Plays I Have Seen So Far

1.) Lord Of The Flies
" Senior De Las Moscas"
performed by: The University of San Martin
at theater: Julieta

Review:
*write here when theres more time*



2.) Monica's Garden
"El Jardin De Monica"
performed by: A Peruvian Theater Group
at theater: Somewhere in Miraflores

Review:

Monica's Garden was read out loud in class before we went to go see it. Each one of my classmates and I had imagined a bizzare interpretation of this play due to Monica's extreme character. I was disappointed once I reached the theatre because it was poorly taken care of. Ironically, it foreshadowed the play perfectly. The play, to say the least, was a disaster. I sat up front and was aware of everything that was going on backstage and on the sides. There was a constant light that was on the whole play that kept distracting me. Well to be honest, maybe I distracted myself with it anyway because the play wasn't enjoyable. The setting was unique but it needed more props to give the "garden" more of a junk yard feel. It was too saturated on the middle of the stage, it needed some more surroundings. Apart from the misinterpreted setting, the cast didn’t seem to understand the play all too well. Monica’s costume and makeup was too dark and creepy making it hard to demonstrate that her character was just a dysfunctional child. The actress made it seem like Monica was a teenager who had just discovered makeup and wanted to seem older! Her body language did not convince me that she was a child neither, and her “childish” attitude did not seem to fit the character just quite. I have to admit that her transition to her mother’s voice was quite good, but not good enough to make the audience understand that it was caused by emotional instability due to her mother. It was obvious by the text that there was problems in the house hold but the actress did not seem to capture it. However, the actress playing “Ratita,” did seem to grasp the childish body language and attitude better but her costume was a bit off. I liked the style and the color but there seemed to be a measurement malfunction. It was way too short. I feel that her interpretation of “Ratita” was the best out of the three, but it was also the easiest to act out. Her squeaky voice helped the audience understand that she was just a lost girl looking for a new playmate. The odd friendship that was built between Monica and Ratita was a bit awkward, it should have been softened by their playing actions. They kept hiding behind the “tree” and giving their back to the audience, making me realize how bad that makes an actor look. Moreover, the third actor, the little boy, wasn’t convincing. The little boy’s attire was very generic so it was easy to realize what his character was but was his acting wasn’t all that great. He should have expressed his lines better with more facial expressions. The lighting did not change at all throughout the play, only at the end and it wasn’t as dramatic as it should have. Anyway, the reflection here is, if we had performed this play, how could we have done it better? How could we have interpreted Monica’s character? It’s so complex now that I look back at her description at the start of the play and realize how hard it is to interpret her character.
"... es una niña que podría tener hasta ochenta años, que es la máxima edad que puede tenerse. Ella no sabría decirnos tampoco cuántos años hace que está aquí. Es ágil. Delgadita. Nerviosa. Con una lamparita encendida dentro de cada ojo. Ahora está jugando. Juega incansablemente. No se detiene nunca. No puede detenerse. Ah, pero es la voz de Mónica lo importante. Eso es lo que realmente es Mónica: una voz. Envejece. Crece. Se hace pequeñita. Es agria y cortante. Es dulce. Es amarga. Retiene. Aleja. Nos acompaña, o nos deja terriblemente solos. Y luego están sus manos y su risa: la risa de Mónica no puede escucharse sin que produzca desazón, desconsuelo o el sentimiento de sentirnos abandonados en un lugar donde todos hablan un idioma que no entendemos y nos rodean miradas hostiles, impúdicas; las manos de Mónica no pueden olvidarse si se las ha visto mintiendo alguna vez. Nada más.




3.) Without a Title
"Sin Titulo"
performed by: Yuyachkani
at theater: Somewhere

Review:

*write more here when theres more time*

4.) The Opera of Three Cents
" La Opera De Tres Centavos"
performed by: A Colombian theatre group
at theater: ICPNA

Review:

To die by your side, is such a heavenly way to die..

*Note: Before I start formally writing this blog, I want to make an observation and a statement.
I just browsed through all of my classmate's blogs like a stalker and realized they all had a original signature of some sort on their page. Either it be their background, style of writing, pictures or quotes, they all have something special.
Well, my something special is going to be.. that before every blog I write, I'm going to put a link of a youtube music video so that the reader may be entertained as they read my blog, and also see what music is inspiring me.
Today's late hour music is a classic.
The light never goes out by The Smiths.*
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INgXzChwipY


Debora Correa: "Actores necesitan inspirarse o tener modelos."


"Muestren que ustedes no hacen magia, solo trabajo." - I forgot whose quote that is.

On tuesday, an artist.. an actress.. a well-known Yuyaskani member came to teach our theater class the mysterious secrets behind the art of masks. She spoke to us about how the Yuyaskani group has been performing for 37 years and the members have mastered a series of different arts to become diverse characters. Arts such as tai chi, dance, and gymnastics have helped these actors and actresses morph into the characters that enlighten and entertain audiences all over the place. Ms. Debora Correa explained the movements and feels of the body are necessary for the correct usage of a mask, but more importantly, to let the mask "borrow" the actor/actresse's body as its own. She got into more detail about how a mask is to be treated and how a mask affects an audience if its well used. The way a mask should be taken care of is by touching the sides of the mask, and never the face itself and never setting it face down on the floor because of its fragile form. Before a mask is worn, it should be analyzed from every angle to familiarize with it. Questions like:
WHO IS IT?
WHAT DOES IT DO?
WHERE DID IT COME FROM?
WHAT DOES IT LIKE?
WHAT DOES IT WANT?
should be aroused.
A mask should be worn with care as if it were an actual face, and even acted with care; meaning that the wearer of a mask should not make rapid movements or turn too much to the side because it takes away the magic from the mask. (Turning to the side makes the mask obvious and rapid movements make the mask less dramatic.)
Body Language:
Debora Correa emphasized that the usage of the back bone is vital to a mask's body. The flexibility of a backbone can easily give the age of the mask.
She explained that the face where the mask is placed has a triangle that evaluates the look and volume of a mask. (body, shoulders, column.)
The eyes should always be dramatic if the mask reveals them. One of her "eye" examples was to attempt to act as if you were looking out a window expressing MAJOR curiosity.

*Note: Here is another song if the other one has ended:
Careless Whispers by Michael
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAquRuqyQQc*

Debora Correa demonstrated her talent and abilities by introducing us to some of her masks.
One of them was an old, army general by the name of "El Corporal."
She showed us that by having the discipline of martial arts and learning the dance, "danza diablada," she was able to capture the essence of the mask. She mentioned that "El Corporal's" character was inspired by the time in Peru that terrorism engulfed the cities and streets.
Another mask she presented was from the storyline called "Encuentro de Zorro" which is about an immigrant from Ayacucho who was inspired by a clay sculpture called, "El Bocon," which translates to someone with a large mouth. Amongst her other masks where:

Ukuku: Huacoyo - Little men or silly adolescents who are usually comedic.

La Gata: A comedy that has been performed for the last 27 years. Her unique way of speaking, having culture, characteristics, animal essence which helps the strut, and the voice.

Debora Correa also explained that depending on what body/facial part is exposed it should utilized well. If a whole facial mask is presented, body language and noises should be at its maximum. If its a speaking mask, the mouth should be exagerated and the voice should be very well practiced, warming up vocal chords was recommended by Ms. Correa. Its the same for the eyes, etc etc.

In the end, the presentation left me wondering.. Would the masks be considered a prop for Valentina and I to work on for our very own Paucartambo play? Are we going to use the masks we bought or are we going to make them out of papermache?
That'd be an adventure.


Goodnight Lima.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6f2vyeO8Hs

One Act Play - It's All Buisness

Last night's perfomance was filled with energy. I have never been more proud of my classmartes. Obviously, as a music technitian, I could see how much they've progressed seeing that I've seen my classmates rehearse feverishly for many days and long hours. It all paid off. The "It's All Buisness," script had a comedic air to it and its humour reacted thunderous laughs throughout this performance. For example, I learned the responsibility and priviledge of being backstage and the dire need to learn the theater's "map" or so to speak. I also learned how to use Windows Movie Maker! I learned that you can play and stop music using the spacebar of a laptop and also, the importance of exact minutes and seconds of a song. Not only that, but the placing of music in a play with its cues makes the play flow better. Choosing music to fit the characters and the situations that were presented wasn't very hard thanks to my classmate, Sandra, who helped write the script. Characters need to be analyzed to be able to find or create a "essence," to the scene. The music chosen fitted the characters just fine but I think if I would have been more familiar with the script and its characters a bit better I could have come up with better music or been at least a bit more helpful to the play. Music is as important as dialogue in a play. Music itself sets a mood and sometimes even prolongs a mood for the audience. Background music in movies is essencial to the film because humans recept the concept of a film a bit clearer. Nevertheless, the play went on and it was outstanding.. but now what i'm wondering is, what should i expect for Paucartambo? Will I be perfoming or should i start researching the culture ahead to initiate my search for fitting music? All good things come to those who wait..

P.D- The lights and music are also essential to the scene setting.


NEXT ON IB DRAMA..

Music Tech

Music:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bFFzZzzlUw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSw7CcAXPWk


Pista 1: Lights out/LOUD MUSIC/ 17 seconds-sandra walks in and sebastian talks/lower music
Music ends when Sebastian says, but.. and Diego takes earphones off.

Pista 3: FIX FIX FIX BONG

Sandra and I need to fix the audio. I´ll take my laptop, hopefully i can mix it together-- the laptop starts the music too slow.
I wonder how it´ll end up? I wonder if theres a program to mesh music together?

First Saturday for IB Theater

I´m currently observing our Director, Roberto, help Felipe and Rodrigo rehearse the scene in which Rodrigo´s character divulges some information on his perverted videos with the video games/movies stand and Felipe uses it as an upper hand.
As the music technitian its my duty to pick music that fits the play, so I´ve been browsing through youtube and came across this oriental instrumental that fits Mr. K (Rodrigo)´s character.

Where could I put it though?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B7_pDP2xS4