Clybourne Park Set Design

Directed by: Jessica Havenner 

Clybourne Park is a play written by Bruce Norris as a sequel and follow up to the play Raisin in the Sun. At the end of the first play the Youngers; an African American family are about to move into the neighborhood Clybourne Park; which is a mostly white neighborhood. Clybourne Park begins with the current owners of the house Bev & Rus getting ready to move and  Karl Lindner who is with the Clybourne Park Association trying to convince the Younger family not to move into Clybourne Park for fear that the value of the property might go down. We later find out that the value of the property might go down because of Kenneth; a Korean war veteran that passed away. And his spirit and memories are buried in a trunk out back.


For the main set of Clybourne Park I want to have a theatre space that could be easily transformed to show the main scenes of the play. I would use the Village Theatre- Everett Location. I think it might be beneficial to the audience to show a recap of what happened at the end of Raisin in the Sun. 

Everett Performing Arts Center

2710 Wetmore Avenue

Everett, WA 98201

I also think that it would be beneficial to the audience to show a recap of what happened at the end of Raisin in the Sun, just enough to refresh them on what was about to happen as far as the Youngers and Clybourne Park.  

It's a very easily transformable theatre and stage. In my vision; I would like the stage to spin in order to change the scenes. The house where the play takes place would be different because of the time that has passed, the style, condition, and of course the people in the house.  The seating in my rendition of the play would be stadium seating with very comfortable chairs. 

The audience that has come to view my play has paid good money and deserves to be comfortable and able to relax; there will be plenty of leg room for them also. Being too close to the person in front of you or too close to the person behind you will be a problem of the past. 

In my vision of the play Clybourne Park; I would want the audience to be able to relate to the characters and understand the hurt and grief that Bev and her husband Rus go through when they lose their son Kenneth. And also to know the joy and happiness of the play. My target audience age range would be ranging from teenagers to the elderly. I would say probably  at least 13 years of age and older because of the language used in the script might be too much for younger children.


 I would want everything to come together and work together. I'd want the play to flow nicely and make sense. I would have my intermission between Act I and Act II; as we travel 50 years into the future: from 1959 to 2009. 


Because the play takes place in 2 different time periods it would require different costume styles. For the 1959 characters I would choose costumes that were more bland in design and didn't have a lot of bright colors or patterns. 

 For the costume designs for the characters in 2009 I would use brighter colors and fun patterns, and more modern ideas. 

Because the play takes place in Chicago, Illinois I would require all of the actors to try and use accents that would be associated with Chicago. There are websites that have information about different dialects and accents from all over; I would provide this blog as an aid for the actors http://positiveanymore.blogspot.com/2006/04/chicago-dialect.html.


For the set of the house in 1959 I would choose a newer looking house for that time period I would have the tree that Kenneth's trunk is buried under in the side yard more than the backyard though. Only because I think it would be easier to view it and understand what the tree represents. For the processes in which the trunk is buried and dug back up I would use some sort of hydraulic system or perhaps a trap door. 

Whichever method is chosen it would have to be something believable and something that can be done easily and quickly.

Lighting

As for the lighting in the show I would probably choose duller, lower lights. Not a lot of  fluorescence; except when the characters were in an outdoor scene. For the sun I would have a bright light up in the corner of the stage.  

For my music selection- I would choose to have low, soft jazz playing in the background of the plays. I would not want it to be too loud; just enough to know it's there. At the sadder or lower parts in the play the music would be softer and deeper and at joyous times it would be more upbeat and happy.
Some examples of my selections would be..

Final Response

On December 9, 2011 I attended a Christmas Play put on by the Volusia County Baptist Church in Orange City, Florida. I heard about the performance at the DeLand Christmas Parade on December 3rd and thought it would be an interesting and fun thing to do. 

  


The play was put on very well, there were many different actors, scenes, and animals used. It told the classic Christmas story to my liking and involved all that it should. From the wise men, to the Virgin Mary and the infant Jesus. The story was told to a broad audience and was for people of all ages. 


With this blog post, I will discuss viewing a live play versus seeing a film, with a live play no two performances are ever exactly the same. There will always be differences; whether they are small mistakes the actors make or the weather when the plays are outside, or even when the actors pick up for the others who mess up. When you're in the theatre to see a play; you are sometimes involved with the play, the actors are live; you see what they see, you hear what they hear(as far as what the audience is saying or says), you smell what they smell, in many ways you are involved in the performance. 


When you go to see a film in the movie theater, you see a finished product that has been edited, and re-edited, and touched up and fixed with computers. Films can be altered by computers and green screens, and other forms of technology. So when we see a film we don't see where the actors have messed up and made little mistakes in the process of filming. We see the same thing over and over again, every time we watch the movie it will be the same things said the same way, by the same people. 


Seeing a film and a live play have many differences and can be very different experiences; however they can also have some similarities; such as they both involve actors. You are still there to view a performance whether live or recorded. Actors may still make mistakes; not everything is caught in the revising stage of film making. In many movies you can find many mistakes and bloopers. There are websites such as http://www.moviemistakes.com/ which finds those mistakes and mishaps. So even though many mistakes are electronically fixed; some still slip through. One mistake that was very popular was in the movie "Pirates of the Caribbean Curse of the Black Pearl"...

-If you look to the left on Johnny Depp you can actually see one of the crew members looking off into the distance. It's a mistake that was missed in editing and has become famous. 

In plays and other theatrical performances you sometimes see the crew with changing out of props and equipment. In movies you are not supposed to see the crew and workers behind the scenes.

Reasons to be Pretty

 Audience Experience for Reasons to be Pretty

When I first stepped into the theater for the play Reasons to be Pretty written by Neil LaButes, I noticed that the stage was in the center of 4 sets of bleachers, or in the round. The lights were turned down, and there was modern music playing in the background, the same songs were played throughout the play. On the night I went to the play the audience consisted mainly of younger adults with a few older people; the energy and mood were relatively neutral. Many people were ok, and as the play began seemed to become uncomfortable and awkward because of the language used. I thought the play was relatively amusing and that the language was not too offensive, but it was a bit over the top. The play had a funny parts, it had sentimental moments; where you realized that Stephanie was really hurt. I felt awkward for the people that brought their grandmother’s with them to watch the play. I know that I would not have been comfortable with seeing Reasons to be Pretty with my grandmother. One lady in particular left during the intermission of the performance and never came back; I’m assuming it had something to do with the language used.   

The audience responded to the first scene of the play in the bedroom different than the other scenes I think because of how many times the f-word was used. There was a lot of foul language in the play, however in today’s society we are exposed to that type of language on a normal basis. I was both surprised and not surprised by the audience’s reaction to the play because I guess the language was offensive but in today’s society it is seen more than say 100 years ago. Several people did seem to be offended because of the language.

I did discuss the show after I left the theatre, my friend who is also a student at Daytona State; attended the play with me. And we did discuss the play afterwards; we talked about the characters, the actors that played the characters, the language used in the play, and the play itself.  We thought that the actors did a good job portraying the roles of the characters. And that overall the play was entertaining; however it could have been more entertaining if the language was not so vulgar. We were disappointed in the ending of the play because of it ended. We were hoping that the main characters Greg and Stephanie would get back together. 

Storytelling

Storytelling 

Storytelling is believed to be the roots of all theatre, a community’s way of passing on cultures, stories, and traditions of the past, it's one of the many types of variety shows. Many believe that storytelling originated with the Indians and Native Americans. In storytelling all of the fundamental elements of theatre are contained; a performed, audience, characters, and narrative. With a narrator who takes on voices and fully embellishes the character that they are performing. Through the stories told, lessons our ancestors learned in history and past mistakes are passed on to us. In many African cultures storytelling is a very important way to educate while providing entertainment to the community. 

The narrator's imagination has to be creative and strong; especially when song, dance, drumming, and acting can be interwoven into performances. The narrator is the most important person involved in storytelling because a good storyteller will capture our attention take on the characters in a believable fashion. 

Often a narrator will change the plot, characters or different aspects of the story in order for the younger generation to better understand and relate to the lesson being told.

 

Some of the famous stories ever told are: Hansel and Gretel, The Boy Who Cried Wolf, Rumpelstiltskin, and Rapunzel.

An example of a modern day story teller is the stand up comedian Gabriel Iglesias, who uses storytelling with well known characters and sound effects in his acts. Below is a video in which Gabriel tells a story about a road trip he was on with some friends. Gabriel Iglesias is known for using the same characters in all of his performances; his girlfriend, his girlfriend's son Franky, Phillipe, to name a few.

The stories told can be those of a wide variety, from personal stories, to solo stories, and stories of the community. 

"Road Trip" -Gabriel Iglesias. 2 May 2010. 2011 <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtk5Ej-xLsM>.

Inc, Fluffy. Gabriel Iglesias. 2009-2011. 2011 <http://www.fluffyguy.com/>.

"Storytelling and Cultural Tradition." Orenstein, Mira Felner and Claudia. The World of Theatre. Boston, Mass.: Pearson Education Inc., 2006.

Kyogen

Kyogen is one of the four classic forms of Japanese theater. It is the classic comical form of theater that is typically performed between the serious acts of Noh, in order to give the audience some comic relief. Kyogen originated in the early 17th century. Kyogen unlike Noh, stresses the use of dialogue. Both Noh and Kyogen originated from the same humorous forms of Sarugaku. The two art forms share a stage, yet are opposites in the way the performance is conducted, the masks, sounds, etc.

Kyogen, like other Japanese art forms contains only men actors. The actors do not wear elaborate costumes or make up.  

The characters involved with Kyogen are mostly nameless, this art form us involved in everyday situations. Kyogen does involve masks, but not all of the time; unlike they are incorporated in Noh; infact the actors performing typically show their emotions with their own faces. 

Kyogen performers wear unique masks, there are 20 different types and styles of masks; each representing a different character and meaning. The masks cover everything from ugly woman, old people, and even non-human characters.  Some non human characters depicted include ghosts, plants, demons, and animal spirits. All of the masks involved in the art are intended for the audience's laughter and enjoyment. For example, the mask below is known as "Japanese Mosquito".

The following video shows a short example of a typical Kyogen play. Kyogen is performed on a simple, open stage with a wood floor which is said to enhance the gliding motion of the footwork. At the back of the stage there is a pine tree, or a painting of a pine tree; which represents long life and good fortune. This pine tree is the only "set" that is used in Kyogen performances. There are often 2 pillars on the stage also, supporting a pagoda style rood, these mark each corner of the stage.

There are 2 schools of Kyogen that still exist in Japan.

A popular theme is Kyogen theater is the relationship between servant and master. 

Famous Kyogen plays include 2 characters: Niwatori Muko("The Rooster Son-In-Law") and Bakuchi Juo ("The Gambler").

Works Cited

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vz7IHn0a4fM&noredirect=1

http://www2.ntj.jac.go.jp/unesco/noh/en/index.html
http://worldartswest.org/main/discipline.asp?i=33

http://www.siec.k12.in.us/cannelton/fmfjapan/kyogen.html
http://factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=712&catid=20&subcatid=131