Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Sad
We just found out today that one of our cast members has suffered a medical emergency and has withdrawn from the university. We all wish Russell the best of luck with his recovery, and we're sending him our thoughts and prayers. Tonight, we decided to dedicate the production to Russell.
The Hidden Benefits of Thousand Kites
Veronica Williams here. I just wanted to say how beneficial being on the cast for Thousand Kites has been for me. I have learned so many things, been taught so many lessons, and have made friends while in the process.
Coming to college has been extremely stressful for me personally. For the longest time I had a hard time talking to people because I am so shy. It was also especially hard for me because I had to leave the youth Theatre group I had been with for around 9 years. So naturally, I was worried when I came up here if I would "fit in" with this new theatre group. But I was so relieved. I was welcomed from the day that I stepped into Carol Belk Theatre. I knew that I had not only come to the right school, but picked the right co-curricular activity (and one of my majors as well) when Rachel and Russell-two of the chorus members in the show- how to project my voice properly without screaming. And that's not the only thing I have learned: I learned a new warm-up techinique from another one of the chorus members, a new line memorizing technique from Scott, and of course, about the U.S. prison system. I have also learned about UNCA theatre, it's terminology, and it's way of doing things, which I have a feeling will come in handy as I do more and more plays.
So, in short, I consider myself very lucky to be able to learn about and spread the word about such an important issue, while meeting awesome people within the theatre department. I feel honored to be given the opportunity to be in this play.
Coming to college has been extremely stressful for me personally. For the longest time I had a hard time talking to people because I am so shy. It was also especially hard for me because I had to leave the youth Theatre group I had been with for around 9 years. So naturally, I was worried when I came up here if I would "fit in" with this new theatre group. But I was so relieved. I was welcomed from the day that I stepped into Carol Belk Theatre. I knew that I had not only come to the right school, but picked the right co-curricular activity (and one of my majors as well) when Rachel and Russell-two of the chorus members in the show- how to project my voice properly without screaming. And that's not the only thing I have learned: I learned a new warm-up techinique from another one of the chorus members, a new line memorizing technique from Scott, and of course, about the U.S. prison system. I have also learned about UNCA theatre, it's terminology, and it's way of doing things, which I have a feeling will come in handy as I do more and more plays.
So, in short, I consider myself very lucky to be able to learn about and spread the word about such an important issue, while meeting awesome people within the theatre department. I feel honored to be given the opportunity to be in this play.
Some old time religion!
Skyler Goff here just wanting to let everyone know that we have begun to breath life into the production! Last night there were so many touching moments in the rehearsal! Casey and Chip were able to bring forth the beauty of the "razor-wire" poem with the beautiful acoustic music beneath, and Rachel went deep down into the deep southern baptist that resides in her soul and brought her empowering speech to life through the beauty of that good ol' gospel preacher's voice that she does so well. I am terribly excited to be a part of this production and I can't wait for opening night!
I've been to so many rehearsals that leave you feeling emotionally and physically exhausted, but tonight was not one of them. Rehearsal ended almost 5 hours ago and I'm still wired. I can't sit still and most certainly not my racing thoughts.
Tonight I witnesses the growth of art. I saw actors with very little direction find emotion so powerful that I was brought to the heights of worship and the depths of despair in one evening. This promises to be a show worth seeing.
I expected to feel drained by this show; I thought the emotionally weighty content mixed with my first try at ASMing would just be added to the pile of "crap I need to get done before I sleep." I had no idea that these rehearsals would restore me so much. I'm working with a dedicated, talented and hilarious group of people to produce a relevant, powerful play and I am really grateful for the respite at the end of my day.
"A scintillation, a moment's hesitation...the beauty that was not intended, but can be seen and kept as a gift. A gift."
Tonight I witnesses the growth of art. I saw actors with very little direction find emotion so powerful that I was brought to the heights of worship and the depths of despair in one evening. This promises to be a show worth seeing.
I expected to feel drained by this show; I thought the emotionally weighty content mixed with my first try at ASMing would just be added to the pile of "crap I need to get done before I sleep." I had no idea that these rehearsals would restore me so much. I'm working with a dedicated, talented and hilarious group of people to produce a relevant, powerful play and I am really grateful for the respite at the end of my day.
"A scintillation, a moment's hesitation...the beauty that was not intended, but can be seen and kept as a gift. A gift."
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Reactions and Reflections
Rachael Williams here, also known as "Chorus #5," making my debut post.
I just got released from tonight's rehearsal, and I am feeling a weight of emotions about this project; it's a heavy work, but it's the kind that makes you stronger rather than tiring you out.
There are a thousand thoughts and reactions swirling around in my head, but I hope to make a coherent string out of a few of them to share with you.
This play raises memories for me, some of them painful and some of them beautiful. There are so many stories told in it; the story of a girl raising her younger sibling, watching them head down the wrong path, and unable to do anything to help, the story of a woman in the city who feels that the police make victims of her children, the story of a young man's journey into the criminal life, and the reality he faces there, the story of a guard's first day on the job; it's all deeply moving, and I can recall some of my own friends and family going through the same.
This play has really changed my mind in a lot of ways. The stats aren't really new to me--I've been involved in research projects that made clear the really ugly ways an impersonal system can ruin lives. But the compassion of this play is inspiring. I come from a town where some of the law enforcement officers are like bandits themselves, selling drugs and using the profits for their own gain, abusing inmates, and bolstering their own fame with racism, ignorance and publicity stunts. The first chapter of our reading group book, "Gates of Injustice," is actually about my hometown. I had a pretty unforgiving attitude towards people in uniform as a result of growing up in an environment where anyone "darker than snow" had a lot to fear. But being a part of this project, watching one of my own friends portray the struggle of life in the uniform, has softened my attitude a great deal.
Unlike a lot of "activist theatre," this play doesn't seek to preach a message forcibly, or motivate the audience through anger and outrage; it encourages the whole community to reach out and reach in, to uplift and assist, and to move change with compassion, and that is something I think makes it unique, memorable, and important.
Rachael out!
I just got released from tonight's rehearsal, and I am feeling a weight of emotions about this project; it's a heavy work, but it's the kind that makes you stronger rather than tiring you out.
There are a thousand thoughts and reactions swirling around in my head, but I hope to make a coherent string out of a few of them to share with you.
This play raises memories for me, some of them painful and some of them beautiful. There are so many stories told in it; the story of a girl raising her younger sibling, watching them head down the wrong path, and unable to do anything to help, the story of a woman in the city who feels that the police make victims of her children, the story of a young man's journey into the criminal life, and the reality he faces there, the story of a guard's first day on the job; it's all deeply moving, and I can recall some of my own friends and family going through the same.
This play has really changed my mind in a lot of ways. The stats aren't really new to me--I've been involved in research projects that made clear the really ugly ways an impersonal system can ruin lives. But the compassion of this play is inspiring. I come from a town where some of the law enforcement officers are like bandits themselves, selling drugs and using the profits for their own gain, abusing inmates, and bolstering their own fame with racism, ignorance and publicity stunts. The first chapter of our reading group book, "Gates of Injustice," is actually about my hometown. I had a pretty unforgiving attitude towards people in uniform as a result of growing up in an environment where anyone "darker than snow" had a lot to fear. But being a part of this project, watching one of my own friends portray the struggle of life in the uniform, has softened my attitude a great deal.
Unlike a lot of "activist theatre," this play doesn't seek to preach a message forcibly, or motivate the audience through anger and outrage; it encourages the whole community to reach out and reach in, to uplift and assist, and to move change with compassion, and that is something I think makes it unique, memorable, and important.
Rachael out!
ensemblism, agonism, and you
Last night Scott brought up the idea that this script, fundamentally different from traditional, representational works of drama, can function similarly when it comes to character. In other words: whereas the "well-made play" uses character action to drive the events of a plot- every character generally wanting a specific outcome from another character- this play seeks a direct reaction from the audience itself.
While it could be argued that all plays seek this to some extent, whether the reaction is delight, education, shock, or entertainment, the nature of this particular script makes the audience itself a character. If we view Thousand Kites as an ensemble piece, wherein the entire production crystallizes into one single protagonist, then the "opposing force", or antagonist, must manifest outside of the players. Why? In general, I think a play is considerably stronger if the objective of the protagonist is concrete vs. abstract-- a corporate lawyer wanting his colleague to step down due to an embezzlement scandal versus wanting justice, for example. Therefore, if there are essentially two characters, the players and the audience, and a clear objective is wanted by the ensemble (the definition of protagonist being "to struggle") then a strong, core opposing force must be decided on by the cast. Should it be ignorance? Passivity? The very idea that our current prison system works?
The next element that, I think, should be addressed by the production team is how to interact with the audience. While admittedly the playwright has already taken care of some of this, in regards to characters' text, something unique happens when actors choose tactics that seek to influence the audience. To start, the audience is made up of potentially five hundred different individual perspectives and emotions concerning the prison system, all of which are being lumped into one. While this may not be such a bad thing, similar to the act of a group of chorus singers harmonizing: some raising their voices while others fall- it is unavoidable that, even in the best of cases, the audience is being reduced to a preemptively-selected emotional mold.
While it can again be argued that all plays do this to some extent, Thousand Kites lacks the benefit of a fourth wall from which the audience can objectively observe. There is also much less of a story arc which, in a realistic performance, could go on regardless of the presence of an audience and find its own climax.
That being said, I have great faith in this play and this team. As a community-oriented, presentational work of drama, I think this play has potential that many other scripts- some of which only interact with their audience for two minutes during curtain call- may not have.
Should we find answers to these questions and ground ourselves in a deliberate cause, the results could be no less than staggering.
This ends my heady interlude!
-Brian
While it could be argued that all plays seek this to some extent, whether the reaction is delight, education, shock, or entertainment, the nature of this particular script makes the audience itself a character. If we view Thousand Kites as an ensemble piece, wherein the entire production crystallizes into one single protagonist, then the "opposing force", or antagonist, must manifest outside of the players. Why? In general, I think a play is considerably stronger if the objective of the protagonist is concrete vs. abstract-- a corporate lawyer wanting his colleague to step down due to an embezzlement scandal versus wanting justice, for example. Therefore, if there are essentially two characters, the players and the audience, and a clear objective is wanted by the ensemble (the definition of protagonist being "to struggle") then a strong, core opposing force must be decided on by the cast. Should it be ignorance? Passivity? The very idea that our current prison system works?
The next element that, I think, should be addressed by the production team is how to interact with the audience. While admittedly the playwright has already taken care of some of this, in regards to characters' text, something unique happens when actors choose tactics that seek to influence the audience. To start, the audience is made up of potentially five hundred different individual perspectives and emotions concerning the prison system, all of which are being lumped into one. While this may not be such a bad thing, similar to the act of a group of chorus singers harmonizing: some raising their voices while others fall- it is unavoidable that, even in the best of cases, the audience is being reduced to a preemptively-selected emotional mold.
While it can again be argued that all plays do this to some extent, Thousand Kites lacks the benefit of a fourth wall from which the audience can objectively observe. There is also much less of a story arc which, in a realistic performance, could go on regardless of the presence of an audience and find its own climax.
That being said, I have great faith in this play and this team. As a community-oriented, presentational work of drama, I think this play has potential that many other scripts- some of which only interact with their audience for two minutes during curtain call- may not have.
Should we find answers to these questions and ground ourselves in a deliberate cause, the results could be no less than staggering.
This ends my heady interlude!
-Brian
Good Morning, Wallens Ridge!
Hello, all!
This is your friendly neighborhood Assistant Stage Manager, Kim. The countdown is on - only 15 days until opening. We had a very productive production (tee hee) meeting this morning and I am getting stoked about all the pieces falling into place for the show. Everything is looking great and this promises to be a very powerful show that I am honored to be a part of.
See you all at the theatre!
This is your friendly neighborhood Assistant Stage Manager, Kim. The countdown is on - only 15 days until opening. We had a very productive production (tee hee) meeting this morning and I am getting stoked about all the pieces falling into place for the show. Everything is looking great and this promises to be a very powerful show that I am honored to be a part of.
See you all at the theatre!
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