Angelo Journal|Just another WordPress weblog

This was a first. I had watched several plays but never in the Modular theatre. The setting was different. Never before had I witnessed a performance so up close. As for the play itself, it was quite entertaining. However, my disappointment in theatre as an art form still remains. The fact that the number of professional poker players in America outnumber the number of professional playwrights might have taken its toll. Nevertheless, sitting through this class has made me appreciate theatre, and help me realize its potential.

THE STAGE SETTING
I liked the layout. The immersion achieved by the intimacy of the space was extraordinary. One could hear and see very clearly and concentrate easily. I also must mention that I was really impressed with how the actors managed the space. They were doing a fantastic job and one could enjoy the performance from every seat in the house. Their entry and exit strategies remained unpredictable till the very end. I had never experienced a performance like this before. The setting gave the performance more dimension. As an audience member I felt like my seat was on the stage itself. It kept the audience at their feet. I did notice however, that being so close to the audience, tended to distract the actors. On more than one occasion, the actors did a double take because of an audience member.

THE SCENERY
The scenery was kept at a minimal. Personally, after watching several plays, the lack of scenery doesn’t take away from the illusion. A couple of well designed key elements is all it takes. The two benches seemed very authentic. Some elements like the grass on the floor remained in scenes where they didn’t belong. But I can understand the limitations such a setting might bring. The proximity of the actors to the audience more than made up for it.

THE SOUND EFFECTS
I liked the birds chirping. I just wish there was more of the like. Compared to Into the Woods, which had an entire orchestra behind it, this performance was a sharp contrast in style. Even without an orchestra, I do think the performance needed some more effects and music. Some of the scenes like the dinner sequence didn’t have any effects at all. The dominating background was the hum of the air-conditioning vent. It was ridiculous and took away from the performance. Perhaps some background music from the time period would have sold the effect.

THE FINAL WORD
I did like the play and the actors were well cast. It was evident that the actors were enjoying the performance as they laughed at every scuffle they made. While that may be considered bad, in this circumstance it helped lighten the mood. I am probably sure that there were minor tweaks made to the original dialogue to make it more colloquial and of this age. This was well placed and made the performances more lifelike. All in all this performance of The Taming of the Shrew introduced me to another more immersive style of stage and setting thereby reducing some of mundaneness and predictability of the theatrical experience.

I knew very little of America when I came here for vacation in 1996. I used to fly back every chance I got because I had a fascination with the country. I thought out of all the places in the world this country is like heaven on earth. But as time has passed, I have come in contact with the social and economic problems that plague the country.

It seems almost ridiculous that the wealthiest nation in the world can’t seem to take care of it’s poorer citizens. I still remember the day Bill Clinton showed up in San Angelo. He poked a question on health insurance and asked the audience how many of them knew someone who was uninsured. I was startled by the response as pretty much every one in the crowd had their hand up. It was clear that somewhere along the line, America’s conception of democracy had derailed. India is a large democracy, so is Britain. We have always assumed that partial interference from the government is a necessary evil in the private sector. It’s called a mixed economy. The government can put restrictions on one hand and provide incentives on the other in order to achieve keep corporations in check, and safeguard the interests of its citizens.

When a major player like the health industry was given corporate control, some part of the government should have regulated the the companies taking over. But since there are no checks, these companies have adopt such ghastly and inhumane policies that I can’t understand how citizens put up with it. If I wanted to get health insurance in America, I would list my pre-existing conditions. Nothing wrong with that right? Except unlike the rest of the world, American health insurance companies use it as a basis for rejection, or they’ll jack up the premium so high, even your rich uncle who has a Ferrari will be shitting bricks for the rest of his life. The NHS of Britain is run by the government and uses the pre-existing condition checklist to ensure proper treatment once the person is insured.

So, if I happen to be the poster boy for a health magazine and manage to get through the hurdle, I’ll be insured. But then when I go to my doctor and he thinks I have brain tumor and order’s and expensive test, chances are that I might get denied. This is because of the fact that when an insurance company ends up paying an individual for treatment, the industry will refer to it as a “medical loss.” Not only that, insurances officers are often rewarded in the form of bonuses and promotions every time they deny care. It’s a private organization! They don’t want to give you their money!

Looking back at the article, it listed the reasons of why the United States might have such a gap. Health Insurance I think, should be more than just a bullet point on that list. It, to me, is the main reason why this is happening. You can blame smoking and living in a scratch neighborhood if the disparities were small. But what chance do poor citizens stand if they have the corporate America profit guzzling machine run over them. To go to a hospital and get treatment has somehow become a luxury. My sister-in-law recently had a baby. Her hospital bill for two days was over $15,000.

Fortunately, for her, she is well off and can offered to get her insurance company to pay most of that amount. But for the millions that don’t? If things continue the way they are, poor people might just cease to reproduce in order to prevent debt. Then corporate America can continue to provide for its target market of yuppies!
Now if what I’ve written here is even partly accurate then any girl from 8th grade can tell you how to solve the problem. Get the government in on the action. Make a committee that monitors insurance company policies and ensure care for all citizens while holding true to America’s capitalistic model.

The problem is such logic can never work in this country. Such an idea will only be considered a “Disneyland of Healthcare”, haunted mansion and all. Firstly Americans, (I’ve encountered quite a few who think this way) believe this to be socialist propaganda. If they don’t then try and get congress to do your bidding and you’ll have to fight with drug and other health companies who have a lot of influence on the politicians. They are lobbyists with extensive resources. Nothing has been done for so long that to try and break such a system has become near impossible.
America is a dysfunctional family. They, it seems find it very hard to come together and do what may be common sense. Till such time, lets hope that this next election a dedicated leader comes to power who can put an end to this madness.

I always walk into a theatre hoping the performance I am going to witness is going to impress me. This is mainly because just about every play I have attended in the past failed to capture my imagination. I am in no way part of the elite club as movies have always been my cup of tea. However, I do try and seek out movies that wouldn’t fall into the “bubble gum” category. Nevertheless, the only play I remember enjoying was Man and Superman which used the natural fog for the mist effect and mountains just outside of San Francisco as performance space. Into theWoods was also good in that it converted the musical, the biggest form of assault used on my senses throughout my childhood (bollywood), into a bearable and somewhat enjoyable performance.

THE SCENERY and PROPS

Two minutes after taking my seat, the scenery was the only thing in plain sight awaiting my front page critique. The set design would fall into the symbolism category. I would have to imagine for some part the vision that would be portrayed. Such a setting, might lower the expectations of an audience member. And it did, at the very beginning. Butas the performance progressed, the cow on the skateboard, the toy horses, the giant’s wooden hand and the all-wood scenic elements seem to add to the performance. I was impressed at how inventive the person in-charge of the set had been because the modest budget had failed to hinderthe impressiveness of the performance. The cow on the skateboard got a laugh every-time it bounced around the stage. The toy horses forced the actors into mimicking the action of horse riding and the end result was hilarious. All the stage elements combined only added to the comedic setting and took some of the burden off the performers.

THE MUSICAL SCORE and SOUND EFFECTS

By far, one of the most deserving set of performers was the orchestra. Delivering the goods at a feverish pace in a bottomless pit, the talented congregation seemed to have the hardest job. I almost felt pity for the conductor, waving his baton endlessly in an effort to synchronize theactions on stage with the sound-effects in what seemed like a claustrophobic pit. The sound effects were very impressive and convincing with the giant’s character and others alike. It reminded me of the cardinal role the orchestra played in the classic cartoons of Hanna Barbara.As an audience member one could detect the delays and lapses, but for the most part, it was near perfect. The music accompanied with the singing of the actors also made the performance more indulging.

THE ACTORS

There were some performances that stood out over others. But I can never tell whether I am praising the character or the actor’s portrayal of that character. With that said, I think the wolf was the most colorful of all. Little Red Riding Hood seemed the most natural in the way she spoke and her accent seemed neutral. The one that annoyed me was Cinderella’s subsonic tone that had all the dead dogs in the cemetery turning in their graves. If that were intentional, congratulations! It worked. Otherwise, I am always fascinated with the work these actors put inbehind the stage, rehearsing and memorizing all those lines. There were no fumbles or errs that I noticed. They made it look effortless and delivered their lines seamlessly.

THE FINAL WORD

The play started off a little slow. It picked up pace eventually. The comedic setting made it entertaining. Movies often tend to have the upper hand thanks to the process of post-production. They get to do a series of takes and get it just right. I can only imagine trying to get it all right must take a lot in terms of artistic-collaboration and technique. The one complaint that I do have is that the plays, at the time they were written, had more relevance. If I were forced to watch classics and musical movies all the time, I sure as hell wouldn’t be delighted every time I stepped into a movie theatre. So the problem is not with the art-form of theatre itself. If there is a contemporary theatre, I haven’t been exposed to it. If theatre companies, including the one at Angelo State, are interested in getting their seats filled with younger people not showing up just for extra-credit, they might try and adopt a different approach. Plays like Into the Woods only seem to limit the possibilities of theatre. I am sure all fictional characters out there that don’t talk with a distinguished accent. It’s been ridiculously overdone. I remember thinking to myself, watching the play, that in the world of ASU Theatre, everyone has gotten off a boat from England. This only makes the art-form seem stagnant and static whereas the world of movies continues to evolve with themes that may be unique and experimental and sometimes even ridiculous. When will theatre start to woo us again? If things don’t change, and all I can expect is references to fairytales, the art-form will die with the cockney accent it so heavily relies on.

Jeffry A. Simpson’s “When Accuracy Hurts : Reactions of Anxious-Ambivalent Dating Partners to a Relationship-Threatening Situation” is a study that delves into the dangers of understanding your partner better. Yes, there is such a thing. No typos here. Simpson, who seems to exhibit an affinity for long titles, says having “greater empathic accuracy” about the thoughts and feelings of your bosom buddy, can cause “both personal and relational distress in a relationship-threatening situation.”

Though having “greater empathic accuracy” has always been viewed as a strength, the study suggests that the view is archaic and naive at best. Simpson points out that when a relationship is under threat, this quality can have a contrasting effect amongst anxious partners. Consider a scenario in which your partner evaluates the attractiveness of an old flame or a close friend from the opposite sex. While a secure partner may be oblivious, an anxious partner will exhibit “greater empathic accuracy”, feel more threatened, exhibit distressed thoughts and feelings, and feel more distant after such an interaction.

The study also revealed that men tend to have more accurate predictions of a high-threat situation than their female counter-parts. Their self-confidence had hit rock bottom when their partners evaluated members from the opposite-sex as possible dating partners.

The study elaborates upon how anxious partners might steer away from such “danger zones” in a relationship. Simpson’s model suggests that the best line of defense may be a “motivated inaccuracy, a conscious or unconscious failure to accurately infer the specific content of their partner’s potentially harmful thoughts and feelings.” Failure to do so may result in you being wiser, but also sadder. In fact, Simpson was able to conclude that when an anxious partner’s predictions are right on the mark, their relationship is more likely to end within four months.

So the next time you might find your partner evaluating the opposite-sex, your best bet would be to ignore it, because “to know all is to forgive nothing.”

Persepolis seems to be the center of coffee-table conversations everywhere. It’s an animated film about a nine-year old girl in Iran. Marjane Satrapi, whose graphic novel the movie is based on, was on the Colbert Report (WATCH INTERVIEW) recently. She mentioned that the story was a biographical account of her, a regular Iranian girl. She hopes the movie will help portray the similarities in all of us, whichever neck of the woods we may hail from. Will the movie leave Americans with a greater sense of understanding and empathy towards the “enemy?” 

 SYNOPSIS 

PERSEPOLIS presents a deeply personal coming-of-age tale about finding one’s place in the world. Based on her bestselling graphic novel, Marjane Satrapi teamed up with underground comic book artist Vincent Paronnaud to co-direct this animated big screen adaptation. The result is an electrifying, heartfelt, and original portrait of a spunky girl who surmounts countless obstacles to grow into a wise young adult. Marjane (voiced by Chiara Mastroianni) is an innocent nine-year-old living in Iran, surrounded by a loving but incredibly protective mother (Catherine Deneuve) and father (Simon Abkarian). She finds comfort in the carefree spirit of her loving grandmother (Danielle Darrieux), as well as music by artists as diverse as ABBA and Iron Maiden. When Marjane’s uncle is killed in the Iran/Iraq war, her parents send her to school in Austria, where she can study in safety. The only trouble is that her Middle Eastern appearance frightens people, giving her a harsh lesson in racial prejudice. Somehow, Marjane’s fiery spirit doesn’t succumb to any of the negativity. Eventually, she returns home to Iran to be closer with her family. But even though she settles into married life, the tyrannical pressures of Iranian society force her to abandon her country once again, sending her to France on another journey. Satrapi and Paronnaud retain the stark, spare animated style of the graphic novels that inspired the film. This is a wise decision: the less specific they get in their visual presentation, the more universal their story becomes. PERSEPOLIS gives viewers several movies in one. It is equal parts coming-of-age story, history lesson, and an animated adventure tale.                                                                           -RottenTomatoes.com 

The way your desktop looks and the way you get around it has remained stagnant. Honestly, if you think about it, nothing has ever changed since Windows 95. To me, it seems like every four years Microsoft slaps on a new set of icons and makes minor tweaks to sell you their expensive box. Their latest offering, Vista seems to be doing awful in the market. Apart from the numerous bugs and the fact that it’s not compatible with all your software, people just don’t find the need to upgrade anymore.