Until now I never thought about how theater could be related to my major. I kept wondering why it was on my list of classes to take. How would theater make me a sports agent? When I thought about theater I would think about Broadway, and musicals, and movies but never sports. After taking this class I have realized that there are many ways in which theater and sports are related but also how some of the techniques could be used in my career. Theater has so many different aspects from creative thinking when it comes to writing, to the creative process to get into character to play a role. Theater can be tied into so many things that we do in our normal live. This class really made me realize that in my everyday life I am a character and that everywhere I go an with every person I meet I play a role. I am currently a sports administration major at IUP and someday I hope to be a sports agent. I want to be a sports agent because I love sports with all my heart. The rush that I feel when playing sports and watching them is so extravagant that I would never give it up. That’s why I want to be a sports agent I want to be able to be an impact on the sport. I want to be able to say that I have brought some of the world’s best athletes to the NBA, NFL, NHL, and so many other professional organizations. Just like theater we to as athletes have scripts or how we see it plays it is a written out way to know what we are going to do on the field or as in theater the stage. Not only sports but there are so many other careers that theater could be attached to. My minor is In business law and the methods and ways of thinking could also be used in law. Lawyers have to research a case and come of with methods to win their case. I don’t know what I would really enjoy in life if I wasn’t studying to be a sports agent. To be able to love what you do is the best thing in the world.
When I first came to IUP I was a biology pre-med major and I quickly switched to sports administration. After taking this class I can see how in theater could even be connected to the medical field. Surgeons are like directors they go threw many years of school to learn their craft and to me being a surgeon is a craft they know how to do procedures and put everything back together again and with new technology they try to leave as little scaring as possible just to keep you beautiful. Plastic surgeons really make their money by making woman as beautiful as they can its like a open canvas and they just cut, lift, and stitch and you look like a Barbie Doll. Theater has so many ways that they perfect their work it’s perform surgery on there work until the point that it is the perfect Barbie Doll. It makes me wonder how long does it actually take a play writer takes to write the perfect play to the point that in his eyes it is perfection and good enough to become a production. I thought that theater was nothing more then a passion that people had and I thought that people who are part of theater were people that just went to New York after high school to live out a dream that’s how they make it seem in the movies but I have now learned that the people who involved with theater are just like any other person with a career. They have a passion and they go through years of school to perfect what they are already good at but to also learn all the other parts of their field. I have a lot of respect for those individuals that are part of the theater world they bring tons of joy to the world threw their productions. Just like any other careers they have a purpose. I choose the career of a sports agent because I to want to be able to bring joy to the world by bringing the best athletes in the world to keep our public entertained for many years to come.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Concluding Statement
It didn’t take me long to figure out how this class has changed my view points on life, theater, my career, the people I associate myself with. This entire semester I have not seen any of my classmates and I feel so connected to many of them not by their appearance but how they think. It has showed me to not judge people from there looks but by there chracter and their qualities. They think and how I feel about certain subjects. One of the most enjoyable bloggin assignments was the one about improve. That blogging assignments was so enjoyable to read how everyone thought of improve and the stories they wrote were over the top at times but then there were was one that were really good and made me think like wow I would love to see that. It was one of the projects that really made me take some time to tap into my creative side and think of how I would create a improve show. A lot of the blogging assignments that we did this semester showed me how creative I was when it came to creating ideas for things. An it is amazing to me that a playwright is brought to life just from a thought or a idea. I think this class and my classmates and I have learned a lot and there is so much information that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives. I have learned that there are so many different aspects to theater and I have learned how our everyday lives is basically a play and we act out certain roles in different situations and with different people. What I would be taking with me from this class? So many different things that I think have changed my perspective of a lot of things in my life even just life its self. I learned so much that I didn’t expect to learn. At first I was not thrilled to join this class I joined because I just needed a class. I learned a lot that I never knew about theater that really sparked my interest. Before this class I never looked at all the time, preparation, artistic thinking, or anything that it took to make a production. I learned that only the most creative minds can create great productions. Its like the creative part of there brain that comes up with ideas that I could have never thought of but with this class I believe that the discussion post that most made me tap into my creative side really brought it out and made me think of things that I normally wouldn’t and the things that I thought of surprised me. Im focusing on becoming a sports agent after I graduate and this class really made me notice how much in common both have. Being a sports agents is a hard job because you have to think about the athletes potential to make money just like theatrical productions you have to constuct a playwright and then see if it has a good chance of being picked up and if it is good enough then it can be produced into a play or a movie. The same with athletes they play all of their lives and only the good players are selected to be invited to the NFL combine and from those players they look forward to the NFL draft where they are selected to play on a professional team. This class has opened my eyes up to so much. It has made me view the art world diffrently and actually notice that it is a career that can be done by many that I believe you actually need a degree to do so that you can enhance your creative process. Theatre is has so many aspects even architectul. Never knew that there were so many different wasys to build a theatre and each construction makes the audience view the show differently. Now when I go to a theatrical production I will be more aware of things that I neve noticed before like the lighting, scenere, the costumes, and make-up. My eyes have been opened to a new world and everything that I have learned in this class will make me view theatre differently and kind of makes me feel like a little bit of a expert when I go to shows because I am more aware and I have knowledge of so many different types of theatre now.
This class would be helpful to anyone who doesn’t know their way in life because it opened my eyes to things that I have never thought of if I wasn’t in this class. So just imagine what it could do for someone else. Hopefully the same that it has done for me.
This class would be helpful to anyone who doesn’t know their way in life because it opened my eyes to things that I have never thought of if I wasn’t in this class. So just imagine what it could do for someone else. Hopefully the same that it has done for me.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
LIFE
There are many different roles that each person plays everyday. Like me for example I
play the roles of a daughter, friend, girlfriend, granddaughter, sister, employee,
Student , and athlete . These seem like a lot of task but it not it becomes part of your
Everyday life. With friends and family im the goofy Stephanie that plays around and can
always take a joke. With the boyfriend im the Stephanie that is loving, supportive, caring,
and the all around care taker when it comes to cooking , cleaning, and making sure he is
on point with getting all his important stuff done. As a sister it is my responsibility to look
out for both of my brothers one who is 18 and is completely out of control and the other
who is 5 months and who’s mind is like a melting pot and he learns something new
every day. As a employee I am a completely different person I am nice but always
about business and am always the leader and people usually call me bossy. As a student
I work hard to get to where I want to be in life and am now seeing that it is a lot harder
than it looks on T.V. As a athlete I take sports serious and I am not the one to mess
with on the field or the court I am always captain of every team I play on an I always
play the role of the motivator on the team.
See there are so many roles that a individual plays during their day but that’s just part of
their everyday life. I believe that all of these roles model you into the person that you
are today. I know that they have become a big reason to why I am the way that I am.
Some of the roles are challenging and some I don’t want to do all the time but it’s who I
Am. The roles that become of us are also due to cultural backgrounds and how our family raised us. Due to certain life experiences they make us who we are and throughout life we learn and gain new experiences that teach us lessons that change our look on life and sculpts our personality. I don’t think that I would have become the person that I am at 20 without certain life experiences that I have now and by 60 I will be a completely different person and look at different things in life differently
The one thing that I am most passionate about would be sports I love the logic that goes into being a athlete. You have to have a love for the game and you have to perfect your game at every level. You first start playing as a child on little league teams then play for high school, then college then next thing you know your being invited to practice for professional teams. It’s the same with the way the actors in theater are. They first start of playing in school shows from little all the way to college. Some actors choose to even take a leap of faith and take it to the next level by moving to New York and try staring in Broadway musical. Just like athletes actors have a passion for what they do they all ways try to be perfectionist in their chosen passion and will always try to take it to the next level and become professionals. There is nothing like a career that you love doing everyday. That’s why I chose sports management as my major because I don’t think that I could ever enjoy going to work everyday unless sports was a part of my life.
play the roles of a daughter, friend, girlfriend, granddaughter, sister, employee,
Student , and athlete . These seem like a lot of task but it not it becomes part of your
Everyday life. With friends and family im the goofy Stephanie that plays around and can
always take a joke. With the boyfriend im the Stephanie that is loving, supportive, caring,
and the all around care taker when it comes to cooking , cleaning, and making sure he is
on point with getting all his important stuff done. As a sister it is my responsibility to look
out for both of my brothers one who is 18 and is completely out of control and the other
who is 5 months and who’s mind is like a melting pot and he learns something new
every day. As a employee I am a completely different person I am nice but always
about business and am always the leader and people usually call me bossy. As a student
I work hard to get to where I want to be in life and am now seeing that it is a lot harder
than it looks on T.V. As a athlete I take sports serious and I am not the one to mess
with on the field or the court I am always captain of every team I play on an I always
play the role of the motivator on the team.
See there are so many roles that a individual plays during their day but that’s just part of
their everyday life. I believe that all of these roles model you into the person that you
are today. I know that they have become a big reason to why I am the way that I am.
Some of the roles are challenging and some I don’t want to do all the time but it’s who I
Am. The roles that become of us are also due to cultural backgrounds and how our family raised us. Due to certain life experiences they make us who we are and throughout life we learn and gain new experiences that teach us lessons that change our look on life and sculpts our personality. I don’t think that I would have become the person that I am at 20 without certain life experiences that I have now and by 60 I will be a completely different person and look at different things in life differently
The one thing that I am most passionate about would be sports I love the logic that goes into being a athlete. You have to have a love for the game and you have to perfect your game at every level. You first start playing as a child on little league teams then play for high school, then college then next thing you know your being invited to practice for professional teams. It’s the same with the way the actors in theater are. They first start of playing in school shows from little all the way to college. Some actors choose to even take a leap of faith and take it to the next level by moving to New York and try staring in Broadway musical. Just like athletes actors have a passion for what they do they all ways try to be perfectionist in their chosen passion and will always try to take it to the next level and become professionals. There is nothing like a career that you love doing everyday. That’s why I chose sports management as my major because I don’t think that I could ever enjoy going to work everyday unless sports was a part of my life.
Play review
On April 24th in Philadelphia P.A at the Kimmel Center I went to see the Lion King.
If you love theatre, you will love the Lion King. As the curtain opens, a procession of
extravagantly-colored animals bound on stage and a powerful African melody starts up,
transporting you from the grayness of Drury Lane to the majesty of the Serengeti plains
I went with my step mother to see the production, with great trepidation, at first I did not
want to attend the performance but I am glad I did and from the moment the action
started I was captivated by the colors and songs and sat gawping, wide-eyed, and
excitedly tapping my feet to the beat throughout. I was astonished at how interested I was in the play after I argued all day with my parents that I did not want to go.
Many critics thought it would be impossible to recreate the epic color and crazy
menagerie of the Disney film on stage, but they were wrong. The costumes and puppetry
of the production are outstanding, with masks and headdresses representing the animals
rather than attempting to disguise the actors - which would have resulted in a somewhat
ridiculous, cartoon effect.
Simba (the lion prince), Mufasa (his father, the king) and Scar (the villain) have lion
masks above their heads and giraffe actors gracefully negotiate the stage on stilts, but
the most ingenious creations are the hyenas - their rear legs belong to the actors, who
control the mechanical front legs and head.
At all times you are clearly aware humans are controlling the costumes, but that does not
detract at all, in fact it gives the production a far more natural feel. Zazu (the king's aide)
is actually a man holding a bird puppet above his head. It sounds slightly silly, but it
works...honest! The actors are helped by the choreography, which cleverly blends the
movements of the animal into the dancing.
The plot has several familiar themes. Simba, son of the king of lions, is forced into exile
by his evil uncle Scar after the death of his father, Mufasa. Scar, having got his nephew
out of the way, seizes power with the help of a hyena army. Simba goes through a rite of
passage in the wilderness before returning to claim his rightful throne.
Ultimately a musical lives or dies by its score. The Lion King's is excellent and blends
together Elton John and Tim Rice's classic musical numbers in the western tradition with
rhythmic African beats and haunting melodies. Despite the hype around hits such as
Circle of Life and Can You Feel The Love Tonight, it is the African sounds that really draw
the audience in and give the production its character. They let the cast showcase their
great voices, particularly Alexia Khadime (Nala) and Brown Lindiwe Mkhize (Rafiki).
Mkhize has one of the finest voices I have ever heard.
As for the acting, the real stars are Cody Ryan Wise, who plays the role of the young
Simba with amazing maturity, and Derek Smith who plays dastardly villain Scar to a tee.
John Plumpis and Ben Lipitz, as Timon and Pumbaa (the meerkat and warthog who
befriend Simba in exile), provide brilliant comedy.
All in all, The Lion King is a great day out and I would recommend it to anyone who
wants to escape into a magical world for a few hours. As far as plays go where they take a Disney film and make it into a play I could honestly say that this was the best play I have seen and I know that any child and adult would love it
If you love theatre, you will love the Lion King. As the curtain opens, a procession of
extravagantly-colored animals bound on stage and a powerful African melody starts up,
transporting you from the grayness of Drury Lane to the majesty of the Serengeti plains
I went with my step mother to see the production, with great trepidation, at first I did not
want to attend the performance but I am glad I did and from the moment the action
started I was captivated by the colors and songs and sat gawping, wide-eyed, and
excitedly tapping my feet to the beat throughout. I was astonished at how interested I was in the play after I argued all day with my parents that I did not want to go.
Many critics thought it would be impossible to recreate the epic color and crazy
menagerie of the Disney film on stage, but they were wrong. The costumes and puppetry
of the production are outstanding, with masks and headdresses representing the animals
rather than attempting to disguise the actors - which would have resulted in a somewhat
ridiculous, cartoon effect.
Simba (the lion prince), Mufasa (his father, the king) and Scar (the villain) have lion
masks above their heads and giraffe actors gracefully negotiate the stage on stilts, but
the most ingenious creations are the hyenas - their rear legs belong to the actors, who
control the mechanical front legs and head.
At all times you are clearly aware humans are controlling the costumes, but that does not
detract at all, in fact it gives the production a far more natural feel. Zazu (the king's aide)
is actually a man holding a bird puppet above his head. It sounds slightly silly, but it
works...honest! The actors are helped by the choreography, which cleverly blends the
movements of the animal into the dancing.
The plot has several familiar themes. Simba, son of the king of lions, is forced into exile
by his evil uncle Scar after the death of his father, Mufasa. Scar, having got his nephew
out of the way, seizes power with the help of a hyena army. Simba goes through a rite of
passage in the wilderness before returning to claim his rightful throne.
Ultimately a musical lives or dies by its score. The Lion King's is excellent and blends
together Elton John and Tim Rice's classic musical numbers in the western tradition with
rhythmic African beats and haunting melodies. Despite the hype around hits such as
Circle of Life and Can You Feel The Love Tonight, it is the African sounds that really draw
the audience in and give the production its character. They let the cast showcase their
great voices, particularly Alexia Khadime (Nala) and Brown Lindiwe Mkhize (Rafiki).
Mkhize has one of the finest voices I have ever heard.
As for the acting, the real stars are Cody Ryan Wise, who plays the role of the young
Simba with amazing maturity, and Derek Smith who plays dastardly villain Scar to a tee.
John Plumpis and Ben Lipitz, as Timon and Pumbaa (the meerkat and warthog who
befriend Simba in exile), provide brilliant comedy.
All in all, The Lion King is a great day out and I would recommend it to anyone who
wants to escape into a magical world for a few hours. As far as plays go where they take a Disney film and make it into a play I could honestly say that this was the best play I have seen and I know that any child and adult would love it
Design a Costume
I choose to design costumes for the Broadway production of The Phantom Of The Opera. I really enjoyed reading the script for this play because I enjoyed the play and I enjoyed the movie. When I had to think of how I would dress each character it was a little difficult because I thought of it as a modernized form of The Phantom Of The Opera production not like the one in previous years. I thought it would be fun to create a different look for the production. For the Phantom of the Opera I would give him a jewel incrusted make and his clothes would be fine. I would like to see him wear a nice tuxedo with a glitter touch to it. I would also like for him to wear a velvet cape with a red inner lining. His hair slicked back very and for him to wear gloves. It doesn’t seem very futuristic but I think it should just be modernized then before. Carlotta Giudicelli I would like to see her wardrobe to be more bold with color. I would give her a beautiful blue ballroom dress with the top of the dress embroidered and jeweled. I would want her wardrobe to look very luxurious. Lots of jewels and ballroom gowns with lots of color would really bring out her role to me. Her costume is one of the most important to me hers and the Phantoms seeing as they are the two most important people of the play. These two characters I picked because I would like to see their costumes jazzed up because they are the performance, but at the same time I wouldn’t want to stand out so much that they do not fit in with the rest of the cast or even the entire production.
This would be a mask similar to what I would like the Phantom to wear but with out the feathers. I would also like to see the entire mask covered in jewels.
This is the type of cape I would use for the Phantom.
A dress like this seem like it would fit Carlotta Giudicelli well to me it seems very reserved but at the same time its shows that she is a mature beautiful young lady.
Monday, April 5, 2010
Theater profile "Cirque Du Soleil'
When researching theatres around the world the one that caught my eye was Cirque Du Soleil. I have heard about this company many times before but did not know what they did, who they were, or what type of work they did. Until I took this class I did not know that there were so many different types of theatre. The one thing that caught my eye and made me want to research this theatre was the name. It sounded so interesting and mysterious at the same time. After researching Cirque Du Soleil I was intrigued on how they use the show it certain ways to spread awareness about certain issues in our world.
Cirque Du Soleil is a Canadian entertainment company. Critics describe the play as a dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment. In 1984 two former street performers named Guy Laliberté and Daniel Gauthier founded what was once called Les Échassiers in Baie-Saint- Paul. They toured Quebec in the 1980’s as a performing troupe and ended up struggling financially. In 1983 a government grant that was part of the 450th anniversary of the celebration of Jacques Cartier’s discovery of Canada it relieved the financial struggle and Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil became a success in 1984. When they secured a second year of funding Laliberté hired Guy Caron from the National Circus School to re-create it as a proper circus. Due to the absence of performing animals and its character driven approach helped define Cirque Du Soleil as the contemporary circus that it remains today.
Cirque Du Soleil is a combination of circus styles from all around the world but it still has its own central theme and storyline. They tie the audience into the performance through unending live music , with performers that change the props instead of stagehands . In 1980 Nouvelle Experience was created after critical and financial success and failures in the late 1980’s. it was created with the direction of Franco Dragone. It made Cirque profitable by 1990 and allowed I to create new shows. In the 1990’s and 2000’s it grew from one show to about 4,000 employees from over 40 different countries that produced 19 shows in over 271 cities on every continent but Africa and Antarctica. There annual revenue is estimated at $810 million U.S dollars. Laliberté bought out Gauthier in 2000 and owns 95% of the company and still continues to expand the name. In 2008, under a partnership with investment groups Istithmar World and Nakheel of Dubai, which Cirque plans to build a residency show in the United Arab Emirates country by 2012, Laliberté split 20% of his share equally between the two groups to further finance the company's goals. Several more shows are in development around the world, along with a television deal, women's clothing line and the possible venture into other mediums such as spas, restaurants and nightclubs. Cirque's creations have been awarded numerous prizes and distinctions, including a Bambi Award in 1997, a Rose d'Or in 1989, Drama Desk Awards in 1991 and 1998, three Gemini Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards.
Cirque Du Soleil does have many internship opportunities for young theatre artist. It reaches out to a younger pool of potential employees with the two-year-old internship program, which is open to undergraduates in their junior or senior year and graduate students that are currently enrolled in theatre of entertainment related programs. The internship is a 12 week program in the fall, spring, or summer and requires that the interns spend time with all the technical departments of a given production before choosing an area of specialty. So far the internship has been said to be very succesful and at the end of the internship several luck individuals will earn full-time employment with the company. This is a great opportunity that should be taken by anyone with hopes of working in this industry.
Cirque Du Soleil is a Canadian entertainment company. Critics describe the play as a dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment. In 1984 two former street performers named Guy Laliberté and Daniel Gauthier founded what was once called Les Échassiers in Baie-Saint- Paul. They toured Quebec in the 1980’s as a performing troupe and ended up struggling financially. In 1983 a government grant that was part of the 450th anniversary of the celebration of Jacques Cartier’s discovery of Canada it relieved the financial struggle and Le Grand Tour du Cirque du Soleil became a success in 1984. When they secured a second year of funding Laliberté hired Guy Caron from the National Circus School to re-create it as a proper circus. Due to the absence of performing animals and its character driven approach helped define Cirque Du Soleil as the contemporary circus that it remains today.
Cirque Du Soleil is a combination of circus styles from all around the world but it still has its own central theme and storyline. They tie the audience into the performance through unending live music , with performers that change the props instead of stagehands . In 1980 Nouvelle Experience was created after critical and financial success and failures in the late 1980’s. it was created with the direction of Franco Dragone. It made Cirque profitable by 1990 and allowed I to create new shows. In the 1990’s and 2000’s it grew from one show to about 4,000 employees from over 40 different countries that produced 19 shows in over 271 cities on every continent but Africa and Antarctica. There annual revenue is estimated at $810 million U.S dollars. Laliberté bought out Gauthier in 2000 and owns 95% of the company and still continues to expand the name. In 2008, under a partnership with investment groups Istithmar World and Nakheel of Dubai, which Cirque plans to build a residency show in the United Arab Emirates country by 2012, Laliberté split 20% of his share equally between the two groups to further finance the company's goals. Several more shows are in development around the world, along with a television deal, women's clothing line and the possible venture into other mediums such as spas, restaurants and nightclubs. Cirque's creations have been awarded numerous prizes and distinctions, including a Bambi Award in 1997, a Rose d'Or in 1989, Drama Desk Awards in 1991 and 1998, three Gemini Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards.
Cirque Du Soleil does have many internship opportunities for young theatre artist. It reaches out to a younger pool of potential employees with the two-year-old internship program, which is open to undergraduates in their junior or senior year and graduate students that are currently enrolled in theatre of entertainment related programs. The internship is a 12 week program in the fall, spring, or summer and requires that the interns spend time with all the technical departments of a given production before choosing an area of specialty. So far the internship has been said to be very succesful and at the end of the internship several luck individuals will earn full-time employment with the company. This is a great opportunity that should be taken by anyone with hopes of working in this industry.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
"The Color Purple" the novel,movie, and musical
Since I was younger The Color Purple captured my heart. The story Celie and the woman she becomes to know very well really touched me and taught me how strong black women are even back in the time when they didn’t have many privelges. I loved the book, movie, and especially the play on Broadway. I enjoyed the scenery with the dramatic colors and big trees and the musical was no different from the movie but I enjoyed how I was there and I actually felt like I was part of the performance.
The Color Purple began as a novel by Alice Walker in 1982 .The book won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award. In 1985 critcally acclaimed director Steven Speilburg turned the novel in to a movie. The film was nominated for eleven academy awards but did not walk away with any and Spielberg was awarded the Directors Guild of America Award for Best Motion Picture Director. On December 1, 2005 the musical opened on Broadway. It was directed by Gary Griffin and was produced by Scott Sanders, Quincy Jones, and Oprah Winfrey .The Broadway production earned 11 Tony Award nominations in 2006. The show closed on February 24, 2008, after 30 previews and 910 regular performances. The Broadway production recouped its $11 million investment within its first year on Broadway, and has grossed over $103 million to date.
Taking place in the Southern United States during the early- to mid-1900s, this story tells the life of a poor Black girl, Celie Harris (Whoopi Goldberg), whose abuse begins when she is young. By the time she is fourteen, she has already had two children by her father (Leonard Jackson) (later discovered to be her stepfather), who takes them away from her at childbirth and forces Celie to marry a local widower Albert (Danny Glover), who treats Celie like a slave. Albert makes her clean up his disorderly household and take care of his unruly children. Albert beats her often, intimidating Celie into near silence and submission. Nettie comes to live with them, and there is a brief period of happiness as the sisters spend time together and Nettie begins to teach Celie how to read. This is short-lived, however; after Nettie refuses Albert's predatory affections once too often, he kicks her out.
Albert's old flame, the jazz singer Shug Avery (Margaret Avery), for whom Albert has carried a torch for many years, comes to live with him and Celie. Delirious with sickness, Shug initially insults Celie by saying "you sure is ugly" on their first meeting, but they eventually become close friends and Shug helps Celie begin to see her worth as a human being. Shug and Celie also entertain a lesbian affair (this was more pronounced in the book, and is only hinted at in the film). Celie also finds strength in Sofia (Oprah Winfrey), who marries Albert's son Harpo (Willard E. Pugh). Sofia has also suffered abuse from the men in her family, but unlike Celie, she refuses to tolerate it. This high-spiritedness proves to be her downfall, however, as a rude remark to the town mayor's wife and a punch to the mayor himself ends with Sofia in jail.
Nettie, meanwhile, has been living with missionaries in Africa and writing to Celie often. Unbeknownst to Celie, Albert confiscates Nettie's letters, telling Celie that she will never hear from her sister again. During a visit from Shug and her new husband, Grady, Celie and Shug discover many years' worth of Nettie's correspondence. Reconnecting with her sister and the assurance that she is still alive helps give Celie the strength to stand up to Albert. She almost slits his throat while giving him a shave, and is only to be stopped by Shug. During a family dinner Sofia is shown to be prematurely aged and permanently disfigured due to the severe beatings she received in jail, and demoralized into an almost catatonic state. During this dinner, Celie finally asserts herself, excoriating Albert and his father. Shug informs Albert that they are leaving, and that Celie is coming with them, despite Albert's attempts to verbally abuse Celie into submission, Celie stands up to Albert and leaves permanently. This also snaps Sofia out of her funk as she laughs hysterically at a dumbfounded and embarrassed Albert and is back to normal.
Celie opens up a haberdashery selling "one size fits all" slacks. Upon the death of her father, she learns that he was, in fact, her stepfather, and that she has inherited a house and shop from her real father. Meanwhile, Albert's fields and home languish into almost nonexistence as he slips into alcohol-fueled idleness, spending most of his time at Harpo's speakeasy. Years of guilt finally catch up to Albert, knowing he has been a horrible person most of his life, especially to Celie. In a sudden act of kindness unknown to Celie, Albert takes all the money he has saved over the years, goes down to the immigration office, and arranges for a family reunion for Celie. Nettie and Celie's children, Adam and Olivia, who were raised in Africa, are reunited with Celie. Albert looks on from a distance, smiling at seeing Celie finally happy.
The Color Purple began as a novel by Alice Walker in 1982 .The book won the 1983 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award. In 1985 critcally acclaimed director Steven Speilburg turned the novel in to a movie. The film was nominated for eleven academy awards but did not walk away with any and Spielberg was awarded the Directors Guild of America Award for Best Motion Picture Director. On December 1, 2005 the musical opened on Broadway. It was directed by Gary Griffin and was produced by Scott Sanders, Quincy Jones, and Oprah Winfrey .The Broadway production earned 11 Tony Award nominations in 2006. The show closed on February 24, 2008, after 30 previews and 910 regular performances. The Broadway production recouped its $11 million investment within its first year on Broadway, and has grossed over $103 million to date.
Taking place in the Southern United States during the early- to mid-1900s, this story tells the life of a poor Black girl, Celie Harris (Whoopi Goldberg), whose abuse begins when she is young. By the time she is fourteen, she has already had two children by her father (Leonard Jackson) (later discovered to be her stepfather), who takes them away from her at childbirth and forces Celie to marry a local widower Albert (Danny Glover), who treats Celie like a slave. Albert makes her clean up his disorderly household and take care of his unruly children. Albert beats her often, intimidating Celie into near silence and submission. Nettie comes to live with them, and there is a brief period of happiness as the sisters spend time together and Nettie begins to teach Celie how to read. This is short-lived, however; after Nettie refuses Albert's predatory affections once too often, he kicks her out.
Albert's old flame, the jazz singer Shug Avery (Margaret Avery), for whom Albert has carried a torch for many years, comes to live with him and Celie. Delirious with sickness, Shug initially insults Celie by saying "you sure is ugly" on their first meeting, but they eventually become close friends and Shug helps Celie begin to see her worth as a human being. Shug and Celie also entertain a lesbian affair (this was more pronounced in the book, and is only hinted at in the film). Celie also finds strength in Sofia (Oprah Winfrey), who marries Albert's son Harpo (Willard E. Pugh). Sofia has also suffered abuse from the men in her family, but unlike Celie, she refuses to tolerate it. This high-spiritedness proves to be her downfall, however, as a rude remark to the town mayor's wife and a punch to the mayor himself ends with Sofia in jail.
Nettie, meanwhile, has been living with missionaries in Africa and writing to Celie often. Unbeknownst to Celie, Albert confiscates Nettie's letters, telling Celie that she will never hear from her sister again. During a visit from Shug and her new husband, Grady, Celie and Shug discover many years' worth of Nettie's correspondence. Reconnecting with her sister and the assurance that she is still alive helps give Celie the strength to stand up to Albert. She almost slits his throat while giving him a shave, and is only to be stopped by Shug. During a family dinner Sofia is shown to be prematurely aged and permanently disfigured due to the severe beatings she received in jail, and demoralized into an almost catatonic state. During this dinner, Celie finally asserts herself, excoriating Albert and his father. Shug informs Albert that they are leaving, and that Celie is coming with them, despite Albert's attempts to verbally abuse Celie into submission, Celie stands up to Albert and leaves permanently. This also snaps Sofia out of her funk as she laughs hysterically at a dumbfounded and embarrassed Albert and is back to normal.
Celie opens up a haberdashery selling "one size fits all" slacks. Upon the death of her father, she learns that he was, in fact, her stepfather, and that she has inherited a house and shop from her real father. Meanwhile, Albert's fields and home languish into almost nonexistence as he slips into alcohol-fueled idleness, spending most of his time at Harpo's speakeasy. Years of guilt finally catch up to Albert, knowing he has been a horrible person most of his life, especially to Celie. In a sudden act of kindness unknown to Celie, Albert takes all the money he has saved over the years, goes down to the immigration office, and arranges for a family reunion for Celie. Nettie and Celie's children, Adam and Olivia, who were raised in Africa, are reunited with Celie. Albert looks on from a distance, smiling at seeing Celie finally happy.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
