Festival of Ten

Mike Gemmati Intro to Theatre

Attending the Festival of Ten was both an entertaining and enriching experience. It gave me first hand examples of the many elements of theatre that we discuss in class. The three short plays I have decided to discuss are "Do I Look Like Your Wife?", "The Beauty of the World", and "Untitled 2". When watching the performance I tried to make note specifically of the lighting, along with the efficiency of the actor's portrayal of their characters.

"Do I Look Like Your Wife?" by Jay MacNamee is the first short play I wish to discuss. This play was directed by Davida Bloom and costumes were designed by Todd Gonzales. The scene took place downstage in the center in which dull lighting highlighted both the actors and the "rooftop" they were on. Because the stage had various sets that were used for the other short plays, lighting was essential in order to focus the viewers' attention in the desired location on the stage. On the backdrop of the stage, there were beams of red flashing lights, depicting those of the emergency vehicles. This helped make the scene more realistic and detailed. The red flashing lights were accompanied by the faint sound of sirens that also assisted in depicting the scene.

I felt the acting and overall performance in "Do I Look Like Your Wife?" was strong and effective. Both the male and female characters seemed real and fully engaged in the scenario of the scene. The sincerity of the characters was both believable and captivating. I also felt both the actors complimented each other well. In some of the other scenes the acting seemed superficial, and the relationship of an actor playing a character was visible. In this short play I felt the actors were completely engaged in their character, leaving me, as a viewer, completely convinced. The body language of the female actor was appropriate for her character. Considering this woman claimed to be strong and independent, her upright stance with her chin up and shoulders back complimented this. The male character, was portrayed as intelligent, timid, and a bit of a nerd. His body language was typical of all of that. He stood slouched, with his shoulders heavy clearly displaying he was timid and shy. As he became more comfortable with the woman, his body language evolved. His gaze was higher and he was able to look at her in her eyes; He also stood more upright and had some confidence.

The second short play I wished to discuss was "The Beauty of the World" by Peter Gruen. This play was directed by Ruth Childs, assisted by Stefany Clodgo. The costume was designed by Todd Gonzalez. This play was a monologue in which a twelve year old girl was attempting to sell cookies to a neighbor. This scene also took place downstage in the center in which a touch of bright light highlighted both the girl and the "doorstep" where she was standing. Since the actor was standing at the edge of the stage facing the audience, it made for a more realistic "doorstep" although no person was responding on the other side. She also had props including a basket with individual bags of each kind of cookie she was advertising. The lighting stayed consistent throughout the performance.

I felt the actor's portrayal of a twelve year old girl was believable and realistic. Her tone of voice was high pitched and full of enthusiasm for most of the scene. The actor's body language was crucial to her effective performance. The actor stood upright and had a great deal of bounce in her step, showing this young girl was energetic and bubbly. She also spoke with her hands and arms, showing that as an actor, she