Questions

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 * Generating and discussing some ultimate questions**

Here's what [|the prompt] said:

I'm going to give everyone a 3X5 card. On the unlined side, put your name (just as you did way back in January), then turn it over and on the back write out one question. It should be a question relevant to what this course has been about -- that is, about plays, scripts, performances, and the relationships among them -- and it should be one that you genuinely would like to have answered -- or, if not actually answered (some can't be), at least discussed.

I'll give groups a few minutes to prioritize a set of questions generated by another group, and then we'll talk about whichever ones they say they are worth discussing. I'll have any questions we don't get to transcribed, and by tomorrow afternoon create a wiki where they'll appear and on which you can respond to any of them you like (responding to at least one, by Thursday, will count as one completed task). The wiki will be linked from the main course Web site.

To respond to a question, simply click Edit on the menu, go to the space below the question, and type in your response. Remember to sign it. For an example, scroll down to the bottom for **my response** to a question, in green.

It might not exactly be a question, but I find myself asking, when we make a playgoer’s companion, how can we be sure that our interpretation of the play is what was intended by the author, and in what ways, if at all, are we influencing an audience to see the play __our__ way? … it made sense in my head.

After reading, seeing, and researching plays do people feel as though they see plays in a different light than they had in the beginning of this course? When i went to plays before i took this course i never really knew how or even if i should make any judgements about them. Until this class i would always pretty much disinterestedly enjoy the entertainment, or sometimes not if my friends didn't like it, but for the most part i was indifferent because i always knew there was so much that goes into a play that i know nothing about and therefore had no right to judge. At least when you read the play and research it you go into the theater knowing something about what your seeing. The more general knowledge you have about the play, like its historical acuracy or how its been recieved in the past, are all things that can help you make an informed judgement on the performance. It has opened my eyes and pushed me beyond the passive playgoer i once was. Peter Morrison

Before this class I have had many theatre experiences on and off the stage so my love for theatre was there before this class. But this class has taken something that I love and given in a whole new dimension. It has helped me to grow as a theatre goer in a very big way. Before when I would see a production i would think about things I liked or disliked about it, how I would have personally portrayed a character in comparison to an actor in a production, I never really asked many question about context and other elements of the plays history and purpose. Instead of looking at productions at face value i see them as more of a painting with many brush strokes and colours that all have a specific purpose and importance to the artistic creation. It’s like falling back into or deeper into love with something. Tyler MacLennan

Should every play have a playgoer’s companion? Are there any kinds of plays that might not benefit from having one?

What should we never have in a playgoer’s companion? What worked the least this term?

From what we have learned through our experience play-going how do we know how much to give away in a synopsis?

Who is involved in the theatrical decisions of how to deliver a line, what to cut from the script, set design, theater set-up etc.? I wasn’t sure if this was entirely the decision of the director or if other people (stage manager, actors, sound and light people, etc.) were involved and thus never knew who I should reference when talking about these decisions. Based solely on personal experience/preference, I'd say that first, the actor makes creative and personal decision on how a line is delivered, or what the motivation of a character is. If that individual's interpretation is wildly out of sync with the overall feel of the play or the character, then the director would most likely instruct and guide the actor on how they envision that character and that particular line delivery. Script cuts would primarily be at the discretion of the director. There is sometimes (depending on the production) a separate set designer, but that could be a combined effort of the stage manager and director. The stage manager is in charge of arranging and calling light cues, often plays a pivotal part in set design, arranges and calls sound cues, and generally acts as the glue holding all the separate parts of a production together. ~ Meghan Jagoe

Who else chose which plays to see based solely on their location?

What do our expectancies force the production crew to consider when structuring sets, lines, actions and moods of the plays performance?

After experiencing reading a script before attending the play, I have realized you obtain serious expectations that may cause the production to be disappointing. Do you think it’s worth being upset about – should we avoid reading it in advance, or should we push our expectations behind before watching?

Maybe it is just me, but I found that reading the play beforehand and having these expectations actually allowed me to enjoy the play more. Though I was disappointed on occasion, the majority of the time the actors'/director's decision either met or went above and beyond my expectations. In addition, reading the play beforehand allowed me to see beyond the surface level of the play and look for the little things that make a good performance great, thus I think that reading the play in advance should be continued. William McKinley

I don't think that it was disappointing to have expectations and then have those not met. I think reading the play and then seeing the play made me more attentive to the finer detail, like William it got me below the words of the text to looking for the different ways that the actor and director chose to do certain things. It is interesting how you can get an idea in your head and then when you see it be pleasantly surprised or realize that my perspective is not the only one. I think acting is subjective and because of that each individual brings their own experiences and background to make the project that much richer. AngMoore

I think that it depends on the play. For some I went with a certain expectation which was either met or not. That part is okay, because regardless of having read a play or not you will still have certain expectations. I found it a lot harder to suspend my disbelief having read the script which wasn't ideal going to see a play. There were a few plays that I wished that I had not read before going to see because I would have loved to have been surprised instead of knowing and anticipating the end instead. I think that really it is up to the individual. Most of the time reading the script beforehand is beneficial. Lieneke

Would it be beneficial to view the play before finalizing the PC? Like sitting in on a rehearsal to avoid the problem with Gut Girls misconception?

I think it would help, but our playgoer's companions seem to focus on the contextual information of the play itself, such as history, author information, and theatrical concepts. It attempts to take a neutral stance on all of these things and for that, you don't need to depend on how a play is interpreted. The Gut Girls PC was risky in its editorial decisions but it did present some nice complementary information, and reflecting back, I like that there was a difference in their interpretation and ours- it enriches the collaborative experience of making a PC and making a play. Jessica Davidson

We concluded tonight (I think) that each companion requirements differ depending on the play – all about what it needs. Some require history, some the context at the time, etc. __Question__ – with this in mind – are we able to __really__ conclude what elements are absolutely necessary – and common – between each companion?

The page __or__ the stage? Which would you prefer?  Before having taken this course, I originally would have said the stage. I'm a lover of performance, and find it fascinating to watch plots unfold and actors take on various roles. After this course however, I would now say that while I love being an audience member, the "page" is almost more appealing. There is no possibility of let downs from my set expectations and my imagination can run wild with whichever fashion my mind believes the play should be set in. While seeing a play provides other points of view, I loved reading the plays and found that I caught a lot more minor details within the texts than I ever would have noticed on stage. Liz McCabe

Honestly, I'm all about the page now. This is the course that altered my bookcase. It started with Cripple of Inishmaan, but if I can find the book of plays that Problem Child is in, I'll buy it too (even though I didn't read it this term), and Life Without Instruction. I'm so into plays now. The stuff we studied in this course was great. Don't get me wrong- I still love going to see plays (and sometimes I'm the only one enjoying them. XD), but reading the scripts lets you form your own interpretation and opinions. Lets you direct a little mini-production of the play in your head, you know? I kind of like that. Kendra Murray

The Page or the Stage. I have to say that I was always into the viewing of productions rather than reading them but with taking this course I have learned that there are benefits from both. When reading a play you always have a certain view of character portrayal and how you vision certain scenes to be played out but with this class I have learned that this is not always the best way to go about reading a script. Everyone has their own interpretations and you have to go into a production with a clear state of mind open to the interpretation that the director puts towards the Production. Concluding, I still believe that I prefer viewing the plays, but still believe that reading the scripts can be helpful before viewing.  Why is information important? Does it or does it not ruin a play-go’ers experience?

In our class… we talked about how when you read a script – you develop the character’s look/voice/xxxx in your own way. By reading the script beforehand you develop your own version – is this beneficial to the experience of seeing the play?

​ Personally I feel like develping your own view of the play only makes it that much better because its much easier to fallow the play once this is developed. Then what you get out of it in the end is that you can compare those two cases and have more to discuss once its all over. In all, I dont think it is something that deters from the the play and its the same as reading a book first. In the end its all the same. But that is only my personall opinion. Brooke McGovern

How can we best influence the audience in the way we intend? Which techniques are useful, and which fall flat?

In a way that isn't including our own bias. We find the background information we think will best help our audience to understand the play, in our view... things that we believe will encourage them to look closer at the play- such as the author's information, the historical context that is important to understand. Reviews can help, but I believe the ones that work are the ones that review the play as a whole rather than any one production- so that it adds to the show, rather than commenting on something unrelated to that particular performance. Quotes do well to give a preview of the atmosphere, to break up the text because our presentation is important to the understanding we give them. Making sure to try to create a general feel, rather than too specific knowledge. We try to prepare them for a fuller experience- that they can give themselves by paying attention to the details of the play, instead of being caught up in some elements that would otherwise be confusing. ~Ryan Hebert

Why choose this format for teaching this particular course?

I think this format works because there are many little assignments to get easy marks. Such as answering one of these questions. Not doing papers and going to see a play is way more fun. It also gets us out of the classroom to see live theater, a very different expeience from going to the movies. One thing I would change would be on the marks page give the total grad beside each name. ~Laura Graham 

How will the increased awareness of the mechanics in plays continue to affect my perspective on plays in the future? Will I start to not enjoy a play as much unless I’ve read the script? And will I make a conscious decision to enjoy theatre more often?

Why is it important to read the plays before we see them?

Speaking from the experience of having researched a play before I had the chance to read it, it was confusing. Any reviews or references to the plot didn't make any sense to me and that makes it hard to tell what is valuable information and what is obvious... ~Iya~ 

Why can’t each play have a copy of it online? -- Plays are published in hard copy (if they're published at all) and only get on line if someone scans them and puts them there. It's very rare for a publisher to allow this, because they're interested in selling copies (and playwrights like receiving royalties from sales, too). So, this year, the only play that was already on line was //The Beaux' Stratagem//, and it was only on line because it's been out of copyright for hundreds of years. -- Russ Hunt

How important is it to analyse a play (reading it) if the interpretation is relatively subjective anyway? (by the actor and director).

I don't think that it is necessarly what your interpretation is that matters so much. I think it depends more that you have read the play, and you've thought about it and formed an opinion of it. By doing this, I think you think about the play on levels that might not have been brought to mind by just going to see it (use of lighting, placement of words/phrases, and other little technical details). Plus, I personally found it interesting to have my own theories about how the play would be performed, and then go and compare my ideas to what the actors and director came up wth. - Laurie MacKenzie

Relevance of lighting – how can this effect or add dramatic effect to crucial parts of the play?  I never really realised the difference before taking this class. In the past, when watching plays I did not take notice to the actual stage direction, lighting, set, etc, but now I find it impossible to notice. I now know that lighting is major part of the production, much like the music in a movie; you usually forget it's there, but if it wasn't, nothing would have the same effect. Lighting tells you who is speaking, what is most important to see, what emotions they are expressing, and other important aspects to the plot. Spotlights are commonly used on characters making an important monologue or a discourse on a certain subject and it really emphaisizes how dramatic the situation is. When I think of this, I think of the ending monologue for Problem Child and how the lighting had much to do with the depressing feeling the play left you with. -Michelle Chisholm