4. Select a passage from the concluding chapter of a novel you have chosen to study and show how acting, staging effects and design can combine to make it an effective ending for an audience.
The passage I choose will be the last chapter. It is the scene that Andrea and Daniel are getting married, and it is also the day that peasants have celebration. Desiree shows the clear contrast of the happy atmosphere. She is dead on the road because of desperation and starvation.
Costumes
1. The riches are dressing colorfully and exotically, and they are wearing the exaggeratedly big shining diamonds and jewelry.
2. The peasants are in brown clothes as always, but their hands, their faces are clean, and their hairs are glowing under the sun.
3. Desiree is wearing her pretty dress that is given from Daniel's house, but the dress is old and dirty because Desiree did not take care of her outfit. Her dress is ragged, her bare foot is muddy, and her hair is matted. She is not as shining as the riches, and she is not as clean as the peasants either.
Staging
1. Will be divided to two parts first.
a. The left stage is the peasants who have a long table and enough food and meats on the table. Beside the table, children are dancing in a circle, laughing with the drums playing.
b. The right stage is the riches' garden where people in big dress dancing waltz with a small string quartet. They have several round tables, and the shining forks and flowers are on the table. They are not laughing out loud, but they are smiling, bowing to each other. The bright lighting is on, and then after a while, Desiree can come to the stage, numbing going through the two different groups like a ghost and then standing on the down center.
2. After Desiree comes to the down center stage, stage is divided to three parts.
After she speaks her line, the two different groups can interact with each other, while Desiree is still being left out of the group.
Lighting and others
1. The lighting can be always bright, but we can have some colored smoke (fog) on the stage. At first, the stage is clean with bright warm light until Desiree comes out. After Desiree come out, the stage is going to have yellow fog on the one side, and the red or orange fog on the other side of the stage. When the stage becomes foggy and we cannot see anything clearly, then happiness is like a delusion for Desiree. When the fog finally swallows Desiree, the audience can only hear the laugh. Someone can pass the stage and says"oh, who is she?" "What a poor girl"etc. After people pass by and the fog is clear, only Desiree's copse lying on the center.
Acting
1. Desiree does not know how she should react to the environment since she is the only person who is not happy. She loses her identity since she is not a rich girl either a peasant girl. She is weak, starving, and desperate. The contrast is like a satirical comedy laughing at her childish dream and laughing at all the effort she took. The extreme loneliness, desperation, and a merciless fate made Desiree cannot bear anymore. Therefore, she bows down and smiles and laughs with the groups.
The passage I choose will be the last chapter. It is the scene that Andrea and Daniel are getting married, and it is also the day that peasants have celebration. Desiree shows the clear contrast of the happy atmosphere. She is dead on the road because of desperation and starvation.
Costumes
1. The riches are dressing colorfully and exotically, and they are wearing the exaggeratedly big shining diamonds and jewelry.
2. The peasants are in brown clothes as always, but their hands, their faces are clean, and their hairs are glowing under the sun.
3. Desiree is wearing her pretty dress that is given from Daniel's house, but the dress is old and dirty because Desiree did not take care of her outfit. Her dress is ragged, her bare foot is muddy, and her hair is matted. She is not as shining as the riches, and she is not as clean as the peasants either.
Staging
1. Will be divided to two parts first.
a. The left stage is the peasants who have a long table and enough food and meats on the table. Beside the table, children are dancing in a circle, laughing with the drums playing.
b. The right stage is the riches' garden where people in big dress dancing waltz with a small string quartet. They have several round tables, and the shining forks and flowers are on the table. They are not laughing out loud, but they are smiling, bowing to each other. The bright lighting is on, and then after a while, Desiree can come to the stage, numbing going through the two different groups like a ghost and then standing on the down center.
2. After Desiree comes to the down center stage, stage is divided to three parts.
After she speaks her line, the two different groups can interact with each other, while Desiree is still being left out of the group.
Lighting and others
1. The lighting can be always bright, but we can have some colored smoke (fog) on the stage. At first, the stage is clean with bright warm light until Desiree comes out. After Desiree come out, the stage is going to have yellow fog on the one side, and the red or orange fog on the other side of the stage. When the stage becomes foggy and we cannot see anything clearly, then happiness is like a delusion for Desiree. When the fog finally swallows Desiree, the audience can only hear the laugh. Someone can pass the stage and says"oh, who is she?" "What a poor girl"etc. After people pass by and the fog is clear, only Desiree's copse lying on the center.
Acting
1. Desiree does not know how she should react to the environment since she is the only person who is not happy. She loses her identity since she is not a rich girl either a peasant girl. She is weak, starving, and desperate. The contrast is like a satirical comedy laughing at her childish dream and laughing at all the effort she took. The extreme loneliness, desperation, and a merciless fate made Desiree cannot bear anymore. Therefore, she bows down and smiles and laughs with the groups.
5. Select a passage from a novel you have chosen to study which provides an effective introduction of an important character or characters. How would you use staging, design and acting to ensure that this introduction would have dramatic importance for the audience?
The passage I choose will be the part that Desiree first sees Papa Ge in chapter 4. In the fight between Desiree and Papa Ge, the characteristic of these two can be revealed clearly. Desiree shows her determination by shouting "my love, my love!", so that we can know that she is tough fighting death. Even though Papa Ge does not say any word, from Desiree's reaction, we can feel the dark bloom atmosphere around Papa Ge.
Setting:
1. The stage is split to two part, one side is for desiree, and the other side is for Papa Ge. Spotlight is on Desiree and every where else is dark.
2. The setting is mainly lightning and ranning. Therefore, the sound backstage will be howling wind, rain showering, and lightning with the sound of cracking wood door.
3. Before Papa Ge comes to the stage, crow's croaking is sharp and noisy. It build up the dark enviornment more intense and more ominous.
Customes:
1. Desiree can wear a white dress to show the figure of life and show the contrast to Papa Ge.
2. Papa Ge wear in black feather robe (like Snape's black robe), the long hair covers his face, and his face is thin and pale like a dead person. Crow's feather made this robe, and if you get close, you can see the fresh blood that on the feather that is still bright and warm. When Papa Ge laugh, the black ink flow out of his mouth (like Pirate Salazar).
The passage I choose will be the part that Desiree first sees Papa Ge in chapter 4. In the fight between Desiree and Papa Ge, the characteristic of these two can be revealed clearly. Desiree shows her determination by shouting "my love, my love!", so that we can know that she is tough fighting death. Even though Papa Ge does not say any word, from Desiree's reaction, we can feel the dark bloom atmosphere around Papa Ge.
Setting:
1. The stage is split to two part, one side is for desiree, and the other side is for Papa Ge. Spotlight is on Desiree and every where else is dark.
2. The setting is mainly lightning and ranning. Therefore, the sound backstage will be howling wind, rain showering, and lightning with the sound of cracking wood door.
3. Before Papa Ge comes to the stage, crow's croaking is sharp and noisy. It build up the dark enviornment more intense and more ominous.
Customes:
1. Desiree can wear a white dress to show the figure of life and show the contrast to Papa Ge.
2. Papa Ge wear in black feather robe (like Snape's black robe), the long hair covers his face, and his face is thin and pale like a dead person. Crow's feather made this robe, and if you get close, you can see the fresh blood that on the feather that is still bright and warm. When Papa Ge laugh, the black ink flow out of his mouth (like Pirate Salazar).
8. Select a passage from a novel you have chosen to study which deals with a fantasy or dream
sequence of consequence to the narrative. How can acting and design elements be used to stage such a fantasy or dream sequence for an audience?
The passage I choose will be chapter 11, where Desiree meets Daniel by the pool. The words mention, "In her sleep she heard him. Lying at the side of the pool, listening to the sounds from the hotel, she had drifted off to sleep." In addition, the next chapter does not show any sign that Daniel remembers he comes to find Desiree. Chapter 11 ends up Desiree holding Dnaiel tight and sleeping with him by the pool, and at the beginning of Chapter 12, Desiree awakes by herself. Therefore, the chapter 11 can be adapted as a fantasy of Desiree.
Setting:
1. The pool is originally near the hotel. The blue spotlight is only on Desiree, and everywhere else is darkness. The background can be the dark blue screen with black hotel and skysrapers's models.
2. When Daniel comes and while they are talking, the blue light spreads out. It represents the change of a small pool to large endless sea. The dry ice is released to the stage, and the background of hotel and skyscraper disappear. Instead, the screen shows the skys full of stars with a bright moon.
Customes:
1. Desiree can wear a light blue dress that is blue before Daniel comes and is shinning in the light after Daniel comes.
The passage I choose will be chapter 11, where Desiree meets Daniel by the pool. The words mention, "In her sleep she heard him. Lying at the side of the pool, listening to the sounds from the hotel, she had drifted off to sleep." In addition, the next chapter does not show any sign that Daniel remembers he comes to find Desiree. Chapter 11 ends up Desiree holding Dnaiel tight and sleeping with him by the pool, and at the beginning of Chapter 12, Desiree awakes by herself. Therefore, the chapter 11 can be adapted as a fantasy of Desiree.
Setting:
1. The pool is originally near the hotel. The blue spotlight is only on Desiree, and everywhere else is darkness. The background can be the dark blue screen with black hotel and skysrapers's models.
2. When Daniel comes and while they are talking, the blue light spreads out. It represents the change of a small pool to large endless sea. The dry ice is released to the stage, and the background of hotel and skyscraper disappear. Instead, the screen shows the skys full of stars with a bright moon.
Customes:
1. Desiree can wear a light blue dress that is blue before Daniel comes and is shinning in the light after Daniel comes.
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