Learning Reflection #8

Well, I think that I have really learned some important things this week. Reading and attending Beaux-Stratagem made me realize that you really can't judge a play by the script. When I read the script, I did exactly this. I had extreme difficulties reading the script mainly because of the old english language. It really stood in the way for my understanding and perception of the play andwhat its about. The comedy did not surface for me and i think it is because I failed to read it in a comedic way.

So here I was, walking intothe play wednesday night with little expectations. I figured this to be a play brought to life by the performance an it was. The setup of the Memorial theatre suited the scene changes perfectly and the performers were stellar. I was very impressed with the overall experience.

This brings me to the main thing i learned from this play: that you can't judge a play from the script alone. I had low expectancies for this play because I couldnt get into the flow of the play. I have though about this and the reason I think that this play was so difficult for me was because I am an inexperience script reader. Before this class I had only read a few scripts and I usually performed part of them. My inexperience failed me when trying to follow and understand the script. Of course i have touched before on how people percieve and understand plays according to many factors. In my particular experience, I didnt quite catch the comedy of the play and did not expect much from the performance.

Opinion can change, however, especially once you go see the play. the characters have a role to play and as I have touched on before, are very important in filling or changing our expectancies. This play in particular is one that completly surpassed my expectations. The performers brought the play to life, as they were supposed to and they conveyed the jokes and language in an understandable way. I think that this would be a very easy play to understand if you went to see it without reading the script. Also, because the the direcor decided to take out many of the references to the time, the play was even that more easy to understand and enjoy. Not all people are going to read the script and research the play before seeing it live as well as some who read and research may not quite understand the nature of the play. Because the production crew put on a play with clear dialogue and great actions, the play was enjoyable for all.

Learning Reflection #7

Well just recently I went to the play cripple of inishmaan. This play in particular made me realize how hard it is to pick up foreign accents. The jokes in this play relied partly on the accents and history of it's setting. I particularly noticed the accents in this play because it was one of the main things that could make or break the character portrayals. It's very hard to keep an accent like an Irish one for example for the full duration of the play. This is again where the audience plays an important part a well.. I bet that the actors and actresses didn't know that there was a group of students there as part of a class, Well prepared and ready to be critical... However we are not experts on the Irish dialect. I would assume that there were people of Irish decent that would have had a better eye for criticizing their accents.

All this brings me to a conclusive idea about the audiences role. They play an extremely important part in how they enjoy or even percieve the play... This might not be very clear but what I mean is that an audiences reaction relies heavily on who the audience is.... For example, if a group of high school kids saw a play and didn't read the script or know anything about the play then they will be surely less critical... But let's say they tool this play to Ireland for a performnce. Well I think it's safe to say that they will be way more critical of accents and jokes and everything.

So how can we even start to be generally critical... It's not possible. No matter what, we brin ourselves to the play... In our case, we bring a bag full of knowledge to the play. It heavily influences our criticisms and notions about the play. One of the things I found with this play was that I didn't quite find the jokes funny... I already heard them and laughed at them... On top of that.. I analyzed the jokes so much and their meanigs that when the performers delivered them, I could only snicker in happiness that they actually pulled them off....... Anyways, that's about all I have to say

Learning Reflection #6

After reading Cripple of Inishmaan and researching the play, I have learned much about the questions that need to be asked and answered. a gelpful process was the feedback from our classmates. They told us that we did a good job and they also made us recognize some of the things we forgot to include in our presentation. This feedback allowed us to reflect on the play and the different perspectives that others hove of the play.

I think that having others comment and view your work allows for a richer learning experience. we can change, re-examine and add to our research after other people have shown us what we missed. that's about all I have to say this week. bye.

Learning Reflection #5

This week i read the Cripple of Inishmaan. i really enjoyed this script and i could not help but recognize the difference in perspective throughout the play.

being far away from our culture, the people of Inishmaan have some very funny views of our society and the rest of the world. one of the examples that sticks out to me is when one of the characters talks about a man with a funny mustache. this man is of course hitler and i find it funny when the woman says "i hope he does well" or something along the lines. this not only shows how far away and uninformed these people are, but also the time in which the play takes place.

i think it is important that they place little facts like this in the script because it gives the reader a sense of what time and place this is. at first i thought maybe the play was set in a far off time, however, hearing about hitler and how people from inishmaan immmigrate to america tells much about the setting.

of course this then helps with the researchers of the play. knowing the setting gives a point of reference for further research. we can learn about inishmaan during this time and look into some of the things that influence and appear in the play. its quite important to recognize the time and place for a better understanding of the play. of course when performed, the characters will appear like people from the setting, however when reading the script, some references are needed to pick up on the setting.

this play does this well. unlike some plays which either ignore setting up the times and the tribulations of which the play takes place, cripple of inishmaan allows those who just read the script to pick up on what times these characters live in. one of the things i was confused about was how johnny gave the news. at first i thought that it was because there was no technology to present the news. however, because the script says that the play takes place in the 1930s, it allows the reader to understand that its a social and communal thing that johnny delivers the news.

although i think there is much to say about the presentation of the setting in the script, i will stop here. as i have showed briefly, knowing the setting of the play can really affect the understanding of the characters, jokes and culture in the play. cripple is a prime example because it presents this information not outright but by hinting at things that were happening during their time period and this allows the reader to understand a bit about where they live and how separate they feel from and know about the rest of the world.

Journal Entry #4

I believed I have learned quite a bit over these past two weeks (I forgot to post last week). O e of the most important things I noticed when going over the various responses 'Problem Child'. While our group scanned through a stack of reponses we noticed how there were many different perceptions of the characters. Over some discussion We gathered that this has an important influence of how people enjoy, experience and understand a play. When we spectators read a play or a book or anything without physical visual image, we tend to build up ideas about how the characters appear and we bring these ideas to the theatres. This can host a variety of positive and negative effects. Often times we expect to see very distinct character, one whose role is quite particular to fill. Having an archtype image can serious let a playgoer down, especilly when they go to a lower budget production like the ones we are attending. On the other hand, having an idea of what the characters are like can have a positive effect on the playgoers experience. For example, if I expected to see a certain character personality which I did not expect to much enjoyment from and he or she blows my socks off, it is quite the pleasant surprise. Whatever extreme, positive or negative or anything between, our perceptions of a play and the characters in it can ultimately make or break a performance.

This also has a serious effect on the people putting on the play. The characters, producer, director, stage crew etc understand that they must
present the play in a way which leaves the audience entertained after the show. Whether this process involves taking the playgoers perception and making it reality or turning their perception up-side-down, the crew must satisfy the pleasure of their audience. So as the production crew and participants percieve the play at hand, they must think of how the audience will react and this shapes how characters fill rolls and the rolls they choose, how the director sets the scenes and how the stage crew uses lights and technology.

In the end this process works both ways which effects the expierence of the playgoers and those involved in putting on the play. I think that it is important for both parties to recognize this because by understanding each other, both can contribute to a better play experience for all.

Journal Entry #3

I must admit that this week I did not learn much. However we did establish our group connections and began to think about the play at hand, The Cripple of Inishmaan. Although I have not read the script, a member in our group has. This is probably one of the only and most significant points from the week. Although i have no idea what the play is about, from hearing about it from a group member, I have a jist of what might happen.

This communication is important because now I know what to expect. This is how I learn about a lot of books or movies I know nothing about. If I have a friend tell me that a particular movie or book is good and what its about, I have an idea of what I can expect.

Journal Entry #2

This week I took a look at the play Frost/Nixon. More than anything the play allowed me to further question the characters and the history. Since the start of the term we have explored Life Without Instruction which has taught me to look past the script and ask questions about how the play might be directed and how well the actors might fill their roles. Also I think it is important to mention the process of ink-shedding and what that does for gathering information and thought. I felt as if the process was extremely useful because we all experience the play differently and by looking at other peoples thoughts and perspectives, we notice things that we might otherwise have never thought about. This is important to the play going experience because it allows us to see things that we might not have seen and to ask questions we never thought of asking.

The final thing I want to touch on this week is how much knowledge about the characters and context can help for the understanding of the play. I noticed this in Frost/Nixon. This play is obviously directed towards an audience who are familiar with Nixon and his actions. This is something that I am not familiar with and I think that I would have got more from the play if i did. For this reason I think that a little background research is necessary for a better experience with he play.