Performance Analysis on Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs

Performance Analysis on Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs

Paper details:

Assignment Summary: Stream the Yaël Farber-directed 2020 UK National Theatre production of Lorraine Hansberry’s Les Blancs through the Drama Online Service. Consider the production in light of one key aspect our course readings, screenings, and discussions thus far and, in 1250 words, analyse this critical aspect as evident in the production. PREPARATION STEP I: Locate the show through UBC Library Drama Online PREPARATION STEP II: Preparing for the performance analysis Remind yourself of key ideas from our readings thus far, from the weeks concerning performance analysis and semiotics to our final discussions of casting principles. Gather a means to take short notes during and longer notes after you screen the production. ·

If you would like in advance to look at materials concerning the play and this particular production of the play, the producing company has provided the following resources: https://media.bloomsbury.com/rep/files/nt_les-blancs-learning-pack.pdf · Look at the Patrice Pavis performance questionnaire under “Q” for Questionnaire in his Dictionary of the Theatre: Terms, Concepts, and Analysis. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999. Canadian Electronic Library/desLibris. pp. 295-296, available as an e-book through UBC Library: https://www-deslibris-ca.eu1.proxy.openathens.net/ID/417866 PREPARATION STEP III: Attend the play.

Watch/stream Les Blancs at a time convenient for you to see the whole show at once. PREPARATION STEP IV: Brainstorm about the performance details (feel free to use the Pavis questionnaire or not) What strike you as the most salient aspects of the production? Does anything surprise, delight, or irritate you? How do you understand the sign systems that shape the production? What do they foreground? What do they leave in the background? How does the production use costume, lighting, sound, music, set, props, puppets and/or actors to tell this story? How is time organized in this production? How is space organized in this production?

PREPARATION STEP V:

Build and Refine your Critical Reaction to the Reading Select your strongest line of critical engagement with the performance and develop a cogent argument that demonstrates your grounded, reasoned, analytical response to it. For example, if you saw a production that used elaborate costumes but very little by way of props, sets, or music to create the story world, you might note how the production centered attention on the actors and used costumes to distinguish characters and make sense of their relationships and actions.

Alternately, if you saw a production that overwhelmingly relied on sound and blackouts to signal critical moments in the narrative, you could focus your analysis on how that worked to shape the pacing and emotional effects of the narrative. In another direction, you could focus on an aspect that struck you as odd or jarring and try to make sense of it within the context of other performance choices. In short, there is really no one predetermined element to focus upon for this assignment.

Rather, the goal is for you to: – think about the activity of performance analysis – view the production – think about the production’s sign systems and component parts as well as the overall effects of their combination – seek to understand how it worked rather than if it worked (avoid assessing it as good or bad) – select a striking aspect and argue persuasively with supportive evidence for how and why that aspect struck you as meaningful within the context of the overall production, its sign systems and effects.

Things to avoid: – Plot summary (unnecessary here) – assessing it overall or in terms of individual choices as “good” or “bad” (instead, focus on how the various parts inform the whole and vice versa) – the word “it’s” (because you should avoid contractions in your formal writing) —————————————————————————————————————– THTR 310 Performance analysis #2 In fairness to others, late papers will be penalized (3% for each day late, including weekends). Extensions will be granted only on medical or compassionate grounds and you must contact me to discuss the possibility of such an extension. This 1250-word assignment must be typed and double-spaced with reasonable margin and font sizes (10 – 12). Follow a consistent citation style, preferably MLA, Chicago or APA (do not invent your own).

 

 

 

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Subject: Business

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