Ironies And Things Are Not What They Seem Essay Example
Ironies And Things Are Not What They Seem Essay Example

Ironies And Things Are Not What They Seem Essay Example

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  • Pages: 6 (1606 words)
  • Published: July 5, 2017
  • Type: Essay
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For this controlled test, I was assigned the task of creating a presentation on the thematic area of Irony. Our production focused on the concept that things are not always as they appear, centered around the theme of irony. In addition to this overarching theme, we incorporated another type of irony called dramatic irony.

This passage discusses the concept of dramatic irony, which occurs when the audience possesses knowledge about the characters or plot that the characters themselves are unaware of. The inspiration for this idea came from a theater production called 'Blithe Spirits', where a deceased wife returns as a spirit and wanders her own house as if she were still alive. Our storyline is quite similar, depicting a situation where two female twins and their friend are on vacation, and one of the twins is killed by a schizophren

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ic. In our play, the living twin can see her deceased sister's spirit, while the friend cannot. This creates dramatic irony as the audience knows that one twin is dead, but the characters remain unaware.

I chose to work in a group of five once again because it had proven successful before. Alison, Hannah, Rachel, Johanna, and I all have backgrounds in dance and drama, which allowed us to really emphasize these elements in our play. We decided to collaborate as a group because we wanted to highlight a range of characters, forms, and techniques.

Despite our lack of musical training, we all shared a common interest in incorporating composition into our presentation. We believed that combining more than two art forms would allow us to effectively express our characters' emotions, feelings, and personality in a captivating manner.

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By using dance as a means of conveying these aspects without relying on dialogue, we were able to engage the audience and captivate their interest. Additionally, music served as an atmospheric backdrop throughout the performance, enhancing key moments such as narration or opening scenes. We took it upon ourselves to compose music specifically for our dance routines, enabling us to seamlessly integrate both art forms simultaneously.

Our target audience for this presentation comprised of teenagers and adults. The reason behind this selection was that teenagers could connect more with the depicted events, such as arguments between friends. Additionally, the scenes depicted in the presentation might have been too intense for young children, as they involve murder and schizophrenia. Furthermore, the storyline may have been overly intricate for them to comprehend.

Discussing ideas and opinions as a group was not particularly challenging. Once we settled on the subjects of dramatic irony, murder, and ghosts, each of us shared our thoughts on these themes. We all agreed on incorporating influences from the various topics we had previously studied.

During our brainstorming session, we drew inspiration from Cabaret, A Talk in the Park, and Ghost Dances. From Cabaret, we derived ideas about contrasting scenes within scenes and creating tableaux with acting surrounding it. Moreover, we aimed to incorporate a theme of pretense and deception from A Talk in the Park.

Using a photograph with artificial smiles, we effectively conveyed one of the central themes of the play, Ghost Dances, which is spirits. To directly connect our presentation to the performance, we incorporated the precise routine we had learned in past terms, thus revealing to the audience that one of our characters was

a ghost. Through brainstorming and collecting ideas, we were able to develop a coherent outline for our play.

This text describes the thorough research conducted prior to assembling scenes. The investigation involved gathering information from various sources such as books, newspapers, television, the Internet, and personal interviews. The tasks were divided among the team members. To ensure a high-quality presentation, we identified several resources that we believed would be essential:

  • A picture of a beach, initially intended for the overhead projector (OHP) to provide the audience with visual context of the characters' location.
  • Contrasting music to underscore the acting and dancing on stage, which would have a significant impact on the audience.
  • Song lyrics that could be directly incorporated into our narration for two purposes: 1) to link our storytelling directly to the meaning and message of the songs, and 2) if the songs were familiar to our audience, they might enhance their understanding and appreciation of the plot and its message.
  • A specific name for the beach to enhance the realism of the storyline. We believed that if the audience was familiar with the beach, they could better envision the events happening on stage, ultimately creating a stronger impact and effect on them.
  • Selection of poems to include in the narration, revealing the background and events leading up to the play.
  • Research on schizophrenic behavior to effectively portray a character.
  • An effective dance routine that demonstrated control and entrapment.
  • I specifically conducted research to find a suitable beach picture and its corresponding name.

    This research was conducted to find a popular beach that the audience would recognize easily and be able to visualize. The chosen beach name was also used in news reports within

    our play, aiming for instant recognition from the audience. However, some of this research was not included in the final production. We decided that using a photograph of the characters on an overhead projector (OHP) would be more effective and provide better explanation to the audience. The beach name appeared twice in the play, during a news report that revealed information about the characters. This research ultimately helped in explaining the characters' whereabouts and surroundings, making it more comprehensible, realistic, and successful. Additionally, I observed my twin cousins who are 18 years old to gain insight into how to portray myself as a twin on stage.

    The way they communicated and interacted with each other was carefully examined in comparison to others. Their physical movements and gestures were quite similar, and Rachel and I attempted to depict this in our on-stage relationship. This research greatly benefited us, as it helped develop our characters and strengthen our bond on stage. The result was a more authentic portrayal, making it seem as if we were truly twin sisters.

    Inspired by Cabaret, we incorporated contrasting music into the performance. Specifically, we opted for songs by 'Coldplay'. The music chosen was in a major key and had a joyful tone, which created a deliberate contrast with the somber and frightening images on stage. During the initial part of the piece, while the narrator delivered negative lines with a melancholic yet profound tone, the contrasting music played. This juxtaposition proved to be highly effective. Additionally, the music was repeated in an ostinato style, creating a sense of familiarity and signaling that something unsettling was transpiring.

    When this was played a second time, a

    dance was performed to highlight the boundary between the living and the deceased. This was equally effective as the music created a distinct contrast with the dance on stage. The play extensively incorporated research on Schizophrenia. Alison and Johanna portrayed the same character but with split personalities - Johanna depicted the innocent, sane side while Alison portrayed the Schizophrenic, distorted side. The research helped effectively showcase the various aspects of the character, thus making it believable for the audience.

    The song lyrics and narrative poems we discovered were unnecessary for our presentation as they did not align with the overall structure or message of the plays. Instead, we opted to compose our own passages that directly addressed the characters, plot, and setting. This approach proved highly successful and impactful. The initial narration, authored by both Alison and myself, served as a poem detailing the preceding events and provided significant context for the unfolding storyline.

    Alison's individual narration, the second one, was both powerful and informative for the audience. In her narration, she focused on the ghost and the ghost's association with her living friend. The friend remained unaware of Rachel's spirit, almost as if she purposely ignored her. Alison, the narrator, clarified that this was not due to a lack of communication between the friends, but rather because the friend simply could not see Rachel. Alison also emphasized that their friendship would never be the same again. The play "Blithe Spirits" had a significant impact on our final production, as previously mentioned. Its utilization of dramatic irony inspired us to develop our own and create a compelling piece of drama.

    In our presentation, we decided to incorporate a

    technique commonly seen in mystery-solving dramas. Just like in those shows, we repeated the clues we had given the audience in order to emphasize the final storyline. This happened during the scene where my character makes the shocking discovery that her twin sister, whom she had interacted with throughout the day, was actually murdered the previous evening.
    The main inspiration for our performance came from the unit we had been studying, specifically the Ghost Dance. We felt that the research we had done on this topic was sufficient to create a meaningful and impactful dance. However, we also used the sequence that we were taught in class as a foundation.
    Additionally, we drew inspiration from Rachel Stevens' debut single, titled 'Sweet dreams my LA ex,' particularly with regard to her dancing. In her performance, she utilized ribbons that she held onto at one end while her dancers held onto the other ends.

    The outcome resulted in her being caught and entangled by the ribbons, rendering her unable to escape. Simultaneously, her dancers possessed the ability to manipulate her every action. Our intention was to accurately depict Rachel's current state and circumstances, emphasizing the notion that anyone had the capability to dictate the fate of her physical form.

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