Elektra is the first Greek play I have watched and it was quite an experience for me. At first I had a little difficulty getting used to watching actors with masks on and not being able to see their facial expressions. To be honest, I think I would have liked it better if the actors didn’t have their masks on. Also, as it was performed out in the open, I had a hard time concentrating on the play and following the story. A few of times I would find myself looking at the trees in the background and people near the halls and suddenly realizing that I am supposed to be watching the play. Even though I was not able to concentrate well, I learned a lot about the different aspects of Greek theatre.
The Set
Talking about the asp
ects of theatre, I think it saves a lot of energy to have a performance in the open like the Greek play. The light and sound were great, but it would have been better if artificial source could be used. I think the director did a good job in presenting the different aspects of a Greek play and the actors used the performance space well. I learned from research that the origin of the word “theatre” is related to Greek plays. It made me feel that Greek plays must have had a very important place in the history of theatre. I also noticed that the original Greek plays were performed on a space similar to the dell. The picture on the left shows the original performance space for Greek plays with the names of the different parts of theatre. The pictures below are the ones taken at our school.
ects of theatre, I think it saves a lot of energy to have a performance in the open like the Greek play. The light and sound were great, but it would have been better if artificial source could be used. I think the director did a good job in presenting the different aspects of a Greek play and the actors used the performance space well. I learned from research that the origin of the word “theatre” is related to Greek plays. It made me feel that Greek plays must have had a very important place in the history of theatre. I also noticed that the original Greek plays were performed on a space similar to the dell. The picture on the left shows the original performance space for Greek plays with the names of the different parts of theatre. The pictures below are the ones taken at our school.
Although sound, lights and the set was great, I did not like the masks and the costumes very much. I think they could have been made more attractive. I learned from our class discussion that the masks actually help to increase the voice volume of the actors, but that it created difficulty in some dance moves. Masks can therefore be an obstruction. The fact that it was performed out in the open also created a lot of obstruction. There was no control over light and no equipments to control the sounds. If there were different lights and sounds like inside a theatre, it would help the audience follow the play, especially audiences like me who don’t have much experience in theatre.
All in all, I think the director and the actors did a good job in showing different aspects of Greek theatre. The audience applauded at the end of the performance, and even though it’s like a norm these days, the applause was loud and long, which showed that the audience must have enjoyed the performance. I think there are some areas like the costumes and the masks that can be improved on the next time.
1 comment:
Poojan,
Good job.
Thank you for your observations and candor. I think you have noted some very specific and clear obstructions that meet an outdoor production and an outdoor production that deals so specifically with old performance techniques in a modern context. I appreciate your ability to note the performance's value and its difficulties.
Think about how you may have used more historical research to make your points. I think you observations were valid, but think about how you could have strengthened them with more research and more references.
Good work though and thank you.
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