Seussical: The Musical

When I had discovered that our spring musical this year was going to be Seussical: The Musical I was excited because it seemed as if it would be a phenomenal production. Although I wanted to be in the cast as a minor role as the ensemble, I found that choosing this time at this point in my high school career was going to be difficult. A huge factor that played in my decision of whether or not to audition was the issue of school and whether I would have the time to commit to both things. In the end I chose school over the musical and at times felt like I regretted my decision. Because my sister was involved in the musicals, I always wanted to experience what she had told me...on my own and felt as if I was missing out on something by not auditioning. After thinking it through I decided to take this year to better and to polish off my acting skills before I took the stage next year.

So when the director asked if anyone was interested in devoting some time to help with backstage work, I eagerly volunteered. I decided upon helping Renee with costuming as I felt that it would be something fun and that I could count it towards one of the three theatre credits that I need for IB. At dress rehearsal I met the cast and they all seemed extremely warm and friendly, eagerly welcoming me as part of their drama family. As further dress rehearsals and technical rehearsals rolled on, the show finally approached. Now was the moment where all the hard work paid off. Something felt strange. I was anxious just like the rest of the cast even though I was part of the crew.

As Irene and I watched the Who's go on stage to perform their first number, we sat in the wings with the rest of the crew and watched. Upon hearing "Here on Who," Irene and I ran backstage to gather the hunch/black costume for Eliphelisha. It felt as if we had 10 seconds to completely transform her outfit although we probably had more time than that. After this, we helped with props in moving the clover field on stage. Our next job after this was to help Eliphelisha with her second quick change into a hunch. Now this one was the more difficult change because we really only had about 20 seconds this time. All our nerves and all the frantic-ness mixed together made me accidentally put her sweater on backwards. When the lights came on I noticed that the hood was in the front and felt terrible that I had done something so careless. However, I used that as a learning experience for the next four shows to do everything quickly but calmly.

In terms of the theatrical aspects of the performance, I felt that everything was really well thought out. Costumes alone were extensive as I could clearly see all the work that has been invested into creating these costumes and some from ordinary street clothing. The wild colors of the Who's clothing completely fit with what I had in mind and Horton's costume completely translated "elephant" to me. Because I had never sat in the audience, the only views that I got of the stage were from the wings. But what I did see and hear in terms of lighting, dancing, and singing was spot-on on opening night. This differed a bit by the Friday prior to closing night because the actors seemed a little bit off maybe due to not having been on stage for a week; however, the energy was brought back up to how it was opening night which gave the show a phenomenal opening and closing.

I am truly grateful to have been able to experience this with the rest of the cast and especially this cast. The fact that some people such as Marianne, Noelia, and Stephanie are so kind and modest really humbled me. It helped me to realize that greatness doesn't have to be big and showy but that it can be quiet. And the fact that the cast and crew were open to new people made this transition all the better as I never felt like an outsider. The memories and the friendships that I've acquired just by being in the crew motivates me to one day be in the cast.

Pastiche to Cyrano

As we've been making predictions in class regarding the plot of Cyrano, we were asked to form a group and create a pastiche relating to our various predictions. In my group was Anna and Eric. Rather than focusing our efforts in regards to Cyrano's future, we were asked to centralize our pastiche around Roxanne's fate. We then decided to have Roxanne be persuaded by the nuns to join a convent. She feels at blame for both Cyrano's and Christian's death and seems to think that there is no longer a purpose for her to remain in this life as these two men have perished. She feels that she has sinned and the nuns convince her that joining a convent is the path that she should take to repent for these sins. This idea is evident in the last few lines of dialogue:

Roxanne: God will not accept me for I have sinned too much. I have cursed these men because they have known me.
Nuns: But God is forgiving. He will take care of the birds in the air and the animals on the
ground.
Roxanne: Yes sister! I will surrender my life to God. Pray for me!

Renaissance Stage

As we've been reading Cyrano de Bergerac, it's been a bit difficult imagining the stage and the surroundings because it's not a stage that we're accustomed to seeing. So today we watched a video about the Renaissance stage. I learned how Renaissance stages have a decorated, architectural facade and a semi-circular auditorium. This facade would be broken by a large door and there would be a wide open stage in front of the facade. On the perimeter at the top of the theatre were statues of Olympian gods. The modern illusionistic stage used perspective to make the object and space seem ethereal. Everyone demanded these perspective settings especially the noble patrons. The stage and the scenery created a square whereas the stage and the audience created a rectangle. The theatre was meant to be a microcosm of the real and ideal world.

In addition to the stage I learned how the early church had once disapproved of the decadent theatre. Despite this the Roman Academy which was interested in the arts and the sciences revived ancient drama. Also, in 1556 Palladio produced the most thorough depiction of ancient Roman theatre.

Personal Lists

Another theatrical element that I was assigned to analyze and discuss was personal lists. A list is different from a theory because it doesn't offer interpretation or directive, but is a list of ingredients to inspire theatre-makers. Essentially, it consists of all the elements that create a successful performance:

• music
• information overload = chaos
• use of a small area to make things look big

To elaborate on this topic, I will utilize the same scene as I had done with genre-specific analysis. Just to recap, this is the scene where Cyrano heckles Montfleury to get off the stage and stop the performance. The music in the background can progressively intensify as Cyrano's words become harsher and more severe. His irritation at Montfleury's incompetence progressively increases until his last line when he threatens to harm Montfleury. The chaos in the monologue is that Cyrano continually says things to Montfleury and proposes different things that he will do that it confuses the reader as we are bombarded. It would be effective to utilize a small space so that the tension between Cyrano and Montfleury can be magnified and intensified.

Genre-Specific Analysis

After having read the first act of Cyrano de Bergerac, we came together to discuss not only the plot but also the various theatrical elements detailed in our handout titled "How to Read a Play." I was responsible for delving into the topics of genre-specific analysis and personal lists. These elements dealt more with the theatre and preparation for a role rather than with the plot. Genre-specific analysis is how to look at and critique a particular solo performance or monologue. The elements in genre-specific analysis consist of:

• hook the audience immediately
• end with a powerful point, idea or insight
• include surprises and discoveries along the way
• make sure the character is drive by or experiences strong passions

I took a monologue by Cyrano from scene I when he was in the audience and heckling Montfleury to get off the stage because of his terrible acting. Cyrano immediately hooked the audience when he states: "I say be still!" He continued to surprise the audience as his irritation for Montfleury progressed and heightened to the point where he threatened to injure Montfleury. It is evident that Cyrano was driven by his hatred for Montfleury's incompetence as an actor which was clearly portrayed through his words. He ended the monologue with the line: "Then I propose to use--the scalpel" as if to instill fear into the audience that he will potentially harm Montfleury.