There is a line in the musical Spamalot where Sir Robin sings to King Arthur; “In any great adventure, if you don 't want to lose ... you won 't succeed on Broadway if you don 't have any Jews!" (PBS, Broadway Musicals). If you can look past the sweeping generalization, Sir Robin’s surprising lyric turns out to be very true about musicals. Historians have recognized that Jewish immigrant culture heavily influenced the content of musical theatre when it was popularized in America during the early twentieth century. But in turn, it was the sociopolitical and racial climate of the 20th century that inspired the creative and thematic content of Jewish productions as well.…
Founded on 10th February 1949, Tallahassee Little Theatre (TLT) officially changed its name to Theatre Tallahassee on 24th August 2013. It is a non-profit organization located in the heart of Tallahassee and it is the only community theatre in Tallahassee operating a permanent performance facility. Its first plays were rehearsed in an airport hangar and presented in a military movie hall at Dale Mabry Field. In 1992 it was renovated and apart from Mainstage it was added with the Coffeehouse, scene shop. During the season 2014/2015, twelve plays were performed, the most important being A Few Good Men, The Addams Family, White Christmas, Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Evita, Murder on the Nile that received awards for the most enjoyed play,…
The Cadillac Palace Theatre, in Chicago, is a proscenium theatre due to it utilizing a frame-like structure. The theatre itself is elaborate due to its unique design and performance tactics used on stage. It may also be considered modern, lighting up the entire street at night with its illuminating yellow lights. But, as for the stage in the theatre, I feel as if it is not large enough in consideration of the sheer size of the theatre. It may be hard for some individuals to observe what is being performed during certain scenes.…
With the idea of sharing the lives of the Black community at Washington University, this past Friday marked the first of the two Black Anthology performances, Woke. Woke, a production about the hardships and adversity African-Americans experience daily, consists of an environment much like Washington U. Black Anthology, created in 1989 by Marcia Hayes-Harris, is a yearly student run production run solely by students. The productions highlight the nuances the black community experiences in both past and present America in the hopes to bring forth awareness of black issue to the general community of St. Louis. The audience watched the cast of Woke perform a narrative production revolving around six students and how race affects their daily…
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression that took place mostly during the 1930’s. It began after the stock market crash of October 1929, which wiped out millions of investors. Consumer spending and investment dropped causing millions of Americans to become unemployed. Because of many unemployed workers, Franklin D. Roosevelt created the New Deal program to fund theatre and other live artistic performances. The federal Theatre Project (FTP) was created not only as a cultural activity, but as a relief measure to employ artists, writers, directors, and theatre workers.…
I visited the Gilcrease Museum and toured various exhibits. The museum hosts a vast assortment of artifacts entailing the history of America, from its multitude of early Native American art to current day. I loved seeing the different forms of artwork housed at the museum. My favorite exhibit was over impressionism in California during the 20th century.…
One of the first things discussed in Eleanor Traylor's essay about Black theatre are the two main forms of contributions made which are minstrel show and slave narrative which is what she focuses on the most. Minstrel show is the first American dramatic form which came from the "tradition of confrontation and improvisation of grace under pressure" (48) which did not have the same roots as European contexts. The process of the creation of minstrel shows was created in America by African people. The contrast between the mask of the blues hero and the tragic protagonist also come into play when looking at the influence of African Americans. It goes beyond the journey, but into the rhythms and vision as well as the angle in which they see life…
When professor mentioned that we would watch and discuss about a Broadway Musical show named ‘Memphis’, the first that came to my mind was, the actual city Memphis in the southern state of Tennessee. I was still confused as to how a city and its activities could be incorporated into a Musical show, which is assumed to be entertaining with melodramatic components, dance and music. I had an assumption that it would be academic, political, boring since it is to be watched in a classroom setting and that a professor would not choose something entertaining or something of the liking of the younger generation. I deduced that this play might touch the topic of race since race defined how a person is treated in most southern states. I assumed that…
Whilst loading and installation of the robot surgeon, view screens, shower systems and other items were happening, Connie took the opportunity for her engineering crew set about swapping the drive systems over, with Iris overseeing everything. After splitting the original drive into two smaller sections they mounted them flanking the new drive as a backup system as had been done on the Helcon. Iris performed her own static tests of the new system and the split backup system to ensure there would be no teething problems at launch.…
For instance, visitors can pay a visit to the illustrious Mercer Williams House Museum. It's named after the Savannah's most eminent restorationist, Jim Williams. In fact, his most famous drawings from 17-18th century are kept at the House Museum. On their way back, adventurers may also come by…
There are a few revivals currently running on Broadway. They include Fiddler on the Roof, The King and I, and Les Miserables. This does not compare to the slew of new musicals that have opened up on Broadway. The types of shows featured on Broadway have an adventurous theme. Many of the protagonist have to go on a journey whether it's for love or self-discovery.…
Act I begins at the 42nd Street Theatre when they are holding auditions for Pretty Lady. Peggy Sawyer arrives for the auditions but is late because she needed to muster up the courage to go in. The director doesn’t have time for people who are late and orders Peggy to leave. After she leaves, the star, Dorothy Brock arrives with her boyfriend Abner Dillon, who helps fund the show. Eventually, Peggy realizes she forgot her purse and goes back to retrieve it.…
“Decisions about what to remember and protect involve the grounding of historic scholarship as well as the possibilities of public history, architectural preservation, environmental protection, and commemorative public art.” Kraft talks about how race is a part of the urban city and how each culture takes in their landscape. On the way to the Pantages, you can see each culture putting their twist in the area, for instance, the billboard will change language or use the people who can relate to them. In 2001, the Pantages Theater received a Preservation Award from the Los Angeles Conservancy. For help to rejuvenate Hollywood Boulevard and to demonstrate the economic viability of restoring and reusing Los Angeles’ historical movie palaces.…
The word theater derives from the Greek "Theatron" which means "a place for viewing". The Greek theatre history began with festivals honoring their god, Dionysus. Tragedy, comedy, and satyr plays were the three dramatic genres to emerge there. Tragedy and comedy were perceived as completely separate genres.…
Throughout most written plays, they usually have films or stage performances. Usually the two are very different from each other. Many of the times the scenes are different. In Our Town the stage performance is very similar to the written play. There are a few differences with the written play and the stage performance.…