Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Theater Review The Arabian Nights Essay Example For Students

Theater Review The Arabian Nights Essay On April 21st, 2015, the American University of Sharjahs’ College of Arts and Sciences Performing Arts Program presented Mary Zimmerman’s finest theatrical adaptation play â€Å"The Arabian Nights† in the Arts Rotunda. This play was edited and directed by Professor Anthony Tassa, who dedicated two months of rehearsals with the cast to make this performance as outstanding as it turned out to be. With the help of Professor Ted O. Rhyner, the lighting and Scenic Design coordinator and Technical Director, made the stage come to life. Zimmerman’s play first showcased in 2008 at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre, having the intensity in each of the character roles within the characters themselves put a lot of pressure and expectation upon watching the final production. Furthermore, this fascinating production consisted of two acts; within these acts, a lot of scenes with different themes took place on stage. The multiple scenes in the first act mainly consisted of stories that were voiced through Shahrezade and deep into each of the stories within the other characters in order to buy more time and survive Shahryars blade. We will write a custom essay on Theater Review The Arabian Nights specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Act two talked about the slow buildup and progression of Shahryar and Shahrezade’s relationship through the tales Shahrezade told and Shahryars reaction to them. The show concludes with Shahryar confessing his love to Shahrezade. Both Acts in the play entailed a lot of characters, which were played by the same actors within different characters. Other than being the main character that the play revolved around, Shahrezade played a huge role as she was the narrator and guide to the audience to follow throughout this play. During the play, I really came to enjoy the performance of every actor but of them all, I mostly enjoyed Noor Safieh’s performance which played multiple characters like Perfect love, Tortoise and little girl. Her deliverance of each roles playfulness and outbursts were on point. Since I have studied this play thoroughly in my Theatre 242 class this semester, I could relate all that I have done on the script analysis to a live performance which to me was perfected by the deliverance in some performances and crew. Starting with her facial expressions and up to the way she used her hand gestures when performing, all of the detailed movements with her costume and props also contributed to the depth of her character. Along with her performance, her hair, costume and the set added to the success of the character at that era. Everything really blended in and could be seen plainly through some of the characters. Moreover, her final role as little girl in Act two was superb, the pitch change in her voice, with each plea and line she stated were incredible. To be able to switch in character and personality from sultry and flirtatious self to an innocent little girl was outstandingly captivating. In addition to Noor Safieh’s performance, I would also like to discuss the performance of Julian Hedlund-Drumm who played Shahryar and the Mock Khalifa’s character. Starting with the moment he entered the stage in Act one, until the very last scene in Act two, Julian was right man for this role. No one could have done it better, with his arrogance and movements on stage. Likewise, while running his lines during the course of his performance, he had demanding presence, a strong voice and remarkable spot on facial expressions. An audience like myself would not buy confidence and superiority from a character if the actor himself did not perfect it. And that is indeed what happened with his performance, his never ending need to slit his one night stands to his complete transformation at the end of act two was wonderful. I was astonished as to how much the Theatre courses in AUS could do to one’s ability to perform in such a delicate, yet manly way. .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb , .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb .postImageUrl , .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb , .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb:hover , .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb:visited , .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb:active { border:0!important; } .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb:active , .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u3cb624d58fd3f4d61ac76bbf06462ddb:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Arthur Miller In the Crucible EssayIn addition to Julian Hedlund-Drumm, Noor Safieh and the rest of the cast, the dancing scenes along with the Choir throughout the play gave the audience a sense of connection and converse with the marvelous performance. Moving on, the Technical crew did an outstanding job as well, having the stage set and built so that each scene of the play and acts fit together, really impressed me, because without them the whole play wouldn’t have had the same outcome as it did. In addition to that, the way the lights were set out and played with to satisfy the right effects for a specific scene captured the essence of both the characters and their surroundings. Special thanks and gratitude should be given the Technical Crew, Artistic team as well as the Costume and Wardrobe team for handling such a hard task in a professional manner, as it is not that easy to create a stage and whole scenery from scratch. In conclusion, being a member of the audience, while keeping in mind the notes I was taking throughout the performance, other members of the audience perception also helped me while I evaluated the play as a whole. Everyone seemed amused and interested at what came next, no yawning, no distractions and no talking took place as the performers were on stage. From what I have learnt about the story line and script, I thought to myself, something would go wrong during the show. But on the contrary, it was really entertaining and beautiful to watch. I would recommend everyone to take some time to watch this play, because it was played beautifully.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

A personal response Thomas Kinsella Essay Example

A personal response Thomas Kinsella Essay Example A personal response Thomas Kinsella Paper A personal response Thomas Kinsella Paper Thomas Kinsella is a poet that is very aware of transience. He also shows me through his poetry that the things we remember as children take on a different meaning when we are older and also that when someone passes away, we also look at the memories of that person in a different way. His poetry has a harsh outlook on aging, getting old and even gaining knowledge to a degree, however he is not all doom and gloom (as we see in Model school, Inchichore and Dick King), he can also take a positive view on things, even death! My favourite aspect of his poetry is the way he can show you a new perspective while still using simple, everyday language for the most part. Sometimes, his poems can be read in a number of different ways! Kinsella is unique from other poets in the fact that he was influenced by theories of Carl Jung. No other poet I have studied on the leaving cert course that uses outside inspiration as strongly. He also writes a good deal about people in his life, or who were in his life, in his poetry and I think that stands to him as a person. It shows that even in his work, he thinks about those who mean a lot to him. A poem that has a very strong sense of transience is Mirror in February. The poet has an epiphany while shaving in the mirror one day. He realizes that he is the same age as Jesus when he died,reach the age of Christ, but yet the poet has not accomplished his lifes mission. To me, it seems as if the poet obsesses over his age and the fear of growing old for they are not made whole. Kinsella is jealous of the trees because they get hacked clean for better bearing and return again during the Spring, whereas Kinsella cannot just be renewed. When he ages, the years stay with him, how should the flesh not quail that span for span is mutilated more? . We can tell that Kinsella is not happy with the idea of himself growing old, while the trees stay seemingly ageless, In slow distaste. This poem gives me a good insight of the feelings that Im sure many of the adults in my life have experienced at some stage in their lives, and feelings that, I am sure, I will face in time. It has also shown me that although aging is inevitably a part of life, I can go about it in two ways. I can deny it for as long as I can before I have to accept the it, or I can do what Kinsella does in this poem, which I much prefer, and just accept it as part of life. I fold my towel. not young and not renewable, but man. Kinsella isnt happy about the fact that hes aging (and who is? ) but he can accept it and enjoy the time he has left with pride in being who he is, and I like that about him as a person. The main poem from kinsellas works that shows transience is His fathers Hands. This poem is too erratic and long for my liking but I can certainly relate to what he says and this is probably the poem I can relate to most out of all of Kinsellas poems that we have studied throughout the leaving cert course. Things like how his father destroys the point by prodding the air, remind me of my family as my father does the exact same his fingers prodded and prodded marring his point. When my father does it, I too, zone out and start thinking of other things. Kinsellas grandfather also reminds me of my own. My dad is the spitting image of him, so I often think of my grandfather when I see my dad. This is exactly what Kinsella does as well. I have watched his fathers hands before him. My grandfather is also very hard of hearing and near blind, as the grandfather in His fathers hands is. To his deaf, inclined head. This poem reminds me of my grandfather and for that reason alone, I really like this poem. However unlike this poem, my grandfather is not an isolated figure, that is looked upon with pity, my grandfather is the life and soul of a party at times and so I can never read this poem and feel the sadness and loneliness that others do, but that is a plus in my eyes. This poem actually inspired me to look back to my roots, and discover more about who my family was before me. And some years before that the Family came from somewhere around Tullow. Although the style of the poem isnt the type I normally like, this poem is very memorable to me and I dont think I will ever forget it because of the effect it has had on me.