Jenůfa

            Opera is a unique art form that never fails to evoke an emotional response within the audience. No matter what the Opera is about there is going to be an emotional reaction from the audience. There is so much more than just sounds that go into an Opera performance, there is light, costume, sets and technology all intricately put together to create something much larger. The thing that sets Operas apart is the intensity of the music coming from a person’s mouth. When watching a performance, it is captivating to think that all of these sounds are purely coming from someone’s vocal cords bouncing off of each other at extreme speeds. But that is just the basics of what goes into an Opera. There are many things that occur behind the curtain, or even done in plain sight, without the audience knowing which I believe is what makes Operas magical to the human eye. The simplicity of Jenůfa was not lacking an emotional response, rather the simplicity of the costumes and sets were effective in revealing the true meaning that laid beneath the performance to grab the audience and receive a reaction.

            Before watching Jenůfa, I had pictured all Operas being elaborate by using technology in new and creative ways to portray the performance to the audience. Even though costumes and sets are only pieces of the performance, they are two aspects that truly make a difference. Although the costumes in Jenůfa were never elaborate or colorful, they did match the tone of the performance. Wearing mute and monotone colors, such as off-white or black, throughout the entire performance set the tone of the Opera. Having certain characters, such as Jenůfa and her stepmother, in different dress makes the audience pay closer attention to them without even knowing it. By having the Kostelnička in dark dress in the beginning of the performance foreshadows what is to come. The Kostelnička being in dark clothes is like having a dark cloud looming above throughout the whole performance. Dressing her in dark clothes and the other performers in lighter clothes in the beginning, already makes the audience have an emotional reaction before any drama had occurred. This is all due to the simple fact that she did not match the rest of the set which was comprised of warm light colors. Keeping her in dark clothes makes the audience feel uneasy the whole time, representing her evil character even though they did not have any evidence to support this until the very end.

            As the Opera progressed, I was expecting there to be more technology used in the performance. The stage differed only slightly from act to act, but it was the lighting that made the acts stand out from one another. In the first act, the lights were bright and the audience was able to see everything that was going on on stage, which left nothing to the imagination. But in the second act, the lighting was very dark with only a few spotlights. Setting up the stage in this way with the rock being the main focal point, made the audience guess more due to the fact that not everything was easily visible. This caused the audience to question what was happening that they could not see. During this point in the Opera the Kostelnička is acting very suspicious, drugging Jenůfa and lying to her, which pulls the audience in based on curiosity of the unknown. The use of lighting and props in this act is effective in getting the desired reaction from the audience.

            This play kept the audience attention throughout the whole performance because of Kostelnička practically controlling the whole situation, which I would simulate to chess match. In chess you must deceit, lie, and ponder in order to win the game, and that is exactly what occurred in this play. Kostelnička was the chess master, moving the pawns throughout and controlling all things that occurred. The pawns were Jenůfa, Steva, and Laca all being manipulated by Kostelnička. The whole time she had her own agenda and used them to complete her plan. Drugging Jenůfa so she could take her baby away from her was the ultimate move. Jenůfa had no idea what had happened or why she was feeling ill, but Kostelnička did because she was moving the pawns of the chess match but doing it discreetly so no one would ever suspect anything. Kostelnička being the pawn master kept the audience interested because they could see how manipulative she was being but the other characters could not, causing them to ponder the much larger picture that was being created.

            Jenůfa is like Tetris, trying to add up all the pieces together to create a much larger picture. Some do not add up and some fit into the puzzle just like it was meant to be. As the performance is happening, there are many questions that do not make sense to the audience, the largest one being what happened to Jenůfa’s baby? The whole time the audience is trying to figure out this strange situation that is occurring, why is Jenůfa “sick?” and where is her baby? The Tetris pieces have to be moved and rotated in different directions until they fit in with the other pieces, and the audience must think and ponder all of the strange things happening on stage. As time goes on, the pieces are starting to come together making the picture clearer, but it is not until the very end when it all comes together to show how each piece must be perfectly placed to complete the puzzle. Things do not start to become clear until Jenůfa finds out that the Kostelnička is the one who killed her baby, but they still are not clear enough to make the puzzle complete. It is when the Kostelnička explains why she killed the baby, to protect Jenůfa and her baby, that the puzzle is finally complete and all of the pieces perfectly fit into the puzzle. While the performance was happening, the audience was forced to use their imaginations and creativity to try and figure out the puzzle, moving the pieces and trying new options to make it all clear.

            Although the picture was not made clear until the end of Jenůfa, the audience still became emotionally involved with this Opera. The lack of outrageous costumes and set changes kept the audience on their toes leaving them to use their imaginations to sort out the story line as it progressed. Just like in Tetris, they were forced to ponder new options and new configurations to try and answer the questions that loomed overhead throughout. This allowed the audience to have an emotional reaction not just in the end, but every time something would occur in the Opera. The music, costumes and sets were all perfectly put together to allow enough information to be given to the audience, and yet not allow too much information to be given either. By leaving questions for the audience to answer throughout the performance, the director pulled them in and was able to keep them concentrated until the very end when it all came together perfectly, just like the tiles of Tetris being manipulated into one another completing the puzzle.

           

           

Broadway!

I truly enjoyed looking through the Stage Door blog because there were so many different Broadway clips to look at. I was able to watch all of the videos and see how they compare to one another. In my opinion, Broadway shows are supposed to be fun an exciting with a lot of different things going on at once. I did not like the videos where it was just one person singing or performing because although the music was beautiful, the performance did not interest me and had nothing exciting to show. The ones I did enjoy were Hair, Grease, the Tony Awards with Jennifer Holiday, Patti LuPonte and Betty Buckley, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and The Color Purple. All of these were very entertaining because they were so lively with excitement and commotion, but my favorite Broadway show was The Color Purple. I liked this one the most because it was the only show that the whole cast was black. The whole performance was so powerful and strong and I felt like the performers really embraced their character which made the show so captivating. This shows how blacks were oppressed and abused but shows it in such a way that is overpowering and moving by using vibrant colors and sounds. Performing this on Broadway is a big movement because it not only addresses issues of slavery and black oppression, but also because it is performed by all blacks. For many years Broadway was only performed by whites, so having a full cast of black people performing this show about the cruelty blacks have endured, is a movement within itself.
Grease and Hair are typical Broadway shows and in my opinion, they were performed perfectly with the use of set changes, lively music, active performers, and excitement. There never was a dull moment and in times of set changes, the director used creative ways to make it appear seamless even though it was happening right before the audiences eyes. I enjoy the costumes used on Broadway because when looking at them separately it doesn't seem as if they would match and coordinate together, but when combined in the show somehow they are put together in such a way that is flawless. When looking at each costume individually I love to see how much detail there is in each piece. Also, the unique changes that occurred during the Tony Awards with Jennifer Holiday ... was captivating. Having the stage turn and each time it turned showing a different show was extremely innovative. I really enjoyed watching this video because I was able to see many different Broadway shows being performed on the same stage all at once.

Madama Butterfly animation

From the few Opera videos I watched in class and after watching this animation, I agree that Opera evokes emotion no matter what. Different tones and sounds play with our emotions and get different reactions. If the music is fast, the audience will react with anticipation and suspension, but if the music is slow and calm, the audience will feel happy and relaxed. In this animation, the music really told the story. As it opened the music was peaceful and soft which fit the scene of  a butterfly in the field with the man and women making love. The music was also used to show the changes from morning to night, ranging from cheerful to more serious tones. When the baby was born, the music got really loud and high pitched which represents the new life being brought into the world. Also, when the man returned, the music was very upbeat and hopeful, which was reflecting the feeling of the woman. But when he came back with another woman to take the baby, the music became very low and serious which represents how the mother was feeling as her baby was taken away from her. I enjoyed the flow of this animation because the music really connected the story and would have been able to tell a story even without the visual aspect of it. As the woman was deconstructing her limbs at the climax of the story, the music was the most dramatic at that point too. If the music had not been there to support the visual, the audience would not feel the woman's pain of having her baby being taken away. Throughout the animation, I was able to be connected with my emotions from this. Opera truly does evoke emotion and leads the audience throughout the story to feel connected with the performance.

Raul Cuero's interview about Creativity

From watching Dr. Cuero's interview, I was able to tell that he is a very humble man; although he has great success he does not brag or boast. To me, it seems that he is very proud of his accomplishments which is well deserved. I had not heard about Dr. Cuero before watching this interview, but now that I have learned about him, I have a great deal of respect for this man. He did not grow up in the best situation to say the least, having a father who did not know how to read and write and encountering prejudice throughout most of his life made it difficult for Dr. Cuero to achieve what he has. I really admire his outlook on life, especially when talking about peoples' expectations of others and that the only way to change their expectations, is to do what they didn't think you could do. By doing the unknown it surprises the person who is expecting you to do the known. I thought it was very unique that he had such a positive and encouraging outlook on life despite the fact that he always had predicaments against him.
Dr. Cuero's outlook on creativity is refreshing. I agree that creativity is about observing nature and playing with it. We experience through our senses and when using those senses, thats when creativity occurs. This concept is a reminder to me that I need to give back to nature and experience life a little more. I believe it is important that we use our senses in a variety of different ways on a daily basis and that will now be a goal of mine. Also, Dr. Cuero's outlook on intensity is empowering. Being committed to do something without fear is intensity and that is an aspiration; to live life with intensity. If you combine creativity and intensity into your daily life, you will have a successful life with many accomplishments, and that is exactly how Dr. Cuero lived his life.

Ascii art blog

After learning how technology has been used to create art through the Powerpoint in class, I have a better appreciation for art and the effort it that is put into it. Art comes in all different forms with unique styles and art can be anything. Looking around at ascii art is very interesting because it is using basic letters, numbers, and symbols to create something totally new and catching to the eye. Ascii art makes me look at it twice because there is just so much that each piece holds. Although it is portraying a picture, when you look closely, you see an intricate pattern woven together to produce this art. I like how letters can be put together to create words and symbols can be put together to create pictures, or vice versa. Ascii art is pristine and precise, but at the same time it is free and unique which is why this art is so interesting to me. Most people think of art as paintings or sculptures, but this shows that art can be anything especially in the world that is becoming so technologically diverse. Using technology to create art is not a new aspect, it has been around for centuries and will continue to be used as long as the world is still spinning.