Relating Theater to Reading

Ever since I was a small child I can remember loving to read books. I would get so excited when my mom or my grandpa would take me to the downtown library or when it was “library day” at school. I started with reading picture books and slowly grew into reading longer, more complex, and pictureless chapter books. The idea of reading has always been fun to me and never a chore, as it is to some. Part of what makes reading so much fun to me is being able to picture the scene unfolding in my head. I love creating vivid images of places, characters, and events inside my mind. It can take you to a place you have never been before and maybe never go in your life. Certainly I will never enter the Wizarding World, like in my favorite series, Harry Potter. This is what makes reading so much like the art of theater. Reading a book is just like seeing a play but instead of a room full of spectators, you are the only viewer. It’s like an intimate show being put on just for you that takes you to another world. I feel that this is even more interesting than theater at times because you can control everything to your liking. You can create what the characters look like in your mind based off the description given. You can picture the house they live in, the car they’re driving, or the dragon being slain. This in a way almost makes you the director of the “play”. You are putting together all these elements that the playwright, or in this case the author, wrote down. Sure you may know the character is wearing a red shirt, but you can choose exactly what that red shirt looks like. As a reader, you are given details but only just enough. There is still so much that you can control. You have the lines and the dialogue, now what do you do with that? I think that this is a very interesting concept because every single time a different person picks up the same book they will have a different interpretation of that novel in their mind. The play will change and become a totally different experience for that reader. Therefore there are a million different versions of that single play floating around out there in our minds. As a reader you also pick when the intermissions are. This is simply when you choose to stop reading or take a break. Will there be one after each act or chapter? Or will you watch the play straight through and finish all at once? There are so many aspects to control, making the experience so much fun. Reading is truly a magical experience and one I feel truly passionate about. There is not better a art to relate it to than the art of theater because this is also such a wonderful experience. The two are extremely similar in many aspects.

Grease Set Design

I chose to design a scene for the musical Grease. The show is set in the 1950s and one scene takes place inside a diner. This is the scene where the audience finds out the Frenchie dropped out of beauty school and before the famous song “Beauty School Dropout.” For this scene I tried to create the typical 1950s diner. First there would be a black and white tile floor and a red booth where the characters sit and talk. There would be a counter of the same red color scheme located somewhere off to the side of the stage with several stools. There would also be a sign advertising that this was a diner. The sign could be lit up throughout the entire scene. Other small accessories would include a classic looking jukebox, an old style pay phone, and milkshakes or other types of diner food set out on the counter and table where the characters sit and interact. I feel these small touches would really add a lot to the set. All of these elements would give the audience the impression that the kids in the musical are at a genuine fifties style diner. I think this set would be a perfect one for this very scene.

I chose to design a scene for the musical Grease. The show is set in the 1950s and one scene takes place inside a diner. This is the scene where the audience finds out the Frenchie dropped out of beauty school and i also right before the famous song “Beauty School Dropout.” For this scene I tried to create the typical 1950s diner. First there would be a black and white tile floor and a red booth where the characters sit and talk. There would be a counter of the same red color scheme located somewhere off to the side of the stage with several stools. There would also be a sign advertising that this was a diner. The sign could be lit up throughout the entire scene. Other small accessories would include a classic looking jukebox. The set could also have other an old style pay phone, and milkshakes or other types of diner food set out on the counter and table where the characters sit and interact. I feel these small touches would really add a lot to the set. All of these elements would give the audience the impression that the kids in the musical are at a genuine fifties style diner. I think this set would be a perfect one for this very scene.

The Little Mermaid on Broadway

I recently did a discussion post on the theater board about the lighting and costume designs of Broadway show. Just wanting to get the assignment over with, I randomly choose The Little Mermaid on Broadway. I completed the post and as I was looking at pictures of the musical I quickly realized how awesome this play looked. The pictures were absolutely beautiful and they truly captivated me. The stage was cast in deep blue, green and purple light and the costumes were elaborate and metallic. It really caught my attention. I can just imagine how much I would actually enjoy this show. The fact that this was one of my favorite Disney movies as a child also has a big impact on how much I would like to see it.
So if you’re like me and would love to see this show, how would you go about doing it? It would be at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre in New York City. Tickets run from about $121.00 down to $50.00. You can purchase them online at Ticketmaster, by phone, or in person at the theater box office.
The show started its pre-Broadway try out at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts' Ellie Caulkins Opera House from July 26, 2007 through September 9, 2007. Every seat for its 6-week run was sold out. This adds up to about 95,000 seats! The show itself first officially opened on Broadway January 10, 2008 and is still running successfully to this day. It runs about 2 hours and 30 minutes with an intermission.
The play is directed by Francesca Zambello, a notable director who has dabbled in theater, film, and opera. The composer is Alan Menken, who also composed for Beauty and the Beast and several other Disney stories. The character of Ariel is portrayed by Sierra Bogess, who is making her Broadway debut. This seems to be the perfect part for her because she looks so much like the character from the movie. The handsome Sean Palmer plays Eric Smith and Ursula is played by the Tony Award winning Faith Prince. Overall the cast and crew seem competent and fitting for the roles they are in.
Most of the famous songs from the movie such as “Part of Your World” and “Under the Sea” are incorporated into the show’s score. This would be exciting for me because I absolutely love these songs. However, there are quite a few new songs that have been added to the play. I’m not really sure how I feel about this. Especially since the New York Times wrote that, “even the melodious wit of the original score (supplemented by new, substandard songs...) have been swallowed by an unfocused spectacle.” This might be seen as a downfall to the show, but could also bring new and interesting things to the storyline. The show was nominated for two Tony Awards in 2008, Best Original Score and Best Lighting Design of a Musical. It was also nominated for a Grammy for the Best Musical Show Album.
I also discovered, through my research, that the characters are meant to look like they are underwater, as most of the play takes place in the sea. Therefore, to make the actors look like this on stage they wore shoes with wheels on them, like skates. I found this to be an interesting fact about the production of the play. I truly do want to see this show performed some day. I think it would be an extremely fun experience and I hope to one day get the chance to!

Guthrie Theater

The idea to build the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis was first contrived by Sir Tyrone Guthrie and two of his friends in 1959. Guthrie was interested in creating a theater with high standards that would perform the classics. He posted this invitation in an ad in the New York Times and Minneapolis, along with seven other cities, expressed interest in the project. The first play that took place at the theater was Hamlet in March 1963. The reason this theater was so groundbreaking was because it was one of the first of its kind. It was different than the standard Broadway Theater, in that it was not as expensive and commercial. The theater was demolished in 2006 and was replaced by a new 125 million dollar building. This new establishment is state of the art and includes the theater's signature thrust stage (the type in its original building), a proscenium stage, and a black-box theater with movable seating.
Right now at the Guthrie the main show being performed is Caroline or Change. The popular show has gotten wonderful reviews. The show is about two hours and thirty minutes and will cost you between $34 and $65 dollars to see. Another show that will shortly premiere is The Intelligent Homosexuals Guide to Capitalism and Socialism with a Key to the Scriptures by Tony Kushner. The play opens in just a few weeks, May 22nd, and examines the importance of having connections and feeling like we like belong to a certain group of people. The theater offers many other exciting shows coming up in the next few weeks and months.
Along with the art of viewing theater, learning the art is also a very important aspect to the Guthrie. They offer many different types of ways for the general public and those highly interested in acting to do so. During the summer months and certain school breaks the theater will offer camps and classes for kids between the ages of seven and sixteen. The camps have various themes such as, “Camp Shakespeare” or “Make ‘Em Laugh.” The theater also holds classes for adults as well. These run from four to eight weeks long and help adult actors develop their crafts.
If you are a student majoring in the some form of theater and want experience in the craft the Guthrie also offers very valuable nonpaid internship programs for college students and graduates. These run from a few weeks to an entire session and are meant to give a first-hand look into the world of theater. They are offered in every area from Costume Design to Stage Management. However, the theater does not offer internships in acting.
The theaters mission statement is basically that they want to host a variety of shows, from the classics to the new and diverse, and connect Minnesota to the rest of the world. I first learned about the Guthrie Theaters existence through a discussion post on types of performance stages. I researched the buildings prominent thrust stage. The theater interested me when I saw the pictures of both the exterior and interior. The inside looks absolutely stunning while the outside of the structure is modern and cool looking. Therefore, it was the theaters appearance that first drew me in but learning about it through this post has allowed me to see it for all of its other interesting qualities. If I am ever in the Minneapolis area in my life I would love to go and see a show at this theater. I am certain the experience would be wonderful.

Theater in the Elementary Classroom

I feel as though the learning experience I have gained through my theater class will significantly help me when I’m standing in front of a room full of second graders in the years to come. When my advisor told me that I would had to take Theater 101 during my freshman year here at IUP, I immediately thought “Um, Why?” I never really participated in much theater in high school, besides supporting one of my best friends in the musicals she took part in. Therefore, I was dreading taking this class. I didn’t particularly enjoy seeing or learning about theater and thought it obviously had nothing to do with my major. However, I quickly was proved wrong.
Throughout the past few weeks I have learned that theater does indeed relate to my major in countless ways. A classroom is a lot like a theater. In just a few short years I will be the performer, standing on the “stage” in front of the classroom. My students will avidly be listening to every word I say (hopefully), as the audience. The colorful bulletin boards and posters will set the mood for learning as scenery and the chalkboard, books, and other learning tools will be the props. I’ll have to wear the right costume that is respectable and appropriate to play my role as the teacher. However, I pray that I never stoop to the level of the almighty ABC sweater. Finally, the exchange that is going to hopefully be going on between myself and my students is what is really going to make the experience the most like theater. Therefore, teaching in front of a classroom is extremely like theater because you have the three basic necessities: a performance space, an audience, and a connection between the audience and performers. In this case, I will be the performer.
When I look back and remember the elementary school teachers that I really enjoyed, I think of the ones who were the most fun and animated. Whether they were reading a story or teaching us about addition, they were always very expressive. I think that this is an extremely important aspect to being a successful teacher of younger students. Kids get bored easily and you need to keep their attention. This obviously relates to theater because being dramatic and over emphasizing emotions is a major part of getting the audience to understand and keep up with what you are saying. In both cases, the dramatics are used to hold attention.
Another way that theater can relate to the elementary classroom, or any classroom for that matter, is through the use of a lesson plan. This is could be seen as a “script” of some sort. Both tell what needs to be accomplished and stated during the lesson plan or play. Both need to be prepared ahead of time and practiced. As a teacher you can’t just walk into a room with no idea of what you are going to do or teach the students. This would surely result in failure. This goes for a play as well. If the actors were to walk out blindly on stage with no previously written script, the audience would never understand any sort of message or theme that was meant to be delivered.
I now fully understand why Theater 101 was required for my major. I know longer dread the thought of going to another “pointless class” when I attend twice a week. I really do think this class will help me in my future as an elementary school teacher. I cannot wait to be able to take the information I have learned in class and relate it to my career in the next few years.