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Machinal

We were introduced to Machinal by Sophie Treadwell as an example of an expressionist play. Treadwell was most notably a playwright and a journalist- she reported on the real-life case of convicted and executed murderer Ruth Snyder and used that experience as inspiration for Machinal.

Treadwell Bio

In the play, the woman works as a stenographer and lives with her mother. She follows the rituals that society expects of a woman, however resistant she may feel about them, and subsequently marries her boss, whom she finds repulsive. After having a baby with him, followed by an affair with a younger man who fuels her lust for life, she is driven to murder, found guilty and executed.

This play is a very good example of expressionism. Firstly, the dialogue is written in a mechanical rhythm that does not reflect reality- it more reflects a dream-like reflection of daily life. The repetition is disorienting, as well as the fact that the secondary characters- the woman's coworkers- are virtually interchangeable. They do not have individual identity- exemplified by the fact that none of them have their own names- and act only as a unit to motivate the protagonist's inner world. The rhythm and repetition of the dialogue create a soundscape that gives the play a mechanical feel- reflecting how the protagonist sees her mundane daily routines. The play is presented in episodes- we as an audience are allowed to gather information about the world in a non-linear format until the rhythm finally explodes at the end of the play. And in these episodes we see the protagonist's inner world, and her progression that brings her to her breaking point.

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Well-made play

It is written in a formulaic manner characterized by concise plotting, compelling narrative and a largely standardized structure, with little emphasis on characterization and intellectual ideas. In practice, a well-made plot seems to emphasize dramatic irony to drive the plot. The building of suspense and plot twists are created by misunderstandings between characters: information not communicated. Then towards the end, there is a climactic scene in which the characters resolve all of the confusions and miscommunications. And they get a happy ending.

Scribe, a prolific playwright, wrote several hundred plays between 1815 and 1861, usually in collaboration with co-authors. His plays, breaking free from the old neoclassical style of drama seen at the Comédie Française, appealed to the theater-going middle classes. The "well-made" form was adopted by other French and foreign playwrights and remained a key feature of the theater well into the 20th century.

Ex: All My Sons, The Glass of Water, The Importance of Being Earnest

Article: The Well-Made Play of Eugène Scribe

Video: The Importance of Being Earnest Movie Clip

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Naturalism Installation

Naturalism

I think the biggest takeaways- or keywords- I got from the lesson were pessimism, the illusion of free will, urbanism, and inescapable bad circumstances (specifically being at a lower spot in the social hierarchy). To me the most obvious difference between realism and naturalism is whether the central idea of the show is criticizing the social hierarchy in out society. Particularly by exploring the hardships of the lower class- and not giving them a happy ending.

My Installation

The video is a little hastily put together, but the basis of the idea was to kind of contrast my realism installation. Rather than capturing a really curated singular moment in time, I decided to video the street corner and let the randomness take over. I wanted to aim down at the city street from above because I feel like it contrasts the kind of crisp, clean image of the city that I portray in my realism post- by only including a shot of the top of a skyscraper. This video is at the opposite angle- conveying a sense of chaos and business rather than calm. I like how the video kind of conveys the monotony and simultaneous anxiety of the working day. Most of the images cut into the video represent being trapped in the cycle- and being provided with limited options as to how you can live your life. I also realized the advertisement for the lottery was an interesting focal point. I think using the imagery of the lottery combined with the other elements in the video tell a story of the false hope of "breaking out" of the system.

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Realism Installation

When I think of realism, the first impression that comes to mind is that it is meant to be a representation of real life onstage. In other words, a reflection of the human experience. So I knew my "centerpiece" object would be my makeup mirror. That took me down the train of thought about women's agency in realistic writing, and how gender roles are a large topic of exploration. I wanted to subvert the use of my makeup mirror: in the larger photo I have a real pencil lining my lips in the reflection as a metaphor for agency and will. You might not be familiar with the format of these two photos- it's actually a play on BeReal. (I thought it was topical to include a nod to this app since it is very popular right now.) BeReal is a social media platform where the aim is to be completely candid, aka "real." You take a spontaneous photo of what you're doing, then you take a photo of yourself in the moment. So I made it a little abstract- applying a pencil in the "activity" photo, and cosmetics in the selfie. I also intentionally used the backdrop of the city, as working life is a theme in realism.

A Doll's House

I like that you chose the last scene for us to look at, since it's the one where she finally takes the reigns of her life. As for the elements of realism that I recognize in this excerpt- the top of the list is obviously female agency and examining gender roles. Nora has been stuck in a life that she did not choose for herself for a long time. What makes it real is that there is nothing particularly special about her or her circumstances. She represents the every-woman. Who is thrown into a life instead of choosing it for herself- but always has the desire for agency gnawing at her.

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Personal Style Installation

I liked the idea of using the book cart as the base for my installation because I like to start every project with a foundation of research. I used my embroidery hoop as the centerpiece because to me it represents attention to detail, and a piece of art that takes a labor of love to achieve the final product. I think I'm really detail oriented- I think every layer of thought put into design does translate in the final product. Like when it comes to costuming- every little detail can communicate a lot about a character. When it comes to lights and sound- a well thought through lighting plot and soundscape can amplify the emotion of a script by a lot. Also relating to embroidery, I'm really interested in creative visuals: either using set elements or the actors themselves. I think it's really cool to utilize striking imagery in tandem with performance. The visual aspect is really important to me: the story should be told through every aspect of design- not just through the words in the script. My goal would be like even if you didn’t understand what language the actors were speaking in, you would still understand the story in a meaningful way. Or if you don’t understand it in a logical sense, you can still be moved emotionally. I lined up the row of flowers rooted in the funky printed fabrics. And amongst the flowers I rooted the tape measure. I thought it would be cool to combine some different styles visually, and try to make it cohesive rather than contrasting. I don't know if that comes through, though. I do think the tape measure among the flowers does create an interesting tableau. But yeah. The last element I added was the envelope with my name on it screwed into the embroidery hoop. To me that kind of just represented capturing a meaningful moment in time and preserving it- I guess I'm sentimental. It's also kind of like repurposing something that easily could have just been garbage into part of something new. Something I've noticed I like is when an old story that people are generally familiar with in a very well defined way is kind of flipped on its head and made new. Like I love when someone who thought they hated shakespeare sees some kind of really innovative and cool production and loves it. It's a big part of why I chose Godspell for the first assignment- it's the story of Jesus and the disciples- everyone knows how it ends. But the characters are made into something so dynamic for the modern audience that you follow along with the story like you have no idea what's going to happen next.

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Godspell 2011 Revival

I think the two elements that draw me to this show the most are the feeling of intimacy with the performers and the musicality. I like when the actors really interact with the set / their surroundings. It really makes it feel like the stage is their space rather than just a backdrop that happens to be behind them while they perform: basically all that to say I like for the show to work as a complete unit: for all elements to combine to create a whole. I think this production is really special because the performers execute so many practical effects onstage while simultaneously remaining emotionally connected to the story and their fellow performers. And because the whole ensemble acts together as this kind of machine to make the show come to life, everything feels so genuine and spontaneous- the show will be different each time they perform it. It really seems like they have a great time playing around with each other. The fact that it was performed in the round really adds to that as well- it makes it feel like the audience and the performers are on equal ground.