...The Transformation of Hip-Hop African American playwrights are writing about difficult topics that affect the hip-hop generation. In this paper, I will focus on the transformation of hip –hop through theatre in the work of Robert Alexander, A Preface to the Alien Garden, and the work of Kamilla Forbes, A Rhyme Deferred. These playwrights reflect the evolution and different elements of the hip-hop culture. There are many similarities and differences between them regarding themes, intent, definition of hip hop generation and black theatre, the impact each play has on the hip-hop generation, and the historical context of each play. Both playwrights do an amazing reflecting an accurate depiction of the hip-hop generation, which embodies gangster rap, regular hip-hop music, dance, and music. Kamilla Forbes is an actress, director, and playwright who wrote and directed Rhyme Deferred. She is the Founding Artistic Director of the Hip Hop Theatre Junction where she focuses on producing and creating works reflecting the hip-hop generation. Her thoughts and passion for hip hop and theatre and the idea that the new hip hop generation was not reflected through theatre, sparked her to began her story and write the play Rhyme Deferred. This highly energetic play engages the audience through dance and breaking down the “third wall” between the actors and the audience. Rhyme Deferred is the story of two brothers, both rappers. The older brother, Kain, is a mainstream rapper and becomes successful...
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...their lovers. The themes of madness, attitude towards the mentally ill, transformations and growth and fidelity and love are portrayed through the conventions and techniques of symbolism, play within a play, setting and characters. Readers are positioned to respond to the immediate world and the world at large with complete madness, as it seems the world at large is a world apart from society. The play explores the theme of madness through the convention of setting. The idea of an inside world and outside world is shown through the symbolism and paranoia of society. The dark, derelict burnt out theatre is a metaphor for the world at large, and the drama that is enacted on its charred surface is a reflection of the larger dramas taking place outside. The outside world is noticed to have fear about the spread of communism, the mass casualties and the war crimes, for example the massacre of civilians, the torture of people and the rape. Readers respond to the absolute madness at times with confusion, as it’s hard to understand what it means exactly to be ‘normal.’ This I often shown through the troubled vision of the ‘abnormal’ characters being perhaps saner than those outside of the institution. Another theme explored within the performance is madness of a play within a play. The insanity of putting on a sexist play in the 1970’s about love and fidelity during the period of the Vietnam War, with...
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...South Africa through Theatre This paper sets out to explore how processes of theatre making employed by The Mothertongue project, provide spaces for women to remap their personal narratives. Mothertongue works from the premise that the development and subsequent performance of stories in theatrical processes affords women the opportunity to re-write and remap their personal narratives and in so doing insert their voices into the landscape of South African Theatre. In an attempt to redress the gender imbalances and androcentricism prevalent in post-apartheid theatre, this paper speaks to the relationship between theatre, liminality and communitas. I am interested in unpacking how collaborative processes of theatre-making provide spaces for women to remap their personal narratives. Remapping in this instance refers to processes of transforming lived experience through story. I address how, through engaging in ritual activities that are central to the stories performed, actors, audiences and the owners of the source stories are invited to physically participate in remapping and transforming lived experience. Linked to this is the choice of form(s) and how this affects or impacts on the performed stories as well as on the construction of performed rituals and ultimately on the processes of remapping personal narratives. I focus specifically on Mothertongue’s 2004 production, Uhambo: pieces of a dream. The production was an integration of theatre and visual art in the...
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... Outline Thesis: Sarah Bernhardt’s fame and notoriety in film and on the French stage during the late 19th and early 20th centuries made being an actress a respectable job for women in European society. I. Introduction: Sarah Bernhardt strongly influenced the respectability of being an actress. A. Brief outline of how actresses were perceived in society in each century. II. Views on female actresses prior to Bernhardt’s time. A. Women in theatre during the 16th Century 1. Women in Shakespearean theatre a. Women’s roles were played by young boys. 2. Commedia dell’Arte – Italian improvised drama a. A type of masked theatre that usually had a family for its cast, with a husband and wife. b. Despite opposition, this type of theatre gave women a place on the stage. B. Women in theatre during the 17th Century 1. Women first appeared on the English and Parisian stages. 2. Actresses of this time were considered unwomanly and improper as they had to put themselves on public display in order to work. C. Women in theatre during the 18th and early 19th Centuries. 1. Women during the 18th and 19th centuries often led boring lives as they weren’t allowed to do what men took part in. 2. Aristocratic libertinism- the activity in the high society of France of pursuing the pleasures of the flesh. a. Seduction was a game; when actresses came along, men of high society preferred them as opposed to high-born women because they weren’t married and were seen as exotic...
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...The Analysis 1. The novel “Theatre” was written by a famous English writer of the 20th century William Somerset Maugham in 1937. He was the master of story-telling. He could convey human relationships and feelings with a startling reality. The main theme of his works is the conflict of a creative person with the society. Maugham’s English is clear and lucid, his characters are recognizable, and this makes his books so popular. 2. This extract is about Dolly de Vries. She was a rich widow and Michael and Julia asked her for help, she agreed because she was interested in Julia and admired her talent. But she didn’t much like Michael. He was sure that Dolly might put up the money they needed, but he knew that she might do it only for Julia but not for him. Julia refused to approach her. But when they were going to spend the week-end with Dolly, he urged Julia to seize the opportunity that the week-end presented. Julia explained that people financed plays for two reasons, either because they wanted notoriety, or because they were in love with someone. But Michael had never even thought that Dolly was in love with him. He was very surprised when Julia told him that it was not he whom Dolly loved. He didn’t believe it. 3. This extract belongs to the belles-lettres functional style, the main purpose of which is to give the readers aesthetic pleasure, to make them think and entertain by appealing to their emotions. The major part of the text is presented by the...
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...RUSANGU UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE ENGL 210 Shakespeare Notes LECTURER SAMBOKO, B. M. There are many outstanding people in history: - our heroes… our role models…. Politicians: Napoleon, Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Abraham Lincoln, John F Kennedy, Margaret Thatcher, Mahatma Gandhi, Kenneth Kaunda Community Service: Mother Teresa, George Muller, David Livingstone Religious: Apostle Paul, the other apostles, Ellen G White, Anderson, The pope, Martin Luther, Sports: Neymar, Messi, Ronaldo, Benzema - Michael Jordan, Pele, Maradona Music: Lady Gaga, jZ, Tupak, Michael Jackson, Jim Reeves, Jimmy Hendricks, Literary Circles: Before Shakespeare the great names in literature were: o Homer – Ancient times - well known for his great epics o Dante – Middle Ages – wrote brilliantly on circumstances of human existence o Aristotle – the great philosopher ENTER SHAKESPEARE – THE LITERARY GIANT Spelling of Shakespeare: Spelling not yet standardized, thus name spelled in different ways • Shakespeare, Shakspere, Shackspere, Shaxper, Shagspere, Shaxberd, etc. Shakespeare: The most well known playwright of Elizabethan times is Shakespeare. But there were also other writers who in their time were just as, or even more famous than him. WHAT MAKES SHAKESPEARE STAND OUT? – The volume of his works Plays firmly attributed to Shakespeare ■ 14 COMEDIES – funny play...
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...Commedia Dell’arte is a form of comedic theatre originating in Italy in the 16th century (Wilson, 2010). This form of theatre was first established as a street performance in the Italian Renaissance, providing a comic release to the people in the market places. “This colourful and extremely theatrical art form is based on the interaction of traditional stock characters in improvised scenarios that facilitate a comic plot to arrive at a humorous climax (Shane Arts, n.d.).” 20 Lazzi’s in a Hat successfully manipulated one-dimensional storyline, physical gags and stock characters in order to demonstrate a variety of human vices in order to heighten the hilarity. The human vices highlighted in this performance were arrogance, vanity and stupidity,...
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...World-Class Theatre in the Heart of Vermont 703 Main Stre e t , W eston, V T 05161 www.westonplayhouse.o rg The Weston Playhouse Theatre Company The 2010 WPTC Teacher’s Workshop and the School Matinee and Touring Production is made possible in part by grants from: The Bay and Paul Foundations Mountain Room Foundation National Endowment for the Arts The Shubert Foundation The Vermont Country Store and The Orton Family Vermont Humanities Council and the National Endowment for the Humanities With additional contributions from: Black River Produce Berkshire Bank Clark’s Quality Foods Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation Ezra Jack Keats Foundation Okemo Mountain Resort Thrifty Attic …and an ever growing family of individuals who believe in the impact that the performing arts can have on its community. This Teachers Study Guide was compiled and edited by Rena Murman. Credit and thanks to the following theatres for materials used or referenced from study guides created for Death of a Salesman: Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis, MN; Kennedy Center, Washington, DC; Lyric Theatre, London; Royal Lyceum Theatre Company, Edinburgh; Yale Repertory Theatre, New Haven, CT. © 2010 Weston Playhouse Theatre Company, a nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational and cultural institution. WPTC Performance Guides may be duplicated at no charge for educational purposes only. They may not be sold or used in other publications without the express written consent of the Weston Playhouse Theatre Company. Weston...
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...the Anouilh’s Antigone was first performed in 1944, women had formed a multitude of organizations such as XXX. Shortly after the play was had its first performance in France, women received the right to vote and stand for election (Reynolds 2). During a time of political revolution, the play Antigone emulated the discrimination women in France faced at the time; Antigone’s portrayal as an obstinate, strong-willed character shows her resistance against prejudice, such as many women were doing when the play was first performed. The play itself cannot directly achieve considerable change in societal viewpoints; it merely parallels the challenges women encountered. During a performance of Antigone at the Oxford Playhouse in 2010, both Antigone and Creon’s character illustrate the stereotypes of sexes at the time. As shown in a photo of the performance, Antigone sits in a chair, with a...
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...For Beethoven, the sonata form is not a scheme that can be used in caprice one day and abandoned the next. This form dominates everything he imagines and composes; it is the very mark of his creation and the form of his thought – an inherent form, a natural one. (Edwin Fischer, Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas). Beethoven’s thirty-two piano sonatas constitute a great treasure that embodies a part of the human eternity. Numerous pianists and musicologists have researched or studied them, trying to impart to their students or readers the prodigality of these true musical riches. Beethoven holds a key role in the transformation and evolution of the sonata form. Even if he maintains the characteristics initially set by his predecessors, Haydn and Mozart, Beethoven imposes on the sonata his strong personality creating a new, impressive, form of art, in which his own life, with its joys and sorrows, is projected. With Beethoven the musical theme acquires remarkable proportions, of such strength, that it imposes itself over the listener’s attention and memory. As the French composer, Vincent d’ Indy once said, with Beethoven, the musical theme turns into an concept that spreads throughout the hole work making it easily recognizable even if harmonic, modal or tonal aspects change. The fundamental principle of organization of the Beethoven piano sonata is the tonality. We can say that Beethoven perceived tonality as the key to any composition, since it leads to the true...
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...Contemporary American Drama This is a term paper assignment for the class “Contemporary American Drama.” In this assignment, I will firstly give a clear definition of drama producing the historical background of contemporary American Drama briefly. Then I am going to introduce the genres we have covered with the characteristics of each such as absurdist, realist and feminist drama. After introducing the genres, I will give a brief analysis of the plays and the playwrights we have studied in class. Finally, I will make a few objective points about my personal performance, the instructor’s performance and the contribution of the course to my academic career. Drama is a literary work generally performed by actors in a kind of stage which involves conflicts and action crisis in it with a plot, characters and dialogues. Setting, costuming, props, blocking, movement, gestures, pacing, intonation are main elements of the spectacle. The distinct period in all arts with drama begins in 1960s. Until 1950s, the words American Drama and Broadway have almost same meanings. In the very beginning times of American Drama, plays were not originals; they were wholly borrowed from London. But after 50s, American Drama changed radically. Actors, directors, and others from Broadway came to America, because now they did not have any job there. After they came, they established their own Off-Broadway companies here. The most popular and affection dramatists of time in America were Eugene O’Neill...
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...A one-act play is a play that has only one act, as distinct from plays that occur over several acts. One-act plays may consist of one or more scenes. In recent years, the 10-minute play known as "flash drama" has emerged as a popular sub-genre of the one-act play, especially in writing competitions. The origin of the one-act play may be traced to the very beginning of drama: in ancient Greece, Cyclops, a satyr play byEuripides, is an early example. The One-Act Play, very popular in the 20th century, is regarded by many as a modern product. But this is far from the truth. One-Act Plays were written and staged throughout the 18th and the 19th centuries, as “The Curtain Raisers” or “The After Pieces”. They were chiefly farcial and served to amuse the audience before the commencement of the actual drama or were staged for their amusement, just after it had come to an end. The famous One-Act Play “Monkey’s Paw” was first staged as a “Curtain Raiser” and it proved to be more entertaining than the main drama. It may be said to mark the beginning of the modern One-Act Play. It was great Norwegian dramatist Ibsen that gave to the One-Act Play its modern touch. It was he, who, for the first time, introduced the minute stage-directions into the One-Act Play. Before him one act plays were written in poetry, but he made prose the medium of his one act plays. In short he made the drama, simple and real, and brought it nearer to everyday life. He made the modern One-Act Play what it is and...
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...B.A. (HONOURS) ENGLISH (Three Year Full Time Programme) COURSE CONTENTS (Effective from the Academic Year 2011-2012 onwards) DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH UNIVERSITY OF DELHI DELHI - 110007 0 Course: B.A. (Hons.) English Semester I Paper 1: English Literature 4(i) Paper 2: Twentieth Century Indian Writing(i) Paper 3: Concurrent – Qualifying Language Paper 4: English Literature 4(ii) Semester II Paper 5: Twentieth Century Indian Writing(ii) Paper 6: English Literature 1(i) Paper 7: Concurrent – Credit Language Paper 8: English Literature 1(ii) Semester III Paper 9: English Literature 2(i) Paper 10: Option A: Nineteenth Century European Realism(i) Option B: Classical Literature (i) Option C: Forms of Popular Fiction (i) Paper 11: Concurrent – Interdisciplinary Semester IV Semester V Paper 12: English Literature 2(ii) Paper 13: English Literature 3(i) Paper 14: Option A: Nineteenth Century European Realism(ii) Option B: Classical Literature (ii) Option C: Forms of Popular Fiction (ii) Paper 15: Concurrent – Discipline Centered I Paper 16: English Literature 3(ii) Paper 17: English Literature 5(i) Paper 18: Contemporary Literature(i) Paper 19: Option A: Anglo-American Writing from 1930(i) Option B: Literary Theory (i) Option C: Women’s Writing of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries (i) Option D: Modern European Drama (i) Paper 20: English Literature 5(ii) Semester VI Paper 21: Contemporary Literature(ii) Paper 22: Option A: Anglo-American Writing from 1930(ii) Option B:...
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...targeting and positioning Assignment Question Produce an international marketing plan that will introduce a consumer brand sold in your home market into a country in which it is currently not available. Introduction International Marketing As you can see that nowadays, a majority of organization try to market their products internationally. There are some reasons why they want to market it internationally and the reasons are to saturated their home market, competition, excess capacity, product life cycle differences, geographic diversification, comparative advantage in product, skill and technology, organizational reasons and lastly is the financial reasons (Walsh., L.S., 1993). International marketing can be defined as the performance of the business activities that is specially designed to plan, price, promote, and were designed to direct the flow of the company’s goods and services to consumers or users in more than one nation for a profit (Cateora.R.Philip., Gilly. C. Mary., Graham. L. John., 2009). With an international marketing, you may market your own product and services internationally and can redo back on the products life cycle. Although, the product and...
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...fame. This essay will analyze and interpret the narrative technique, the many references to Shakespeare and his works and a characterization of the protagonist, Gavin. The short story’s protagonist is Gavin Pollard who lives in London and works as an actor. The text is formed as a letter from Gavin to Malcolm – the director of a play, in which Gavin plays the understudy. In the personal letter Gavin tries to explain a crime he has committed towards his fellow actor, Alex, who plays the leading role of the play. In the letter Gavin writes about his passion for the theatre and that he really wants to be in the spotlight – just for once. His jealous feelings towards Alex results in a purchase from a Chinese herbalist, which is used to poison Alex. Because of the poisoning Alex gets sick, with a short-term stomachache, and therefore Gavin gets the chance to perform in front of the audience. After the performance, Gavin gets the attention that he so badly wants, which makes him greedy. He gets his friend to round up journalists and casting agents to come see him as the lead role of the play. But when Alex recovers and is ready to come back to the play, Gavin panics and hits him in the head with a cricket bat. They start fighting, but it shortly ends when Gavin hits him again and gets Alex seriously hurt. In the letter Gavin states that it wasn’t his intention to hurt Alex in that extend, although it did...
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