Thursday, September 12, 2013

Questions for 9/17 in EN 190/190 HM


[This picture is from the 2009 production of Fences at the Huntington Theater Company in Boston.]

Good evening :)

Hope you will be able to stay out of the storm tonight!  This is good weather for reading and re-reading and writing journal entries...or for doing anything that doesn't require going out and about.

I'm glad that I was able to answer questions about the upcoming paper and that we began our discussion of Fences with such a rush of energy.  I am looking forward to Tuesday when we take a closer look at the play.

For Tuesday, please finish (or reread) Fences in our anthology.  Feel free to read any or all of the essays about August Wilson's play.

In addition, here is a link to the video we watched at the end of class today:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5gvNPWSuKM&feature=related

These links are to longer versions of Eyes on the Prize, the groundbreaking PBS series from 1989:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iVB2AlVpt0I

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2a32Uc1oP7s

I was thinking about our discussion of August Wilson's ancestry, and I realized that we ought to consider the US' "one-drop rule."  The article below explains it:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/jefferson/mixed/onedrop.html

This article from Harvard Gazette may also be useful:
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2010/12/%E2%80%98one-drop-rule%E2%80%99-persists/

Freelance writer Brittni Danielle contemplates doing away with this concept:
http://www.clutchmagonline.com/2013/07/is-it-time-to-do-away-with-the-one-drop-rule/

How might you use this information about the "one drop rule" to discuss Fences and/or August Wilson's career & body of work?  Feel free to discuss specific passages in the play. (Note where Rose discusses her family.)

How might you use information from Eyes on the Prize to discuss Fences and/or August Wilson's career & body of work?

How might you use the information about Pittsburgh that Cassandra provided to discuss Fences?

Consider the theme of community vs. isolation in Fences and the clip from Eyes on the Prize.  What might sociologist Robert D. Putnam have to say about this theme in Fences?
http://bowlingalone.com/

Erik Erikson looked at psychological development from cradle to grave.  Use the concepts outlined below to discuss Fences (or A Doll House):
http://web.cortland.edu/andersmd/erik/sum.html

Use one of the readings in the chapter on August Wilson to discuss Fences.  How did it help you understand the play in more depth?

Consider Wilson's preference for character over plot.  How does that affect his play?  How does that affect your understanding of it?

Discuss how Wilson uses dialogue in Fences to create character, convey setting, and/or create conflict and action on stage.

Discuss how Wilson uses stage directions and commentary to support his dialogue.  Where might they come into conflict with each other?

How does Wilson use contrast in Fences?  Which characters, events, and settings does he contrast?

How does Wilson use unity of place?  Why does he restrict the play to the Maxson's yard?

What do you make of the jump in time at the end?  Why do you think that Wilson does this?  Why doesn't he end the play with Cory's departure and/or Rose's agreeing to raise Raynell?

Finally, take a look at the videos at this blog entry:http://en202.blogspot.com/2013/09/from-archives-fences-death-of-salesman.html
How do they add to your understanding of the play?

I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say!

Dr. Szlyk

(p.s.  Orlando's photographs of today's whiteboard are on MyMC.  Thank you, Orlando.  :) )
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Tuesday, September 10, 2013

9/12 Questions for EN 190/190 HM




 Good evening :)

Thank you for coming out to the library earlier today.  Ms. Sogunro mentioned how much she enjoyed working with you.  She also appreciated how focused you were!

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the paper or your research.  You may also consult the course page that Ms. Sogunro has set up -- or stop by the library -- or use Ask Us Now, a service you may use at any time.

Here are links to the course page and to Ask Us Now.



The homework for Thursday is to start reading Fences (959-1019).  Here are some entries from my blog on August Wilson and his play(s):



We'll finish up with a few questions for your journal:

-- How will the library information session help you with your paper?

-- How will research add to your paper?

-- How would you map Fences' narrative?

-- What do you make of Troy as a character?  What are his strengths?  His weaknesses?  How does his character drive the play?  How do his character flaws drive it?

-- Consider that Troy is illiterate.  How does this affect his actions?  his perceptions?

-- Discuss Troy and Rose's marriage.

-- Discuss Troy as a father to his two sons.

-- How does Gabriel contribute to the play?  Discuss his relationship with Troy.

-- Discuss Troy as a son.  How does information about his father and his childhood add to your understanding of him?

-- Why does Troy cheat on Rose?  How do you respond to his reasons?

-- Does Wilson seem to "get" women?  Why?  Why not?

-- How does the information in the blog entries help you with Fences?  

-- To what extent does Fences rely on your understanding of history, specifically African-American history?

-- If you have finished Fences, what do you make of the ending?  How does it resolve the play?

Good night, and see you on Thursday!

Dr. Szlyk
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From the Archives -- Background on Fences -- Civil Rights, Baseball, and the Century Cycle

Links from 2/17 -- Civil Rights Era, Baseball, & the Century Cycle

While I'm online this evening, I'd like to send you links to the clips we watched in class this evening.


Above is a picture of Emmett Till, the boy who was lynched in Mississippi in 1955, just two years before Fences takes place.

First are the clips from Eyes on the Prize, a documentary from 1987, two years after Fences was first performed.



I want to add the clip about Emmett Till:

Below is a documentary on the events in South Boston that I had mentioned:



Above is a picture of Jackie Robinson sliding home.  He was also an exciting baseball player.  Below is a picture of Satchel Paige.  



These are the clips about baseball.  First, Buck O'Neil recalls a Negro League World Series game in which legends Satchel Paige and Josh Gibson clashed.


Here Buck O'Neil remembers Jackie Robinson being signed to the major leagues:


The link to the documentary on Jackie Robinson is below:

More recently, the film 42 retold Robinson's life for 2013:



Ah ha!  I finally found a number.  Kenny Leon has directed *five* different versions of Fences as well as versions of all but one play in the Century Cycle.


Let's take a look at scenes from the other plays.  Set in the 1900s, the first play in the cycle is the magical Gem of the Ocean.


Here is a link to Kenny Leon in rehearsal at his TrueColors Theater in Atlanta:


You may see clips from Bartlett Sher's production of the next play, Joe Turner's Come and Gone, which was set in the 1910s.




The set from this production at Lincoln Center is incredibly different from the set of DC's African Continuum Theater, which I saw.

Wilson's 1920s play is Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, the only play *not* set in Pittsburgh:



The Piano Lesson takes place in the 1930s.



Seven Guitars is set in the 1940s.




Fences is Wilson's 1950's play.

See the links below for Two Trains Running, the 1960's play, and an interview with one of its directors.



Jitney, Wilson's 1970's play, was actually written first.  Gem of the Ocean and Radio Golf were the last.


I saw the version profiled in this video!!

I had a difficult time finding a clip of King Hedley II, Wilson's 1980s play.



We'll finish with Radio Golf, the last play that Wilson wrote.

Israel Hicks discusses the challenges of presenting Radio Golf.  He has directed all ten of the cycle plays.


For more information about Wilson's Pittsburgh, see this clip:


Below is an undated photograph of Wilson's childhood home.



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From the Archives -- Fences & Death of a Salesman



The picture above is from the recent Broadway revival of Fences.


James Earl Jones played Troy in the original Broadway version.






There is no movie version of Fences, but here are various videos from YouTube:

Denzel Washington recently played Troy in a Broadway revival of Fences:


Ah, here is a collection of scenes from that version!


Washington, his co-star Viola Davis, and director Kenny Leon discuss the production here:


Kenny Leon directed another version at Boston's Huntington Theater:


In 2007, Portland (OR) Center Stage presented this version:


This version is a film rather than a play filmed:


Closer to home, the Black Ensemble Theater of VA performed Fences:


California's South Coast Repertory Theater's video is also worth looking at:

I'm not sure where Kenshaka Ali directed his version:


As a comparison, let's look at the Oberlin production of Death of a Salesman.


The pictures from the production are here:


Interestingly, South Coast Rep is also doing a version of Death of a Salesman with an African-American Willy Loman:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-FQNE_UwTZc

Below is the video from the BBC production that we watched.  It is more traditional.


The actor who played Willy in the BBC version also played the character on which Norman Lear based his Archie Bunker.


I will also link to my blog entries on two of August Wilson's other plays from his Century Cycle.



Enjoy!

Dr. Szlyk
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Thursday, September 5, 2013

9/5 Questions for EN 190/190 HM



[The picture above is of a rehearsal of Theatre of Blood.  Here Michael Simkins considers the new practice of opening rehearsals to audiences:  http://www.theguardian.com/stage/theatreblog/2008/jan/17/rehearsalsareforactorsnot ]

 Good evening :)

I hope that everyone enjoyed Christopher Goodrich's visit--including and especially the exercise at the end of class!  He mentioned to me how much he enjoyed meeting and working with you.  

On Tuesday we will be meeting in front of the library on the first floor of Macklin Tower.  We will be going to MT 205 to attend librarian Abi Sogunro's presentation on research in literature.  It is so important to know what is and what isn't a good source for our upcoming paper.  Moreover, research in literature is a little different from research in EN 102, so it's essential to attend Ms. Sogunro's presentation even if you have been to the library before.

Then, on Thursday, we will finish up Trifles and begin Fences (959-1019).  I will also discuss our upcoming assignment a little more.  Since I have been reading a number of your journal entries, I am confident in your ability to handle the extended response.

To finish up this email, here are a few questions for your journal.

-- How did today's class help you understand Trifles better?  How did it help you understand the theater better?

-- How did Mr. Goodrich's emphasis on plot help you understand Trifles better?  How did it help you understand drama?  the theater?

-- Using the terminology for plot that he mentioned (initial incident/rising action/climax/falling action/resolution), chart the plot of A Doll House, Fences, or one of the other plays in chapters 22 and 23.  How does this help you understand these plays more fully?

-- Many murder mysteries or police procedurals have more than one suspect.  Trifles does not.  How does this affect your response to Glaispell's play?

-- What do you think happens to Mrs. Wright after this play ends?  Why?

-- If you have taken Women's Studies or are familiar with feminist thought, how does it apply to A Doll House and/or Trifles?

-- Are we being fair to Nora in A Doll House?  Why?  Why not?

-- Why do you think that Trifles is not staged as often as it is read?  

-- Compare Sherlock Holmes' detective methods with those of Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters.

-- Discuss the women as characters.  Discuss the men.  Is Glaispell fair to them?  Why?  Why not?

-- Discuss the impact of the setting in Trifles.

-- If you were to ask Mr. Goodrich another question, what would it be?

-- What would you like to write about for your first paper?  Why?

See you at Macklin on Tuesday!

Dr. Szlyk
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Tuesday, September 3, 2013

9/3 Questions for En 190/190 HM




[Above is a scene from North Central College's production of Trifles.]
 Good afternoon & welcome to our new students :)

I hope that you enjoyed watching the conclusion of the 1973 film of A Doll House and that you are looking forward to Christopher Goodrich's talk on the Unexpected Stage Company's 2012 production of Trifles.

Have you had a chance to look over the journal entry on Trifles?


Here is our homework for Thursday.  Please read chapters 21 through 23 in our textbook.  If you are short on time, focus on chapter 21 and Trifles (935-945).

These are the questions for your journal.  Before responding to them, skim over the list.  Then choose the one to four questions that intrigue you most.  One of them may be the one that inspires your extended response.

-- What would you like to ask Mr. Goodrich about staging a play?  Why?

-- What would you like to ask him about the play itself?  Or about the theater?

-- How did A Doll House prepare you for reading Trifles?

-- How do the stage directions of Trifles prepare you to read the play?

-- Discuss Glaispell's use of dialogue in her play.  (Again, I don't think that her play contains a soliloquoy!)

-- Discuss her use of suspense.  (If you enjoy watching police procedural shows or movies, compare Trifles to one of your favorite shows.)

-- Discuss her use of character.

-- Consider that we do not see Mrs. Wright in Trifles.  How does that affect our understanding of her character and actions?  the performance of the play? 

-- Do you think that Mrs. Wright would have gotten a "fair shake" from a female detective or lawyer?  Why?  Why not?

I'd like to close with a few more questions about A Doll House:

-- How did you respond to the conclusion of the play?  Do you think that Claire Bloom's Nora and Anthony Hopkins' Torvald will reunite?  Why?  Why not?

-- What surprises you about Torvald's response to Krogstad's letter?  What does not surprise you?  Why?

-- Why doesn't Nora remind Torvald that her borrowing money saved his life?  

-- Apply Kohlberg and/or Gilligan's theories of moral development to A Doll House:


I'm looking forward to seeing what you have to say!

Dr. Szlyk


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From the Archives: Trifles


Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Trifles



With Susan Glaspell's Trifles, we are examining women in modern drama with the following twist: the play was written by a woman (see the picture of the playwright above).

Here is a brief biography of Ms. Glaspell:

http://www.csustan.edu/english/reuben/pal/chap8/glaspell.html#bio

For more information about her early 20th c. milieu, see this web site:

http://www.provincetownplayhouse.com/history.html

Minneapolis' Theater Unbound staged Trifles in 2005.  A scene from that production is pictured below:



A NYC theater company d'mosielles has staged this play more recently and even videotaped it for YouTube:


Here is a little bit of information about the production:



John G. Bilotta and John F. McGrew have created an opera based on Glaspell's play:

Here are excerpts from film versions.


This picture is from a version staged at NYC's Ontological-Hysterical Theater:



Woo-hoo!  Here are some more videos:

 http://www.twoheadedcalf.org/shows/trifles/trifles.html
Let's look for a few reviews.  Unfortunately, many of the videos available are school projects.


Ah, here is Matthew A. Everett's review of Theater Unbound's production:

Alexis Soloski of The Village Voice reviews The Ontological-Hysteric Theater production:


Ken Jaworowski of the NY Times weighs in here:


A student-directed performance at Illinois' North Central College is discussed here:


For more reviews of other plays by Glaspell, see this site from Seton Hall:

Here is a review of the Unexpected Stage Company's production of (Dumb Waiter) and Trifles:


This article is about the Unexpected Stage Company:

I can't find the video of their rehearsal, but here is a pictures of actors from the company's production.



We'll conclude with a picture of the original 1916 production in NYC:

 
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