. First of all, the presidential debates require the candidates to have exceptional presentaiton skills, which actors must have as well. Essentially, politicians are actors. They must be convincing in their character if they want people to believe in them, just as actors must step into the role of their character if people are to enjoy and understand the play.

Sandy

Hurricane Sandy is causing quite a buzz, and now everything makes me think about theatre, so Sandy is no exception. All the chaos and worry about the storm makes me think of how chaotic it would have been for the Trojan Women as they await the outcome of the "storm." Also, all the preparations that government officials have taken makes me think of what Henry V would have done as king. It would be his responsibility to protect his country's people, so he would have to take the same sort of precautions if the storm came to his country. All of the frantic worry about the storm could also relate to the worry of the people of England about what will happen, which could be very interesting to depict in a play.

Explanation

As an explanation for my previous post, the other night I was sitting in my room reading a book for English when I heard a popping noise coming from outside. As I listened more carefully, I heard more noises that sounded like gunshots. The sound was frightening, and made me think of how the sound of fighting would be frightening for the Trojan Women as well. Hearing the gun shots, I thought" They are coming!" to myself, which reminded me of the scene in the Lord of the Rings when the Fellowship has gone into the Mines of Moria, and Gandalf says "They are coming!" It was very dramatic, and would be a perfect scene for "Trojan Women."


 http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&biw=1920&bih=901&tbm=isch&tbnid=Dqhkukc5DZQhvM:&imgrefurl=http://munchanka.blogspot.com/2008_11_01_archive.html&docid=aYg8eABfDCZYiM&imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKYwLBxMLOtA5-j0fKyErJUGRqdGbgxkRnfhlqK1b8C8HeN66SFG5SoRptEfQEkRKOIRGBUXe_dKasnfOfTc51i64ZuSHS8jmcBeVPsQgnDSWKdoFtvlZPkl8NPEgvE7TDCF7_sAG5hZA/s320/gandalfscared.jpg&w=320&h=270&ei=v2-NUO2jA4nu0gGiyoDQCQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=401&vpy=178&dur=46&hovh=206&hovw=244&tx=157&ty=136&sig=113447367776737826098&page=1&tbnh=139&tbnw=168&start=0&ndsp=44&ved=1t:429,r:16,s:20,i:182

They're coming..

I just heard gunshots outside my window...They are coming for me...

Taliban Event Reminds Me of "Trojan Women"

Theatre in the World:
First, the recent Taliban shooting of the young girl who stood up for herself reminded me of Cassandra in the Trojan Women because she was not afraid to speak her mind and express her anger. She would not take the abuse of the Greek men just because they had won the battle, just as this young girl refused to accept the Taliban's domination of her home. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-202_162-57532473/pakistani-girl-shot-by-taliban-lands-in-u.k/
It also reminded me of the Greeks killing Astyanax because it was a senseless murder, just as this shooting was a senseless murder attempt.

Dreaming about Theatre?

Last night, I had a dream, which of course I can't remember. All I remember is shouting "NO!" I woke myself up from ym dream when I did this because in my dream I realized that I had accidentally said it aloud, but then I went back to just talking in my head. My mom even told me about in the morning because she heard me and thought something was wrong. It made me think of theatre because sometimes the actors may not have lines they're supposed to say aloud, but something comes out anyway. Also, the Trojan Women probably had nightmares in which they shouted no to their situation as well.

Romney and Trojan Women?

I was perusing my new favorite site, Pinterest, when I came across this meme today. It made me think of the Trojan Women because they weren't given any rights: because their men lost the war, they would now be forced to be slaves to the Greeks.
http://pinterest.com/pin/239253798925163921/

Trojan Women in Harry Potter

I'm currently re-reading the first Harry Potter book because of course, it is AMAZING!!!!! <3 But it made me think of how in the Trojan Women, Talthybius brings Andromache the body of her dead son. It seemed unusual, for them to bring back the body of the boy they murdered, but I think Talthybius felt bad and wanted to show his respect. This reminded me of the part in the 7th Harry Potter book when Dobby dies and Griphook tells Harry that he is an unusual wizard, and Harry asks why. He says: "Because you dug the grave." It shows that Harry wanted to show his respect for Dobby and his sacrifice, just as Talthybius wanted to show his respect for Andromache and her son.

Picture: http://pinterest.com/pin/107945722289471097/

Attack of Birds in Theatre Class

Today in theatre class, I glanced out the window to see a flock of black birds flying towards me, which immediately made me think of "The Fellowship of the Ring" movie, in which Sauroman sends out spies that appear in a swarm of black birds. This is a very ominous scene, so I was thinking how directors could use something swarming or swooping toward the audience to convey something scary.

"Merchant of Venice" in History Textbook

Yesterday, October 14, 2012, I was doing a practice PSAT test in which one of the critical reading questions talked about directing Al Pacino in "The Merchant of Venice." When I think of Al
Pacino, I think of gangsters, so it made me envision an adaptation of "Mercahnt of Venice" where the main characters have that gangster undertone.
http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1920&bih=901&tbm=isch&tbnid=b1Py22OJ5_sY-M:&imgrefurl=http://theatreexplorer.blogspot.com/2011_05_01_archive.html&docid=3QZzeqY1a-VirM&imgurl=https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4VfvU9J311iKKOL2Zp_6FPJZNMrS6TjXUypkzrIHdig86ycfTAiJQLPyt7wcaKlkv4iREHHnVBa1gLJjiqitKdoXlXfVIMmRnftTvJtB_A7EyxlviYuFVU2LSs8SEjBsKFowuWykLskXw/s1600/the_merchant_of_venice.jpg&w=548&h=411&ei=i7J8UIe8FqnX0QH48oHYDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=289&vpy=430&dur=1396&hovh=194&hovw=259&tx=93&ty=114&sig=117803361460173236121&page=1&tbnh=126&tbnw=174&start=0&ndsp=48&ved=1t:429,r:19,s:0,i:130

Theatre Class at PSU

Theatre in the Making:
While at Penn State on October 12, 2012 we observed an introduction to acting class. It was AMAZING!!!!! We started off by going to see the theatre where students will be performing "Sweney Todd" in a couple weeks. We got to see the set, which was designed by an undergrad theatre student. We also got to see the impact of lights on the feeling of the performance. The lights could change the texture of the ground, and they showed us the sequence for "City of Fire," and I really got the feel of a fire. After that, we went back to the class where we participated in sevaral activities. First, we did a warm-up where the students circled up and each person had to do and action with a noise and then everyone else in the circle mimiced them, while still putting their own spin on it. I could see how this realtes to acting because an actor will have a script and know what their character acts like, but they also must put their own spin on it. Next, we played a game where everyone sat in a circle and when the person in the middle said something that applied to you, (For example, "Everyone who is wearing black pants") you had to get up and try to find another chair. This exercise tried to teach us that in acting, you have to take risks and do whatever you need to get what you want. For a career in acting, sometimes you have to put it all on the line. Finally, we got to see sevaral students participate in an exercise where one student had to balance a stick somewhere, and the other person observed their feelings. Each time one person said something, the other had to repeat it. This exercise is important for actors because they must be able to read the feelings of other actors and convey that feeling back to each other. This experience inspired me to want to take a theatre class in college!!

"Merchant of Venice" at PSU

Theatre in Performance:
On October 12, 2012 our theatre class took a field trip to Penn State. The first thing we did was watch "Merchant of Venice" by the actors from the London Stage. It was an absolutely fantastic production! Initially, I was feeling a little trepidatious because there was no set, and I am used to seeing elaborate sets for productions. Due to the minimal set, the actors had to pretend that they had problems. There was one particularly funny part when one actor pretended to draw a sword, by making the noise it would make.Also, there were only five actors playing numerous characters. This got really confusing throughout the play because I couldn't remember which character the was at some points. However, it was also hilarious because they would quickly switch hats or scarves and talk to an empty space, pretending that character was there. It's hard to imagine how the actors would be able to memorize all their lines (there were so many!) for their different characters and remember when they are which character. I also noticed an aspect of epic theatre when the characters sang songs to convey a message. Overall, it was an absolutely amazing experience, and I can't wait to see more plays like this!

Neutral Mask Workshop

Theatre in the Making:
On October 3rd, 2012 we did a neutral mask worshop in class where we stood in front of a mirror and did various movements with a blank mask on.
How do the different positions make me feel?
They made my body feel disconnected from my face. I felt like my joints were moving and since my face was a blank slate, I had to rely on my body movements. My body movements had to convey my emotions and some of them felt creepier than others.
How far can I safely extend my movements beyond everyday measures?
I can extend them as far as they go and make them seem longer. For example, when I leaned my head to the side, I stretched out my arm and fingertips to make my arm look longer. I also tried to stick out my opposite leg, but I couldn't exactly balance, so that limited me. I tried to make my arms seem disconnected, so they looked more dramatic.

Greek musicals?

Today, my friend Natalie invited me to go see a Broadway singer who was playing at the Hersheypark amphitheatre. Unfortunately, I could not attend, but the word amphitheatre made me think of Greek theatre. I wonder if there were any Greek plays that incorporated musical elements. Maybe there are some parts where the characters or the chorus could sing their lines in order to get their message across in a different, but still effective manner. Just something to think about...

Novel Connects to "Trojan Women"

The other day I was reading the novel The Golden Lily by Richelle Mead. The main character, Sydney, was attendning a Halloween party where she was going as an ancient Greecian. A designer created a dress for her that was deep red and gold, and did not resemble anything ordiniary Athenians would have worn. However, Sydney did think it looked like something the hetaerae would have worn. The hetaerae were sophisticated companions, similar to prostitutes. This reminded me of the excerpt from "The Trojan Women" by Euripides we read in which the women talked about being slaves in their master's beds, alluding to prostitution. Sydney's costume description made me think of something that the characters in "The Trojan Women" could wear.

Fly Exercise

On Tuesday September 11, 2012 we participated in the fly exercise, which was an active representation of theatre in the world and theatre in the making. The fly exercise is one of focused improv, in which we followed an imaginatry fly by ourselves, and then in groups of increasing size. We had to be aware of each other's movements, so as to convey the feeling that we were following the same fly. Someone also had to take the lead because we couldn't all be following the fly in different directions. I had to be conscious of my surroundings to make sure all of our movements looked connected. We were like the chorus in Greek theatre, for we all fed off of each other's energy to work in unison

First Journal Entry

As a student in IB Theatre, I am keeping a journal of my interactions with theatre in the world, theatre in performance, and theatre in the making. This first post include research we formulated in class beginning September 5, 2012. We went out to the football stadium in hopes of simulating a Greek amphitheatre. We went up and down the bleachers, noting the audience's perception from different heights. At the highest spectating position, the actor (Mrs. Burke) was easy to hear, but her facial expressions and movements were more difficult to discern. As I went down to the front, she was more visible, yet I could still hear her voice to the same volume. This represented theatre in performance, for it was a perspective from those watching a theatrical performance. Then, we went down on the football field, which represented the orchestra. There, I noticed how dramatic facial expressions and movements would need to be in order to convey the situation to the audience. Also, the actors would need to look up and project their voices to audience above them. After this experience, we began researching Greek theatre. As far as theatre in the world, www.metmuseum.org informed me that there were funds for people who couldn't buy tickets to go see theatre shows. Wealthy citizens financed the chorus and other costs, although the actual actors were paid by the government!!!(britishtheatreguideinfo) Certainly not the vibe we get today! The early origins of drama were found in Athens through hymns honoring Dionysus, which were later adopted into choral processions. Thespis became known as the world's first actor when he read a poem with emotion for his characters, which leads us to the word thesbian (www.pbs.org The Origins of Theatre). Tragedy plays were the most popular when Greek society was at its height, but comedy became more popular with the decline of the Greek government(www.tctwebstage.com History of Ancient Theatre). Katherin and Gwen in my class gave us information about theatre in performance. The acoustics in the amphitheatre were very good because of the raised seats and limeston is a good material for receiving sound. The actors wore masks that were overexaggerated, so as to bring the characters to life. The masks also helped project their voices, for there were mini megaphones within the mask. Only amateurs and males were permitted tyo perform at Festival Dionysus. The greek word for actor was hypocrit. Sam and Frida provided us with information about theatre in the making. There were three playwrights that  dominate Greek plays: Euripides, Sophocles, and Aeschylus. Euripides created intrigue and love-drama and was well known for writing modern plays that included women and slaves to make it more realistic. Sophocles grew up with violence and death leading him to create darker works and tragedies (Oedipus). Originally, only dramatists, actors, and directors were permitted on stage, but they added more. Greek theatre found its base in history and mythology, so there were many allusions.
I found this exercise extremely helpful in expanding my knowledge of Greek Theatre because I learned a lot more than I had known before. Here is a reflection paragraph:
From our research, a Greek citizen would view theatre as incredibly important in his/her life because theatre was an extremely popular form of entertainment during that time period. People who couldn't even afford tickets were given the opportunity to attend plays, so theatre must have been an integral part of their lives. There was always an assurance that theatre would be well funded. Greek playwrights often incorporated the Greek gods in their plays because the first plays originated at festivals honoring the god Dionysus, so it was very important in Greek culture to honor the gods. Playwrights also included history and mythology in their works, creating many allusions. These elements would be used to make the play more interesting and relatable to the viewers, for they understood the importance of the gods and the references made to them in their plays. Rather than simply speaking in unison, the chorus can be used to represent the general population. Because of their seemingly unimportant role, they can convey things to the audience that the main characters are unaware of or even bring that awareness to the characters. Before my research, if someone had asked me about my knowledge of classic Greek theatre, I would probably have told them about the performances of tragedies and comedies in the large amphitheatre. However, this research taught me a lot more about the origins of modern theatre. Greek theatre still influences much of modern theatre because it created incredible ideas for entertaining plays. Greek theatre helps explain why theatre is still popular today; it is a timeless form of entertainment.

This is a picture of a Greek Amphitheatre from http://academic.reed.edu/humanities/110tech/theater.html