My perspective of Ruined

In my production of Ruined my overall vision is somewhere tropical in Africa, preferably near the ocean and a little ways inland. I want to to be real and livable for the audience as far as the area it takes place in and something they could see really see going on outside of the fiction based story to let them know that though the story isn't real, this is really going on some

where.

THEATRE

I would want my production in the amphitheater because I feel it will give it more of an outside feel. I think it will create more of a realistic vision of the play for the audience. I think the Clark County Amphitheater is a good place because it is outdoors and very large. I think having this production in an area like that will get locals but people from all over because it is near bigger areas and states such as California and Nevada so people could travel and see it as well. Also this wouldn’t be much of a crowd that you would think would attend something like this. I think that because it had a loss of crowd, a moving play such as this would work there as well.

SCENIC DESIGN

My scenic design would be more to the plain side as far as setting and back ground go. I think the bar would be very rustic and rundown looking but still have a decent quality to it. I think we should be able to section off the stage so that we could see the backroom where the girls sleep. I think from there we should be able to see the bar where the people come in. I would slant the entrance of the bar so the audience are able to see the front and the scenes that take place outside of the bar, but also have it sort of cut off so that we don’t see everything, such as the soldiers coming or Mr. Hararri, leaving. As far as the back ground inside the bar I would like it to be sort of a grayish black with broken pieces of wall and a dirty rustic feel also. The outside would have a white back drop so with the lighting change we can see the change of the time of day against the white.

(back room)

COSTUME DESIGN

With costume design I think that the women wouldn’t have any sort of change of clothes except for Sophie, to show that they are poor and would have more of a traditional african clothing wear. For Mama Nadi, I think he clothing should look better than the other girls and be a little more “high class” looking. I would like her to wear a plane skirt and a shirt with jewelry to accent it such as bracelets and necklaces. I would like her to also wear a head wrap too. As for the other girls their clothes look very worn, but I would also like for them to wear the skirts and shirts too but maybe with rips and tears and dirtier looking. Since Josephine seems to be the main girl in the prostitution who knows what shes doing,she seems to be much more sexual. I would have her wear red a shorter skirt and lower cut top to accent her body during nights when the soldiers come. For the soldiers I pictured Osembanga’s soldiers in khaki, very polished get up with badges to represent where they stand. As for the rebels, I picture their outfits to be more worn but a polished look too, and even have red in their clothing or hats to represent who they are.

(the girls)

(head wraps)

(Josephine)

(Mama Nadi)

(Rebels)

(Osembenga, Fortune etc.)

LIGHTING DESIGN

For the lighting design inside, I would want inside Mama Nadi’s bar I would like it too look somewhat florescent-esq but also warn florescent, almost a bit dim with light from the outside too so it’s kind of a mix. At night I think a little less florescent but more candle lit, so a softer warmer tone comes over the bar because it seemed at night that it was livelier and almost like it would get hot around the bar with more and more people arriving. So it also feels happier but almost uncomfortable. Since the show is in an amphitheatre and it’s pretty much outside, the time of day to have it at could be late afternoon into night. I think It would also play off of the lighting and make it stand out as it gets later in the production, since the times of day changes a lot in the play. Natural daylight can be used for daytime with the natural lighting. When there is danger approaching there could be a redness in the light that lights up the stage to create and uncomfortable feeling or any moment that there might be danger or some sort of suspense, like when the soldiers come or the girls are threatened at the ending of the play.

SOUND DESIGN

The mood I would want to create with the sound design would be somewhat cheery with the natural sounds of the nature surrounding the theatre to go with the area of the setting; the music would sound natural and ambient with the ambient sounds. I would want all the music to sound ambient. When mama Nadi is working I would want some popular African music to be playing in the background. When at night the band would come out to play, and the music from the original play that Sophie sings would also be included. It the suspenseful parts I would like drums playing in a fast pace to give the feel of danger an upbeat rhythm and feel to the play. Aside from that I wouldn’t have much more music.

http://janosnovak.com/photo/museum/galleries/austria2004/ruined_wall_big.jpg (front of ruined bar)

http://www.treehugger.com/tropical%20island-jj-001.jpg (somewhere near a place like this)

http://www.eleganttoun.com/images/ladies_contemporary_1.gif (Mamas outfit)

http://www.africaimports.com/images/Step6.jpg (head wraps)

http://www.stockfood.com/images-pictures/African%20women%20pounding%20maize%20%281%29-253045.jpg (womens outfits)

http://www.funkystrawbs.com/Images/Bottoms/14_Lace_Rap_Skirt_Bolera_Red.JPG (josephine)

http://www.ticketwood.com/images/maps/clarkcountyamphitheater_all.gif (apmphitheatre)

http://www.uniforms-4u.com/Productimages/12132/big-u-us-navy-officers-cpos-khaki-uniform-15838.jpg (Osembanga)

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/12/22/a4/inside-the-shack-2.jpg ( back room of shack)

http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/00/12/22/a3/inside-the-shack.jpg

http://blog.nj.com/insidejersey_impact/2008/09/large_oyster.jpg (bar)

http://devilsexcrement.files.wordpress.com/2010/02/mili-206.jpg (rebels)

(SORRY ABOUT IT BEING A FEW HOURS LATE, I WAS FINISHING THIS UP AND MAKING SURE I HAD ALL OF THE LINKS TO THE PICTURES!)

The Arabian Nights

My experience as an audience member seeing The Arabian Nights was a lot of fun, and I really enjoyed myself. I did see the show several times and from the moment I arrived into the News Journal Center each time, I was very excited and with someone new awaiting the see the wonderful production. My very first time seeing the production was the first Friday run; I came with my family and a friend. We were all excited to see what was in store. By the time we got there, we were immediately able to be seated. When I walked into the Gillespie theatre, the audience was full and I was amazed of how the set looked! I saw lots of hanging elaborate looking lamps that were so nice I heard people saying they wanted to take them; there were carpets and pillows surrounding the stage of all different yet Arabian inspired looks. There was even a bed in front of what looked like a balcony under a starry sky which I really liked. I paid attention to the set as did my family, they enjoyed it as well. I thought everything looked beautiful. Once the show started there was immediately a lot of music and dancing and instruments. I couldn’t contain myself I wanted to dance along. I watched around me and I saw the audience into it just as much as I was, and as an audience member myself I thought it was fun we were all clapping and participating together clapping along with the music. As far as sitting in the audience watching the show I was seated in the front row center on the left hand side so my point of view and focal points were different from where I was looking and paying attention. There were something’s I could not get the best view of so my so my interpretations of what I saw going on was probably slightly different from people sitting elsewhere. I had to really search the stage to see all the activity going on.



When I came the second time, I was able to sit a few rows up in the mid section of the theatre. I was just as amazed with everything and laughed at the same things and even saw and heard new things I didn’t hear before so the funny things were funnier and I was able to understand things I didn’t catch the first time. It made the show for me that much better than the first time I saw it. I noticed that there was an improve scene that changed from when I saw it before. I found that hilarious and it really shows in theatre that nothing is ever the same in a live performance. The audience really enjoyed the input with the improve as well. The laughter was loud and the incorporations of the modern day things I heard such as twilight and avatar where very enjoyed by the audience and myself.



The third and final time I went to see Arabian I have to say I was still just as excited as the first. I was with two friends and I sat on the right side of the theatre more to the centre. My friends were just as amazed with the set as I was. Once the show started they were into the performance and found it very funny and entertaining. Seeing as I had seen the show previously, I was able to point out to them different things that they might have not noticed from where they were so that they could enjoy the show to the fullest. I also noticed and heard different things once again that made me enjoy and understand the show that much better. Once I left the show each time I went, we discussed how we loved the music and dancing and that it was hilarious! There was still discussion about the awesome lamps too. Over all every time I went to see it I enjoyed it and didn’t get bored at all, as did the people I went with.

Godspell (Audience experience)

My experience going to see the production of Godspell was pretty amazing. We arrived at the News Journal Center where the theatre was located just short of seven ‘o clock, only to meet up with lines of people waiting for a ticket and waiting to go up the escalators into the actual theatre. I was almost surprised to see how many people were there waiting, especially since it was only a Thursday night. It made me even more excited to see what was in store and what Godspell was really about because I figured this would be a really good production since the crowd turnout was so great. I had purchased my ticket earlier that day so I was excited I didn’t need to once I was there. As I waited patiently we got there somewhat early enough to not have to be last to wait in the long lines. Finally about fifteen minutes until seven-thirty which is the specific time the show was meant to start, we were able to enter the Gillespie theatre and I was excited to see the set. I was also surprise to make out that it was a set as if it were after 911. There was debris and smoke coming from the fallen buildings.

I was excited to see what was in store as I waited patiently with my friends. We sat in the middle section more towards the middle seats to try to get the best full-on frontal view, since there were so many people and so very few seats. The theatre filled up and everyone was chatting excitedly and before you know it everyone got quiet and the show started. As the show went on and the songs were sung, during some of the more upbeat songs, I looked around and actually noticed pretty much the entire crowd was clapping to the music and dancing along with the cast!

I thought it was great on how into the show the audience was. It was cool because I knew the audience was into the show just as much as I was and they really liked what they were seeing together as a crowd. The response did surprise me but the show was so good it seemed only right for the audience to be so engaged and react the way they did. Clapping along with the actors and after the different songs is a convention and not considered rude during the exciting moments of the play as opposed to the more serious or sad songs. They came to see a performance and that was exactly what they were getting and a great one at that.

I am sure that fueled the actors to really put on a show for us just from the energy the audience was putting out. During intermission the audience was able to go up on the stage and get punch served by the actors and almost interact with them a little bit. I think that kept the crowd entertained even during a moment where the entertainment was supposed to take a break. That isn’t usual in many productions but not uncommon but I think it helped the audience stick around. After the amazing show I did indeed discuss it with my friends on what different parts I liked the best and what made me sad or laugh. We were even singing the catchy songs that were in the production on the way home and I am sure we weren’t the only ones at the end of the night. I couldn’t wait to spread the word on such a great crowd and a great show.

Origin of Story telling

Storytelling has shaped our societies and the way we think for all of recorded history. Before that to the days of cave paintings, and even before that into some shaded depth of time that we have only the barest sense of today.
To primitive man, storytelling was magic. There was
little separation between what was spoken and what
happened, it seemed logical that if we could
describe a great adventure that or thing that happened in our lives we should bring it home, in all its vividness and glory .



There are many different types and translations of stories through storytelling but one of the many common forms of it is that of Native American storytelling. Native American storytelling is an important part of many people's lives. Many Native Americans tell stories to keep their customs alive. People, weavings, paintings, dance, carvings, and oral, all tell stories. Native Amaerica storytelling I think is important also to us as americans because it is our history before any sort of forign settlement began.


A way they would tell stories is by symbols such as Carved and painted tree logs, called totem poles which show Native American history and beliefs.



Paintings also tell stories. Some Native American homes are called tepees. Painted tepees tell a story about the people who live there. Another major way is through music , dance and voice.

Native Americans, like all people, liked to tell tales about the things that had happened in their life. Native Americans did not write words down in books, but they did have a form of writing. They drew pictures on hides, rocks and on bone. Some of their pictures were left as warnings to others.
Native American storytelling is still a popular form of story telling today and still uses traditional customs but it is more of a form of entertainment rather than something done to spread the word. Stories are useful to preserve historic facts, teach younger ones life lessons, express the hopes and fears of the heart, entertain, amaze and amuse.







Greek Story telling was during the Grecian Dark Ages, some people even became professional storytellers going from town to town, earning a living simply telling stories. They told the same stories over and over, in Greek. It was not long until nearly everyone in ancient Greece knew all of the stories by heart. They also knew the Greek language by heart, as it was the language of the storytellers. There are many other ways to express Greek story outside of the oral tradition and that is Greek symbols



Symbol of health


Laurel Wreath

There are different types of the greek storytelling such as
A FABLE is a story that ends with a lesson to be learned. Probably the most famous of all fables came out of ancient Greece during the Greek dark ages – the stories of Aesop.  Aka Aesop's fables, some of the most popular stories known today.
A LEGENED is a popular story that has been told over and over again about something that happened in the near or far past. To be a legend, there can be no proof that the story is true. That does not mean that it is not true. It only means that to be a legend, there cannot be proof that the story is true. One of the most popular legends was the story of the Trojan horse 
A MYTH is a story about one or more magical deities. The Greeks believed in many gods and goddesses ,magical monsters and mythical animals. Greek myths are still enjoyable today!
Some popular fables are, “The Ant and the Grasshopper which is about a selfish grasshopper who refuses to help the ants collect the harvest before winter. “Another is the Tortoise and the Hare”.
Greek mythology tells stories about gods and goddesses, other immortals, monsters,
extraordinary heroes, and some ordinary
People. There are many popular Greek gods
and creatures such as Zeus, Poseidon, Hercules
and Cerberus.
ZEUS

CEREBERUS

Which also ties into the different myths of what really happened with the sotries of the Greek gods and mythical creatures.
Modern intepretations of Greek stories and tales of the gods and creatures and what was said to have happened back when, have been made into plays and movies and books.
Clash of the Titans is one movie made on the Greek happenings



There are popular plays like Oedipus the King written by Sophocles (496-406 BCE)
which is basically explaining how your fate was destined no matter what back then with the gods.



Greek Storytelling is most popular today in modern times as either a play or a movie. It is not something always orally told but visualy seen and told through watching and listening.
Storytelling is an amazing thing and not just a thing of entertainment but also educational. I think without it we would not know our history like it is today.

Chinese Opera

Chinese Opera is a popular form of musical theatre and Drama in China. The roots go back as far as the third century. There are many regional branches of Chinese opera, one of which is the Beijing Opera also called Jingju is one of the most notable to date. Chinese opera has many forms all in one. Form and Technique including martial arts, the stage set up which is precise and the usual in a Chinese Theatre and last but not least make up and costumes. In facial makeup of Chinese opera there are various designs of lines and colored patches painted on the faces of certain operatic characters. The patterns are fixed and traditional. Certain patterns represent different highlights different qualities so that the audience immediately knows whether the character is a hero, a villain, a warrior, or a clown. The colors represent whether they are kind or vicious or strong. Each color and stroke means some thing and there are thousands of different meanings! For instance The red or purple face shows just and noble character. The black face indicates either a rough and bold character, or a selfless personality. A green face is stubbornness, and a total lack of self-restraint. The most commonly seen on the stage is the white face for the powerful villain. All of the facial makeups belong to a category of characters collectively called Jing. For the clowns of traditional drama, there is a special makeup called Xiaohualian (meaning petty painted face) it is a small patch of chalk on and around the nose to show a mean and secretive character. The facial makeup's date back to the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1271-1368) dynasties. Simple patterns of painted faces are found in tomb murals during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) Aside from the makeup many of the costumes go along with the intricate forms of the makeup. The costumes are very elaborate and colorful as well, sometimes heavy, because of it. Though Chinese Opera and makeup is not clearly understood by the common eye most of which are in the western hemisphere, it is a beautiful creation of art and theatre.

Masks







Costumes


























Videos
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcUhIQqNXoo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyibSUB_MBw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NM9JZkeJOc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9dQX5fZeeo
Cited Sites.

“Chinese Traditional Arts Opera”, Chinese Manchester Archive “no date” Web. February 23, 2010. .
“Facial Makeup’s in Opera”, China Virtual Tours. “1996-2009”Web. February23,2010. .