IB Free!!!

Our project was based on Lamb to the Slaughter by Roald Dahl. In the original text, Mary Maloney waits at home for her husband, Patrick, to return from work. When he arrives, they have a serious talk, which is barely described in the text. Afterwards, Mary kills Patrick with a leg of lamb from the freezer. She realizes how bad her actions were and attempts to disguise the fact she is the murderer. To do this, the goes to the store by sneaking out through the back door of the house. Upon her return from the grocery store, she finds Patrick dead and calls the police. The police arrive and investigate the crime scene. At the end, Mary offers the police officers the leg of lamb and they eat it. 

In our adaptation, we used the three named characters (Mary, Patrick, and Jack) and added two other police officers. These other police officers were originally loosely based on the officers mentioned in the story, but as they were not very characterized and there were too man for the number of actors we had, we made up new roles.  The new roles were Bob and Allan. The roles were made to add more energy to our skit.  Another change we made was expanding the conversation between Mary and Patrick.  By doing so, it made more sense why Mary killed him.  Other than these two changes, we kept our skit close to the original text and even decided to keep some of the dialogue the same.

With the little rehearsal time we had, it was difficult to stage.  While the final video was much better than the beginning, there are still many visible problems.  Most of them could have been fixed with more time and more rehearsals.  Some of the major mistakes were projection and talking over each other.  Projection is a common problem, especially when attempting to record our work.  Most of the video is clear, except some lines are easily lost.  For example, when Charlie said she was going to put the lamb in the oven after killing Patrick, she turned and the line was almost inaudible compared to the rest of the dialogue.  This problem was also slightly visible during the scene where Wiebke and I alternate with Adler and Charlie.  Wiebke and I were practically yelling at each other.  This was to project, but it also was produced by the level of energy we needed to and did place in our characters.  Compared to us, Adler and Charlie were quiet.  To be clear, they were not necessarily quiet, but when switching back and forth, it was noticeable they could be louder.  This problem most likely would be fixed with more rehearsals and creating more drafts to look at.  Another problem was that we kept talking over each other.  Everyone was guilty of this at least once.  This was partially caused by our lack of experience and lack of rehearsal while ad-libbing.  In our scene, about half of our lines were ad-libbed.  This was decided earlier in the week, so we did not have much practice of the particular scene and for some of us, ad-libbing in general.  This posed some problems of when to take pauses, when it was appropriate to interrupt and when we needed to stop talking in general.  In addition to the ad-libbed parts, there were several other minor overlaps in the scripted parts.  This was also likely due to the lack of run-throughs before we recorded.  

Some other minor aspects that might need adjusting is the fact that Wiebke and I left our hair down and that we were barefoot.  While this added a certain quirkiness to our characters, it was unintentional.  The scene changes also needed improvement.  They were very long.  This could be easily fixed if more people were present to help. 

Overall, I am proud of how far our group came in the little time we had.  To be honest, I thought the video was going to be hard to watch, but I was pleasantly surprised.  We managed to fix some of the tiny problems and address some of the notes given the day before well.  For example, the back and forth seemed smoother and everyone was doing something when they weren’t talking, which took away most of the dead silence that lingered the day before.  With more time, it would have improved even more, but I am proud of what the group managed to accomplish in such a short time. 

Link:

https://youtu.be/ZbKU528x4FE

Image source: 

Google images

Our Script for the Slaughter

Our project keeps getting pushed off due to people being absent, but we are making the best of it.  All of the scenes are difficult to rehearse if even one person is missing.  This is because of the awkward silences and the back and forth between groups of people.  Our blocking is roughly set, but it still needs work.  There have often been times where people in our group know what the plan is, while other people don’t.  As much as we have tried to all share ideas, it stills seems as though we are not all on the same page.  This is difficult to have in a group of five and I feel this is one of our biggest struggles.  We are great at dividing and conquering to get individual work done, but as we are blocking, it is difficult to all be on the same page.  This is not to say we don’t listen to each other’s ideas and all contribute, but there are definitely some differences in the way we interpret each other’s ideas.  Having a wide range of ideas has worked well, but as we work toward a final draft we definitely need to do a better job making sure we are all looking for the same outcome of the scene.

For the first time running our performance all the way through, the outcome was pretty good.  We still have a lot to work on.  We all need to work on our characterizations and learning to further exaggerate our roles.  In addition, we need to work on our relationships with each other.  I think Wiebke and I were doing a decent job working together to show our character’s and their relationship, but we were not as good when talking to the other people.  This would help with a few more establishing lines to show the prior relationships between each of the character’s.  This is especially needed between Adler and Charlie’s characters. Another way we can work to improve this is by memorizing and feeling more comfortable with our lines.  In my case specifically, I will be able to add comedic elements in some ad-libbed lines when I get more comfortable.  

The next step for our group is to go back to the script and add a few more lines like the establishing ones I mentioned above as well as a few more lines for Bob and Allan to embellish their comedic characterizations.  After this, we must proceed to learn our lines to the best of our abilities.  Once we accomplish this we can abandon our scripts for good and work on the characterizations, the relationships, the energy and other pieces as needed.  After today, a few other pieces will certainly be pacing, filling dead space, and projecting more.  As one of the last details, we need to work on making the scene changes smoother.  It was our first time today, so they may become more efficient on their own.  However, we may also need more people to help because of the various props that are left on stage and then need to be returned on stage.  This is difficult to operate with five people as it is difficult enough to carry the furniture without worrying about the props like the phone and the glasses.

To recap, our group is doing decent.  We need to put in more effort to know our lines.  Most of us were off script, but some people still were which made the flow and the energy troublesome.  Even the people who knew their lines need to become more familiar with the lines. First we need to add a little more and them all know our lines.  This will greatly improve our staging abilities and help us resolve many of the problems and mistakes that occurred in our first runthrough. 

As for the other group, they had some of the same problems and some problems that were very different.  Both groups definitely had a problem with projection and both created a little confusion as a result.  The other group needs to work on showing the time changes because it was very difficult to follow.  This could also be due to the quick pace.  The scene changes seem to happen very close together.  Their skit also was much different as they had more dialogue and less action while we had more action and less dialogue.  Without the actors projecting, it was difficult to understand what was going on in their scene.   

Diagram for scenes 1 and 3

Diagram for scene 2

Something of Everything

   As usual, I enjoyed the show, but noticed many minor mistakes as any good stage manager would.  I attended both shows this time, and I have to say that the fact that there were two shows were interesting.  Usually there are a couple, but only having two shows, one was opening night and the next was the last night.  Opening night in any show usually has a few mistakes that are most likely fixed in the nights to come.  The last show is usually the sloppiest as the company has performed many days in a row and are tired.  In this case, an interesting dynamic was provided.  While some mistakes were corrected in the second show, more were made and the actors ad-libbed many lines.  

    A few mistakes I noticed on the first night were the mics, the boys dancing, a few lighting miscues, and the way the blocks were tuned. First, the mics seemed to be taped incorrectly.  They might have slid, but several of them had mic tape around the tip of the mic where the sound enters.  While this may have no effect, it could also cover some of the sound.  The next issue was Elle’s skit.  Her mic fell off and the amp was turned down really low.  If this wasn’t a problem by itself.  The guys made a lot of noise by moving around behind her.  This was distracting from the song.  Some of this noise was accidental, but they also were clapping/snapping.  Another minor problem was the lighting miscues.  This was minor compared to the other comments I’ve had.  Most if not all were quickly corrected and there were few the following day.  Another very minor mistake was the way the black blocks were turned.  This was easily fixed the day after.  It was just a little thing that- as a stage manager- bothered me, but wouldn't bother most people.

    The show on Saturday night brought my attention to a few new minor mistakes.  A few were the scenes where the actors were supposed to freeze and the actors’ projection. First, most of the blocking in Mr. Porter’s skit was the actors freezing in their position on stage.  On Saturday a few people were moving while the rest were frozen disrupting the effect of freezing.  Another problem was the amount the actors were projecting. It was difficult to hear some of the lines which, in some cases, took away from the comedic aspects.  Both of these problems were likely because it was the last night as they did not occur the night before.  

    As a whole, I enjoyed the idea of doing the comedy skits.  It was different than what has previously done, making it more exciting.  However, this seemed to add to difficulties in rehearsing each individual skit.  Both from hearing the actors talk outside of rehearsal and through the shows, it seemed as though some skits had more rehearsal time than others.  As a theater, we haven’t had this problem to this scale.  Sometimes a scene will be rehearsed les, which isn’t very noticeable within a long play or musical.  However, in a small skit, it is more noticeable. Overall, I think comedy skits are worth doing again.  

    Another aspect that  I noticed on Saturday night that was important for me to notice was the backstage door on stage left.  I usually use that door when I am stage managing.  I haven’t thought i was distracting because the pit and the movable walls were blocking it, but after sitting by the booth, I am not sure anymore.  Therefore, I am going to check next year before I use it freely.  

Props, Costumes, Lights, and Sounds

Prop List:

“Lamb” leg

“Alcohol” (ice tea) glasses, bottles, container for the drink + ice cubes

can of beans

potatoes

wall phone

camera

flashlight

gun?

bell (sound effects)

grocery bags

knitting stuff

purse + money

laundry basket + clothes

props to place around the set to make it look more interesting such as a fake flower for the living room, or food and others things on sale in the grocery store)

Set Pieces:

5 Chairs 

Kitchen table

Armchair

Counter (grocery store)

register 

coffee table (green table from prop room)

lamp for the table

shelf for alcohol

coathanger

telephone

Costume List:

Allan and Bob- Police uniform

Badge

Striped shirt from Prop room? (check)

Canes (check)

Black pants (check)

Briefcase with science stuff

Hat (check)

Dress shoes/ boots

Mary- housewife

Dress  

Pregnant belly

Simple shoes not sneakers but comfy because she is pregnant

Jack- Nice looking police uniform

Navy shirt

Black pants

Badge

Hat (check)

Dress shoes

Patrick- Nice clothes

Black pants (check)

Dress shoes

Nice looking shirt but is no longer in uniform

Coat

Sam- Grocery store uniform

T shirt/ polo

skirt over Black pants

Apron (check)

Name tag?

Shoes- type of shoes doesn't matter here

Sound Cues: 

Scene 1: 

Enter Patrick: 

              Door Slam

Gives Her Reflection nod and Exit;

                Door Closing 

Scene 2: 

Enters Mary:

         Bell Sound

Mary enters the Kitchen: 

         Door Closing 

Scene 3:

 Beginning: 

Sound of Sirens (5-10 seconds)

Knock on door 

Light Cues:

Beginning:

lights come up

Mary: Hello, Sam I want some potatoes, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of beans. [gives her reflection a nod, EXITS]

BLACKOUT

scene change

lights come up

Mary : Thank you, Sam. Good night. 

BLACKOUT

scene change

lights come up

BOB: It's probably right under our noses. What do you think, Jack?

BLACKOUT 

end of scene

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        My group’s project is going well.  Everyone has contributed a decent amount especially considering the busy week last week was.  I am pleased that we finished the script on time- I was doubting that we would.  We now have all of our character development done as well as a full draft of our script and staging diagrams. We have also taken some of the blocking, lighting and costumes into consideration already.  This leads me to be hopeful for smooth sailing this week.  I think that figuring out our staging should not be too strenuous from the position that we are in.  Considering IB exams are over and everyone should be able to give the amount of commitment needed to our scene, I am looking forward to this week.  Staging will be more fun than writing the script was.  

       So far the group is working pretty cohesively.  We have been able to multitask during class in the sense that each person is working on a different aspect or doing a different task that needs to get done, but we are all sitting near each other to allow us to ask for other people’s creative input.  

 For example, if I was writing part of the script and Charlie was creating one of the stage diagrams and Adler was writing his character development...etc.  I could read the previous few lines and ask what so and so’s (one of the characters) should say next.  This was much more effective than working on every aspect as a group.  By using a divide and conquer strategy, we got more work done in a shorter amount of time.  I hope we continue working this way in the coming weeks as it has proven so effective.  While it may be hard to apply this while staging, we can certainly apply the strategy to lights, sound, costumes, props and finding the set pieces we want. Conveniently, that list has five items and the group consists of five people.   Therefore, I think dividing and conquering will continue to be a useful strategy.  

Script- Lamb to the Slaughter

Scene 1: 

MARY is in the living room, she is pacing around the room. She seems anxious like she is waiting for something. The door opens. 

MARY:    Hello, darling

PATRICK:    Hello

Mary takes Patrick’s coat from him and hangs it up. She brings 2 cups of alcohol, one for her and one for Patrick. 

MARY:    Tired, darling?

PATRICK:    Yes [sighs] I'm thoroughly exhausted. 

Patrick drinks the entire cup of alcohol and gets up to exit upstage into “ Kitchen” 

MARY:  I'll get it! [jumping up]

PATRICK: Sit down.

Patrick enters from upstage with a cup and a bottle of alcohol. He pours it all the way to the top. 

Mary sighs

MARY:     I think it's a shame that when someone's been a policeman as long as you have, he still has to walk around all day long [he doesn’t answer] Darling, If you're too tired to eat out tonight, as we had planned, I can fix you something. There's plenty of meat and stuff in the freezer. [she forces a smile, he doesn’t react] Anyway I’ll get you some bread and cheese."

PATRICK:    I don't want it.

[She moved uneasily in her chair]

MARY:     But you have to have supper. I can easily fix you something. I'd like to do it. We can have Lamb. Anything you want. Everything's in the freezer.

PATRICK:    Forget it

MARY:     But, darling, you have to eat! I'll do it anyway, and then you can have it or not, as you like. [stands up and places sewing on table]

PATRICK:     Sit down, Just for a minute, sit down. [pause] Go on, sit down. 

[MARY sits watching him all the time with large, puzzled eyes, he  finishes his second drink stares into the glass] 

Listen … I've got something to tell you

MARY:    What is it, darling? What's the matter?

Patrick stays motionless and does not make eye contact with Mary

PATRICK:     This is going to be a big shock to you, I'm afraid. But I've thought about it a good deal and I've decided that the only thing to do is to tell you immediately. [pauses]  I think that I need some time and distance to myself..

MARY:     That's fine dear are you thinking of a vacation for us?

PATRICK:     Yeahhh... more of a vacation for me.. Permanently 

MARY:     What? ..What are you saying…? [In a sad voice]

PATRICK:    I'm a rolling stone Mary, that's just how it is.. I met a girl at the casino last Month we’re eloping 

MARY:    I… I don't know what to say..Patrick. Please tell me this is a joke

PATRICK:     No, Mary.. I've simply outgrown you, I'll be packing my bags tonight.. I'll be gone by the morning.

MARY: Patrick..

PATRICK: I did us the favor of going to the town hall and getting the divorce papers..  [hands Mary the papers and Mary ignores them] So there it is. And I know it's a tough time to be telling you this, but there simply wasn't any other way. Of course, I'll give you money and see that you and the baby are taken care of. But there really shouldn't be any problem. I hope not, in any case. It wouldn't be very good for my job.

MARY stays silent for a minute, a look of confusion washes over her face. She gets up and acts as though nothing happened.

MARY:     I'll fix some supper [happy] 

MARY exits upstage 

PATRICK:    I've already told you.  Don't make supper for me. I'm going out.

PATRICK:    Well that was weird, well anyways I can't wait to Shelly tomorrow, she makes me forget all about this boring old witch. I don't know how I'm going to see the baby, but whatever the money should take care of that.

MARY comes behind PATRICK and swings a leg of lamb, she hits him with it and he falls to the ground dead.

MARY: I have a baby coming, he deserved it. I mean he wasn't going to take care of us with another girl around. What was he thinking? Another women in this child's life? No that can't happen, I'm the only mother. There is not going to be a stepmother or whatever other mother. It's me just me. [pauses]. Wait… I can't go to jail for this. Can I? He technically forced me to kill him. He was practically asking for it. I have to protect this baby, and I think I might have the perfect idea. 

Practices to herself 

MARY:    Hello, Sam [speaks loud and strangely] I want some potatoes, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of beans. [Not happy with how she sais it she tries again] Hello, Sam I want some potatoes, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of beans. [gives her reflection a nod, EXITS]

Scene 2- Grocery Store

[ENTER Sam and Mary]

MARY:    Hello, Sam [smiling] 

SAM:        Good evening, Mrs. Maloney. How are you?

MARY:    I want some potatoes, please, Sam. Yes, and perhaps a can of beans, too. Patrick's decided he's tired and he doesn't want to eat out tonight. We usually go out on Thursdays, you know, and now I don't have any vegetables in the house.

SAM:        Then how about some meat, Mrs. Maloney?

MARY:    No, I've got meat, thanks, I've got a nice leg of lamb, from the freezer.

SAM:        Do you want these potatoes, Mrs. Maloney?

MARY:    Oh, yes, they'll be fine. Two pounds, please.

SAM:        Anything else? [pause] How about dessert? What are you going to give him for dessert?  How about a nice piece of cake? I know he likes cake.

MARY:    Perfect. He loves it.

[Sam brings stuff and puts it in bags]

MARY:     Thank you, Sam. Good night. 

Blackout

[MARY enters the kitchen by the back door, quietly singing to herself]

MARY:    [calls out] Patrick! How are you, darling? 

MARY  sees that Patrick is dead, she runs into the living room and drops the groceries on the ground.  She runs over to him and drops to her knees.

MARY goes over to the phone and dials a number

MARY:     Quick! Come quickly! Patrick's dead.

POLICE:     Who's speaking?

MARY:    Mrs. Maloney. Mrs. Patrick Maloney.

POLICE:    Do you mean that Patrick's dead?

MARY:     I think so, He's lying on the floor and I think he's dead. [crying]

POLICE:     We'll be there immediately.

Scene 3:

Sirens go off and a knock is heard at the door. MARY opens the door and four policemen walk through the door. They all crowded around the dead body. 

MARY:     Is he dead? [crying]

JACK:        I'm afraid he is. What happened?

MARY:     I really loved him….. 

ALLAN: There is evidence of trauma to the--

BOB: The frontal lobe!

ALLAN: There must be trauma to your frontal lobe.

Jack is pacing and MARY is sitting on the couch in front of him. BOB and ALLAN are fighting but you can't hear anything.

JACK: Dammit.

MARY: Who would have done such a terrible thing?

BOB: He was clearly shot

ALLAN: Thank god! You might be right for once!

Start to look for bullet wound.

MARY: What am I going to do with the child now?

JACK: You don't need to worry. You have all of us. [gestures to ALLAN and BOB]

BOB: We can't find the hole!

ALLAN: Well if you weren’t such a dumbass!

BOB: Well you find it then.

ALLAN: I just did.

BOB: That's not a hole.

ALLAN: You’re blind!

BOB: Idiot!

JACK walks over to BOB, ALLAN, AND PATRICK’s body.

JACK: You’re both idiots!

ALLAN and BOB: How?

JACK: It was obviously not a gun shot.  It's not a deep enough wound.  Blood doesn't automatically mean there is a gun wound.

MARY starts crying loudly.

JACK: Mary, calm down.  We will solve this.  Did you know that your oven is still on, and the meat is still inside?

MARY:    Oh, So it is! I'd better turn it off [EXITS returns shortly after in tears] Would you do me a favor? Here you all are, all good friends of Patrick's, and you're helping to catch the man who killed him. You must be very hungry by now because it's long past your supper time, and I know that Patrick would never forgive me if I let you stay in the house without offering you anything to eat. Why don't you eat up the lamb in the oven?

JACK:        I wouldn't dream of it.

MARY:    Please, personally, I couldn't eat a thing, but it'd be a favor to me if you ate it up. Then you can go on with your work

The detectives hesitate but eventually follow MARY off stage. 

Black out

Scene 4:  Eating the Lamb

BOB: Have some more, Allan.

JACK: No, we'd better not finish it.

ALLAN: She wants us to finish it. She said we ought to eat it up.

JACK: That's a big bar the murderer must have used to hit poor Patrick. The doctor says the back of his head was broken to pieces.

ALLAN: That's why the weapon should be easy to find.

BOB: Exactly what I said. 

JACK: Whoever did it, he can't carry a weapon that big around with him.

ALLAN: Personally, I think the weapon is somewhere near the house.

BOB: It's probably right under our noses. What do you think, Jack?

Blackout

Sorry the formatting got slightly messed up by blogspot.  

See Charlie's blog for stage diagrams.

Character Development- Allan

      Allan is a forensic scientist/detective who is not very smart.  He tries to do his job well and thinks he is smarter than Bob- and he is slightly.   Allan and Bob add comic relief to the murder mystery.  While Jack attempts to comfort Mary and deal with his own emotions, Allan and Bob attempt to investigate Patrick's body for clues.  Allan has many lines in which he makes comments that do not make sense. The audience knows how Patrick was killed, so Allan's obliviousness is what makes him a comedic character.

      Allan is most likely a middle-aged man.  His stance and opinions would change based on others opinions.  He knows that Jack is smarter and that he needs to be nice to Jack.  He also has a little bit of respect for Jack.  

      There is not much to Allan.  He does not really have a backstory, nor is one extremely necessary.  He is simply there for comedic purposes and the fact that there is no substance to him and that he is shallow, makes him funnier.  Allan thinks he is smart, but he isn't.  He also has a habit of bickering with Bob.  The chemistry between Allan and Bob is very important to our show.  Without each other, they would be funny, but with their obliviousness and stupidity combined, they are twice as fun.  

I picture Allan dressed nicely in uniform as he is on the job, but there are definitely some quirks to his appearance.  He is probably on the larger side, and has funny looking hair.  His hair could potentially be sticking up- not messy, it is just the way it is cut.  His uniform would look new because of his incompetence.  He has not gone on many investigations so he is not dirty.  He probably stands a little weird maybe leaning sometimes and straight/tall others, and his facial expressions will change quickly from line to line as he gets excited about something and then is told it is dumb.  He does not laugh or smile easily if ever because he wants to take his job seriously.  This adds a contrast to his personality.  Overall, I will have to find a mixture of portraying as a funny and ridiculous character to being to far over the top. 

What Have I Done to Myself?

     For my final project, I would like to adapt stories from Wally Lamb’s Couldn’t Keep It To Myself: Testimonies From Our Imprisoned Sisters.  It would be interesting to stage a few of the stories written by the women in prison as monologues similar to Eve Ensler’s work.  While I have not read many of the stories from the book, it would be interesting and entertaining to the audience to use dark humor.  

     Each monologue would be performed by the same person; it would be a one man (or woman) show. This would add to the challenge for me, by focusing all attention on me.  I would not be relying on other actors and this would be my first time performing under these conditions.   This is what inspired me to write about this idea. (Well, that and the fact I wanted to take my performance as the Gods to a whole new level.) This would especially challenge me as I would have little time between monologues.  This would become extremely difficult in transitioning between the women.  The transitions would have to be thought out carefully.  To compare with the Gods, the Gods were supposed to be within one body and thus, the transitions were supposed to be quick and done onstage.  However, playing the women in prison would be much harder as the transitions would need to be done during blackouts.  This means I would have to change personality and character completely in a short amount of time between monologues.  To make the physical differences easier, I would wear a prisoner outfit the whole time.  To show the difference between each of the women, I would change my voice, the tone of the monologue, and my facial expressions and body language. 

     The stage would look simple.  There might be a chair or two and some individual props needed for specific monologues.   However, the main focus would be on the actor delivering the monologues. Without a script, I cannot say for sure how long the scene will take, but I will guess around ten minutes. The setup will most likely go as follows: introduction to audience about what they are about to see,blackout, monologue 1, blackout, monologue 2, blackout, monologue 3, blackout, then some way of concluding the performance. There can be more or less monologues depending on how much time each one will take up.  Therefore, the time and setup will be finalized with a script.

      Specifically for this project, this would be interesting as it is something we have not done in class so far.  Performing a one person show would be a unique experience-certainly one to end the year with.  This seems like the perfect time to experiment as there is no more stress of IB in this class.   We only have a few weeks left and I want to go above and beyond what I have already done. 

Image from Google Images

IB Done!!

        My IB exams went well.  I made a few mistakes that in hindsight just seem stupid.  There were three problems that have been brought to my attention so far- two during the exam and one hours after. During paper 1, the writing went well.  I felt pretty confident.  I wrote about a page and a half of analysis and 4 and a half pages of staging.  This also included three diagrams.  However, half way through the exam, right as I started the second answer booklet, I noticed that I had written “01” in the booklet instead of just “1” like the example.  I panicked when I noticed this because I was not sure if my answer would be read.  Once Mrs. Longacre assured me it would be okay, I continued and finished in time.  I felt confident until I realized later in the day that I mixed upstage and downstage.  I am hoping that the reader will at let know what I was talking about because I labeled the stage diagrams consistently with my descriptions. The next exam started well too.  As soon as I read the question, I had many ideas. Thus, I started writing immediately without making an outline.  My first ideas led me to believe that I had more to write about Naomi Shihab Nye, so I started with Emily Dickinson.  Here, my original belief was proven wrong.  I got really into analyzing “‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers.”  I wrote about Dickinson and her poem for about two pages before wrapping up and moving onto Nye.  As I started writing about Nye’s “Blood”, I quickly realized that I didn't have as many ideas as I thought.  I had to stop and reform my thoughts, which took a lot of time.  Even when I started writing again, my thoughts were unsettled and therefore, my writing likely contained more clutter than the first half.  I finished this essay on time too.  

        Overall, the exam went well. Writing in pen annoyed me less than I thought it would. I think I did a successful job.

Image from an IB Memes web page. Unfortunately I did not save the link as I found and saved it as a photo a long time ago. 

Practice Essay Notes

5. Patterns, aimed at the mind, the heart or the ear of the reader, are used by poets to
achieve their purposes. In the work of at least two poets you have studied, examine various
patterns and their effects.

1. Hope is a thing with feathers (Dickinson)

Slant rhyme + meter
--> Iambic meter? Tweet-tweet like bird?
      Smooth sounding
               Like bird? Soaring/freedom… Sound symbolism?
Emphasis on certain parts
Emotion/heart and mind
--> Melodic in a way
      Optimism
      Tone/mood

1. Blood (Nye)

Repetition of “True Arab”
-->Emphasis on background and emotion
No rhyme =harsher?
-->More real & less melodic?
Repetition of questions
-->First she responds, last ones are for reader?
     Thought-provoking
     Emphasize theme/make reader think about topic
Free verse
-->Patterns in structure are nonexistent

Death and Ambiguity

Dickinson’s poem that starts “Because I could not stop for Death-” displays some certainties, but also a lot of ambiguity.  Some certainty includes the way Dickinson characterizes Death and the overall journey toward eternity.  The largest source of ambiguity in the poem is who/where the narrator is.  

On one hand, Dickinson narrates from the perspective of a human who sees death everywhere and is calmly waiting.  This person sees death on the playground, in adulthood, in their old age, and in graveyards/at funerals.  At the end, this person faces death directly.  Here, they have passed through the stages of life (youth, adulthood, old age) and are at eternity, meaning it is finally their time after seeing death from a distance for so long.  It is a subtle ending that in essence portrays a simple death.  This is a peaceful and calm way to read the poem.

On the other hand, the narrator could be a passenger in the carriage with death.  The way death is described illustrates the narrator’s knowledge of death. The narrator describes death as “[knowing] no haste” and “[civil]”. Here, Death is personified, giving the illusion that the narrator knows Death personally.  How could someone who has seen death, but never met him know describe him like this?  This narrator has also seen death everywhere.  In this case, the carriage has picked people up in the schoolyard, the fields, and the setting sun.  Again, each of these represent a phase in life.  Each one is referenced in the third stanza.  The schoolyard represents a child dying.  The fields represent the people who are at a stage where they work.  Therefore, these people are most likely adults.  Finally, they pass the setting sun which represents old age. Following this, the next stanza describes clothing which is used to represent a funeral.  From here, eternity is described.  This way of viewing the poem and the narrator is less peaceful than the first.  Because the narrator knows death personally, it might be assumed they are dead and now they are watching more people die.  The way the narrator describes each phase of life could be seen as a pattern like they are viewing the cycle repeatedly.  This is darker and almost hopeless.  

The pacing with the dashes adds a lot to the second way I discussed.  It breaks it up into short chunks as if the narrator has spoken about it again and again.  For example, in the third stanza, Dickinson describes three phases of life with little description of each.  The alliteration is also significant to the poem.  When Dickinson uses alliteration she uses it in pairs.  For example, “grazing grain,” “setting sun,” and “my labor and my leisure.”  The repetition of the sounds could add evidence to the narrator being a passenger because of the repetition of picking up dead people.  It could also be a clue to the ambiguity.  In the last example specifically, (“my labor and my leisure”) the narrator is describing two things that are related like how both ways of viewing the narrator are related to the poem.  

Overall, the ambiguity in this poem allows the reader to view the narrator in a different way, creating their own idea of the tone and mood. This could impact the message the reader takes away about death.  Due to the ambiguity neither is right or wrong allowing both types of readers to enjoy the poem.


Side note: I apologize for the length- I wanted to make sure the organization made sense and I could not see how this would work in three paragraphs.

No Production's Perfect-Even on Broadway

        

I have read “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” both in the form of a novel and in the form of a play.  It is about a boy named Christopher who has an unspecified mental disability, most likely a form of autism. (It seems like Asperger syndrome.)  The story starts with Christopher finding his neighbor’s dog dead.  From here, Christopher goes on a journey.  He wishes to find the dog’s murderer.  What seems out to be a simple task, takes him completely outside of his comfort zone.  He starts by visiting neighbor’s houses and talking to strangers.  Following this, his father reveals he is the murderer, so Christopher leaves home to travel to his mother’s house.  As a person afraid of strangers and is unfamiliar with travel, he struggles in the train station.  He eventually makes it to his mother’s house.  Overall, Christopher is an dynamic character.  

The Broadway show of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” was good.  I loved the stage and lighting effects.  I did, however, dislike a few aspects.  

The stage was by far my favorite part of the show.  At first glance, the stage design is simple.  It looks like a grid both on the walls and the floor.  A rectangular prism is present on the edges of the stage, which is used as a bench.  Finally, there is the outline of a dog present in centerstage.  The stage is used for every setting throughout the story.  This was done by using spotlights and digital lighting effects on the stage itself.  For example, the part where Christopher is visiting his neighbors uses both techniques.  Spotlights and other stage lights show the audience where Christopher is while the lighting built into the stage outlines each house. Another part where the lighting was when Christopher would slip into one of his nervous moods.  Here, numbers would appear on the floor around Christopher as if they were spilling out of him.  A few other of my favorite lighting effects included the constellations that were displayed on the walls, and when Christopher drew on the floor.  Furthermore, the stage worked well with the lighting effects.  The stage had many doors and openings that were not noticeable until Christopher opened them or the setting changed.  As I previously mentioned, the stage was simple at first glance.  Then there were several changes that revealed more and more. The entire stage was used during the show, which is good.  The production took full advantage of the stage they were working with.  

      

While the lighting was amazing, I do have one complaint to the tech crew: the mics needed to be louder.  The sound effects coordinated well with the lighting and plot, but at times, even when there was no sound effect or music, I found myself struggling to hear the dialogue.  This being said, the dynamics of being loud and quiet as well as the lighting allowed the audience to picture the world through Christopher’s eyes.  

This was another one of the best aspects.  The audience was able to see the world as Christopher see it.  This is important because many people in the audience do not understand why Christopher acts the way he does.  By showing the audience Christopher’s world, it allows them to make sense of the story and what they are seeing.  The staging helped make this come to life from the book/script.  Because the audience was shown the world through Christopher’s eyes, there had to be a narrator.  I liked how Siobhan played this role, however I felt she was confusing.  In the beginning, it was easy to distinguish the narration and when she was playing the teacher.  This was due to the book in her hand when she was the narrator.  I felt the book should have continued to be present throughout the show.  Later on, when Siobhan was narrating, the actress was not holding the book.  This made it more difficult to understand her role. Even if she was not reading from the book, I feel the book was still a necessary prop.  

    Overall, I enjoyed the show.  It was worth the long bus ride.  There were some problems that I did not foresee because it was a Broadway show (like the mics).  I thought it could have been executed a little better.  All in all, I am sad the show is closing and am happy I got to see it before it did. I can’t wait to go back to Broadway next month to see “School of Rock.” 

         

Sources: Google Images

In class writing- Dickinson

The structure is one stanza with 12 lines.  It uses many dashes which as we discussed was not common during her time.   The dashes break up the writing as she is listing things in nature. One rhyme is consistent throughout the poem.  "See, bee, sea, harmony, and simplicity all rhyme, but none of the other lines really rhyme.  There appears to be one sentence, marked by a period at the end.  However, it can be several little ones. Every time Dickinson writes "Nature is.." It is a complete thought, but after two she lists things so the sentence would continue.  I would say there are about 5 sentences.  "Nature is.." a repetitive phrase.  This adds emphasis to nature.  The religion of "nay" before some of the "nature is.." also add a sense of building of adding more.  This follows until the end where we (as humans) are related to nature.  In the last four lines, Dickinson is saying that we know what nature shows us, but we are powerless against it.  Therefore, nature is powerful.  The listing and the repetitive phrases build up to this point where she writes that nature is powerful.  The poem is powerful itself.  The tone is calm but almost informative.  "Nay" not only adds a source of growing emotion, but also a debate in the sense she repeats herself adding on.  This also adds the effect that nature is more powerful.  She is trying to understand, but she is at the will of nature in a way.  From this, you can tell that Dickinson enjoys nature.  The tone is sort of inspiring and dreamy.  It shows a love and passion for nature.   

The poem is explaining nature as a powerful almost undefinable, positive force.  Humans cannot change nature, but it is so vital to our lives.  Nature is described as a positive thing, yet we cannot control it.  This adds a sense of peacefulness because humans try to obtain control of everything. Here,  she thinks it is good we don't have control.  "Nature is heaven... Nature is harmony." It could almost be seen as an escape from control.  She is saying, later in the poem, nature is simple, but we cannot control it. This relates to nature and harmony because it is the way it is due to the absence of humans.  This also relates to Dickinson as a person.  She does not like being around other humans.  She likes nature because it is untouchable.  She probably wishes she were more powerful and untouchable like nature.  She often writes about nature, most likely for this reason: nature is an escape from other humans.  

Themes- In class writing

1) Religion

Religion is used to describe the enjoyment of the figs and how the figs are obtained. Religion has a very positive connotation here.

"I'm talking about a fig straight from the earth – 

gift of Allah! -- on a branch so heavy 

it touches the ground. 

I'm talking about picking the largest, fattest, 

sweetest fig 

in the world and putting it in my mouth."

2) Love/Memory/Longing

Love is the coming together.  The author often writes about memories about her loved ones and mentions missing them.

“You and I on a roof at sunset,

our two languages adrift,

heart saying, Take this home with you,

never again,

and only memory making us rich.”

3) Emptiness/a subtle lack of togetherness/hopeless

It seems there is a void when the author describes the earth.  It seems almost incomplete as if we are the one but not really ever together. It seems to show hopelessness and helplessness. 

“It is possible we will not meet again

on earth. It is possible we will not meet again

on earth. To think this fills my throat

with dust. Then there is only the sky

tying the universe together.”

He waka eke noa (A canoe which we are all in with no exception)

On one side of the stage (stage left) is the bull whale.  He represents the Maori history. All of the characters will be played by humans, so the backdrop on this side is the ocean. This is supposed to portray that the characters on this side represent the whales.  On the other side (stage right) is the whale rider known to us as Kahu.  She represents the more recent history.  All characters here are human.  The backdrop on this side of the stage is supposed to be similar to Once on This Island backdrop.  However, the plants and wildlife will be what is native to New Zealand.  The narrator is present in center stage. They will move the story back and forth between left and right.  The backdrop here is the sand of a beach because it is the middle between the humans and the whales.  Most of the show, lights will only be up on one side and the narrator, but at the end there should be a scene or two with all parts of the stage (left, center and right). This would show when Kahu meets the whale rider and also where recent history meets distant history.  The worlds would cross representing all Maori people in the history and in the present.  

Title: Maori Proverb meaning we are all in this together. This fits with my adaptation because the people and whales don't know each other but they work together to allow the Maori people and culture to survive.  

Image created on Sketchbook app

Ma whero ma pango ka oti ai te mahi (With red and black the work will be complete)

The Whale Rider focuses on many contrasts similar to My Love, My Love.  The Whale Rider consists of Kahu and Koro’s character growth as Kahu becomes the whale rider.  The book deals with magical realism, history and future, gender, and most importantly, Maori culture.  In an attempt to highlight many of these, some more than others, I would divide the stage into two sides; one where Kahu is a girl, like in the book, and the other in which Kahu’s brother has survived and plays the whale rider.  A narrator stands center stage, telling the audience the story of the Maoris.  It will be revealed as the plot progresses that stage right and stage left are almost alternate realities.  However, the plot will be similar, so it will be unclear if they are exactly alternate realities.  This is where the magical realism comes in.  Despite the audience’s first belief, the side where the whale rider is a boy, is not the same.  This will be the story of the bull whale.  This will highlight the character doubling present in the book.  This will also show the “whales” and the humans.  The gods may be referenced, but they will not appear at all.  Clearly, both sides plot cannot be exactly the same, but they will be similar.  The narrator will talk about the similar events while both groups do their specific blocking.  The narrator will pause at particular points specific to each side. Then, that side of the stage will take over from the narration by acting out what happened.  One example of a possible scene for the female/whale rider side will be when Kahu performs and Koro is absent from the audience.  At this time, the lights will only be on half the stage.  

Similar characters will exist on both sides.  The most important characters are Kahu, Koro, Nani Flowers and some of the other boys that are training with Koro.  Lighting will also be important in representing and highlighting the different sides.  For costumes, I would keep the traditional Maori clothing on the whale rider side.  I would take the colors from this side and use similar colors to represent the character doublings.  Some of the doublings could also have multiple colors to show similarities to multiple characters.  I would also add Maori symbols to the characters and what is important to them.  For example, in the movie, Kahu wears a necklace during her performance.  In is made of New Zealand green stone.  I thought it was very interesting that this was included.  The shape of her necklace is the manaia.  This symbol represents protection against the supernatural.  This was an interesting choice for her character because of her relationship with the whales.  This could almost be seen as protecting her from fulfilling her destiny as whale rider.  I would keep this the same, however her character double would show the koru or spiral which represents new life, strength and growth.  This is a simple way to portray more hidden meaning besides the content of the scene.  

Overall, my main focus would be creating the two different sides, but making sure they portray similarities. It is supposed to show almost a repeat in history, but also the capability of change without destroying the Maori culture and tradition.  In the end, the two sides will mix showing the mix that occurs at the end of the book.  

*the title is a Maori proverb. It is saying that everyone should work together and do their part. It encourages cooperation. The colors refer to the typical colors inside of meeting houses.

Sources: http://www.maori.cl/Proverbs.htm

Google images

In addition, facts came from my visit to Whakarewarewa in Rotorua, NZ

Life, Pain, Love, Grief, Hope and Faith

Once on This Island is a musical based on the book My Love, My Love by Rosa Guy.  Ti Moune is a young peasant girl, who falls in love with a grand homme. The show is phenomenal and I am proud of everyone involved.  I experienced the show in many ways.  From blocking to costumes, to hair, to makeup, to props, to cues and many last minute surprises, I loved this show and everyone involved.  I am sad to move on.  The week leading up to the show was the smoothest show week I have experienced.  It is a difficult show that involved a high level of participation and solid performance from everyone.  I am thankful for everyone’s participation especially because people were sick and we suffered from snow days.  In addition, the crew was the most involved I have ever worked with.  They were so creative and I refuse to think what the stage would have looked like without their ideas and beautiful execution.  However, I wish we could have run the show with lights a few more times before opening night.  The lighting and sound cues bothered me.  They caused problems in all of the performances.  This most likely did not impact the audience (except when the thunder didn’t sound-twice), but as the person relying on the lights to give cues to the actors, I thought the lighting could have been more reliable.  More times than should have been necessary, I had to speak over the headset asking about the cue.  Furthermore, the lights came up early a few times and had a few added blackouts. I know from experience that the technology is not always reliable, but a few more rehearsals may have allowed us to adapt.  

Another fear I had was whispering.  With many people involved, time off of the stage and mics, I feared more whispering would occur.  This was only the case on Sunday, which is very impressive.  The only major problems were the mics being muted, and people occasionally forgetting lines. Neither of these seemed to be very apparent to the audience.  I picked up on several other tiny mistakes, but I was probably only one of two or three people watching who noticed.  

I have heard many reviews of the show, both of biased parents and students and faculty.  Everyone seemed to enjoy the show.  As the stage manager, I am most proud of the look of the show.  I organized the majority of the costumes, including coming up with costumes the day of, and heard that many people found the vibrant colors of the show to be aesthetically pleasing.  It was difficult to organize the costumes because they needed to match in a way that did not really match.  They had to seem of similar status for the peasants, but the pieces could not fit perfectly together. I walked a tightrope of what looked good and what looked strange, but it seemed to work out.  

Overall, the show was one of my biggest successes and I am going to miss going to the black box everyday to work with the amazing cast, crew, and pit of the show, but I know the show will always be a part of us.  (Both in the memories and the songs we will never get out of our heads:))

My Love, My Doctor Oral Presentation First Draft

1. My Love, My Love or the Peasant Girl is a Caribbean retelling of the The Little Mermaid by Hans Christian Anderson.  The story involves many dualities; earth and water, love and death, and rich and poor.  The main storyline revolves around Daniel and his love for both Ti Moune and Andrea.  Ti Moune saved Daniel from the car crash and has fallen deeply in love with him.  In addition, she thinks he remembers her and loves her back.  Daniel does not remember her, but starts to fall in love with her gradually until Andrea returns from France.  Here, Daniel leaves Ti Moune for Andrea.  
1. add more background
1. depends on what comes up below

      → mention musical here

2. Our group chose to focus on the dualities of love and death and rich and poor.  We chose to recreate the fact that Daniel and Ti Moune are from different worlds.  Our adaptation transformed the setting into an insane asylum where Daniel is the doctor and Ti Moune is his patient.  This is supposed to represent the difference between rich and poor. The themes of love and death were more loosely translated into the idea Ti Moune has of saving Daniel from the car crash. In our scene, Ti Moune is in the car crash, but she thinks that Daniel was, like he was in the book.  The Gods were interpreted into another patient- an imaginary one in Ti Moune’s head- who has multiple personality disorder.  This aspect was inspired by the parts in the book where the Gods all speak through Papa Ge.  We chose to show that Daniel could not see the Gods because they are imaginary rather than showing that Daniel does not believe in them.  We did add a scene where the Gods seem to speak to Daniel as if they are manipulating him like a pawn.  It seems like they are interacting, but he does not see them.  This is the only part where the Gods, Ti Moune and Daniel are all in the scene.  However, they are all speaking separately with no interactions.  The final character is Andrea.  She only appears at the very end.  This suppose to represent that she just seemed to walk into Daniel’s life and took him.  We tended to lean closer to the musical here.  We made Andrea Daniel’s fiancee already. This added to the effect the marriage-or future marriage has on Ti Moune. Overall, we attempted to focus on Daniel and Ti Moune’s relationship.
1. add about Ti Moune’s obsession
2. add more about distinction of characters
3. add about Daniel’s slight fascination/temptation with Ti Moune
4. add about character name decisions
3. We attempted to make our staging simple.  The stage consists of a couch, a chair and a small table.  Daniel and Andrea enter from stage right and the Gods enter from stage left. Ti Moune is almost always on stage except for the very beginning and she enters during a blackout.
1. talk about blackouts
2. add about lighting and sound effects
3. scene change
4. discuss fight
4. I played the Gods and Andrea.  Andrea played a large role in our storyline, but as far as challenging myself as an actor, she was not very difficult.  Andrea only has a few lines.  My biggest struggle came from learning to portray the Gods the way I wanted to/imagined them.  The Gods are very different from each other.  Each has complex characteristics and then they were combined.  Apart from learning 4 characterizations, I also learned how to switch between the gods.  The gods have an interesting relationship amongst each other in the book and I was particularly interested in portraying this.  The Gods were supposed to come across as comedic characters.  Each God has lines that pertain to the others and they tend to bicker with each other.  I was attempting to create the illusion that they have known each other for a very long time- so almost like an old married couple.  I spent lots of time trying voices and movements that got my point across and were comedic without looking ridiculous.  While I did play a multiple personality, imaginary patient, I did not was to seem ridiculous and this was difficult due to the God's relationships with each other.  As I became more comfortable with my lines, I started to explore what I could do with the characters.  
1. Agwe- sort of a fatherly figure, he looks out for Ti Moune
2. Erzulie- ditzy, dramatic, all about love no matter what
3. Asaka- motherly figure, wants the best for everyone, wants everyone to “play nice”
4. Papa Ge- sarcastic, droll, wants Daniel dead, it is a solution that benefits him

5) talk about once I did video.

1. how well I portrayed the gods
2. was it successful?
3. did I manage to keep the gods straight in the video?

6) need to talk about 5 first

1. was our overall performance successful?
2. what improvements would I make?
3. last thoughts...

Quotes:

Book:

Musical: “Asaka, Mother of the Earth. Agwe, God of Water. Erzulie, Beautiful Goddess of Love and Papa Ge, Sly Demon of Death.”

Our Script: “I’m the only one who can make you well.” Pick God lines to talk about.