1. Write an objective description of a moment of the play.

The two officers throw Bobby Strong off the roof and a fake body hits the floor downstage from them. After a few moments of looking at the body and at the place it fell from, Officer Barrel throws his hat off the side and the hat does not fall in the same area as the body, but the area where it was thrown off (upstage of them).

2. Describe the same moment, but use 1st person and personal opinion.

When the body hit the ground, the loud sound it made scared me. The few full seconds where the officers looked puzzled over why Strong landed on the opposite side of the place he was pushed off from was very funny, even if there were no words said. When the hat was thrown off and when it didn’t come down, I thought that there would be a plot twist where it is revealed that Strong didn’t actually die and it was actually a trick, and the fake body was really a fake body.

3. What is the significance of the moment?

• The usage of humor during a serious moment; usage of satire
  • Death of a man/freedom fighter at the hands of police, but the audience still laughs; it seems to be the wrong time, but they still made it funny
  • Effective in making the audience think about how wrong the situation is and why they are laughing, and in doing so encourages the audience to take a closer look at the subject the scene is mocking
    • In this case, police brutality especially in the enforcement of capitalist-driven legislature
• Death of main character does not stop the plot
  • Sense of realism
  • Life doesn’t stop when one person dies; people have to, and eventually doe, move on

Analyse:

I think the usage of satire was really well done. The play addressed a lot of problems, but it did so using morbid humor and the timing of jokes. As I stated previously, the play uses jokes during serious moments to downplay the gravity of the situation, and thus gets the audience to think critically of what they are laughing at and, as a result, of the issue the play addresses.

Adapt:

I like the use of flashlights in a completely pitch black space. Despite the fact that many have used it and I have seen it many times, it’s still very creepy. I especially liked how it had chorus movements at times and seemed random at other times.

Adopt:

I’m not sure how we’ll do it in a school piece, but I would love to adopt the swirling light patterns on the floor.

Address:

Maybe not do the overreaction the cast did whenever new shocking information or person was revealed; after a while, it felt annoying and redundant. On that line of thought, I think I would have to think more about whether or not repetition in a piece is of a tolerable amount or if it seems too repetitive. There’s usually a limit that the audience will hit that turns a significant, amazing repetitive movement into something extremely superfluous.

Intentional:

I think that it might be cool to use lifting (the activity using the base and the “flyer”) when you’re trying to create a dynamic scene but with little dialogue. The scene might get too busy if the characters are both lifting or balancing on each other while speaking. The audience might only follow the movements and miss out on what the characters are saying. If there is going to be dialogue, it might be better to have it be something not as plot relevant or a repeating phrase.

Counterbalancing would provide nice imagery when going for a symmetrical layout of a scene, especially with the action where both partners are leaning back and then squatting down, so that could be interesting to experiment with. It could also work to show relationship dynamics in a metaphorical (metaphysical?) way.

Action:

– When being base, keep stance wide and sturdy. And don’t be afraid to say something hurts or feels wrong.

– When being the flyer, go slowly and also try to start with your hips, which is your center of balance, before putting full weight onto the base. Also, test the base first before going on.

– When counterbalancing, it’s easier if both partners are pulling weight instead of one person trying not to and the other is.

– It’s easier to do the activities (lifting, being base or flyer, counterbalancing) if you keep eye contact, and if you’re both around the same height.