Honors Essay #4

A play, just like most things in life, is comprised of multiple components and people. If one of those components is missing, the show won’t go on. Without the bases of out of the box writing there is no need for actors who bring the characters to life, or for the audience to then root for them. But with a few key tools it’s possible to create this and much more.

Honors Essay #3

Hamlet has been around for over four hundred years. It has continually been read in high schools, colleges, and at the comfort of our own homes. Hamlet has stood the test of time and does not appear to be going away any time soon, or ever. In fact, the play has inspired various movie plots, character types, and sparked discussions and literary analysis.

Blog #17

After reading the script I was impressed with a few things. I liked when the characters cut one another off in what they were saying because it created a fast paced dialogue that not only got straight to the point but was actually amusing at the same time. I also enjoyed when Vincent was faced with two conflicts at the same time because he crumbles under the pressure. Lastly, I liked when Grant cut off Torry and told Vincent what to do, rather than listen to Torry. Below I have more specifics on why I liked these particular parts of the play.

Blog #16

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is a play that takes place off stage of the play Hamlet. It gives a story to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, two gentlemen that we all know are dead, from boththe title of the play and Hamlet. The whole play is one big ironic idea. First off, we already know the characters are dead, or will die, depending on which way you look at it. The play is also messing with the idea that the characters are in the play but also know that they are just actors and they aren't real. The writer makes it so the main characters have no recollection of their lives, or even their names at times. And sometimes the author lets them think that maybe they aren't real and they are just puppets in this story. The play is a play within a play and messes with the notion that they are just actors, not real.

Blog #15

The most important concept I took away from Hamlet is the use of plot to create a story. In order to have a story you of course need a plot. But Hamlet's plot is so complicated, exciting, and interesting that it's like nothing you've ever seen before, and if you have, it was probably taken from Hamlet. The play showed that plot creates drama and twist and turns that keep the audience interested and thinking of what will happen next. However this was no normal revenge plot, Hamlet didn't kill his father's killer immediately, it took time and planning and in the end he never really accomplished it.

Blog #14

For my groups Digital Essay we focused on these three questions.

  2. What do Hamlet's seven major soliloquies reveal about his character? -Katie

  3. Is Hamlet a sensitive, romantic idealist or tragically flawed and unable to act? How do you know? -Myself

  8. Explain Hamlet's conflicted feelings about suicide. -Kiva

The question I focused on was number three, about what kind of guy Hamlet is. I created a segment on our radio show that answered the question through viewers calling in.

Blog #13

In class my groups worked on creating an outline for out Radio Show as well as the script. 


Here is the Outline of what our Radio Show will look, or rather sound like. This Outline let everyone know what order the questions would be answered. As well as what they need to include in their segment of the radio. It's important to know what we want our show to sound like and know what we need to get done in order to create a flowing final product that includes all of our questions.

Blog #12

While everyone was putting together their Digital Plays for the critique, I sat down with Diego and went over acting exercises. I also helped him look up scenes for the actors. After the prep time for the critique was over, I acted as the facilitator during the session. I walked around and checked in with each group to see how the critique was going and ask any questions that I had. I made sure that the groups were on task and doing what they needed to in order to finish their plays.

Honors Essay #2

Love is strange. And unless you’re a princess in a fairytale, it is anything but perfect. It isn’t always love at first sight—people fight, and say the wrong things. Charlie Kaufman’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind shows that imperfect people can create imperfect love, which in turn is a recipe for their own perfection. Charlie Kaufman uses multiple literary devices such as, characterization, climax, and personification in order to covey this message.

Honors Essay #1

            “I like waking up to the smell of bacon – sue me.” Steve Carell said to explain why his foot was covered in bubble wrap—he stepped out of bed and into his Foreman Grill. Mindy Kaling wrote this episode of The Office, but Carell ran wild in this scene, and improvised the joke that was used. The directors kept the bacon joke in the final edit, and Carell once again showed how important improvisation is to comedy.

Blog #11

As Project Manager I am not working on the Digital Plays, but instead the Theater Project Calendar, and presentation to the class. I have been working on creating a calendar for the whole class to view upcoming dates and meetings that they should know about. It took a few drafts and some time to figure out the best setup for the calendar but we finally got there. I worked with the Production Managers to go over the calendar and figure out what system also worked well with them. The calendar is shared with the entire class so everyone has access to it.