Results tagged “University of the Arts” from Drama Queen

Dear (Editor),

As a senior English major, I believe that Shakespeare's characters are a treasure bestowed to anyone who speaks the language he helped invent.  However, in the week prior to Grove City College's production of As You Like It, I kept hearing "Is the whole thing going to be in Old English?" in whiney, disinterested tones.  I wanted to explain no, Shakespeare was not Anglo-Saxon and in fact wrote in modern English, but perhaps he just possessed a broader vocabulary than you?   But I held my tongue.

Instead of responding directly to my peer's ignorant qualms, I'd like to write a 800 word article titled "Shakespeare-Induced Psychogogia."  Psychogogia refers to the process of one's soul being drawn upward towards truth, which is exactly what I believe happens in a (good) Shakespeare production.  This article will explore the process of approaching a Shakespeare text and will highlight different techniques that Grove City actors used to guide audience understanding in their recent production of As You Like It.   I also want to write about the attractiveness of Shakespeare's plays and bemoan their suffering popularity in contrast to contemporary theater's "cutting edge" sexual-awakening themes. 

To read a Shakespeare play is a rigorous but rewarding process, but then to transport his scripts onto the stage with the combination of dramatic lighting, exquisite costumes, and invigorating actors is to evoke a magical spirit.  Throughout the production of As You Like It, I most enjoyed the rehearsals when I could hear new understanding in a voice or see new relish a face.  Everyone contributed to breathe life into a text written in 1599, and the result was true beauty, realized on a stage. 

Overall, this article will point to the purpose for theater criticism: to put our mouths out of taste for bad theater and to instead instruct us towards what we should be watching.  The Grove City community should know that the college's production of As You Like It is accessible and hilarious.  Even if Shakespeare is not within one's personal realm of taste, Grove City's As You Like It has the power to change a mind. I can have this article to you within five days of your consent.  

Ardently,

Jennifer Ford

Query 2

Ms. Rosenfield,

Last year approximately fifty students participated in Elizabethtown College's Shorts Fest, a two-night event of short plays.  This year, the college is increasing its student participation by having not only student performers, directors, and designers, but making the event a major display of all types of theatrical talent within the college.  Billed as "The New Playwrights Festival," the collection of ten-minute plays of a widely varying nature has been written by the ten students in last semester's Playwriting class. 

I would like to write an article titled "Etown Theatre: Room for Everyone," that praises the theatre department and their bold steps to encourage such a wide array of theatrical talent.  In 1500 words I would like to cover the various forms of student participation for this event.

This piece will examine the extensive work done by the students in class with their drafting and revisions, as well as the creative process of selecting directors and casts for their plays.  I will discuss this process and how it has aided in the education of these students to the real world of theatre.  Another important aspect of this event is the production team, including stage and production management, box office, and front of house staff, as well as publicity committees.  I want to cover the work of all the students involved in this endeavor.  Lastly, I would like to include commentary from the faculty and students on their thoughts regarding this great opportunity.  

As an active member of Elizabethtown College's Theatre and Dance Division, I am very dedicated and proud of this event.  I was a member of the Playwriting course last semester, so I have been lucky enough to see this project from its earliest stages - a blank sheet of paper.  As a first-time playwright, I feel strongly about this opportunity and the opportunity it presents to all the students' various interests in the theatre world.  In 2005 & 2006 I was published in the Philadelphia Inquirer for my reviews for The Greater Philadelphia Cappies, demonstrating my strong passion for the world of theatre.  

I hope that my passion for this event has piqued your interest and that you would like to hear more about this event.  If you are interested, please let me know, and I can have an article to you within a week of your acceptance. 

Thank you for your time,

Tammy Bateman