Dramatic Lyrics

The production I was involved in this semester was My Son Pinocchio. The music and lyrics were written by Stephen Schwartz and the book by David Stern. The process of putting this show together began in September with auditions and the run of the show taking place early in December. I was playing the part of a parent in the opening scene Toys and a “perfect” parent in Idilia. I also had the role of a young fox in the scene The Road. Overall this play was a great experience because it furthered…

In 2015 I directed, with Flinders University Drama Centre, Who’s Afraid of the Working Class. This production was part of my assessment at Flinders University for my Bachelor of Creative Arts (Honours) – Directing Degree. Originally when planning on critically reflecting on this production I had planned to omit the requirements and restrictions that the university placed upon the process however on further reflection those requirements and restrictions are comparable to those placed upon a…

Annotated Bibliography Robert Browning wrote "My Last Duchess” to demonstrate oppression, jealousy, and pride that the speaker (duke of Ferrara) presents when he is talking about his last duchess who he murdered because “she smiled too much.” It is assumed that the Duke keeps the painting of his late wife covered by a curtain so only he can reveal her smile which was just supposed to be for him. At the end of the poem the duke mentions a bronze statue of Neptune taming a sea-horse which suggests…

The usual stereotypes came into mind: the fancy dress, the unintelligible lyrics, the opera glasses, the stifling formality and pretension, and the deep, unmitigated boredom of the proceedings. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the intimacy of UNT Opera’s interpretation of La Traviata. The acoustics in the Murchison Performing…

irrationalism and passion. Nietzsche glorifies tragedy and claimes that it should be the unity of these two concepts because Apollonian principle represents visual arts, while Dionysian principle represents non-visual arts: The age of the earliest lyric poets…

the biblical prodigal son. In ‘Filling Station’ she refers to “high-strung automobiles” in a condescending manner. This is referencing herself in a self-depreciative tone, accepting her flaws. This troubling insight into her life is typical of her lyric poetry, and evocative style. We are also given a shuddering insight into her feeling of personal failure in ‘The Fish’. Again she uses a metaphor to describe herself, this time a fish is chosen. “He didn’t fight, he hadn’t fought at all”, this…

Introduction When visualizing the Toronto soundscape, it is inevitable to picture it without considering the plethora of accents and languages of people from culturally dominated areas. I had the chance to attend a music and dance performance reflective of the diversity of the world’s traditions but also reflective of Toronto’s multiculturalism. The event took place at the Lula Lounge on March 5th, 2016, where I saw the band ‘Salsotika’ perform classic 80s and 90s salsa. In relation to the…

Violence in Media and Subliminal Messages Media negatively impacts its viewers, resulting in violent behavior through desensitization, creating fearful and aggressive attitudes, while reducing their ability to be creative, which will only worsen in the future due to the magnification and importance on violence in society today. Violence and aggression were once seen as shameful; however acts of aggression have increased by 46% since the 1970’s and by 2030 are expected to increase by another 24%…

anybody, not even my mother, that I was gay. I would never have the guts to go into school speak like a drag queen would. It would have probably resulted in me being hung by my underwear on the flagpole, given a swirlie, or something else to that dramatic high school extent. I began to engorge my social media accounts with drag news by following queens and joining fan groups. I do not consider myself a drag queen but I do consider myself a mere bystander to the phenomenon. I learned the language…

NOT RACIST”. In expressive music like hip hop, lyrics often reflected the situation surrounding the artist. Hip hop rose in popularity because it connected with a lot of youth across the country and the world going through the struggles present during that time. As America evolved, so did its politics along with public perception…