Plays Day 3

Sophie
I really enjoyed how Sophie used the space to her advantage. Of all the spaces, I thought this was the hardest one because of the placement of the audience, while using the entire space. By having the inside of the house still be part of the set, but not be seen except when Natalie stuck her head out was very effective to see the tough relationship between the married couple. The space really worked as a household with a porch. I immediately got that feel even though it wasn't explained that he was outside of the house. Also, as Chandler said in class today, the reversal/reveal at the end was really powerful because I didn't expect it coming at all. I wish I knew what was going to happen because of that. Are they going to lose their house? I thought this play was really funny and a very different relationship than anyone else had written about.

Natalie
I think even though Natalie used the space to influence the theme/story of the play, I don't think it took place in that exact spot. I imagined it happening in more of a greenroom and I think it really worked. I thought it represented the difference between actors and actresses very very well: the sort of drama queen, selfishness that actresses can get into and the less "I need to be in the spotlight" attitude that actors have. I wasn't exactly sure why Sophie's character gave into Natalie's character and gave her the cast list. That was one of my main questions. I think the reveal at the end that Hugo's character (Alec I think) knew that she didn't get the part, was really interesting and would have been even cooler if it had been made more of a big deal, rather than the fact that they hate this girl so much. The cattiness of Natalie's character really worked but maybe if it was more of an underlying joke, the story of the play could have come out clearer. I really enjoyed the story though.

Hugo
I think Hugo used the space in a really interesting way that I never would have thought of! I didn't even realize that that little wall was there, ever, and I've been in that theater countless times. In some ways the play reminded me of the play Happy Days by Samuel Beckett. In this play a woman basically sits in a mound of dirt and talks the whole time. The part that reminded me of Hugo's play was that it was about a woman who was trapped and we weren't really sure why. Natalie's character says that she just happened to walk into the small space because it looks interesting, or something along those lines. Maybe she had a hidden meaning for it though? The feeling of her being trapped and not vulnerable by the world was really interesting. It made me realize that being vulnerable isn't such a bad thing. Even though Hugo's character could be affected by the world in ways that Natalie's character could not, he was being brave in a way by doing that. I was wondering if he had heard her singing before? How long had she been there? Was she really a figment of his imagination? Are we supposed to believe what we want to believe? Why was Hugo's character wearing such a hip hat? Many questions popped into my head.

Allison
Allison's play brought up a very complicated topic. I have to say, since my play took place in the same space, I really felt that it was a claustrophobic space. Throughout the process, I was a little confused why Alyssa all of a sudden is angry that she was in there for longer than she was supposed to be. Also, some of the tactics that the therapist, Brian, uses I had to ask about but they all made sense once they were explained. I think Allison brought the space to life in an interesting way, using the other door as a key item and the fact that the walls are really close together to invigorate that feeling of claustrophobia.

Ben
Ben used the space in a much different way than I would have thought also. I never thought about a homeless woman living in an office building but I guess they live wherever. Some questions that I never got to ask Ben were why this girl is homeless? Or why does she feel like she can't go back home if she is there? Was she lying when she said she had only been in there for 2 days? The high stakes of the two characters really worked well in the small space. The fact that these two people who hardly know each other were trying desperately to each get their goals in a very small area increased the tension. Ben used the space that he was given very well.