Proscenium

Jacques Copeau was born in a well off middle class family in Paris, France. He had always had a love for poetry, theatre, and literature and became acquaintances with some of the theater people and playwrights of his time. He became known as an advocate for theater reform after he was impatient with commercial theater, and was a director, producer, actor, and dramatist. Copeau’s first stage play was Brouillard du Matin at the Nouveau Theater in France. Copeau’s Career Timeline In 1909, he became…

When assessing a production, it is essential to take into consideration if done by a group of professionals or a troop of amateurs. In the case of The Millennial Malcontent is was a student-run production making it limited due to its means. The two productions have very different standards that they need to live up to yet still can measure up to depending on how you look at it. Both The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, a professional production, and The Millennial Malcontent, an…

What’s Done in the Dark is one of many great plays that Tyler Perry has written. It is a musical intertwined with a tough life lesson. Perry’s play has many great qualities. However, it does have its faults. Overall, it is a well thought out and drawn up play. It is well liked by many; it has some of the best performers that have performed in many of his other plays. This play focuses on a single mother struggling to raise her son, with a deadbeat father and the head nurse (who is the mistress…

Jack had his beanstalk, Paul Bunyan had his ax, and Bella, the tall tale legend of Kirsten Childs’ new musical “Bella: An American Tall story”, has her big posterior. Within the tradition of magical objects of epics and tall memories, Bella’s derriere is more than just a derriere: it’s a symbol of sexuality, racial identification, and vigor—and a consistent source of humor and amazement. In this creation by Dallas Theater center at the Wyly Theatre, directed by Robert O’Hara, Bella succeeds…

When deciding upon which play to go and provide a critique for I looked at the synopsis on the Ames Community Theater’s website. The Dirty Rotten Scoundrel’s synopsis caught my attention for being a musical comedy which is why I picked it. Once I decided upon the play I decided to do a little research because I did not know very much about it. According to Musical Theatre International, the play was written by David Yazbek and Jeffery Lane. They created this play based off the movie that was…

Currently, the Ahmanson Theatre which is owned by the Center Theatre Group is displaying the National Theatre Production of The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-Time. This production is based off the book The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-Time by Mark Haddon and was adapted into a play by Simon Stephens. The play is about the coming-of-age of an autistic teenager by the name of Christopher John Francis Boone who tries to solve the mystery of who killed his neighbor’s dog.…

introduction of a peaceful little town in the a home of an extremely old fashioned Church of Christ families. All the sudden, a very extreme Muslim family would move in next door and disrupt the “perfect” dynamic of the town. The stage would be proscenium with two large revolving stage platforms on both stage right and stage left, along with a space in the middle. The platform on the left would have a represent the home of the Christian family and would be two stories with a balcony coming out…

In Compañía Sharon Fridman’s Hasta Dónde and All Ways, the pieces are based on the technique of contact improvisation, resulting in an intimate drive of human connection. The movement is carefully crafted so the dancers weave in-between and circle one another, get hoisted in the air, and crash down all in a harmonious tableau. Though the precariously teetering pairs or groups of bodies, the dancers move and balance in seemingly impossible manners allowing the audience to feel the connection…

Cezanne, Picasso and Matisse Artists often are inspired and influenced by the people, places and circumstances surrounding them but artists each tend to imbue their own sense of personality and ideas into their works. For example, Matisse's Bonheur de Vivre (Joy of Life) and Picasso's Les Demoiselles d'Avignon can be simultaneously seen as inspired by and breaking free of Paul Cézanne's The Large Bathers. Beginning with the prominent piece that is to have influenced the other two works,…

Lyrics by Frank Loesser. The play was based on a book by Jo Swerling and Abe Burrows. Based in the 40’s and involving gangsters, gamblers, showgirls, and a save you soul missionary, the Golden age of Broadway came to life. The stage was set on a proscenium theatre with beautifully made stage props. The stage props were lit with plenty of bright neon lights giving a wide array of colors. Lighting using high key lighting along with backlighting, spotlights, key lights and filler lights made for…