My all time favorite musical is Grease. Grease is a 1978 American musical film directed by Randal Kleiser and based on Jim Jacobs and Warren Casey's musical, of the same name. The film stars John Travolta who plays the role of Danny Zuko, Oliva Newton-John who plays the role of Sandy, Stockard Channing playing the role of Betty Rizzo, and Jeff Conaway who plays the role of Kenickie.
Grease takes place in the fifties. During their summer vacation, greaser Danny Zuko and prim and proper Austrailian Sandy Olsson meet at a beach and begin to fall in love. At summer's end, Sandy tells Danny that she is returning to Australia where she lives but Danny is positive their relationship will continue. After summer, Danny returns for his final year at Rydell high School, while Sandy arrives as an exchange student. Danny is a group of leather-clad greasers called the T-Birds consisting of Kenickie, Sonny, Putzie, and Doody; while Sandy becomes part of a group of girls called the Pink Ladies, consisting of Frency who plans to quit high school to go to a beauticians school, Jan, Marty, and Betty Rizzo. Both groups learn about Danny and Sandy from the opposite, and Rizzo is surprised when Danny is revealed to be Sandy's love. At a celebratory bonfire for the school's football team, Danny and Sandy are reunited but Danny has to keep his cool eterior up, much to Sandy's sadness. The Pink Ladies have a sleepover at Frenchy's house, but the T-Birds drive up outside. Kenickie is challenged to a car race by Leo, leader of trouble making gang, the Scorpions. In an attempt to impress Sandy due their broken relationship, Danny takes up sports under the guidance of Coach Calhoun, but all of his attempts failed. However, when wounded whilst jumping hurdles, Sandy agrees to go with him to the school's dance contest. At a drive-in movie, Sandy and Danny's relationship dissolves when the sexual tension from Danny sees him idiotically try to make a clumsy grab at Sandy's chest. Sandy is horrified and runs off, leaving him alone. At the race, Danny is reunited with Sandy, now a leather-clad woman, and the two become a couple.
Grease is one of the longest running productions in Broadway history. The film opened in 1978 and went on to become the biggest grossing movie musical of all time. Now re-released for it twentieth anniversary and sporting a revamped soundtrack, it's not hard to see why. Six years into its Broadway Grease was made into a very successful movie musical in 1978 further stoking interest in the stage property which got around and around and still does in high school and even junior high school productions
One thing I find interesting about this play is that Olivia Newton-John who, in the late 70's, was a big international pop star was a little old for the part. However, she fit perfectly in as a high school senior and she has a great singing voice.
Overall, I respond personally to this play because I really enjoy love story's with a twist and this certainly is one of them. Danny and Sandy fall in love but when they end up going to the same school Danny's whole attitude changes towards Sandy which causes problems throughout the play. It is interesting to watch and see what happens and I also think it is interesting because this stuff really happens in real life more than you might think. Guys and/or girls always act different toward their boyfriend or girlfriend when it is just the two of them; however, when their friends come around you tend to put on a "tough" front. This tends to interfere with the relationship. A majority of the reason why I respond to this is because I feel that it can relate a lot to the average person's life.
Grease is more than you could ask for. It is a romance, comedy, musical and so much more. There are many unique actors that make this an all-star hit. The vocals in this are outstanding and it is a timeless hit that people will be enjoying throughout the years. It is also one of the most commercially successful transfers of a Broadway musical to the big screen. I personally really enjoy this weather it be in the form of a play or musical, it is fantastic and I would highly recommend it to anyone. I also suggest reading a synopsis of the play before you go and see it.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Costume Design for Grease
Grease is one of my all time favorite movies and I recently saw the play and absolutely loved it. This is why I chose to design costume's for this particular play. Any one who has seen the play Grease, or even watched the movie, would probably agree that the costume's for this play are not anything very complicated, rather, they are every day clothing that people wore back in that time period which happened to be the rock and roll era.
The plot revolves primarily around the attraction between greaser Danny Zuko and the virtuous Sandy Dumbrowski. Grease brings back the teen-age life style of the 1950's when the boys wore short hair swept back into greasy coifs called the ducktail and they sported motorcycle jackets, pegged pants, turned up shirt collars and t-shirts with cigarette packs secured in rolled up sleeves. The girls wore beehive hairdos complete with hair clips. They chew gum and wear boys windbreakers with their names sewn on. They pierce their ears, wear pedal pushers, spongy white bobby socks, cinch belts, long felt skirts and crinolines.
In my point of view the main characters are Danny, Sandy, The Pink Lady's, and The T-birds. Sandy is my favorite character because she does a total transformation from the beginning to the end. At the beginning Sandy is a very shy and conservative when she meets Danny. However, Sandy turns into a total "sex kitten" in the process of trying to get Danny's attention back through her costume and appearance. She changes her entire look thanks to The Pink Lady's who help her with this transformation. While Sandy is busy turning into the type of lady that she feels Danny wants, Danny is spending all his time with The T-birds who try and convince him that he doesn't need her. As you have already reviewed, the above pictures are pictures from Grease. By looking at these you get an idea of what the characters wore in this play. You can also see the transformation that Sandy undergoes. The very first couple of pictures are pictures that I found online that I believe resemble what the characters in Grease would wear. I put a picture of leather pants, boots, and a red purse. I feel that Sandy would wear this when she transforms into a "bad ass" for Danny. I put a leather coat because I feel that these leather coat's represent The T-Birds and their "bad ass" appearance. I than put a white v-neck shirt because I feel that Danny and The T-Birds would wear this underneath of their jackets. Last but not least I put a knee length skirt that represents Sandy at the beginning of the play when she is a sweet and innocent young lady.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon". His surviving works, including some collaborations, consist of 38 plays, 154 sonnets, two long narrative poems, and several other poems. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. I feel that William Shakespeare is important landmark in English literature and it is important for students in school studying theatre and/or English to know a great deal of information about him.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the sixteenth century. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608. These included Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth which are considered some of the finest works in the English language. Lastly he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.
Shakespeare was a part-owner of the famous Globe Theater which was constructed in 1599. When the lease on the Theatre expired they teared it down and moved it across the river in the middle of the night, and used material to construct the Globe Theatre. The globe was one of the greatest play-houses of that time, and many of Shakespeare's plays were performed there.
Throughout Shakespeare's life we see many changes in his style of writing which is rather interesting. In his early works we see a lot of comedies; however, later in life he starts to shift towards darkness and tragedy. This is where we see the plays such as Macbeth and Hamlet. There are many different opinions as to why he made this switch in his writing style. Some say it was family related and others suggest it was because he wanted to please the crowds. In my opinion I would have to say I think it was family related. I do not know much about Shakespeare's personal family problems; however, being part of a divorced family I have been through family issues and I could understand how he would change his style of writing if their were issues in his family. I feel that every playwright has a certain style of writing that they are good at, a style that just comes natural to them and this is why I feel that he would not simply switch his style of writing to please his crowd. He wrote because that is what he loved to do and if people liked it than great. He wouldn't change from writing in a way he loved to something different if he didn't feel the passion. Obviously something changed in his life that gave him the passion to write about tragedy.
One of the main reason's why I like William Shakespeare so much is because of the difficulty of his work. In high school we read a good amount of Shakespeare and at first I really hated it. I had a very hard time understanding what I was reading because of the way he wrote. My teacher spent a lot of time teaching Shakespeare to us and after a while I started to get a hang of the way he wrote. Once I started to understand the different sonnets and plays we read I started to really enjoy studying Shakespeare. The reason why I know how important it is to study Shakespeare is due to my high school English teacher.
Overall, William Shakespeare wrote with excellent writing skills. The way Shakespeare wrote has yet to be replicated since his death, which was nearly four hundred years ago. He is a very influential figure in history and studying his works and understanding them are crucial to understanding the history of playwrights, theatre, and the overall performing arts.
Shakespeare was born and raised in Stratford-upon-Avon. At the age of 18, he married Anne Hathaway, with whom he had three children. Between 1585 and 1592, he began a successful career in London as an actor, writer, and part owner of a playing company called the Lord Chamberlain's Men, later known as the King's Men. He appears to have retired to Stratford around 1613, where he died three years later. Few records of Shakespeare's private life survive, and there has been considerable speculation about such matters as his physical appearance, sexuality, religious beliefs, and whether the works attributed to him were written by others.
Shakespeare produced most of his known work between 1589 and 1613. His early plays were mainly comedies and histories, genres he raised to the peak of sophistication and artistry by the end of the sixteenth century. He then wrote mainly tragedies until about 1608. These included Hamlet, King Lear, and Macbeth which are considered some of the finest works in the English language. Lastly he wrote tragicomedies, also known as romances, and collaborated with other playwrights.
Shakespeare was a part-owner of the famous Globe Theater which was constructed in 1599. When the lease on the Theatre expired they teared it down and moved it across the river in the middle of the night, and used material to construct the Globe Theatre. The globe was one of the greatest play-houses of that time, and many of Shakespeare's plays were performed there.
Throughout Shakespeare's life we see many changes in his style of writing which is rather interesting. In his early works we see a lot of comedies; however, later in life he starts to shift towards darkness and tragedy. This is where we see the plays such as Macbeth and Hamlet. There are many different opinions as to why he made this switch in his writing style. Some say it was family related and others suggest it was because he wanted to please the crowds. In my opinion I would have to say I think it was family related. I do not know much about Shakespeare's personal family problems; however, being part of a divorced family I have been through family issues and I could understand how he would change his style of writing if their were issues in his family. I feel that every playwright has a certain style of writing that they are good at, a style that just comes natural to them and this is why I feel that he would not simply switch his style of writing to please his crowd. He wrote because that is what he loved to do and if people liked it than great. He wouldn't change from writing in a way he loved to something different if he didn't feel the passion. Obviously something changed in his life that gave him the passion to write about tragedy.
One of the main reason's why I like William Shakespeare so much is because of the difficulty of his work. In high school we read a good amount of Shakespeare and at first I really hated it. I had a very hard time understanding what I was reading because of the way he wrote. My teacher spent a lot of time teaching Shakespeare to us and after a while I started to get a hang of the way he wrote. Once I started to understand the different sonnets and plays we read I started to really enjoy studying Shakespeare. The reason why I know how important it is to study Shakespeare is due to my high school English teacher.
Overall, William Shakespeare wrote with excellent writing skills. The way Shakespeare wrote has yet to be replicated since his death, which was nearly four hundred years ago. He is a very influential figure in history and studying his works and understanding them are crucial to understanding the history of playwrights, theatre, and the overall performing arts.
Theatre Profile: Guthrie Theatre
The Guthrie Theater is a center for theatre performance, production, education, and professional training in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It is the result of the desire of Sir Tyrone Guthrie, Oliver Rea, and Peter Zeisler to create a resident acting company that would produce and perform the classics in an atmosphere removed from the commercial pressures of Broadway. The Guthrie Theater company has performed in two main facilities. The first building was designed by architect Ralph Rapson and included a 1,441 seat thrust stage designed by Tanya Moiseiwitsch, which was active from 1963-2006. After closing its 2005-2006 season, the company moved to its current facility designed by French architect Jean Nouvel.
The first facility that was built by Ralph Rapson in 1963 was a modified theater in the round design that featured a thrust stage projecting from a back wall with seating surrounding nearly two thirds of it. In 2002 the National Trust for Historic Preservation put the building on its list of the most endangered historic properties in the United States resulting in a new Guthrie Theatre which was constructed in 2006. The construction of the new building cost $125 million dollars and it is located along the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis. The design is the work of architect Jean Nouvel, along with the Minneapolis architectural firm Architectural Alliance. It is a 285,000 square foot facility that houses three theatres, the theatre's signature thrust stage which seats 1,100 people, a 700-seat proscenium stage, and a black box studio with flexible seating. The first Guthrie production at this new location was The Great Gatsby which was performed on July 15, 2006.
The Guthrie Theatre is an American center for theatre performance, production, education, and professional training. By presenting both classical literature and new work from diverse cultures, the Guthrie illuminates the common humanity connecting Minnesota to the peoples of the world. This is their mission.
The current Artistic Director of The Guthrie Theatre is Joe Dowling. He has held this position since 1995. Dowling's time at The Guthrie Theatre has been marked by a return to regional touring, co-productions and collaborations, and his own dynamic productions of the classics. Joe Dowling has recently directed plays such as The Importance of Being Earnest, Faith Healer, and Macbeth at The Guthrie Theatre.
If you are interested in purchasing tickets you may purchase them online, by phone at 612-377-2224, or toll-free at 1-877-44STAGE, or in person at the box office. The box office is open Monday through Sunday 11a.m. to 8p.m. when there is a performance or 11a.m. to 5p.m. when there is no performance. There are also season packages available. There is a variety of subscriptions available with so much flexibility that it is easy to pick something that works with your schedule. The Guthrie Theatre also offers group sales for 15 people or more. If you have to get a gift for someone their are show packages along with dinner that you can buy for friends or family. There is so much to consider when buying tickets for a show so make sure you check out all the great deals.
The Guthrie Theatre also offers an internship program for college students and recent graduates that allows them to engage in hands on professional theatre training from Guthrie Staff, artists and craftspeople. The mission of The Guthrie Theater's internship program is to provide interns with training and educational opportunities that will expand their knowledge of working in professional theater. The Guthrie Theatre offers internship's in directing, development, marketing, and stage management. If you are interested in applying you can visit their website for more information.
Overall, The Guthrie Theatre has a very interesting historical background. I also feel that The Guthrie Theatre really reaches out to the community and try's to get the younger generation involved in theatre by providing internships. They have put on a great deal of performances as well and have received great reviews. I would highly recommend seeing a performance here or applying for an internship if you have the time. It would be a very rewarding experience.
The first facility that was built by Ralph Rapson in 1963 was a modified theater in the round design that featured a thrust stage projecting from a back wall with seating surrounding nearly two thirds of it. In 2002 the National Trust for Historic Preservation put the building on its list of the most endangered historic properties in the United States resulting in a new Guthrie Theatre which was constructed in 2006. The construction of the new building cost $125 million dollars and it is located along the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis. The design is the work of architect Jean Nouvel, along with the Minneapolis architectural firm Architectural Alliance. It is a 285,000 square foot facility that houses three theatres, the theatre's signature thrust stage which seats 1,100 people, a 700-seat proscenium stage, and a black box studio with flexible seating. The first Guthrie production at this new location was The Great Gatsby which was performed on July 15, 2006.
The Guthrie Theatre is an American center for theatre performance, production, education, and professional training. By presenting both classical literature and new work from diverse cultures, the Guthrie illuminates the common humanity connecting Minnesota to the peoples of the world. This is their mission.
The current Artistic Director of The Guthrie Theatre is Joe Dowling. He has held this position since 1995. Dowling's time at The Guthrie Theatre has been marked by a return to regional touring, co-productions and collaborations, and his own dynamic productions of the classics. Joe Dowling has recently directed plays such as The Importance of Being Earnest, Faith Healer, and Macbeth at The Guthrie Theatre.
If you are interested in purchasing tickets you may purchase them online, by phone at 612-377-2224, or toll-free at 1-877-44STAGE, or in person at the box office. The box office is open Monday through Sunday 11a.m. to 8p.m. when there is a performance or 11a.m. to 5p.m. when there is no performance. There are also season packages available. There is a variety of subscriptions available with so much flexibility that it is easy to pick something that works with your schedule. The Guthrie Theatre also offers group sales for 15 people or more. If you have to get a gift for someone their are show packages along with dinner that you can buy for friends or family. There is so much to consider when buying tickets for a show so make sure you check out all the great deals.
The Guthrie Theatre also offers an internship program for college students and recent graduates that allows them to engage in hands on professional theatre training from Guthrie Staff, artists and craftspeople. The mission of The Guthrie Theater's internship program is to provide interns with training and educational opportunities that will expand their knowledge of working in professional theater. The Guthrie Theatre offers internship's in directing, development, marketing, and stage management. If you are interested in applying you can visit their website for more information.
Overall, The Guthrie Theatre has a very interesting historical background. I also feel that The Guthrie Theatre really reaches out to the community and try's to get the younger generation involved in theatre by providing internships. They have put on a great deal of performances as well and have received great reviews. I would highly recommend seeing a performance here or applying for an internship if you have the time. It would be a very rewarding experience.
Concluding Statement about Theatre 101
Before entering this class I was very unfamiliar with the theatre just as a majority of my classmates were as well. Now that I am approaching the end of the journey in Theatre 101 I would defiantly have to say that I learned a lot from this class. Not only did I learn a lot but I now have a new found interest for the theatre and I would like to continuing learning about the theatre once I am finished with this class.
One thing that I really enjoyed about this class was the discussion board. It is one thing to read a chapter and take a short quiz to assess your understanding of the material; however, it is another to be able to write about what you read and how you interpret it. The discussion board gave all of us in this class the ability to comment on things that we learned throughout the class. One really nice thing about the discussion board was that we were able to look at each other's post which was very helpful. For example, a lot of the times before I would post my thoughts on a certain discussion post I would review what my classmates put. This helped me get my thoughts flowing and most of the time gave me a different perspective to look at things in. It also allowed me to see what me and my classmates agreed on and disagreed on. In the discussion post about reflecting on a performance that you have done I found that many of us had similar answers about how we were scared during performances in front of large crowds; however, in the discussion post about what role would we play in the theatre I found that most of us had different responses. This goes to show that theatre and different questions about theatre affect people differently.
Another thing that I learned in this class was that theatre is different in every culture beside the four universals of theatre that are true no matter where you are. I found this interesting because even though different culture's view theatre differently than we do here in the United States there theatre still has these four things that ours does also. These are that theatre is live, ephemeral, collaborative, and a synthesis of many arts. As we all know theatre is live. If it wasn't live it wouldn't be theatre, it would be a movie. It is also ephemeral which means that it is live, in the moment, and that no element can be exactly replicated because it depends on the interaction of live actors and the audience. I find this very interesting because you never really think about how each performance is different from the previous one. It is different because of this interaction between the performers and the audience. The audience changes every performance and therefor so does this interaction. Theatre is also collaborative in the sense that there is a group of people working towards a common goal. Putting on a great performance. This aspect of theatre is commonly overlooked but throughout the course of this semester I have learned that it takes a lot of people working together to put on a great performance. Finally, theatre is a synthesis of many arts. So many people are involved in theatrical creation because theatre uses so many artistic materials for a combined effect. A performance could not be put on without the help of a director, playwrights, musicians, choreographers and many other people. Theatre really brings together all the arts to put on a performance.
My favorite part of this class was when we learned that theatre is in every one's life. Everyone plays numerous roles throughout their day whether it be the role of a mother, a father, a daughter, or a student people are playing roles. Who ever thought that they were connected to theatre? Most likely only the people who have taken a theatre class. It has come to my attention that life is a theatre and depending on the different environment we are in or the different people we are around our role, or performance changes. We ourselves are actors.
Overall, I am very happy that I decided to take this class. I feel that I have learned a lot about the theatre and that was my goal in the first place. I came into this class with no knowledge about the theatre what so ever and I am going to exit this class with the understanding of the many worlds of theatre and the interest to learn more on my own time.
One thing that I really enjoyed about this class was the discussion board. It is one thing to read a chapter and take a short quiz to assess your understanding of the material; however, it is another to be able to write about what you read and how you interpret it. The discussion board gave all of us in this class the ability to comment on things that we learned throughout the class. One really nice thing about the discussion board was that we were able to look at each other's post which was very helpful. For example, a lot of the times before I would post my thoughts on a certain discussion post I would review what my classmates put. This helped me get my thoughts flowing and most of the time gave me a different perspective to look at things in. It also allowed me to see what me and my classmates agreed on and disagreed on. In the discussion post about reflecting on a performance that you have done I found that many of us had similar answers about how we were scared during performances in front of large crowds; however, in the discussion post about what role would we play in the theatre I found that most of us had different responses. This goes to show that theatre and different questions about theatre affect people differently.
Another thing that I learned in this class was that theatre is different in every culture beside the four universals of theatre that are true no matter where you are. I found this interesting because even though different culture's view theatre differently than we do here in the United States there theatre still has these four things that ours does also. These are that theatre is live, ephemeral, collaborative, and a synthesis of many arts. As we all know theatre is live. If it wasn't live it wouldn't be theatre, it would be a movie. It is also ephemeral which means that it is live, in the moment, and that no element can be exactly replicated because it depends on the interaction of live actors and the audience. I find this very interesting because you never really think about how each performance is different from the previous one. It is different because of this interaction between the performers and the audience. The audience changes every performance and therefor so does this interaction. Theatre is also collaborative in the sense that there is a group of people working towards a common goal. Putting on a great performance. This aspect of theatre is commonly overlooked but throughout the course of this semester I have learned that it takes a lot of people working together to put on a great performance. Finally, theatre is a synthesis of many arts. So many people are involved in theatrical creation because theatre uses so many artistic materials for a combined effect. A performance could not be put on without the help of a director, playwrights, musicians, choreographers and many other people. Theatre really brings together all the arts to put on a performance.
My favorite part of this class was when we learned that theatre is in every one's life. Everyone plays numerous roles throughout their day whether it be the role of a mother, a father, a daughter, or a student people are playing roles. Who ever thought that they were connected to theatre? Most likely only the people who have taken a theatre class. It has come to my attention that life is a theatre and depending on the different environment we are in or the different people we are around our role, or performance changes. We ourselves are actors.
Overall, I am very happy that I decided to take this class. I feel that I have learned a lot about the theatre and that was my goal in the first place. I came into this class with no knowledge about the theatre what so ever and I am going to exit this class with the understanding of the many worlds of theatre and the interest to learn more on my own time.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Information On Broadway
Broadway refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the forty large professional theatres with five hundred seats or more located in the Theatre District, New York plus one theatre in Lincoln Center in Manhattan, New York City. Along with London's West End theatre, Broadway theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English-speaking world. The Broadway Theatre district is a popular tourist attraction in New York City, New York. According to The Broadway League, Broadway shows sold approximately $943.3 million worth of tickets in the 2008-2009 season, compared to $937 million in the 2007-2008 season.
The first decade of the 20Th century was transformational in the history of our Broadway Performances. This dates back to 1882 and the construction of The Madison Square Theater at 24Th street. The Mallory's, who had built the theater, had employed a young actor-manager from San Francisco along with two brothers from the lower Eastside to help manage the theater. David Belasco, who had the distinction of appearing on stage with another unknown child, Maude Adams, in San Francisco in 1877, was soon to become a playwright theater owner and builder. The two brothers from the lower Eastside were, of course, Charles and Daniel Frohman. The first sign of the transformation occurred when producer Rudolf Aronson decided to build a theatre of his own. At the time, theatres were concentrated between Union Square and 24Th street.
Broadway's hit musicals quickly became popular all over the world. Many o the best Broadway musicals featured a man and a woman with great vocals and character, although some had only one or the other. Choral singing was often a part of the productions, but the soloists typically got the fame for the performance, if the musical became famous. Many Broadway musicals became so popular that they were also made into movies.
Today, the longest running show in Broadway history is still in production. The Phantom of the Opera debuted on Broadway in 1988.
As of right now the hottest Broadway shows are
The first decade of the 20Th century was transformational in the history of our Broadway Performances. This dates back to 1882 and the construction of The Madison Square Theater at 24Th street. The Mallory's, who had built the theater, had employed a young actor-manager from San Francisco along with two brothers from the lower Eastside to help manage the theater. David Belasco, who had the distinction of appearing on stage with another unknown child, Maude Adams, in San Francisco in 1877, was soon to become a playwright theater owner and builder. The two brothers from the lower Eastside were, of course, Charles and Daniel Frohman. The first sign of the transformation occurred when producer Rudolf Aronson decided to build a theatre of his own. At the time, theatres were concentrated between Union Square and 24Th street.
Broadway's hit musicals quickly became popular all over the world. Many o the best Broadway musicals featured a man and a woman with great vocals and character, although some had only one or the other. Choral singing was often a part of the productions, but the soloists typically got the fame for the performance, if the musical became famous. Many Broadway musicals became so popular that they were also made into movies.
Today, the longest running show in Broadway history is still in production. The Phantom of the Opera debuted on Broadway in 1988.
As of right now the hottest Broadway shows are
- Jersey Boys
- Collected Stories
- Wicked
- American Idiot
- Mary Poppins
- The Addams Family
- The Phantom of the Opera
- Promises, Promises
- The Lion King
- La Cage aux Folles
I personally have never been to a Broadway performance before but I have been looking into seeing The Lion King. In The Lion King you will recognize the stage characters and songs from the Emmy award winning animated movie. The Lion King on Broadway has more than 40 actors playing the roles of the various characters. The Lion King won 6 Tony awards and was the best musical on Broadway in 1998 when it debuted and continues to entertain sold out audiences all over the country. In fact The Lion King is continuing to break box office ticket records at the Minskoff Theater, the theater The Lion King calls home during its run on Broadway in New York. As a kid, The Lion King was one of my favorite movies and I am in the process of getting tickets so I can go see the musical that I have read so much about.
If you are interested in going to see The Lion King musical, or any other musical that is being presented on Broadway it is very easy to get tickets. You can visit http://www.stubhub.com/ or you can simply do a google search. A ton of websites pop up that offer information about the numerous plays that are now being presented on Broadway and a link that will take you to a website to purchase tickets. I highly recommend seeing a Broadway performance if you haven't already seen one. I know I will be.
The Life Of Kristin Welk And How Theatre Ties Into It
Have you ever taken the moment to think about how theatre connects to your life? Most people probably have not; however, I was lucky enough to take a theatre class this past semester that enlightened me on the fact that we are all actors. Many people think of actors as the people who actually get up on a stage and play the role of another person, but in reality everyone plays different roles throughout their day. For example, I am a student, a daughter, a sister, a friend, and an employee. Depending on the environment and the people that I am around determines what role I play.
I strongly believe the fact that everyone is an actor in their everyday life by playing different roles is one of the best examples of how theatre relates to my life and everyone else's; however, you can relate it to so many other things that most people would never think about. Take something as simple as the Nintendo Wii. On the Wii you are able to design your own character that you use in the different games available on this system. You can make your character resemble yourself or you can make them look like someone completely different, say a celebrity you admire. You can even give them any name that you want, it doesn't' have to be your own. The fact that you are able to create a character on the Wii and become that character in the games relates back to theatre. In theatre, actors are continuously given different characters to transform into for the performance. This character could be someone completely unlike them just like the character that you might create on the Wii is completely different from you.
In my downtime I enjoy watching movies. For the longest time I thought that movies and theatre performances were very similar; however, I have recently seen a play that changed my mind about this. Theatre performances are live and as we learned in class no one performance is ever the same as the previous performance. For example, a main actor might get sick and you then have to have the under steady step in. This changes the entire play. The whole cast must slightly change their way of performing their character to make the play work with the under steady. Other changes that actors might make in a performance is possibly saying their lines different or speaking at a different pace. All of these minor changes make the performance different from the previous one. With movies, no matter how many times you watch them you will always see the same thing. The actors will always say their lines in the same manor as before. With movies you have rewind, fast forward, and pause. In the theatre once something has happened you will never be able to see it that way again unless you video record it but than isn't it a movie?
Besides watching movie's I also like to go to the beach during the summer and since summer is approaching very soon what better of a topic to talk about. While I am sitting on the beach I tend to watch the people who are around me. People watching, even though is somewhat creepy, is also interesting. People at all times are putting on performances for the people around them. For Example, you can always tell the new couples from the couples who have been together forever by their body language. Body language is a way of performing. You are performing your feelings through your body. Think about the last theatre performance you went to. The body language is key and makes you understand more about what is going on. For example, people who are in love have different body language towards each other than those who are just friends. Another thing that i tend to notice while people watching on the beach is the the little kids. Lets face it, little kids love attention and do anything for it. It is very entertaining to watch the little kids on the beach rolling around in the sand, burying each other, building sand castles, and playing in the ocean. If you ever notice while they are doing all of these activities they always are saying "Mom, Mom, look at what I'm doing". This is because they are putting on a performance through these activities and they want their parents to notice.
Overall, it is very easy to relate theatre to your life. The concepts of theatre are used in pretty much everything you do and it is very interesting to take things that you are passionate about and see just that.
I strongly believe the fact that everyone is an actor in their everyday life by playing different roles is one of the best examples of how theatre relates to my life and everyone else's; however, you can relate it to so many other things that most people would never think about. Take something as simple as the Nintendo Wii. On the Wii you are able to design your own character that you use in the different games available on this system. You can make your character resemble yourself or you can make them look like someone completely different, say a celebrity you admire. You can even give them any name that you want, it doesn't' have to be your own. The fact that you are able to create a character on the Wii and become that character in the games relates back to theatre. In theatre, actors are continuously given different characters to transform into for the performance. This character could be someone completely unlike them just like the character that you might create on the Wii is completely different from you.
In my downtime I enjoy watching movies. For the longest time I thought that movies and theatre performances were very similar; however, I have recently seen a play that changed my mind about this. Theatre performances are live and as we learned in class no one performance is ever the same as the previous performance. For example, a main actor might get sick and you then have to have the under steady step in. This changes the entire play. The whole cast must slightly change their way of performing their character to make the play work with the under steady. Other changes that actors might make in a performance is possibly saying their lines different or speaking at a different pace. All of these minor changes make the performance different from the previous one. With movies, no matter how many times you watch them you will always see the same thing. The actors will always say their lines in the same manor as before. With movies you have rewind, fast forward, and pause. In the theatre once something has happened you will never be able to see it that way again unless you video record it but than isn't it a movie?
Besides watching movie's I also like to go to the beach during the summer and since summer is approaching very soon what better of a topic to talk about. While I am sitting on the beach I tend to watch the people who are around me. People watching, even though is somewhat creepy, is also interesting. People at all times are putting on performances for the people around them. For Example, you can always tell the new couples from the couples who have been together forever by their body language. Body language is a way of performing. You are performing your feelings through your body. Think about the last theatre performance you went to. The body language is key and makes you understand more about what is going on. For example, people who are in love have different body language towards each other than those who are just friends. Another thing that i tend to notice while people watching on the beach is the the little kids. Lets face it, little kids love attention and do anything for it. It is very entertaining to watch the little kids on the beach rolling around in the sand, burying each other, building sand castles, and playing in the ocean. If you ever notice while they are doing all of these activities they always are saying "Mom, Mom, look at what I'm doing". This is because they are putting on a performance through these activities and they want their parents to notice.
Overall, it is very easy to relate theatre to your life. The concepts of theatre are used in pretty much everything you do and it is very interesting to take things that you are passionate about and see just that.
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