THE ULTIMATE FINAL BLOG

Like I had mentioned in a few previous blog posts, I was never the biggest fan if theatre mixing with true controversial issues. I used to believe that the two shouldn't mix. I guess from growing up as a pretty big musical theatre nerd, my preferences of shows was pretty one sided. I have to say, since my start here at LSU and especially since this class, I have become more and more open to the sort of controversial theatre that is becoming more and more popular. after reading 'Aftermath', I was so intrigued and drawn in. I constantly found myself thinking about it within weeks after I read it, I was moved by the depth and real-ness that it gave. I now am practically obsessed with this type of theatre. As long as it can remain historically accurate and period, this is exactly how we should discuss and educate others on the circling controversies we all deal with daily. I have to say that this class was easily one of the most eye opening classes I have had the priveledge to take at LSU. I have had the chance to critique different forms of 'performance' and figure out what 'performance' actually means to me. Keeping up with this blog and being able to communicate through this medium with my class members and teachers has been so rewarding. It's always nice to have educated discussions and debates on what we are passionate about. A big thanks to my incredible classmates. Dr. Fletcher- I thank you for being the wonderful teacher that you are. I thoroughly enjoyed this class. :) 

Blog # 11

Colorblind casting is something I strongly stand behind and support, unless race is a necessary and crucial element in the production. Similar to Tyler, I remember growing up and watching Brandy star as 'Cinderella'. The only thing is, the color of her skin didn't phase me. I wasn't shocked or surprised when I saw Cinderella with dark skin and hair. She was still a beautiful princess to me. She brought the story to life with the grace and beauty I believed Cinderella would. 

Another example of colorblind casting is the new movie adaptation of 'Annie' hitting the theaters this Christmas. This movie stars the adorable Quvenzhane Wallis and Jaime Foxx. Wallis, who already proved her brilliant acting chops in 'Beasts of the Southern Wild' was an absolutely wonderful pick for Annie. I was discussing this movie with my little cousin who is about 8 and already familiar with the older movie with the white Annie. He is just as excited to see this new 'Annie' than the next Pixar film. I'm planning on seeing it with him. I think colorblind casting is a beautiful thing. Acting is telling a story, skin color shouldn't inhibit that.

The only obstacle I believe could stand in the way of being cast with a certain skin color would be if I affected the historical elements of the show. If the skin color of a character made the play historically inaccurate and didn't make sense, then that's when colorblind casting should be avoided. There are many shows that deal with certain racial struggles and issues, that I believe should be performed with the most accuracy that they can. 

In general, I stand fully behind colorblind casting. Unless the color of their skin affects the historical elements and storyline, then it shouldn't matter. A story is a story and it can be told beautifully, regardless the color of one's skin. 

Blog #10

The theater is a place to give off and send out a message to the listening and engaged audience. Nowadays theatre is becoming more and more empathatic. Certain shows are focusing on more real-life and controversial issues, rather than theater just strictly being known as "I'm off to the Sunday matinee of a Gershwin musical....which is not a bad thing, but you get my point. ;) For these more controversial and emotional pulling pieces that are becoming more popular today, I believe that they should all include a talk-back after the show. With this talk back, we are not only discussing the issue presented, but opening up the platform to the COMMUNITY and everyone is given a chance to speak their voice. Communication is crucial with these sort of pieces and I believe they all should have the option of an open talk-back. 

For a long while, I strongly believed that theatre should not intertwine itself within the world of such controversial issues such as genocide, war, mental illness... As I have read more and more pieces, I have become increasingly open to the idea though. At the start of this semester, we read the play 'Aftermath'. This was a very controversial and emotionally draining play about the ongoing war and includes a variety of interviews of Iraqui refugees and their stories of all being held under power by Saddam Hussein. These are very emotional, some comical, but for the most part very eye-opening interviews. While possibly being a controversial topic to go see and try to enjoy a play about, I was very interested in it. I found it to be very eye-opening and informative, as I really only saw the one side of this war we dealt with. You never really got to see the stories of some of the innocent Iraqui citizens. It's quite heartbreaking. So, yes, I do believe that there is a line with theatre and iffy topics. As long as these topics are accurate, and factual, I don't necessarily see a problem.  I find them very informative and educational. 

I do see theatre as a forum to air our beliefs and strive to educate others on our beliefs. There is a message in every production out there, some more visible than others. Sometimes it takes something as powerful as theatre to get out these issues to the world. 

Blog #9

Okay, so I love LSU football just as much as the next drunken frat guy spilling beer all over his bros. I go to the games, I scream like crazy for our tigers, I mean I grew up a tiger. When most people think LSU, they think football. I get it. I only wish we could advertise some of the other wonderful events that LSU had to offer with such importance or enthusiasm. 

As I am not the biggest fan of protests, I wouldn't necessarily consider this a full protest. I understand that people love football, and I do too. I would consider this as more of a "Hey look here, come see the wonderful pieces our theatre department here can bring to life." This would act as more of an informative act. I would strive to educate the people of Baton Rouge/ LSU of the beautiful art we have taking place in this city. 

In my 'protest' group, we wouldn't want to be overbearing or obnoxious, as I see the majority of protestors. We simply would just be a group of passionate people wanting to spread our love and knowledge of theatre to the people around us. We wouldn't run after or tell at people, but talk and communicate to them in a tone that wouldn't disinterest them, but possibly intrigue them.

As far as media goes, I wouldn't necessarily want the media involved for my protest. I believe the intimacy of the one on one and in person would serve as an advantage to the people who come by and talk to us or witness us. If they were to go home and see us 'protesting' on the news, they would possibly lose the genuinity that they saw in us and our message and see more of a selfish, greedy, camera and media-hungry mob. 

Our protest is something that doesn't necessarily have an end. I feel that it is peaceful and acceptable enough to make a weekly or monthly thing. The theatre is constantly growing, producing shows, and making beautiful art. It is ongoing. So in this football-heavy community we all live in, why not remind the people of the other amazing events taking place around them? 

Blog #8

I found learning about 'Twitter Plays' to be a very interesting topic to study on. With the fast pace and 'to-go' sort of world we live in, everyone expects the convience that they can basically have at their hands. With this form of theatre available at anyone's fingertips at any moment that they desire, it is certainly defying the odds of 'theatre' as we know it. In the technologically thriving world we live in, I can only imagine that this sort of interactive 'at your hand/choice' theatre will only continue to take off. 

 

With this new world of twitter plays, artists are given more and more different opportunities to perform. I feel that artists will soon include more technological elements and audience interactions within their pieces. I believe that we will continue to see more and and more of twitter plays and durationals which put us in the 'right here, right now'. With these sort of plays, you are set in the exact moment. The exact time is even posted next to each 'tweet'. I find this whole side if theatre quite interesting and cannot wait to see it take off. I believe this will open up the interests of more people to 'theatre' itself.

Blog #7

I would absolutely love to stage a production of 'August: Osage County' inside an actual house. In the house, I would have the various scenes take place in the different rooms needed, while the audience is placed in those rooms...for example- the couch, on a bed, on blankets in the front yard. Of course this would have to be a fairly smaller audience than the usual,  but I believe that it would only add the necessary intimacy of the show that I wish to convey with the audience. By putting the viewers actually in the house, I'm giving the actors freedom to act around them. I want the actors to act almost as if the audience is not there and maintain the most natural movement and sense of space. 

With this production, there would be a few technological obstacles to tackle. I really wouldn't want this to be a particularly technologically heavy show, but still would want a few elements present. There is only so much you can and should do when your show is taking place in an actual house. As for lighting, I would stick to soley natural lighting. I would have constant open blinds, curtains, and possibly a window opened here and there to bring some of the Oklahoma feels and sounds to the viewers. As for sound, I would have very simple and instrumental music playing in between the transitions from scene to scene, when both the actors and audience move from room to room. In general, I would want a very intimate feel to come with my production of 'August: Osage County', something I feel a show of this caliber deserves. 

I absolutely do not believe that it is inappropriate or unsuccesful to stage present day theatre in a traditional setting. Although I totally support the new spontaneity of sort of 'wherever' locations that theatre is taking, I also support and will always stand behind the traditional space. I believe that the traditional 'theatre' actually has the power to put the audience into whatever world they intend to and have them focus on soley what they want them to. In the traditional theatre, the audience is at your fingertips, fully ready to view your magic. 

Blog #6

Do I think that we, as a society, are becoming more and more technology obsessed? Of course. Do I believe that technology will eventually overtake theatre as we know it and our simple physical presence will not relevant? No. Technology serves as a very beautiful asset to theatre as we know it. Over the past several years, with technology growing and evolving, we have been able to add so much to the world of theatre. I will admit, though, that theatre attendance and audience sizes have gone down. When people have the cheaper and more convent option if movies, or even Netflix... Why drive to a theatre? I believe that we live in a VERY technologically heavy era, where technology constantly lies right at our fingertips. As far as theatre goes, we haven't completely lost out audience nor must we give up our art to technology. I believe that within the next few years that technology and theatre will fuse together, in a way, to create for a more larger target audience. In general, technology is escalating... And it will only continue to do so. So is theatre, theatre is slowly escalating. We are reaching heights and places many never even considered. I believe we are in a phase of immense growth and it's only a matter of time when the art of theatre will take back off. Self-expression is at a high. 

I definitely believe that the concept of "imagined memory" is very present in society today. For example, my memory is taking me back to the time of Hurricane Katrina. I lived in Dallas at the time, but had family in both Covington and Baton Rouge. I remember seeing the constant telethons, fundraisers, and absolutely horrifying news stories of people totally losing everything. Even though I wasn't living through it, I felt as if I was. The constant media and thoughts of my extended family living through this really took a toll on me. It's a crazy thing how the media has the power to make you feel something with so much intensity. It's almost as if I felt like I went through it all with them.  

Prompt #5

My freshman year of high school, I was lucky enough to be in my school's production of 'Titanic the Musical'. While reading about dark matter and hearing everyone's ideas and past recollections of it operated onstage, I thought of this musical. This huge and massive glacier clearly has the power behind this whole story. During our sinking and death scene, we didn't include any sort of large white glacier-looking barrier, or any sort of visual for the audience of the glacier. Instead, about 8 to 10 black blocks were placed on stage and we basically planked with floating-like movements while being soaked with deep blue lighting. About the whole second half of the show revolves around the aknowledgement of this approaching glacier and how the passengers and crew react to it. This glacier was a form of dark matter, not necessarily needed to be seen during the production. The audience was given more of a wide opportunity with their imagination. 

As far as productions and performance pieces centered around The Holocaust, I strongly believe that they should be as factual and true as they were. Such a horrific event as The Holocaust shouldn't be tampered with necessarily. I personally believe that it's like walking on thin ice. It's too much of a controversial event to not be as factual as possible. 

Blog #4

Most seniors in high school spend months and months of preparation for their senior prank in hopes of leaving a mark on their alma mater that won't fade away. These pranks can range from absolutely overboard and almost cruel to a fun little prank. My senior class of 2011 went with a flash mob. This flash mob was to take place during the last few weeks of our high school careers, it had to be perfect. We met for weeks in advance with the choreography lessons led by our school's drill team seniors. The day of our mob, we all used the school's daily announcements as a cue to meet in our main hallway. Just about nobody had any idea of this flash mob. It took place in our large hallway. It disturbed the daily routines of just about every high schooler as we took up a big chunk of the hall. We didn't force them to watch, but ended up with a very large crowd. Everyone's faces were in shock. The flash mob started half and half at first and then we eventually all ended up in the big hallway. Our flash mob essentially threw off the daily routines of thousands of students. It was a performance and a disturbance...but very fun. So, my phone isn't letting me post the link on here to it, but if you are interested- type in FMHS Flash Mob on YouTube and enjoy. You may just find a baby Genna in there....GO JAGS! ;)

We can bring more and more of this spontaneous, non tradtional theatre to the world. Flash mobs and other forms of 'disturbance' are becoming more and more popular. I think this is amazing because not everyone wants to go to the theatre, it's not for everyone. With this new and sort of innovative form of performance, we are spreading theatre and performance like wildfire. So why not switch up the setting, the area, the spontaneity? It'll get people's attention and it'll get people talking. 

Blog #3

Now, many plays crossed my mind while considering this prompt. Back in my junior year of high school, I was in a production of 'To See the Stars', which is based off of the 1909 Triangle Shirtwaist factory woman's strike over woman's unfair wages and poor working environments. Being a fairly 'spoiled' teen living in about a time period 100 years after the show is actually set, I figured we would have a hard time, as a cast, relating to this story and giving a convincing performance. After reading the show, I still felt this way and was scared to approach it and begin work. A few weeks into rehearsal, we were becoming these characters, we were becoming these women and living through them onstage. They weren't necessarily 100% true people, names, and identities, but were based off of real people. We all become engrossed in such challenging characters and felt it all. After researching the strike and realizing what they all went through, I would say that being in that show was a real realization of 'true' theatre, not so much like the previous show my school put on.....Alice in Wonderland....which was till a great experience, just very different. 

In January, LSU's Musical Theatre club put on a production of 'Grease' and I was lucky enough to land the fun and crazy role of Frenchy. Now, this is a very fun and upbeat production that I had one of the best times participating in, but I'd have to say that I didn't get quite the feeling I got being in it than I got from being in 'To See the Stars', 'Les Mis', or 'Titanic the Musical'....all of those plays/musicals are based off of real situations/ and or real people that give you this feeling that not many other productions can provide. And I love shows such as Grease, Alice in Wonderland, and any of the other campy, upbeat productions that are circulating around, it's just interesting how being involved with a show or even in the audience that has the 'truth' or based on sense behind it leaves you with a different feel. 

As much as I loved 'Aftermath', I feel it was very biased and onesided and clarified, leaving you as an audience member almost forced to feel a certain way. Whereas verbatim shows give you facts, word for word, real names, real exact events, which give you the chance to think for yourself, and feel how you feel about it for yourself. 

Tweaked Performative Action

There are many examples that demonstrate a tweaked performative action. Many people use objects that are intended for one purpose and go about using them in a totally different way for what they are not at all intended for. 

For example, I remember around the age of 13, leg warmers became an instant fashion must around the halls of my middle school. Regardless of the weather, if you didn't sport these leg warmers- you were nothing. Of course it could be the start of the school year and a whopping 90 degrees outside, but then of course leg warmers weren't for warmth y'all.... They were for solely style DUH! Being the super impressionable middle school Genna that I was, of course I went along with this trend. I wore the hell out of these leg warmers, with no intention of wearing them to keep me warm.

Another example was over about 10 years ago around Thanksgiving at my grandpa's house. My grandpa lives in the tiniest town called Albany, Texas where everyone knows everyone's full name and full business. There may be about 1,500 people overall. Given that, there isn't much to do and my brother and I were a little too bored, so we ventured TL his tool shed/storage unit for some stuff to keep us occupied. Here dj where we discovered both his riding lawn mower and his Hover-Round scooter. We were ecstatic. We took them out into the backyard and began chasing and racing one another on these means of transportation. I was on the Hover-Round while my brother took the wheel of the riding lawn mower. We weren't trying to mow the lawn and I certainly wasn't an old woman in need of an elderly adult scooter, but we did have fun. It wasn't until about 15 minutes later when our fun was busted. We were using both of these objects in a tweaked way, I guess you could say.... So much fun though :) 

What is Performance?

In Marvin Carlson's "What is Performance", we aren't given one specific definition of performance but rather many options of what performance can or may be. What seems to be pretty established in the reading is that performance is an 'essentially contested concept', and this phrase tended to stick out to me in particular. We spent our first day of class with a prolonged discussion amongst one another about performance and what is exactly and we found it quite difficult coming up with just one definition of performance. The reason why we struggled with a unified definition is because performance is forever an essentially contested concept, it is something that we will never all fully agree on. Reading further into his article, it was rather eye-opening. I feel that I have been actually quite selfish and almost absent-minded to 'performance' in general and have felt strongly in my belief of what it is and never opened my eyes to the many 'definitions' it can have.


There is another debate going on that in order for a performance to be a performance, the 'performer' or person making the actions should be fully aware that they are indeed 'performing'. I agree with this whole-heartedly. There are people out there who say that everyday of your life is a performance and that we are always giving a performance. This, to me at least, seems a bit extreme and completely untrue. If everyday and action of our lives was indeed a performance, then how would we be able to specify 'performance' as a term and distinguish it from something as simple and basic as taking out the garbage? There can be, I believe, exceptions. Some every-day tasks can be turned into a sort of performance with the consciousness of the 'performer' fully aware. Trying to get a point across to a group of people, or to tell a story from what crazy thing happened out at the bar last night...this can be a 'performance', a sense of convincing your almost 'audience' is clearly evident.


The section in the article about the couple who reenact historical events was very interesting to me. Diane Spencer Pritchard originally, along with improved acts in character and various dialogue, played the piano as her character. She felt this was her displaying 'technical skill' which then drove their whole historical reenactment into the 'performance' world, which was something she did not want. I've seen quite a few historical reenactments at different war sites and historical monuments across the nation, and each time I see the reenactments unfold, I feel as if I am watching a performance. Whether or not piano was involved never gave me the feel or performance, but seeing the individuals (knowingly) engage into these characters was what sold me into 'performance'. Actually, I never even thought twice about whether or not I was indeed seeing a performance, I knew I was.




In the following video, sponsored by Lush, a young woman is displayed herself out of a street-window and undergoing exactly what animals go through while being animal tested for different products. A good majority of the scenes from the video are pretty graphic and eye-opening. She is marked 'SPECIMEN NO. 3252C, just as any animal would be, nameless and then undergoes a plethora of 'torture' basically to get across a point to the passerby's. I, for one, feel that this is a performance in every sense. This young woman is being so vulnerable and knowingly going through  grueling experiments in front of the public in hopes of getting out a message and in hopes of change. She is fully aware and conscious of what is happening, she is getting a message across. Regardless of how you feel about it in general, emotions were evoked and sparked, something was felt...which got people talking about it, which was the goal.




https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4K9iSyj_lk