In our studies of the sea, one theme connects its’ role in all stories we’ve read: the cyclical nature of its power. In Riders to the Sea, the sea brings sustenance and income to Maurya, as well takes away her husband and all of her sons. In The Sea at Dauphin, the sea brings Afa a livelihood but takes away everything else worth living for. The house in Home follows a similar pattern. There are celebrations of life and death, union and separation, and happiness and despair. Like nature, the idea of home is bigger than any one person. Similar to how one contributes to a home, a home also gives back to its inhabitants.
The production opens on a blank, dark stage. However, this does not last for long. First, a man brings out a wooden frame, then …show more content…
The partition created from these tools is used as a visual aid to distract the audience and soon enough, the other members of the ensemble arrive on stage. Almost reminiscent of a circus act, tricks of the eye are used to switch from cast member to cast member, bringing levity and relief to the tension-filled audience. These simple illusions are just a taste of what is to come, as the same transitions will take place as the cast begins to construct a house on stage. Similar to the construction of the partition, the house begins with only the wooden frame. However, much like one builds their own home, the home on stage begins to gain character as cast members fade in and out, creating their own spaces. Throughout this entire process, very little actual dialogue takes place, with most of the non-musical sounds coming from audience reactions. The musical interludes, provided by a towering man with a strange instrument, bring a mellow and comfortable atmosphere where the lack of dialogue could become awkward. Once the house was sufficiently decorated, the everyday routines began. Each member of the house demonstrated what would be their morning, from the act of waking up to …show more content…
As a big fan of The Moth, a storytelling competition, I find that simple stories can create some of the most intriguing works. The simplicity of having people share what their home looks like and more importantly, what it means to them, allowed the audience to hone in on their own stories. One of the volunteers when I attended, an older woman, described her home like the back of her hand, so detailed that I could almost follow her around the spaces she described. This simplistic nature of storytelling allows the audience members to impose their own stories within the narrative. For example, moving 1500 miles away from everything and everyone I knew upset my definition of “home.” I had never felt so without a sense of belonging and this production stirred those emotions once more. Home demonstrated to me how much I had grown in just the past month and that even if I hadn’t found my home at Emerson yet, I was on my
The production opens on a blank, dark stage. However, this does not last for long. First, a man brings out a wooden frame, then …show more content…
The partition created from these tools is used as a visual aid to distract the audience and soon enough, the other members of the ensemble arrive on stage. Almost reminiscent of a circus act, tricks of the eye are used to switch from cast member to cast member, bringing levity and relief to the tension-filled audience. These simple illusions are just a taste of what is to come, as the same transitions will take place as the cast begins to construct a house on stage. Similar to the construction of the partition, the house begins with only the wooden frame. However, much like one builds their own home, the home on stage begins to gain character as cast members fade in and out, creating their own spaces. Throughout this entire process, very little actual dialogue takes place, with most of the non-musical sounds coming from audience reactions. The musical interludes, provided by a towering man with a strange instrument, bring a mellow and comfortable atmosphere where the lack of dialogue could become awkward. Once the house was sufficiently decorated, the everyday routines began. Each member of the house demonstrated what would be their morning, from the act of waking up to …show more content…
As a big fan of The Moth, a storytelling competition, I find that simple stories can create some of the most intriguing works. The simplicity of having people share what their home looks like and more importantly, what it means to them, allowed the audience to hone in on their own stories. One of the volunteers when I attended, an older woman, described her home like the back of her hand, so detailed that I could almost follow her around the spaces she described. This simplistic nature of storytelling allows the audience members to impose their own stories within the narrative. For example, moving 1500 miles away from everything and everyone I knew upset my definition of “home.” I had never felt so without a sense of belonging and this production stirred those emotions once more. Home demonstrated to me how much I had grown in just the past month and that even if I hadn’t found my home at Emerson yet, I was on my