When reading House of Trials, I noticed a few patterns. If I had to say what I thought comedias were just by reading this play, I would say that some of its conventions include love and breaking the fourth wall.
There is a bundle of confusion on who loves who and who knows who. There is a thick concentration on relationships and how these characters connect. We find out Dona Ana is trying to get away from Don Juan and really loves Don Carlos, who elopes with Dona Leonor, who Dona Ana's brother, Don Pedro, wants to marry...and so on...which all starts with Dona Pedro plotting to win over Dona Leonor hand in marriage. (Breath.) It all seems to revolve around love or the fight satisfy love.
Many times, the characters break the fourth wall and include the audience in on their side thoughts. It's as if the characters are speaking to us for our sympathy or understanding. For example, Celia says aside, "It's a good thing I heard about this now, because I've hidden Don Juan in her room." She already knows this, of course, but she says it aside to inform the audience. Also for sympathy, we hear Dona Ana say, "Oh God! What is this I hear? The same man I idolize is in love with Leonor." We hear several of their thoughts to inform us of their true feelings and plots.
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Wednesday, November 6, 2013
Show and Tell Post - My Left Breast
My Left Breast was written by Susan Miller in 1970. It was produced a few times (in 1995 and 1996)by Watermark Theatre in New York City by unknown venues. It can be found here:
http://solomon.wodr.alexanderstreet.com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/cgi-bin/asp/philo/getobject.pl?c.1174:2.word
This is a one-act, one woman play is done by Susan, herself. She starts off by briefly talking about the transition from having both breast to having to get her left one removed because of cancer. Her and her son, Jeremy are close and she speaks about how having cancer and this major surgery affects him too; because of his mom's struggle, he starts to feels as if he had an illness too. She clearly can't forget what he said when she first told him about getting her breast removed. He says, "I'm going to get it back for you!" (He was eight at the time). Throughout the play, she talks about her relationships with her family, her hardships with cancer, and her lost love life and being a lesbian.
Towards the end, she sums up her struggle with saying, "Goodbye Franny. Goodbye my friend. Goodbye my left breast, Goodbye my infant son. Goodbye my period. Goodbye 35. Goodbye old neighborhood. Your doctor says "It's Positive." Your lover says, "It's over." And you say goodbye to the person you thought you were." Even though these were not pleasant moments, she looks at all the positive things that are going well and realizes that her missing breast makes her heart a little closer to the open air and more vulnerable. She says, "I cherish this scar. It's a mark of experience. It's the history of me, a permanent fix on the impermanence of it all."
In her writing, Miller has a sort of sloppy style. Meaning, it is not the simple cause-and-effect follow through. Often times, she jumps from time to time. There are no stage directions or explanations that tell you that she has moved on to a new thought. You kind of have to figure it out for yourself. It is very out of order. She may be talking about her son when he was twelve, then she will jump to talking about Franny (her previous lover), then she will go back to Jeremy right after he was born. She touches on everything she wants to share, but it seems like she says it whenever it pops into mind with no clear transitions.
Another choice that Miller makes is when she shows dialogue for the other people she talks about. When she speaks about another person, she actually shares the interaction with the audience and speaks as if she were them. For example, Miller shares the time when the doctor suspected a health problem. She actually speaks as the doctor and herself, bringing back that exact moment:
He said, "What have you been told?"
"Fibroadenoma," I say.
"Well, I'm concerned," he said. "I want to biopsy it."
I like this choice of involving the other people. It doesn't make the play so one-sided. It gives some life of her world or the world of the play.
http://solomon.wodr.alexanderstreet.com.libezp.lib.lsu.edu/cgi-bin/asp/philo/getobject.pl?c.1174:2.word
This is a one-act, one woman play is done by Susan, herself. She starts off by briefly talking about the transition from having both breast to having to get her left one removed because of cancer. Her and her son, Jeremy are close and she speaks about how having cancer and this major surgery affects him too; because of his mom's struggle, he starts to feels as if he had an illness too. She clearly can't forget what he said when she first told him about getting her breast removed. He says, "I'm going to get it back for you!" (He was eight at the time). Throughout the play, she talks about her relationships with her family, her hardships with cancer, and her lost love life and being a lesbian.
Towards the end, she sums up her struggle with saying, "Goodbye Franny. Goodbye my friend. Goodbye my left breast, Goodbye my infant son. Goodbye my period. Goodbye 35. Goodbye old neighborhood. Your doctor says "It's Positive." Your lover says, "It's over." And you say goodbye to the person you thought you were." Even though these were not pleasant moments, she looks at all the positive things that are going well and realizes that her missing breast makes her heart a little closer to the open air and more vulnerable. She says, "I cherish this scar. It's a mark of experience. It's the history of me, a permanent fix on the impermanence of it all."
In her writing, Miller has a sort of sloppy style. Meaning, it is not the simple cause-and-effect follow through. Often times, she jumps from time to time. There are no stage directions or explanations that tell you that she has moved on to a new thought. You kind of have to figure it out for yourself. It is very out of order. She may be talking about her son when he was twelve, then she will jump to talking about Franny (her previous lover), then she will go back to Jeremy right after he was born. She touches on everything she wants to share, but it seems like she says it whenever it pops into mind with no clear transitions.
Another choice that Miller makes is when she shows dialogue for the other people she talks about. When she speaks about another person, she actually shares the interaction with the audience and speaks as if she were them. For example, Miller shares the time when the doctor suspected a health problem. She actually speaks as the doctor and herself, bringing back that exact moment:
He said, "What have you been told?"
"Fibroadenoma," I say.
"Well, I'm concerned," he said. "I want to biopsy it."
I like this choice of involving the other people. It doesn't make the play so one-sided. It gives some life of her world or the world of the play.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
The Children's Hour Post
For the most part, I think that this play does represents a well-made play structure. The plot revolves around the "secret" that Mary makes up about Karen and Martha, along with the audience later learning Martha's secret. There is a long, chunky exposition. There are quick timing of entrances and exits and all that other good stuff. However, the things that depart from this structure are small but still make a difference.
For example, I don't feel like there was a logical resolution for everyone. Maybe Karen feels that she is going to be okay and have a happy ending down the line, after grieving for Martha; Mrs. Tilford says that she can't send Mary away and will endure Mary's bad behavior; and Martha has just ended it all. But Joe is left to staying in the dark about what the real truth is and hearing it from Mrs. Tilford.
Also, I don't think there is a just-in-time revelation. After Martha reveals her true feelings to Karen, she feels as if it is over for her now, and no one can end this situation but herself. Martha - "In some way I've ruined your life. I've ruined my own...I can't stay with you anymore, darling." Mrs. Tilford comes in just after the right time to redeem herself, and maybe Martha would have felt like she had a choice to stay then.
I do think that this is a play that could be done today. It would show the seriousness of the matter and the affects it could have on people when not handled with consideration and care to people's personal feeling and thoughts on the subject.
For example, I don't feel like there was a logical resolution for everyone. Maybe Karen feels that she is going to be okay and have a happy ending down the line, after grieving for Martha; Mrs. Tilford says that she can't send Mary away and will endure Mary's bad behavior; and Martha has just ended it all. But Joe is left to staying in the dark about what the real truth is and hearing it from Mrs. Tilford.
Also, I don't think there is a just-in-time revelation. After Martha reveals her true feelings to Karen, she feels as if it is over for her now, and no one can end this situation but herself. Martha - "In some way I've ruined your life. I've ruined my own...I can't stay with you anymore, darling." Mrs. Tilford comes in just after the right time to redeem herself, and maybe Martha would have felt like she had a choice to stay then.
I do think that this is a play that could be done today. It would show the seriousness of the matter and the affects it could have on people when not handled with consideration and care to people's personal feeling and thoughts on the subject.
Checkpoint II Comments
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