The Lady and the Lion- Excellent shadow work, effective and interesting way to tell the story. Great performances and creative way to play with levels when the Lady was talking to the sun and the moon. The use of shadows made it hard for the audience to understand some parts of the dialogue, plus the expressions of the characters couldn't be seen at most times.
Hansel and Gretel- An interesting contrast between dark moods and comic reliefs. Trees and other natural elements were played by actual actors, which were coordinated with each other like clockwork. The lighting was used very effectively changing the mood of the play throughout, and the old woman in the original tale was modified into a much more interesting and intriguing character. Great use of space and very good audience awareness. The climax was perhaps a little too relaxed, spoiling the rest of the play.
Little Red Cap (my play and experience)- The final outcome of our play was pretty weak. Even though our play was the shortest and we only had one month of practice, a lack of commitment from the whole cast made it very hard to generate something worth watching and comparable to the other two. It did serve to teach me a hard lesson about theatre. Not to expect any miracles. If a person is too afraid to give ideas, isn't not motivated and lacks interest in the play, one can not expect a good result. Playing the wolf, I decided to make them part more humorous than intended, and it got a couple of laughs. But it was pretty evident that it was below the average that night.
By watching the other plays rehearse and perform, I learned about the importance of group chemistry, hard work at rehearsals and commitment. In the technical point of view, I discovered new and more interesting ways to play with shadows, architecture and lighting. By making our play, the only thing that made it all worth it (besides the harsh lessons) was something that happened after the play. When a little girl came up to me and made a howling sound, thinking I was actually the wolf. And although this may sound incredibly cheesy, the fact that a girl that was no more than ten was entertained by something I did, made everything single practice worth it, and the moment is sure to stay in my memory for a long time.
