The 1920s, although famously being known as the roaring ‘20s also was the time period in which many African-Americans faced various types of exploitation in and out of their daily lives. On October 6, 2016 I endured to experience August Wilson’s work of Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom be produced by Center Theatre Group and directed by Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad. At the Mark Taper Forum, the backing band consisting of Cutler, played by Damon Gupton, Slow Drag the bass player played by Keith David, Toledo the pianist played by Glynn Turman and Levee the trumpet player portrayed by Jason Dirden offer the exploitation they faced as a jazz band during a recording session in a studio owned by white men. The recording studio owned by Mel …show more content…
The lights and the layout of the stage was phenomenal and worked amazingly with the way of the story, from the lights shining onto the band members in the basement to quickly shifting to the recording room where something completely different is occurring whether it's Ma arguing with the policeman or Dussie Mae portrayed by Nija Okoro snooping around the studio. The way the actors and actresses would resume back into their role when the lights shined on them I found extremely incredible. Scenes where everything was quiet and serious were consistent with the lightning of the stage and reaction of the crowd although there were interruptions by the audiences which did make some of the scenes awkward and not taken so serious due to the ruckus. The plot was able to capture the audience's attention really by incorporating different scenes in which the audience goes along with the sayings like the continuous of “1, 2, you know what to do” which the audience began to mimic it. The relieving scene of Sylvester finally being able to overcome his stutter really drew the attention of the audience and the frustrating scene where we find out that the recorder wasn't plugged in and everything would have to be redone does a wonder to gather our
The music has rather suspenseful and at times over intensified the overtone of the moment instead of accessing the undertones of the moment. The acts were extremely exaggerated including Irene Papas who played Clytemnestra. During her acting at times it felt as though she was being extra exaggerated making it awkward to watch. That being considered there was never a moment that occurred when you felt as though she did not genuinely care about every moment. The actor for Agamemnon Kostas Kazakos there were times that it would have been more appropriate to add more feeling into his scene. Often was a viewer it felt as if he would not make a decision for himself but instead was constantly waiting for someone to react. The setting was incredible. It seemed as if it was truly taped in ancient Greece. It was beautiful and embodied what I would image ancient Greece would look like. The soundtrack was over exaggerate. It would be nice if there was not as much drums. Often times it made the scene have an increased moment of anticipation when nothing major was really
Lights, camera, action! The light switches on, and shines brightly in the center of the stage. Two people walk towards it, these are actors that were told to come out at this exact moment by the director. After days of intense rehearsals. The two young actors burst. “We are tired of working for you” the two participants yell towards the director. The director in a surprising manner walks up to the stage, stares down at the performers and laughs. “You are going nowhere; I have your contract and your pay, now back to your positions!” The performers stand and continue their roles with no opinion in the matter. The camera turns off, the shadows of the actors disappear. The common person stands up and is face to face with the director. The director
Although the swing music that helped keep American spirits up during the Depression years still existed, there was an increasing amount of racial tension about bands formed by white men vs. bands formed by black men. White bands like Tommy Dorsey’s, which could play a broad spectrum of music, were hailed for their versatility. The black counterparts who sought to do the same were often indirectly accused of trying to get above themselves. This is important because many black musicians where losing work due to venues only hiring bands that were led by white men. Out work, or underpaid black musicians where often bought-out by white bandleaders who could offer them higher pay, and where looking for the best musicians they could find.
...transition between each stage was flawless. I enjoyed that screens were used to create the background for each scene allowing for the smooth transitions. The screens gave the appearance of being three-dimensional making the scenes seem much more real. I also enjoyed the lighting being used as spotlights during some of the scenes and being used as a transition between scenes, or day and evening.
African-American music is a vibrant art form that describes the difficult lives of African American people. This can be proven by examining slave music, which shows its listeners how the slaves felt when they were working, and gives us insight into the problems of slavery; the blues, which expresses the significant connection with American history, discusses what the American spirit looks like and teaches a great deal from the stories it tells; and hip-hop, which started on the streets and includes topics such as misogyny, sex, and black-on-black violence to reveal the reactions to the circumstances faced by modern African Americans. First is about the effect of slave music on American history and African American music. The slave music’s
The Music Man made interesting use of the technical aspects of theatre. Sound was used appropriately, as music from the monitors did not overpower the voices of the actors. Lights, however, did not leave any sort of impression on me. Hardly any lights were utilized to enhance the mood were present. This caused for less emphasization on spectacle than what would be expected of such a dramatic play. Although, intricate costumes and set made up for the dull lighting techniques.
According to Albert Murray, the African-American musical tradition is “fundamentally stoical yet affirmative in spirit” (Star 3). Through the medium of the blues, African-Americans expressed a resilience of spirit which refused to be crippled by either poverty or racism. It is through music that the energies and dexterities of black American life are sounded and expressed (39). For the black culture in this country, the music of Basie or Ellington expressed a “wideawake, forward-tending” rhythm that one can not only dance to but live by (Star 39).
The setup of the stage was very simple. It was the living room of a home in the early 1980’s. It looked like a normal household, and it had small things such as crumpled up pieces of paper lying around the wastebasket. It also had a couch, circular class table and a recliner in the living room. The dining room was to the left side of the stage and only had the dining table and surrounding chairs. There was a door in the back of the set where characters entered and exited through. Beside the door was a table and stool where Willum presumably worked on his blueprints for the hotel. The lighting design was great; it put you into the atmosphere of the
The theater that the play was preformed in proscenium theater. The audience was only able to sit on one side of the stage make it look like the production had a frame. The scene design was very complex for such a small local production this allowed the audience to feel as if the show was being preformed at a more lavish venue. The lighting provided select visibility at times when the audience was to be focused on a specific individual. The lighting also provided rhythm and structure allowing the light to make changes so the scenes flowed smoothly. The mood was also set by lighting when the characters were in a calm state the lights were low and focused only on the person who's emotions the audience was suppose to connect with. Most importantly the illusion and motivation was set my the lighting this is what allowed the audience to feel as if time was really passing. The lighting allowed for the audience to feel connected to daylight conversations, moonlight walks, and indoor functions. The costumes reflected the time period of the early 1900's that the play was set in. This allowed the audience feel as if they are able to be part of the past. The women had simple long skirts and blouse with floral patterns. Hairstyles were neat and tidy like the time period they were portraying. The men wore three piece suits and hats that appeared to be fitting of the 1900's. The costumes
The production had many elements which for the most part formed a coalition to further the plot. The characters, the three part scenery and costumes represented well the period of time these people were going through. As far as the performers entering and exiting the stage, it could have been more organized. There were a few times when the performers exited at the wrong times or it seemed so due to the echo of the music. At certain moments the music was slightly loud and drowned the performers. Many of the songs dragged on, so the pacing could have been more effectively executed. Though the music was off at times, the director's decision to have most of the songs performed center sage was a wise one. Also the implementation of actual white characters that were competent in their roles came as a great surprise to the audience and heightened the realism.
The lighting in this movie is very effective. It helps to establish the characters very well. The audience is helping in distinguishing the bad and the good characters through the lighting. The movie overall is very stylized. There are some other strange lighting patterns brought out by Hype Williams, but by far the most effective lighting patterns are ones that help to characterize the main players in the film.
The director’s concept was again realized in a very creative and simple way. The stage crew did not have time to literally place trees on the stage, or to paint a border that elaborate—the light made the slatted walls look real and really allowed the audience to become a part of the experience.
Hay, Samuel A. African American Theatre: An Historical and Critical Analysis. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994.
There wasn’t any particular scene on stage that made me doubt the integrative work of the director since all the staging work such as lighting, design, costumes and performance were well coordinated and blended for a very good production. The lights were well positioned with well fitted costumes and a very ideal scene to match. There wasn’t much change of scenes in the play except for some movement of tables and chairs. There was an entrance and exit for the performers which made their movements uninterrupted. There was a loud sound of a bell when school was over while the lights were dimmed whenever there was a change of scene. The pace of the production was very smooth since one scene followed the other without delay and most likely because most of the performers wore the same costume; especially all eight students wore the same costume for the entire