The play Ragtime is set in New York in 1906. This musical is very intriguing because the story of the characters in quite emotional. The actions that take place in this play are very embellished. In order to portray some of the dramatic scenes of the play, the actors must use exaggeration during their songs and actions. This helps the audience to imagine what the characters are feeling. The props that are used by the characters are intricate and allow the audience to understand exactly where the actions are taking place. One example of large movements by the actors is when the firemen destroy Coalhouses car.
The lights on the stage are dimmed so the audience can only see the shadows of the men and the car. These men are using baseball bats, hammers, and axes to ruin Coalhouses prized possession. The movements they make are in slow motion and the men move their tools with large, full stokes so that the audience will feel the sadness that takes place in the scene. These large movements are in many parts of the play. This is a way for the director to make his point. By using the shadows and the slow motion of the actors, the audience has time to watch the reaction of Coalhouse and also has time to feel his anger.
The scene I feel was best directed took place in the beginning of the play. The first scene introduces all of the characters to the audience. The upper class white folks, the middle class Negroes, and the immigrants are all dancing onstage at the same time. The balance shown in this scene interests me because I think it would have been very difficult to keep the balance moving to the beat of the music. Each of the three groups stays together throughout the song. They move around each other on the stage as they sing and dance. At the start of the song, the whites are in the middle of the stage dressed up very neatly and acting very proper.
The Essay on What role do audiences play
What role do audiences play in creating popular culture? Explain how Hollywood both manipulated and reflected the popular culture of the 1950's and 60's. The role of the audience is to infuse the fire in the popular culture movement. It appears that Hollywood was caught between the wall and the blade in the 1950’s, on one side you had the dominant culture flexing their muscle to have Hollywood ...
Next the Negroes move onto stage left and the whites are pushed to stage right. Eventually the immigrants wander in looking shabby and poor. They are positioned upstage and appear to the audience to be pushed towards the back. The balance shown during this scene allows the audience to understand the separation of these groups of people that will take place in the play. The character that was most appealing to me was Coalhouse Walker Jr. His actions in the play were very emotional and he has to portray an intense degree of anger and sadness by his actions.
In the beginning as he sings and dances, his energy is immediately noticed. The actor, Lawrence Hamilton, uses facial expression and body movement to display his feelings onstage. As the play progresses he is made to deal with some horrific situations, including the death of his true love. The audience is able to watch him change from a cheerful ragtime singer into a man full of hate and vengeance. This is a difficult task for the actor. In order to act out the anger his character is feeling, Hamilton must exaggerate all that he says and does. His motions are now harsh and quick while before they were bouncy and laidback.
In my opinion, this play matches its production perfectly. The use of props and costumes help portray the time in which this play takes place. The director has the play move slowly during dramatic times when something sad occurs. This allows the audience time to understand how the characters are feeling. The director speeds up the actions during happy times of song and dance. During these scenes the actors are moving around and the audience can feel the energy. I think this interpretation coincides with the production because the play is a musical tragedy and the audience is able to take part in the outlook of the characters. The acting, directing, and design all contributed to the overall performance.
The Essay on Shakespeare And Prospero Play Miranda Time
There can be no doubt that The Tempest contains numerous references to the theater, and while many of Shakespeare's plays make reference to the dramatic arts and their analogy to real life (e. g. , "all the world's a stage"), it is in this, his last play, that the Bard most explicitly acknowledges that the audience is viewing a show. Thus, in the play's final scene (Act I, scene i. , ll. 148 ff), ...
The emotional sadness that takes place during the play is conveyed to the audience by the actors movements and songs. I felt very sad by the end of the play and this is why I believe that the genre of the play corresponds with its production. The person I think would most enjoy this production is my mother. She loves singing and also loves listening to music. Because this play is full of song and dance, it would keep her interest the whole time. My mother is also a teacher and I think the history behind the play would appeal to her.