Alaina’s blog Thoughts, Assignments, and Other things

Play Analysis

April 28, 2022 5:24 AM ⋅ 4 Comments ⋅

I. Where are they?

It takes place in Ancient Greece 

1. Exact geographic location.

The play takes place in, around, and near the Temple of Apollo in Delphi. 

a. What images do those evoke?

Greek marble statues, loose flowy cloth, gold, and silver jewelry represented the different gods. Marble and cobblestone roads. 

b. how does this affect mood?

It makes the play feel magical, mysterious, and timeless. 

c. suggests what colors, images, and textures?

Royalty tended to wear richer colors due to having the ability to afford the expensive dyes while the lower the class of a person, the more natural the colors were of their clothing. Royalty wore reds, purples, and golds. The middle class had more blues and tans, then the lower class wore browns and whites. 

II. When are they?

The play was written around 414-412 BC. So I would assume that the play occurs around then, if not earlier. 

a. are there parallels to other times

There was a revolt during the time this was written. The tension between Ion and Creusa could represent the conflict between the people. 

b. why did the author set it there

There was also discourse between Athens and the people of Ionia. Much like there was issues between the two during the play. 

c. what was happening in art, music, politics, theatre

Discourse between Athens and the people of Ionia. “Alcibiades must leave Sparta, accused of having had an affair with the wife of king Agis and of being the father of her son” (Suzanne) 

III. Who are they?

Ion- The son of Kerousa and Apollo. He was left to die after his mother gave birth to him. Apollo sent for him to be left at his temple where he grew up as a caretaker of the temple. He was given to King Xouthos in order for him to claim his rightful place on the thrown. 

Kerousa- Queen of Athans, and mother of Ion. Unable to have any other children. Abandoned Ion because she did not want to be shamed by her family. Did not know Ion was her son until the gods intervened when she tried to kill him for attempting to join the royal family. 

Xouthos- King of Athens. Adopted father of Ion. He is the grandson of Zeus. Wanted a son to carry on the family legacy. 

Chorus- the servants who are handmaidens of Kerousa. They follow her around and are the voice of the audience. 

Old Man- He is the slave of Kerousa. 

Servant- Warns Kerousa that she had been found out with attempting to kill Ion

Priestess of Apollo- Raised Ion. Priestess of the temple of Apollo. 

Athena- Stopped Ion and Kerousa from killing each other. Stepping in to fix the error of the gods. 

Hermes- Narrator of the story, he delivered Ion to the Priestess when Kerousa left him to die. 

1. Relationships and socio-economics.

Ion- the son, temple cleaner, royalty 

Kerousa- The mother, the wife, the queen, Royalty

Xouthos- King, husband, stepfather, Royalty

a. colors, images, texture associated with socio-economics.

Royalty tended to wear richer colors due to having the ability to afford the expensive dyes while the lower the class of a person, the more natural the colors were of their clothing. Royalty wore reds, purples, and golds. 

The middle class had more blues and tans

 The lower-class wore browns and whites. 

2. Under what government.

Under the Athen government

IV. What happened before the play began?

Kerousa was raped by Apollo. She abandoned him in a cave in order to not bring shame onto her family. 

V. What do the characters think about their world?

Ion- believes in the gods, and worships Apollo greatly as he was raised within a holy place. 

Kerousa- Feels attacked by the world and by the gods due to being assaulted as a young girl. Most likely felt like her own husband was against her when first meeting Ion. 

Xouthos- Wanted a son, believes heavily in the god’s words. Trusted that Ion was his flesh and blood. 

VI. What is the function of each character?

1. Who is the protagonist?

Ion is the protagonist. He is the result of the antagonist. Without him there would not have been a sort of resolution where everyone wins. 

a. does this character suggest images, animal, color, texture

His colors go from white and simple to ones of reds and purples. Hard white sharpness to soft dark colors. 

b. how do they grow

He goes from a temple caretaker to a prince with a godly father. 

c. what is their objective

To not be killed by Kerousa and to find his family. 

2. Who is the antognist?

Apollo and the other gods. They have mettled with the human lives. 

a. does this character suggest images, animal, color, texture

b. how do they grow

They do not. They will continue to mess with humans and their affairs. 

c. what is their objective

To be gods, to receive worship and praise. 

3. Which characters lead and which support?

The leads are Ion and Kerousa. Their actions fuel the play and bring forth change that other characters do not. Hermes, Xuthus, Chorus, Old Man, Servant, Priestess of Apollo, and Athena are all supporting characters. Their actions can have influence, but other than the god characters, everyone just has moments of supporting either Ion or Kerousa. 

a. does this character suggest images, animal, color, texture

Kerousa has mentioned snakes several times throughout the play. They were guardians and part of her culture. Making her feel smooth and cool. 

b. how do they grow

She regrets leaving Ion as a newborn and wishes to have her child back. 

c. what is their objective

She wants to have children with Xouthos, but learns that she is unable to have any other children. 

4. Identify and describe stereotypical characters.

Ion- Just wants answers as any child tossed away by their parent. Learns that his parents are both of high status/godlike in the society that he lives in. Pawn of the gods

Kerousa- Made a bitter mistake/ traumatic event that haunts her throughout her life. Reconnects with the child she tossed away for the betterment of her own life. Pawn of the gods

Xouthos, Chorus, Old Man, Servant, and Priestess of Apollo- they believe in the gods and their wrath of them for disobeying those of power. Pawns of the gods.

VII. What is the dialogue mode?

The dialogue mode is understandable and simple due to the version we read is a simplified version. It still held a lyrical vibe to it. 

a. sense of movement and lyric quality

This play is very very lyrical and flowed nicely. The story was moving and entrapped the reading, with the need to know if Kerousa would learn that Ion was her real son. 

1. Naturalistic

Even with this taking place in the world of the gods, the story of a mother giving up her child only to meet years later does occur more often than people think. It happens regularly in today’s society. 

 3. Poetic

This play is very poetic, with its flows and ebbing of language use. 

4. Sound and grammar (how do they speak)

Due to this being a simplified version, it is a more modern-feeling than it was read through a word-for-word translation. It is a very formal way of speaking still and makes it feel older than if it occurred today. 

5. Ambiguity

VIII. What is the play’s action?

Ion and Kerousa face off to kill each other, only to find out they are family. 

1. What happens in the play?

Ion is abandoned by his mother and left to die. Apollo, his father sends his brother Hermes to bring Ion to the temple of Apollo. Years later Kerousa and her husband, Xouthos, go to the temple to see if they will have children. Xouthos gets the prophecy that the first man he sees will be his son, of flesh and blood. Xouthos sees Ion and believes him to be his son granted by Apollo. Kerousa is threatened by Ion and tries to kill him, Ion finds out and attempts to kill her before she could try again. Athena pops out and tells the pair the truth, that Ion is Kerousa’s child. 

a. repeating motifs, ideas: flowers, death, water, birth

Snakes and their protection. Dishonor and Death. 

b. which images are central or represent the theme of the play

c. how do images change from scene to scene

2. Create an action chart

a. Stasis- Hermes describes what had happened before the play, setting up the rest of the play. 

b. inciting incident- Kerousa and Xouthos going to the temple to see if they will be able to have children. 

c. complications (rising action)- Xouthos believes Ion to be his son, Kerousa feels threatened by the presence of someone who could take away everything from her. 

d. Climax- Kerousa tries to poison Ion but was discovered, Ion chased after her willing to try to kill her. 

e. falling action (dénouement)- Ion and Kerousa learn through Athena that they are actually mother and son. 

IX. What is the play’s theme?

“Both thematically and metrically, Ion is quite similar to Iphigenia in Tauris, Helen, and the now-fragmentary Andromeda and Hypsipyle—all of them written at about the same time—in that it dramatizes a little-known myth (or aspect of a myth) in a non-Greek or exotic setting (Crimea, Ethiopia, Egypt, Delphi) and features “a story of lovers or long-lost relatives united or reunited, intricately plotted revenge actions, catastrophe narrowly averted, and thrilling escapes” (GreekMythology)

X. Why did the author write the play? Which aspect of the human condition

were they trying to illuminate?

He wrote the play to reflect on what was occurring around him. There was a power shift and war. He wrote about the birth of a character through assault, and the mother’s will to live a life where she was not burdened by that trauma. They face conflict due to the god’s manipulation. Ion wanted to connect to family, eagerly attaching to Xouthos whom he believed to be his birth father. 

XI. Make some statement as to the general visual world of the play, based on all of

the above.

GreekMythology.com, The Editors of Website. “Ion”. GreekMythology.com Website, 03 Jan. 2020, https://www.greekmythology.com/Plays/Euripides/Ion/ion.html. Accessed 22 April 2022.

“Ion – Euripides – Ancient Greece – Classical Literature.” Ancient Literature, 11 Jan. 2022, www.ancient-literature.com/greece_euripides_ion.html#:~:text=%E2%80%9CIon%E2%80%9D%20is%20a%20tragedy%20by,being%20abandoned%20as%20a%20child.SUZANNE, Bernard F. “Chronological History of Greece in the Vth and Ivth Centuries BC.” Chronological History of Greece in the Vth and IVth Centuries B. C., 1999, www.plato-dialogues.org/tools/chrono.htm.

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wish list

April 12, 2022 11:22 AM ⋅ 2 Comments ⋅

May

Eddie

Martin

Old Man

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May

April 12, 2022 9:55 AM ⋅ 10 Comments ⋅

Starting 1: White T-shirt, blue skirt, anklet

Change 2: Black bra and Black Underwear

Change 3: Red wrap dress, brown hose, strappy high heels, purse

Eddie

Starting 1/2/3: Faded blue jeans, orange cowboy shirt, cowboy boots with tape, leather belt, belt buckle

Old Man

Starting 1/2/3: Jean Overalls, yellow plaid, old shoes, flat-brimmed hat

Martin

Starting 3: Dark Blue janitorial uniform, brown work boots, grey undershirt

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April 12, 2022 9:48 AM ⋅ 3 Comments ⋅

Sam Shepard’s Fool For Love demonstrates how love can be obsessive, toxic, and addicting, even when it comes from the most forbidden of places. Half siblings May and Eddie are madly in love, obsessed with each other, regardless that they share a father, who appears to them as an apparition. Their minds fracture with the acts they commit. This dark contemporary piece explores the bonds of love, how it can either be worth chasing someone to the edge of the world or damning. It shows that love can be dangerous, raw, and sharp.

This Play forces the audience to want Eddie and May to be together, disregarding the fact that they are half-siblings. Because their love is so raw and powerful, it sucks everything in. The knowledge that the two are siblings causes a fantasy element that allows us as the audience to view inside their minds through the Old Man.

  1. Where are they?  

A low rent motel room on the edge of the Mojave Desert  

a. Last place someone would want to be. Dry, hot, miserable. Lonely. A last resort 

b. It makes it so that the characters would be miserable with the heat, so irritable. Quicker to anger. Like there is not any other place left to go.  

c. Reds, yellows, oranges, deep royal blues, sky blue, white, and dark greens.  

  1. When are they?  

1983, February 8 

  1. Merle Haggard’s tune – wake up 
  1. To help ground the setting, so that it holds some mystical feelings of a time where things were simpler.  
  1. Ronald Regan was president. Proposed the SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative). Cost of living went up. US invaded Grandana. USA’s NASA’s STS-7 mission was completed successfully. Korean Airlines flight 007 was shot down by a Soviet Union Air Force fighter. KISS appears for the first time on stage. Star Wars Return of the Jedi was released. Capital theater was purchased by Marvin Ravikolf. Michael Jackson – Beat it was top of the music board.  

2. End of winter, closer to spring. May had to choose to go or stay, stay and start new, or go and continue to live in a toxic cycle that had been started by her mother.  

a. Dead plants, cold and less light.  

b. More lonesome, desperate for warmth and connection. The need for human connection and love, regardless of the fact that it was coming from a unacceptable place.  

c. Yellows, blues, whites, and oranges. A splash of red.  

  1. Who are they? 

May, Eddie, Martin, and The Old Man.  

May is the main protagonist, it starts and ends with her. She is in a relationship with Eddie, who is her half-brother. Their relationship began without them knowing their real connection but continued even after they learned they shared the same father. She ran away from Eddie to not repeat her mother’s mistakes. May is dependent on Eddie’s love, that connection with someone who keeps coming back to her, even if he does cheat on her as their father did to their mothers. She does have a job being a cook. She is a lower-class woman who works to make ends meet. She is paying for the motel room where the scene takes place.  

Eddie is the antagonist. He followed (Stalked) May to the hotel and caused her to relapse back into her feelings for him. He works as a rodeo cowboy and is most likely lower class to lower middle class. He wants to live the “American Dream” by owning a ranch to be a true cowboy. He pursues May in order to separate himself from his father by being loyal to her, even though he also has a lover. Eddie can see and interact with the Old Man.  

The Old Man is anonymous. Is an embodiment of the trauma between Eddie and May, a manifestation of what caused the two to become toxic lovers that clung to each other for validation and companionship, regardless of the fact they are siblings. He and Eddie both hold onto a delusional sense of the world and what is really going on. The father himself would have had to have a good-paying job to help support two families.  

Martin is May’s date. He represents the audience and reacts how Shepard expected the audience to respond. He acts as a choice for May, a life where she can start over, to not have to cling to the past and become healthier. To not have to run anymore. He has a job and even is late to get May for their date because he went back to water the football field.  

a. Reds – Anger and betrayal, passion and the raw emotions of choice and pain. Blues – Loss, sorrow, jealousy, rejection, bad economy. Dull green – army, war, money, and greed.  

2. Ronald Reagan administration 

3. Sam Shepard was not religious, he saw no merit in the belief system, but the audience would have most likely have been religious, so they would have seen love as being tempted by sin and giving in to the sin of forbidden love, as well as seeing the multiple partners at the same time is not something Christians and other religions agree upon.  

4. Ethics is thrown out the window, half-siblings are in love. The generational tradition of faithless relationships with multiple lovers. The men are free to do as they please leaving the women to pick up the pieces, Eddie’s mother commits suicide, May literally runs away to the edge of nowhere in order to escape her desire for Eddie. The Old Man seemed conflicted about the double life with Eddie’s and May’s mothers, leading to the point where he leaves them both with no explanation. Sam Shepard left his wife for a movie star.  

  1. What happened before the play began? 

May ran away from Eddie, going to the end of the middle of nowhere to get away from her own desire for him  

Eddie knocked on the motel door and May opened the door and let him in  

May had begun starting a new life, even preparing for a date with Martin  

Eddie’s mother killed herself  

Eddie tracked may down, was with his mistress (Who found them and shot and burned Eddie’s vehicle) 

  1. Eddie acts as if he is owed the world. That he deserved whatever he wants, if he goes out of his way, then it is his. That his dreams will come true simply because he believes in them. He clings to his delusions that seem to support his ideals and the way of thinking. He does not question his actions, but thinks he is doing better than what his father had done.  

May knows that the world is harsh, that things are not easy and can blow up quickly. She also has her own mental challenges, but she tries to better herself to get away from Eddie and the memory of her mother. She wants to be different, to not be a fool in the name of love but ultimately fails. Ashamed of her desire for Eddie she ran away. Her addiction that made her feel good. She does not trust Eddie and his claims of change, being skeptical until she follows him in the end.  

The old Man lives in the part, seeing his sins as accomplishments. He lived two separate lives that crashed together in the end, and then he left. The old man did not know that Eddie’s mother had killed herself, denying that fact, but still does not act regretful of his actions. He mocks Eddie with how he acts, even though Eddie is similar to the Old Man. Only interacts with Eddie and May, showing that he is a delusion that is the embodiment of their connection and wrongful lust/desires.  

Martin seems to just be there to listen, to question May if she wants to stay or go. To see if she makes her own choices in life or continues on the path of self-destruction over desire and love. His goal was to take May to the movies but ultimately failed.  

  1. May is the Protagonist  
  1. She seems to be able to shit emotional states quickly, so the animal I would assign her to is a chameleon. Her colors at first are cool, but she then changes into a bright red dress, signaling her change in mentality. She goes from soft and confused, to strong, sharp and vulnerable.  
  1. She had begun to move on from Eddie, at least forcing herself to. She wanted to start a new life, but when she came back, she realized that no matter what happens she was still in love with him, regardless of him being her brother, and being just like their father.  
  1.  At first it was to get away from Eddie, to go on a movie date with Martin, but it shifts into her wanting to go back to Eddie who ends up leaving her, just like their father did to her mother. Leaving her to chase after him and believe that he was coming back for her. Continuing the cycle.  

2. Eddie is the antagonist 

a. He is wearing browns and blues, a Cowboy aesthetic that is well worn. The texture would appear soft but would be dirty and leave a mark when touched. He is dirty.  

b. He grows to see that he is not a good person, much like his father, that he is damaged but still wants to be with May. He wants to be with her to prove that he is different, that he can be better than his father.  

c. His objective is to bring May back with him, to continue their relationship, even when he was also with another women. In the end he knows he is just like his father, leaving May waiting for him.  

3. May leads the play. Eddie, Martin, and The Old Man are the supporting characters. May left Eddie, Eddie followed her. May let him back into her life, she kept him from leaving. She chose to follow and wait for Eddie to come back at the end of the play.  

c. Her objective, to stay or go, to start a new life or go back with Eddie. She wanted to get away at first, to change, but then her objective changed to go with Eddie.  

4. May is the classic abused woman who returns to her abuser because that is all she knows. She tried to become independent, but she ended up going back to Eddie. She is in a dependent toxic relationship with Eddie. They depend on each other, regardless of how toxic and harmful they are to each other.  

Eddie is a toxic man who learned his behaviors from his father. He allowed his heart to lead him to the conclusion that he was in love with May, regardless of their familial connection. He wanted to take her back with him, to start on his dream, but he ended up leaving her, following his father’s footsteps.  

The old man is a figment of the sibling’s imagination. He represents their brokenness and the dependence they feel on each other. While he is not real, he acts as a scapegoat for the siblings’ actions. His objective is to give background and to question Eddie’s actions. He also acts as part of the audience like Martin. He gives the audience different points of view of Eddie and May but refuses to take the blame for how they turned out. He believed that he could balance two lives, but in the end, it fell apart, disproving his delusions.  

Martin is an outsider looking in. Learning the truth and reflecting how the audience feels and reacts. He is a flat character. He is the voice of reason.  

  1. What is the dialogue mode? 

The way the dialogue is, it’s very back and forth, call and response, with some monologue.  

  1. The dialogue feels real, like it could be overheard passing by. The rawness of the emotions causes the audience to feel absorbed and shocked when May chooses to follow after Eddie.  
  1. Dialogue flows well between Martin, Eddie, and May. The Old Man’s lines stick out and pull the audience out of the realistic feel, holding onto a mythical feel.  
  1. A and B response  
  1. They speak like they have a southern accent, using words in ways that make them feel country. Cutting out parts of the word, “Puttin’, gonna’, and yer”. Adds a sense of location and where the two grow up.  
  1. This play’s dialogue is very ambiguous, with many different meanings for each moment of the play. It adds a depth where if one is not paying close attention, the hidden meaning can be missed.  
  1.  What is the play’s action?  

The play’s action is when May opens the door and lets Eddie into the motel. It starts the entire play, if she had not opened the door nothing would have happened.  

a. The motifs within this play is the constant power struggle, the toxic masculinity, and the memories and the different points of view used to tell the story.  

b. The picture of Barbara Mandrell represents the delusion of the Old Man. Fire represents the destructive love that May and Eddie share, that it burns bright, but it hurts and destroys them. The Mercedes Benz represents the distrust May has for Eddie, representing the other woman.  

c. They change as the story progresses. The old man mentions Barbara Mandrell, showing that his delusions felt real, that May’s and Eddie’s delusions most likely felt real to them. Mercedes Benz appears whenever May feels massive distrust and needs to distance herself from Eddie. Showing her indecisiveness.  The fire shows that in the end, their love will cause more harm, that it will destroy them and consume them completely.  

2.  Action chart  

A. Stasis- May chose to run away from Eddie to the edge of the desert.  

B. Inciting incident – Eddie arriving at the hotel and May opening the door.  

C. Complications (rising action) – Eddie reveals that May and d he were not cousins, but half siblings that have had sexual relations, even after learning the truth.  

D. Climax – May Choosing to leave, to follow after Eddie 

E. Falling action (Denouement) – Marvin saying that Eddie had left, but May still waits for him.  

3. May clings to Eddie, not letting him leave her. Then she kneed him in the groin. May packs her bags. Eddie grabs a gun and starts to clean it. Rapid shooting causes Eddie and May to take cover. Eddie grabs at May and Martin comes in, wanting to save May. Eddie’s truck got set on fire and his horses were set loose.  

IX. What is the play’s theme? 

The theme is the continuation of abuse, co-dependency, abandonment, and the destructive nature of love.  

X. Why did the author write the play? Which aspect of the human condition were they trying to illuminate? 

Sam Shepard wrote this play because he was showing emotion, conflict, and morality. He gets the audience to question each part of what was moral about Eddie’s and May’s love, how they both faced conflictions about their love, their familiar connections, and the emotions that they are confused by. How hard it can be to follow parental teachings and how sometimes it is unavoidable.  

XI. This world that the play takes place in is as realistic as the one we live in. Love is messy, hard, destructive, and almost impossible to navigate without getting hurt. Love can make fools out of everyone involved. That sometimes when it comes to love, the heart wants what it wants regardless of if it is morally right or not.  

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Fool For Love by Sam Shepard

April 12, 2022 9:48 AM ⋅ 7 Comments ⋅
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Alaina TaylorWriting Event Week 14

April 30, 2021 9:06 PM ⋅ 2 Comments ⋅

Throughout the semester we had so many discussions about theatre, if it was important, and if theatre matters. Since the beginning, I had believed that theatre is and will remain important. That theatre does truly matter in the long run because without it we as humans would not be able to express the human soul. Theatre has been around with the idea of being used to have ordinary citizens be a part of philosophical problems as well as to celebrate the god Dionysus. When the Christians took over they attempted to get rid of theatre, but they realized how much of a valuable teaching tool theatre could be, and they incorporated theatre into their religious practices. No matter where or when, the theatre has been a part of the culture, from the ancient Greeks to the Japanese, to even here in America. Theatre matters because it reflects the culture of those who take place in theatre, and much like Professor McCluskey said, it holds the metaphorical mirror up to those watching to reflect on issues people face in their day-to-day lives. There are many different types of theatre tragedy, comedy, melodrama, and drama. The best part about that is those types of theatre can be portrayed in so many different ways, traditional with people in costumes, some with masks, some without. Puppets can be used too, and sometimes can better hold the mirror to its audience because their simplicity makes the audience use their imagination.   

Theatre touches the human heart in ways that nothing else can. That is because theatre shows its audience the pure human condition, all of its flaws, its pain. It allows us to see into private moments that otherwise would be hidden. Theatre shows us the painful truths of life, giving attention to issues that would otherwise have been overlooked. Theatre is important because it gives purpose to those who want to bring stories to life, passing of stories from one generation to another. The training that theatre takes just shows the importance of the craft. It is not something anyone can do. If theatre was not important, then there would not be something people dedicate their lives to, nor would people spend a great amount of money to go and support the theatre. Theatre is important to me because it gave me a space to be myself and to explore the world of telling stories. Time and time I have found myself being pulled into an actor’s performance, and it made me truly live in the moment. There are countless others who feel the same way and who will say that theatre will always be important. 

Word Count: 441

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Alaina Taylor Writing Event Week 13

April 23, 2021 8:46 PM ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

Over the course of the semester, all of the readings we were given to read all had some sort of impact or insight to parts of the theater and the challenges people face. I feel that these readings are important and worth the time they took to read. I learned about the many forms of theater and parts of theater history. How theatre began with the Greek festival to worship Diyonisess and to discuss politics, to its transformation into what we see today where we still discuss politics and social issues. That each actor had to spend hours upon hours training and learning the skills that can impact entire rooms full of people. We learned the different types of theaters and the genres of performances. I learned so much over this semester, but in reality, I still do not know enough. We only scratched the surface of theater and its history. There is so much more we can learn, from the simplest of themes to the discussion of the human psyche that directors must decipher and bring to life. That theater is not just about the actors, instead of theater depends on so many different groups of people putting their souls into each and everything they do. It’s the set designers, the stage managers, the costume designers, makeup artists, light crew, and so many others that it takes to make each performance possible. The theater is so much more than just the performance, that it is a community of people who come together to make an impact on the world through storytelling. Bringing different walks of life to the front of the world, allowing all sorts of voices a chance to be heard. 

What I have learned from this class and its connection to my other classes is honestly everything. I am in a Global Issues, Disability and literature class, and Queer literature. In this class we have touched upon issues such as race and culture, we discussed disability and mental illness, and we have read and talked about performances with queer characters. Throughout this semester all of these classes became so interlaced in what is being taught that it felt like a massive culture shock. The world is so much bigger than I initially thought and all of these classes opened my eyes to a lot of the issues in the world. They also taught me to be proud of the communities I am a part of because of how hard they fought to earn representation. Being a Queer woman today would have never been possible if it wasn’t for the woman’s suffrage, the stonewall riots with the black trans LGBTQ+ forebearers, and discussions of mental illness. Theatre and society have come such a long way since the start of civilization, I am excited to see how it continues to transform into something even more magnificent than what we have today. 

I will be taking these lessons I have learned this semester with me for the rest of my life. They all have built a solid foundation for me to continue learning and experiencing life. I only hope that with each reading I will further my understanding of life and the impact of theater. The impact of this class will affect my views of the world for the rest of my life.

Word count: 553

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Alaina Taylor Writing Event #11

April 9, 2021 10:53 PM ⋅ 1 Comment ⋅

I do not think America will have a National Theatre. With the Federal Theatre Project failing because of a difference of opinions on what should be allowed vs what people think is too much, it shows that if the Government funds theatre programs then it will have to include some sort of censorship. We have been discussing censorship in class and over the past couple of weeks, it has become clear that censorship will take away from the lessons that theatre teaches. While it would be very nice for theatre to have the proper funding it deserves, but if it means being placed under restrictions where they are unable to perform certain plays. In the video we had to watch, Broadway’s Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre, from “American Masters” at the very end there was a speaker named Shelly Winters. She said that people in the arts are a part of the process that changes society. When she said that it felt right. The theater has been at the pinnacle of showing society what is wrong with the world, what social injustices are occurring, and how people could possibly make strides in correcting those wrongs. 

In the article Why America has no National Theater, it says that one of the major reasons why we do not have a national theater is because Americans do not have enough time to go see performances on a regular basis. With how our society has focused on making a profit off of individuals, we never focused on how to invest in the entirety of our emotional wellbeing. Our time has a price tag attached and not everyone can afford to take time off to attend a performance. If the government was to fund the theater, then they would need to keep a certain amount of viewers per performance so that their money is not wasted. If there is a decline of viewers then the government could possibly cut the amount given to an individual theater, which would cause job cuts depending on how drastic the funding is pushed back. It would not be fair to those who have dedicated their lives to the theater to have their livelihood jerked around and controlled by those who want to censor and choose what issues get to have a say. All voices deserve to be heard, all backgrounds have the right to make an appearance and be brought to light. The Government has no business in choosing whose voice gets to be heard. They do not get to censor peoples’ voices. Without theater, society will remain ignorant of its peoples’ issues. I feel that if there ever was another attempt to have a national theater, people will riot or push back against it so that they will not lose their freedom. Their ability to give voice to issues and give voice to those whose voices cannot be heard. We will never have a National Theatre because it would take out the core of what theater is. Taking humanity at its rawest form, and sharing it with the world. 

Word Count: 513

Posted in: Blog

Alaina Taylor Writing event #10

April 2, 2021 11:04 PM ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

The debate about censorship and its role within public funding is very tricky to navigate. On one side, people believe that they should control where their money goes and if it should be allowed to be used towards art that they deem ‘vulgar’. People value their ability to have the power of censoring things for themselves and for those around them, even if their values differ. When we discussed what censorship was in class and if it should be applied, I was so torn. On the one hand, I was raised to censor things that my mother and my grandparents deemed inappropriate, but on the other, as I get older I realize that censorship takes away the human value of art. By censoring what humans create to express themselves in their own individual way, it takes away the raw emotion humans generate when creating art. 

While the arts are not something we need to survive, it does allow humans to empathize with others and to connect on a mental level. People can go through similar experiences or traumas, if these are censored then it would sever the connection between millions of people. The arts depend on funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. Without them, we would not have artists from every walk of life. We would not have their stories for us to learn from. With the censorship that comes along with the N.E.A, it takes away from their experience, thus invalidating the art they put so much effort into creating. To get the money, they have to follow rules, but those rules set by authority figures restrict their freedom of speech. However, because people of power have a bigger voice, their voices are forced to be silenced.

 I believe that censorship should be taken with a grain of salt. People should be allowed to be more open to express themselves. One of the biggest taboos we see in the art world is nudity and talk of sexuality, gender, and sex. We are always trying to keep that ‘secret’ that is not really a secret. Humans need to become more open and less squeamish about their bodies. If it does not concern you personally, then why try to control others because of your own discomfort or lack of understanding? I do not understand why people must always try to enforce their own rules and regulations onto others, even if they have a completely different background. For example, the Piss Christ, which was a small plastic crucifix placed in a jar of urine by a photographer named Andres Serrano. The Piss Christ would offend those who are religious, but to those who do not worship Christ, it is just a cross in a jar of pee. In a previous post, I believed that we could use the graphic rating system, but now, I think it is utterly foolish and idiotic to censor things that are natural to human nature, no matter how grotesque and sacrilegious it could be. Powerful religions have always mocked and dehumanized other religions, why can their say outweigh those who have a different religion? If we tie further censorship to art through the N.E.A then we will take away the voice of those who have already been censored by the system we live in. Art, in all its vast forms, is a way to express the raw human spirit and censoring will ruin what we have fought to preserve.

Word Count: 578

Posted in: Blog

Alaina Taylor Writing Event #9

March 26, 2021 11:03 PM ⋅ Leave a Comment ⋅

STEM vs STEAM is something that is very difficult to talk about. Because on one hand, many people want to keep Art on its own and to just appreciate it more as well as to have it funded better than how it is now. Others believe that if Art joined STEM it would allow the students to further extend their creativity. But it is much more than that. People believe that with STEM they will educate children to become better problem-solvers for the world they are entering, children who better understand the world around them, applying the massive amounts of knowledge they have acquired hands-on. The STEM program is treated as though there is not any creativity, but for them to understand problems and think of ways to solve them, they have to be able to think of creative ways to solve those issues. So STEM is not completely void of creativity, it just lacks the proper teaching of how to allow that creativity to flourish. 

One article talks about how art allows students to connect better to science and math, allowing for a deeper understanding of both. That people do not understand that the arts and STEM overlap in everyday life such as how people use chemistry to make food and deserts, chemistry to make makeup, and computer science to make animations for major films (Milgrom-Elcott). Art is a necessary part of life and if the STEM program does not teach children to continue their exploration of that creativity that thrives in a setting where it is used and understood, then we will slowly become a place where creativity will die. In another article it talks about a study conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts, they found that students who are actively participating in art programs are 21%  more likely to continue onto post-secondary education and that they often take part in STEM courses. That they are even more likely to receive scholarships because of being apart of the arts program (School of Education). Creativity has to be present for someone to understand and apply what they learn. If they are unable to take what they learn and find ways to apply it in everyday life then we are doomed. Why have knowledge if you can not use it to help yourself and others? STEAM is a great way to incorporate every aspect of learning, intelligence and knowledge go hand in hand with art and its ability to allow creativity to thrive together. I feel that STEM is important and a good way to have people prepared to solve the problems of the world that we may face in the future, but it can not be applied if they are not allowed to fule their creativity. 

STEM teaches students to learn Math, Science, and Technology, which is very important in today’s society, but they still need to teach students that they are allowed to use the creativity they learn to find creative, outside-the-box ways to solve issues that are normally considered unsolvable. I believe that it is important to hold onto creativity and that incorporating the Arts into STEM to create STEAM would be beneficial to everyone. 

Word count: 530

Citations 

Milgrom-Elcott, Talia. “When STEM Becomes STEAM, We Can Change The Game.” Forbes, 2017.School of Education. “STEM vs. STEAM: Why One Letter Matters.” School of Education, 12 5 2018, https://soeonline.american.edu/blog/stem-vs-steam

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