Well, this will be my last post! Wow, there is a familiar feeling of graduating from something, and of leaving...Brings back a little nostalgia from my earlier school years.
In the beginning, I was somewhat at a loss as to what I'm really supposed to write about. I started by attempting to cover the latest news in the theatre world. Pretty soon though, I discovered that my blog wasn't really going into as much depth as I would like. And so, from there on out, I took a more informative approach. Then it really started to take off. I assumed that my audience would know very little about theatre, except for what they commonly see. So I sought to enlighten them in the inner workings of the world, and in the process I also learned a great deal. I learned a lot more about the theatre world: the shows, the lives of actors, and the backstage crew and their significance.
If I could continue writing posts on this blog, I would like to maybe look closer at the actual venues where the shows are performed--the theaters themselves. I would also have liked to maybe explore theatre in its various forms and genres, and theatre around the globe. What I would have loved to do was to analyze my favorite shows. And of course, cover more news stories.
It's been a good journey, blogging through this semester. And for anyone reading this, I encourage the looking into a show (a live show would be greatly recommended), whether it be a musical, a play, a ballet or an opera. And remember that theatre does more than to entertain. In each show there is something relatable, and can tell us so much about ourselves and others, our world, and our history. And there is a special relationship between the actors, their play, and the audience. Theatre is an art in every sense of the word, and conveys art in a way that nothing else can.
"There's no business like show business."
~Irving Berlin
(Quote courtesy of dictionary.com)
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Thursday, November 14, 2013
"And...Action!"
What would a production be without a director? Well, there wouldn't be one! The director is an indispensable part of a production, because he is the artistic visionary of the crew as much as the playwrights and the designers are. He is the coordinator, and makes sure everything is put in the right place.
A director becomes a director either by studying at an institution or they might start out as a performer and discover their hidden talents for directing. When a director is involved with a show, the first thing he/she must do is have a perfect understanding of the play's text. He must know what the playwright is trying to accomplish or convey through the script or story. "What is the playwright's intention: to entertain, to educate, or to arouse strong feelings in the audience? What is the playwright's point of view toward the characters and events of the play: does he or she see them as tragic or comic?" (Theatre: The Lively Art, 121). Only then can the director effectively guide the performers and other crew members to accomplish theirs and the playwright's intention for the show.
Another idea that the director must have in mind when directing a play is this:
"...one of the director's first steps is to discover the spine of the play. The American director and critic Harold Clurman says in his book On Directing that a director's first task is to find in the text the general action that 'motivates the play.' The director must determine the 'fundamental drama or conflict' or which 'the script's plot and people are the instruments.'...it could also be called the main action of the play." (Theatre: The Lively Art, 121).
So in other words, what are the goals of the characters in the play? What is the whole point of the play?
A concept that is related to this is the directorial concept. I think it can be best explained as the theme of the play. For example in Newsies, it would be safe to say that the overall theme is standing up for what is right, and chasing one's dreams, as is expressed throughout the play with the newsboys' strike for fair prices for their papers and the character, Jack Kelly, chasing after his dream of going to Santa Fe, a place free of such strife.
(Above: director Peter Jackson for The Lovely Bones. Below: This one just made me laugh. May be Douglas Fairbanks for Robin Hood. Photos courtesy of Google.)
When the director has these ideas down and understood, the better known stages of directing then commence. He holds auditions to create the perfect cast for the play. He works together with he cast and crew, and together they create (sets, characters, costumes, etc.), practice, tweak, rehearse; and all the while the director is guiding all of these elements and people, putting the performance together and maintaining it when it is perfected.
So that is, basically, what a director does. They are probably the most iconic member of theatrical or cinematic productions, besides the actors themselves.
Source:
Wilson, Edwin; Goldfarb, Alvin. Theatre: The Lively Art. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print. (Pages 120-123).
A director becomes a director either by studying at an institution or they might start out as a performer and discover their hidden talents for directing. When a director is involved with a show, the first thing he/she must do is have a perfect understanding of the play's text. He must know what the playwright is trying to accomplish or convey through the script or story. "What is the playwright's intention: to entertain, to educate, or to arouse strong feelings in the audience? What is the playwright's point of view toward the characters and events of the play: does he or she see them as tragic or comic?" (Theatre: The Lively Art, 121). Only then can the director effectively guide the performers and other crew members to accomplish theirs and the playwright's intention for the show.
Another idea that the director must have in mind when directing a play is this:
"...one of the director's first steps is to discover the spine of the play. The American director and critic Harold Clurman says in his book On Directing that a director's first task is to find in the text the general action that 'motivates the play.' The director must determine the 'fundamental drama or conflict' or which 'the script's plot and people are the instruments.'...it could also be called the main action of the play." (Theatre: The Lively Art, 121).
So in other words, what are the goals of the characters in the play? What is the whole point of the play?
A concept that is related to this is the directorial concept. I think it can be best explained as the theme of the play. For example in Newsies, it would be safe to say that the overall theme is standing up for what is right, and chasing one's dreams, as is expressed throughout the play with the newsboys' strike for fair prices for their papers and the character, Jack Kelly, chasing after his dream of going to Santa Fe, a place free of such strife.
When the director has these ideas down and understood, the better known stages of directing then commence. He holds auditions to create the perfect cast for the play. He works together with he cast and crew, and together they create (sets, characters, costumes, etc.), practice, tweak, rehearse; and all the while the director is guiding all of these elements and people, putting the performance together and maintaining it when it is perfected.
So that is, basically, what a director does. They are probably the most iconic member of theatrical or cinematic productions, besides the actors themselves.
Source:
Wilson, Edwin; Goldfarb, Alvin. Theatre: The Lively Art. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print. (Pages 120-123).
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Designers
Theatre is known to include all other kinds of art in addition to the performance element of it, such as visual and auditory art. The visual art includes set design and costumes, and for the audio would be the music or score. Costume designers are artists, and in the theatre, they are a big part of the visual effects of a production. They are partly responsible for creating the characters, since the costumes are an intimate part of what and who the characters are. "Visually, performer and costume are perceived as one; they merge into a single image onstage...Closely related to costumes are makeup, hairstyles, and masks." (Theatre: The Lively Art, 172).
Designers must have an understanding of the play and its characters to make effective costumes. When they start working, they, like high fashion designers, will often first draw images of their visions and build the costumes from there.
(An example of what a costume sketch would look like. Photo courtesy of Google).
To acquire costumes for a performance, the designer has two options: pull costumes or build them. To pull a costume is to "choose a costume from an inventory owned by a theatre company" (173), and to build a costume is to "create a costume by scratch in a costume shop" (173). Sometimes designers will do both; it all depends on what the production calls for and what is available to them.
According to Wilson and Goldfarb, there are six objectives of a costume designer:
This list perfectly summarizes the duties, responsibilities and expectations of a costume designer. They are an integral part of fabricating a performance, of bringing it to its full potential.
(Above are pictures from the longest-running musical, The Phantom of the Opera. The story takes place in the late 18th century, and the costumes are designed to complement the time period as well as the ambiance of the sets. The Phantom mostly wears dark colors, complete with a black cape, while the female character, Christine, is most often depicted wearing white. Photos courtesy of Google.)
Source:
Wilson, Edwin; Goldfarb, Alvin. Theatre: The Lively Art. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print. (Pages 172-173).
Designers must have an understanding of the play and its characters to make effective costumes. When they start working, they, like high fashion designers, will often first draw images of their visions and build the costumes from there.
To acquire costumes for a performance, the designer has two options: pull costumes or build them. To pull a costume is to "choose a costume from an inventory owned by a theatre company" (173), and to build a costume is to "create a costume by scratch in a costume shop" (173). Sometimes designers will do both; it all depends on what the production calls for and what is available to them.
According to Wilson and Goldfarb, there are six objectives of a costume designer:
- Help establish the tone and style of a production.
- Indicate the historical period of a play and the locale in which it is set.
- Indicate the nature of individual characters or groups in a play: their situations in life, their occupations, their personalities.
- Show relationships among characters: separate major characters from minor ones, contrast one group with another.
- Meet the needs of individual performers: make it possible for an actor or actress to move freely in a costume; allow a performer to dance or engage in a sword fight, for instance; when necessary, allow performers to change quickly from one costume to another.
- Be consistent with the production as a whole, especially with other visual elements.
This list perfectly summarizes the duties, responsibilities and expectations of a costume designer. They are an integral part of fabricating a performance, of bringing it to its full potential.
Source:
Wilson, Edwin; Goldfarb, Alvin. Theatre: The Lively Art. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print. (Pages 172-173).
Friday, November 1, 2013
Fun Facts of Broadway
This title can be a little deceiving. Talking about the technical side of Broadway can be interesting, but hardly ever fun--unless you're the kind of person who likes that sort of thing. But for this post, I thought I might dab a little into the practical production matters of Broadway shows and what it's like to find work as an actor.
Production Costs
Broadway shows cost a lot. Not just to get the shows up and running, but to keep them running. Hundreds of dollars spent on shows in any one season. Each season is a little less than a year, give or take. Musicals cost more than plays, because of all the elaborate settings and costumes. According to Ken Davenport of theproducersperspective.com, the Broadway League recorded the numbers, and in chart-form they look like this:
Theater's Impact
With all the money that's spent on shows, Broadway earns a great deal of money in return each season. A great deal. Are you ready?
They earn billions of dollars each year. Each season, they earn over $1 to $2 billion dollars. They contribute billions of dollars to New York's economy, what with all the jobs they support and the tourists that come all year round to stay in the hotels and shop and see the shows. I don't know about you, but for me this was pretty surprising. Billions of dollars--that's a lot!
How Much Actors Make
When one thinks of an actor, and how much he makes, they are more than likely thinking of A-list actors who make millions of dollars a movie. They probably think the life of an actor is that fabulous all the time.
Actually, it's not.
The life of an actor is a rigorous, exhausting one. To make acting a profession, one needs to have the real passion and determination to stick to it. Actors are often unemployed, as their profession is extremely competitive. When they do land a job, they work long hours at different times of day, and nearly all the days of the week. Actors for TV usually earn $700-$2,000 for a regular work week. They earn more if they rerun the show or if it appears in other places of the world. Broadway actors usually earn $1,500 a week, and off-Broadway actors earn $500-$900 a week. Regional theaters pay their actors about the same as off-Broadway actors.
Granted, these are good earnings. But it's very unstable work.You may have heard the phrase "starving artists" before. Actors are no exception. With their long periods of unemployment and the difficulty of landing roles, I would imagine they would probably be living in a small apartment in the city with three roommates, living on a steady diet of Ramen noodles and Spaghetti-O's. Or maybe not, I wouldn't know. But the idea remains.
So, there you have it. Just a few facts about the Broadway business.
Sources:
http://www.theactingcorps.com/Site/acting-just_the_facts.htm
http://www.broadwayleague.com/index.php?url_identifier=nyc-grosses-11
http://www.theproducersperspective.com/my_weblog/2012/06/whats-the-average-cost-of-putting-on-a-broadway-show.html
http://www.theproducersperspective.com/my_weblog/2012/06/what-was-broadways-economic-impact-on-nyc-in-2010-11.html
Production Costs
Broadway shows cost a lot. Not just to get the shows up and running, but to keep them running. Hundreds of dollars spent on shows in any one season. Each season is a little less than a year, give or take. Musicals cost more than plays, because of all the elaborate settings and costumes. According to Ken Davenport of theproducersperspective.com, the Broadway League recorded the numbers, and in chart-form they look like this:
(Photos courtesy of theproducersperspective.com)
Theater's Impact
With all the money that's spent on shows, Broadway earns a great deal of money in return each season. A great deal. Are you ready?
They earn billions of dollars each year. Each season, they earn over $1 to $2 billion dollars. They contribute billions of dollars to New York's economy, what with all the jobs they support and the tourists that come all year round to stay in the hotels and shop and see the shows. I don't know about you, but for me this was pretty surprising. Billions of dollars--that's a lot!
How Much Actors Make
When one thinks of an actor, and how much he makes, they are more than likely thinking of A-list actors who make millions of dollars a movie. They probably think the life of an actor is that fabulous all the time.
Actually, it's not.
The life of an actor is a rigorous, exhausting one. To make acting a profession, one needs to have the real passion and determination to stick to it. Actors are often unemployed, as their profession is extremely competitive. When they do land a job, they work long hours at different times of day, and nearly all the days of the week. Actors for TV usually earn $700-$2,000 for a regular work week. They earn more if they rerun the show or if it appears in other places of the world. Broadway actors usually earn $1,500 a week, and off-Broadway actors earn $500-$900 a week. Regional theaters pay their actors about the same as off-Broadway actors.
Granted, these are good earnings. But it's very unstable work.You may have heard the phrase "starving artists" before. Actors are no exception. With their long periods of unemployment and the difficulty of landing roles, I would imagine they would probably be living in a small apartment in the city with three roommates, living on a steady diet of Ramen noodles and Spaghetti-O's. Or maybe not, I wouldn't know. But the idea remains.
So, there you have it. Just a few facts about the Broadway business.
Sources:
http://www.theactingcorps.com/Site/acting-just_the_facts.htm
http://www.broadwayleague.com/index.php?url_identifier=nyc-grosses-11
http://www.theproducersperspective.com/my_weblog/2012/06/whats-the-average-cost-of-putting-on-a-broadway-show.html
http://www.theproducersperspective.com/my_weblog/2012/06/what-was-broadways-economic-impact-on-nyc-in-2010-11.html
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
"Carrying the Banner!"
I found this review from critic Ben Brantley in the New York Times regarding the musical Newsies. He is the chief theatre reviewer for the Times, and has been working for the paper since 1993. I was interested in what he would have to say about one of my favorite musicals.
Critics are important for the theatre. In the past, they were extremely influential on the audience, and could potentially be the death of a performance. Today, they're not as influential, but they still have very valuable knowledge and insights about the theatre that would be very beneficial for the theatergoer to broaden their perspective a bit and get the most out of the performance.
Newsies is a Broadway musical that is based on the 1992 Disney movie (which is based on actual events) with a score by famed Disney composer, Alan Menken. It takes place in 1899 New York City. Young newspaper boys, called "newsies", are on the streets everyday "pushing the papes" and trying to scrape a living off of what they sell. The newsies are mostly a group of orphans and runaways, and live in a sort of foster house. They get up early every morning, buy their share of newspapers to sell hot off the press, and work the streets, doing everything they can, from shouting to begging, trying to earn a penny a pape. The trouble arises when the newspaper king, Joseph Pulitzer, wants to charge the newsies more for the papers they buy to sell. And they're barely able to live off of what they make now. So, they decide to strike, and stand up for what's right. Everyone loves underdogs, and orphans, and Newsies includes both types of characters along with showstopping musical numbers enhanced with choreography.
There are a few criticisms that Ben Brantley expressed about the musical upon its opening on Broadway in March of last year. He felt that the numbers in the show were all "go,go,go!" and that the choreography was repetitive. He also felt that some of the actors playing the newsie boys looked a little too old to play orphans. He favored the few songs in the play that weren't so loud, that "provided a sorely needed oasis of relief from all that extra! extra! enthusiasm." (2-paraphrased)
As a critic, I of course respect his analysis of the performance, and I suppose there are a few times when a nice, slow number would be welcome. I think, though, that even he would agree that it is a good show.
Sources:
"Urchins With Punctuation: 'Newsies the Musical' by Alan Menken and Harvey Fierstein'. Theater Review. New York Times.com. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/theater/reviews/newsies-the-musical-by-alan-menken-and-harvey-fierstein.html?_r=0&pagewanted=2
Wilson, Edwin; Goldfarb, Alvin. Theatre: The Lively Art. Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.
Critics are important for the theatre. In the past, they were extremely influential on the audience, and could potentially be the death of a performance. Today, they're not as influential, but they still have very valuable knowledge and insights about the theatre that would be very beneficial for the theatergoer to broaden their perspective a bit and get the most out of the performance.
Newsies is a Broadway musical that is based on the 1992 Disney movie (which is based on actual events) with a score by famed Disney composer, Alan Menken. It takes place in 1899 New York City. Young newspaper boys, called "newsies", are on the streets everyday "pushing the papes" and trying to scrape a living off of what they sell. The newsies are mostly a group of orphans and runaways, and live in a sort of foster house. They get up early every morning, buy their share of newspapers to sell hot off the press, and work the streets, doing everything they can, from shouting to begging, trying to earn a penny a pape. The trouble arises when the newspaper king, Joseph Pulitzer, wants to charge the newsies more for the papers they buy to sell. And they're barely able to live off of what they make now. So, they decide to strike, and stand up for what's right. Everyone loves underdogs, and orphans, and Newsies includes both types of characters along with showstopping musical numbers enhanced with choreography.
There are a few criticisms that Ben Brantley expressed about the musical upon its opening on Broadway in March of last year. He felt that the numbers in the show were all "go,go,go!" and that the choreography was repetitive. He also felt that some of the actors playing the newsie boys looked a little too old to play orphans. He favored the few songs in the play that weren't so loud, that "provided a sorely needed oasis of relief from all that extra! extra! enthusiasm." (2-paraphrased)
As a critic, I of course respect his analysis of the performance, and I suppose there are a few times when a nice, slow number would be welcome. I think, though, that even he would agree that it is a good show.
Sources:
"Urchins With Punctuation: 'Newsies the Musical' by Alan Menken and Harvey Fierstein'. Theater Review. New York Times.com. Web. 23 Oct. 2013.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/03/30/theater/reviews/newsies-the-musical-by-alan-menken-and-harvey-fierstein.html?_r=0&pagewanted=2
Wilson, Edwin; Goldfarb, Alvin. Theatre: The Lively Art. Ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Bet You Never Thought About...
There is a bit more to theatre than the performance and technical aspect of it. One of the other--rather vital--aspects of theatre is the literary aspect: the script. And the playwrights are in charge of writing the script. Most people never really think about the playwrights and their great importance in the theatre. Their work is the foundation on which to build the entire production. They are very much like authors of books--they basically use the same structures when writing a story regarding plot, characters and setting.
There are some noticeable differences when one looks at an excerpt from a book as opposed to a script. You might have seen a script before, but if you haven't, here's what an excerpt from a book looks like:
"Then three men entered the room and made a beeline over to where I was sitting. One of them grabbed the front of my shirt, lowered his head till his face was inches from mine, and growled, 'Where's the key?'"
Now here's what the excerpt would look like in script form:
Enter three men. Man 1 walks toward boy and grabs his shirt.
Man 1: (growling) Where's the key?
This is just an example. I don't know if most people have seen scripts before--I like theatre and have been involved with it before, and I am familiar with its world so, I don't know how many people haven't. But as you can see, the two writing styles demonstrated above differ greatly. The first example, the kind of writing average authors use for books and such, tell the story by describing everything that's going on directly to the audience; whereas in a script, the story is more instructional. It's telling the actors what to do and how to act, so they can interpret the story for the audience.
This is basically what playwrights do. They write plays. Their work is the starting point; from there, the other departments that are working for the production can then set to work, taking what the playwrights have written, and bringing their visions to life. Without them, there is no story. And really, storytelling is what theatre is all about.
There are some noticeable differences when one looks at an excerpt from a book as opposed to a script. You might have seen a script before, but if you haven't, here's what an excerpt from a book looks like:
"Then three men entered the room and made a beeline over to where I was sitting. One of them grabbed the front of my shirt, lowered his head till his face was inches from mine, and growled, 'Where's the key?'"
Now here's what the excerpt would look like in script form:
Enter three men. Man 1 walks toward boy and grabs his shirt.
Man 1: (growling) Where's the key?
This is just an example. I don't know if most people have seen scripts before--I like theatre and have been involved with it before, and I am familiar with its world so, I don't know how many people haven't. But as you can see, the two writing styles demonstrated above differ greatly. The first example, the kind of writing average authors use for books and such, tell the story by describing everything that's going on directly to the audience; whereas in a script, the story is more instructional. It's telling the actors what to do and how to act, so they can interpret the story for the audience.
This is basically what playwrights do. They write plays. Their work is the starting point; from there, the other departments that are working for the production can then set to work, taking what the playwrights have written, and bringing their visions to life. Without them, there is no story. And really, storytelling is what theatre is all about.
Friday, October 11, 2013
A Festival of Musicals
I saw this bit of news on Broadway.com about Broadway actress Sutton Foster coming to New York City to appear in an up-and-coming musical The Astonishing Return of...The Protagonists! I was immediately interested because I had seen her play ballet teacher Michelle Simms on the show Bunheads, and I had witnessed her awesome singing voice and theatrical flair. I should have guessed then that she was originally a Broadway actress. Apparently she has won two Tony awards, and has appeared in many popular shows, including Thoroughly Modern Millie, Anything Goes, Shrek the Musical, Little Women, Annie, Grease and Les Miserables. The play she will be performing in for this year's Festival of New Musicals, The Astonishing Return of...The Protagonists!, is a comedy about superheroes, and hopefully will be a big hit.
The Festival of New Musicals
Quite frankly, I freaked out when I discovered that there is a festival to showcase new musicals. I absolutely love musicals, and I am so glad that there is a whole event dedicated to bring about new ones to the Broadway and off-Broadway stage.
The National Alliance for Musical Theatre created this event in 1989, making this its 25th annual Festival. It is held every Fall for two days in New York City. According to the Alliance:
The Festival of New Musicals
Quite frankly, I freaked out when I discovered that there is a festival to showcase new musicals. I absolutely love musicals, and I am so glad that there is a whole event dedicated to bring about new ones to the Broadway and off-Broadway stage.
The National Alliance for Musical Theatre created this event in 1989, making this its 25th annual Festival. It is held every Fall for two days in New York City. According to the Alliance:
"The purpose of the Festival is to create a nurturing environment for discovery, development and advancement of the musical theatre art form. NAMT seeks to do this with a focus on quality, diversity and new voices.
Objectives and Goals:
- Showcase new musicals that are diverse in ethnicity, subject matter, style and concept
- Encourage future productions of new musicals
- Promote new work and new voices
- Nurture composers, lyricists and book writers
- Stimulate networking opportunities for NAMT Members and theatre professionals
- Provide a forum to spark new collaborations and ventures"
From what I've read, the Festival's audience can only consist of people who work in the theatre business, which is kind of a bummer. But it's those people who have the connections and abilities to further the works that the actors will showcase. During those two days in New York, the performers will do 45-minute readings of each performance. The audience will then decide what they want to do with what they've seen.
In the meantime, I can only presume that the Festival will be amazing. Many of the performers who have participated in this event in the past are accomplished on the Broadway scene and sometimes on television as well. I'll keep my eyes open in the future for any of the Festival's shows that might make it big on Broadway.
Sources:
"Tony Winner Sutton Foster to Be Astonishing at NAMT's Festival of New Musicals". Broadway Buzz. Broadway.com. Web. 11 Oct., 2013.
National Alliance for Musical Theatre. National Alliance for Musical Theatre. 2013. Web. 11 Oct., 2013.
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