My experience venturing into the world of Phantasmagoria’s Wickedest Tales of All was a rollercoaster ride I will never forget. The storytellers of Phantasmagoria are just that… storytellers. This crew of artist expose audiences to a world that is meant to arouse the senses and keep you on the edge of your seat craving more. John Didonna, the director of Phantasmagoria, has created a setting that arises a sense of eerie delight. Every inch of the theatre is painted in black and it even extends to where the audience is seated. With one spot light that points directly at center stage everything else around you remain pitch darkness. The venue for the production was in Metro Atlanta’s Little Five Points district. The venue is perfect because it …show more content…
Each story that is performed has a gothic type of theme. These poems are rich with enchantment, imagery, and horror. To achieve the mysticism necessary to ensnare audience members, there is a great deal of thought put into the music, projections, and lighting. Throughout the entire performance dreary music was implemented to encourage anticipation of the scenes to come. Projections along the backdrop of the theatre, were constantly reeling images that provoked an unnerving temperament. The images would be anything from dripping blood to a skull. Combine all these elements with the intentional use of stage lighting choreography, and you have the ingredients for an audience on the edge of their …show more content…
The woman was able to see it as well, which affected her more. She scurried back and forth trying to prepare this meal for them, and it became more evident that she desired to please them. Abruptly she kneels down and grabs her stomach. She was in searing pain. The anguish was all over her face. The woman was quivering on the floor of the stage, and reaching out to her brothers for help. Instead, they walked around her devilishly smiling. It was almost as if they were enjoying seeing her wreathed in pain. In this moment, the only motive the woman had was to live. She kept reaching for her brothers still innocently hoping they would save her. They continued to walk around her, devilishly
No matter how much he put her through, she kept fighting for her life. I was confused by this because, in my eyes her life was completely over. I did not see how she could ever live a functioning life after all of the things that she went through. I would have thought that this reality would have been a reason for her to give up and choose fiction. Fiction would have been the easy way out of the pain, loses, and suffering that she faces and would continue to face. Then I thought to myself that is what makes humans amazing. Being able to endure the challenges of life and keep going. Originally, I thought she was a fool to keep going then I realized that she was strong. If I was her I would have chosen my reality
There was a warm, low glow over the stage area, that begged the audience to observe the period details. The use of revelation of form lighting on the stage devoted to George’s time in Panama created a three-dimensional tent at the beginning of the play and in a later scene, the tent looked two dimensional. It was incredible that with lighting the tent could appear to change form and the illusion of nature lighting to depict moonlight was equally impressive. The lighting for the silhouettes of Esther and George and Mayme and George was very dramatic. During the play, there was a soft pink glow which softened the scenes and added to the mood. The camera flash, sound, and antique picture projected on the cloth was very realistic and impressed the audience. Using selective visibility lighting to light specific rooms on the stage worked to isolate the different scenes. I realize looking back, that my attention was focused only on the lighted areas. My favorite use of lighting was the scene where Esther, Mrs. Van Buren, and Mayme were under spotlights talking to each other after Esther’s wedding night. It was a very powerful scene.
else was able to see. The parents of the victim "Hope" were filled with revenge
However, this kind of scenic design is appropriate for this play because it forces the audience’s attention on the conversations being taken place rather than the environment. I feel like this play is meant to be heard and be admired for the dialogue rather than be admired for the scenic design. The lighting design was also simple and nothing to complicated. Whoever was talking or who the plot was centered around at a given time of the play, received the lighting. This type of lighting design as well forces the audience to pay more attention to the dialogue which is appropriate for the goal of this play. The sound design was well used and was never overwhelming. It was well placed throughout the play and added some realism during some scenes of the play. For example, when the murderer of Chris was sentence and the audience heard a gavel, it made the play slightly more realistic. In addition, the sound design was well used to enhance some emotions during some scene. For example, gloomy music was played during the sad scenes which amplified the emotions surrounding that scene. Lastly, the costume design was well done and appropriate for each character. Each character had a believable costume and no costume seemed to be out of place. These design elements combined did create the a “suspension of disbelief” in that I forgot I was watching a play. the design elements were well choses and overall added to
The director who directed this play built the best platform for the actors to showcase their skills. The directing was robust in that the audience was made aware as to what was happening, one-hundred percent of the time. Due to this, confusion was kept to a minimum and the audience was able to pick up on certain ideas and themes that revolved around the play. Certain aspects of the play were emphasized on purpose to illustrate specific key elements that drove the play’s themes. The fact that every character had very obvious internal issues that prevented them from understanding one another was constantly in the audience’s face through verbal and physical conflict that brought these issues to light. The staging of the play was also effective. Being set in a living room, of a seemingly modern house, exotic and colorful household items were placed everywhere making the set gorgeous and interesting to look at. With thrust theatre, actors can sometimes be lost by one or two sides of the viewing space; however, this rendition of God of Carnage accounts for this by putting in place blocking that showcases each character to every side of the audience, at different portions of the production.
Mysterious, fun, dramatic, and contemporary summarized the main genres of music played. Occasionally, pop music from China played, to put a modern twist on the performance. To me, the music resembled adding cherries to the cake, as it added theatrics to the show. I also liked the lighting component. This department used different colors that represented the emotions of the story. Such as (Blue: calm, Green/Yellow: Happiness, Red: War, White: Peace and freedom). This enhanced the background scenery of the stage as well as the props. I had undergone quite a few emotions during this performance. Such as fear for the performers safety, shock for the stunts, and even anger for the show being too
The plays that I enjoyed began with a clear introduction and ended in an appropriate place. The plays had an introduction that caught the eyes of the audience along with an interesting story line. Throughout the plays A Hopeless Dream, The Devils Are Here, and Four Stalls the audience was on bored with what was happening. The script was very organized. It was as if I was watching a movie, these performances had no mistakes, it was nearly perfect. In theses plays they began with an introduction that explained what was going on to the audience. The cast made me feel as though I was with them. They were not every dramatic. It seemed like they acted the way they would have if these situations actually happened to them. They did a great job of performing the content without making it seem like this was all made up. Once these plays were finished I wanted more, I wanted to know what was going to happen, especially in the play A Hopeless Dream. The lights went out at an appropriate time, but it made my friends and I want to see what would happen next, it was like a “to be continued” episode of The Vampire Diaries. I had the same feeling with the play The Devils Are Here. It was humorous and it caught my full attention, but once the lights went out I wanted the actors to continue acting because of how phenomenal the play
The round style of the theater allows the audience to envelope the action occurring throughout the play. The audience being so close to the reaction to the witch trials creates a sense of intimacy with the characters on stage and allows the audience to feel like they are a part of the Salem community themselves. As the play progresses, the audience is fully immersed into the hysterical climate of Salem. Thus, the audience correlates to the theme of hysteria. By surrounding the performance throughout the play, the director allows the audience to experience firsthand how hysteria tore the Salem community apart. Also, the play starts in darkness, as the stage seems to be further away from the audience. The darkness and distance creates a somber ambiance, as the audience feels more separated from the action on stage. The separation at the beginning of the play contrasts with the end of the play. The bright lights used at the end of the play create a more intimate connection between the audience and the cast members, as the audience is able to fully see how the town has been torn apart. Consequently, the round stage allows the theme of hysteria to shine through to the audience. This is shown through the audience being able to view everything that occurs on
And in this time she saw, as she thought, devils open their mouths, all inflamed with burning flames of fire as if they should have swallowed her in, sometimes menacing her, sometimes threatening her, sometimes pulling and hailing her both night and day during the foresaid time” (Kempe 7).
...her to feel despair. Her misery resulted in her doing unthinkable things such us the unexplainable bond with the woman in the wallpaper.
Mood, the drawing temptation of atmosphere, sets a scene with its spell, curves finely tuned instruments to the senses that draws or repels those who seek to observe. Horror, whether in novelette or on a silver screen, must create these moments of tension in order to provide a wanted experience. In Gothic literature, the words crafted moments of intense feeling, darkened corridors flickering with candlelight, casting leaping shadows onto dim stone, set apart by a deep, penetrating cold that could be felt down to the bones. Scenes began with storms, shows of power, of nature, immediately filling the reader with a cold dread and a level of fright - the characteristic strike of the lightning behind a looming castle upon a hill, cliche now to use - but then! - oh what a staple to the Gothic art. Moods taken from such novels, however, ca...
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.
Without light, the theatre cannot exist, that much is certain. As actors, as audience members, as technical visionaries, we are only as powerful as the light we are given. The extent to which we depend upon light in performance has changed dramatically throughout history, however, as light technology developed and expanded. In the history of performance, the artistic community is constantly victim to the limits of lighting technology, and exponentially altered by breakthroughs. From the utilization of candles and natural light to isolated light and electricity, the histories of illumination and theatre are virtually inseparable, and continue to push the boundaries of live performance.
...er than sympathize with her as more than just a character on stage. The audience therefore witnesses firsthand the breakdown of a strong and independent character as her torment trumps her.
I picture myself center stage in the most enormous and fantastically beautiful theater in the world. Its walls and ceilings are covered in impeccable Victorian paintings of angels in the sky. A single ray of light shines down upon my face, shining through the still, silent darkness, and all attention is on me and me alone. The theater is a packed house; however, my audience is not that of human beings, but rather the angels from the paintings on the walls come alive, sitting intently in the rows of plush seats. Their warmth encompasses my body, and I know at that moment that it is time to begin.