Good afternoon :)
I'm glad that we were able to watch three scenes from the recent Broadway version of Fences. Let's hope that Denzil Washington is able to make a film version of the play soon!
For Thursday, please read chapter 24 on writing about drama/theater as well as Eduardo Machado's play "Crossing the Border." We will also watch some clips from Death of a Salesman.
Here are a few more questions for your journal.
Discuss the father/son relationships in Fences and "Crossing the Border."
Discuss the theme/symbol of sports in the two plays. Consider your own attitude towards sports as well.
Discuss race and related issues in these two plays. How much have things changed since the 1950s/1980s? How do issues change when you consider Latinos rather than African-Americans?
How does Eduardo Machado use dialogue, character, and setting?
Note that "Crossing the Border" is a very compressed play. Does this work for you? Why? Why not?
Do you see the conflict as believable? Why? Why not? (Note: the NY Times critic briefly referred to the play as "cliche-ridden." why do you think this is?)
I haven't been able to find a video clip of Machado's play even though it has been performed recently. How does this affect your understanding of the play? How do you think that it may have been staged?
"Crossing the Border" is a fairly new play. How does it address current concerns?
Here are some scenes from Fences.
Ah, I was able to find James Earl Jones and Courtney B. Vance from 1987!
Here is a juxtaposition of the 1987 and 2010 versions:
Let's look at the Black Theater Ensemble of Virginia's versions of scenes we looked at:
Here Troy explains why he had his affair with Alberta:
South Coast Repertory's scenes are here:
Discuss how each version of Fences uses not only tone of voice or physical characteristics but also movement, props, set design, and blocking to bring the play to life. How does each differ from the versions we saw in class today? How are they similar? How does the audience seem to respond? Why? Why not?
I'll be interested in seeing what you think!
Dr. Szlyk
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