Show and Tell Post 2

Most recently, I read Proof by David Auburn. This was written in 2000 and premiered on Broadway the same year. It also won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize and Tony for Best Drama. I had to read it for directing class and it was actually my first time reading this play.
This play deals with the delicate balance between brilliance and insanity. I really enjoyed reading this play.
The protagonist is a young woman named Catherine. We learn that her father was a genius mathematician who also suffered from mental illness. This information sets the stage for the play. We immediately begin to search for signs of Catherine following in her father's footsteps.
I loved the motif's of perseverance. Catherine follows in her father's footsteps in order to prove her work, despite her fears of where it will lead her. Catherine continues despite worries from her sister and father's protege. She worries that she will follow in his footsteps; however, she does so unknowingly most of the time. I enjoy the contrast between the intelligent characters and characters of "average" intelligence because there is a constant war between intelligence and common sense. This is part of Robert's downfall. This push and pull between being smart and unstable is what keeps this play moving and interesting.

Detroit

1. A huge example of ambiguity in this play is the question of who the characters are. There are a lot of questions unanswered about Sharon and Kenny. Who are these mysterious new neighbors? How are they moving into the suburb with low level jobs and previous addictions. A lot of things do not add up with this couple. Similarly, a lot of questions about the action in this play are unanswered. Short and outlandish clips of action make the story hard to fully piece together; however, it is clear this choice is intentional. 
2. I am struggling to write about the irony because almost nothing in this script is concrete enough to be considered a reveal to the audience. For example, we infer that Sharon and Kenny may be lying about who they are; however, I am not sure if this hint is considered irony. I do like the connection between all of the injuries and the relationships disintegrating  this is irrelevant but it is a connection I wanted to touch on. Perhaps other examples of dramatic irony occur during the discussions between the ladies and men. Some of the information they divulge their significant others are unaware of. 
3. One of the largest reality checks in this play occurs in the final Act when Ben and Mary finally discover that Sharon and Kenny are not who they seem. This is a clear moment where an outside character is informing Ben and Mary of a fact. It is interesting that these reality checks stand out. This fact says something about this play world and how vague it is. 
I think that ambiguity is most crucial to this story because it makes the story more encompassing. This story takes place in a unstated city with couples that could be like anyone else. The less details, the more poignant this story is. The way it was written, Detroit makes a huge impact on readers. The audience can relate to this story and the horrific thought that this story is not far fetched.   

Water by the Spoonful

The significant moment I have chosen to talk about is in Scene 7. However, more specifically it is the first exchange between Odessa and Elliot. Not only does the moment finally reveal the connection between Elliot and the other characters in the story; however, it also provides a nice contrast between Odessa and Haikumom. We already knew that Odessa was different than her online personality, but this is the first time we see it affect her real life. She shirked her responsibilities with her real son to be a mother to everyone in the chat room. She truly sees the chat room members as her children. Haikumom is Odessa's chance to be the great mom she never was. Unfortunately, this need makes her shirk her duties to her actual kids. This moment is crucial in showing this scripts dissonance. Odessa's different worlds are colliding and things are not going well. This moment shows her struggle to balance her different lives, and also ties together all of the different story lines. 

Buried Child

The start of this play is slightly misleading. We see a normal American Family and you expect another American Dream story. However, in this play, the idea of the American Dream gets totally re-framed  Furthermore, as the play progresses, you realize how different this play world actually is. At the start of play we receive hints that things may not be as they seem. We begin noticing more and more mysteries regarding this family and their behavior. Tilden brings vegetables onstage that his parents swear cannot exist. Things then get even crazier when no one even recognizes Vince. You quickly begin to realize that everyone in this play world is a little bit mad. This concept that everyone is unstable is interesting because it makes you as an audience member question everything said by the characters within the story. You are never quite sure who to believe and if you can believe anyone at all. Even characters like Vince end up losing more sanity as the show progresses; therefore, the audience really can never be sure of what is going on. On a larger scale of the entire script, Shepard intentionally leaves questions unanswered in his script. This ambiguity is a choice which separates this play from those such as Glass of Water and Noises Off. For example, no one is ever sure what lies in the back yard. Multiple characters argue for either side: some say there is life back there and others say there is nothing. However, vegetables are brought onstage. Where did Tilden even get them? This question makes the ending when Tilden brings the "buried child" onstage one huge "HUH?" 
We are never sure who the child is, where is came from, and who made this family go nuts. 

Noises Off

I think a motif in this show is a broken record. This "broken record" idea is explored on both the large and small scales in this show. Some characters need to be constantly reminded of certain things. For example, the word sardines is always being repeated. This sets the audience up to be expecting the return of the sardines. Similarly, the plays structure is somewhat of a broken record. Each Act begins at the top of Act I of this show that they are putting on. Although, these take place at a different time, each act automatically follows a similar outline. Finally, the broken record motif is taken literally when Brooke, not knowing what to do next or how to improvise, simply repeats her lines over and over again no matter what is happening around her. 

I think that "doors!" would be a good tagline for the show. It is said over and over again, reflecting my idea of the broken record. It also references the well made play convention, which is brought back in this play which is essentially a well made play. The doors are separating the two worlds; however, they are often forgotten about. This allows for the combination of these two worlds quite frequently. The separation between the stage and real life is not as successful as the actors would hope. This is what creates so much of the chaos and misunderstandings. These doors surround most of the action of the play. 

Glass of Water

This play was interesting because as I continued to read, my answer for who the protagonist was constantly changing. I kept bouncing between the couple and Bolinbroke and other characters, etc, etc. I think the problem with finding one protagonist in this play has to do with the many secrets and shenanigans. The plot is so think with action and information, many characters are critical to the show. I don't think that stage time necessarily dictates the protagonist either. Bolinbroke is constantly on stage keeping the action moving; however, none of the action actually revolves around him. I would venture to say that the actual protagonist is Masham because you are rooting for things to work out for him. Although I believe he is the protagonist, I would also like to add that I don't think the protagonist is a good question for this play. I believe this play relies heavily on characters outside of the action. These characters are who actually keep the play moving, such as Bolinbroke. 

Comments, Comments, Everywhere! (Checkpoint 2)

Here are my comments for Checkpoint 2:


http://adamplanche.blogspot.com/2013/04/glass-water.html?showComment=1366018277951

http://austinthtr2130.blogspot.com/2013/04/prompt-ten-detroit.html#comment-form

http://austinthtr2130.blogspot.com/2013/04/prompt-nine-water-by-spoonful.html?showComment=1366018618260#c5659394043272147257

http://thtr2130sh.blogspot.com/2013/04/buried-child.html?showComment=1366018826688#c7717623462972123129

http://gracietheatre2130.blogspot.com/2013/04/wow-noises-off-isso-crazy.html?showComment=1366019055110#c1409100454859196842

http://samcosby2130.blogspot.com/2013/02/the-dramaturgical-choices-made-by.html?showComment=1366019270175#c8681282122748373564