Girl Jam: Melbourne Improv Conspiracy Theatre Session

To begin, the idea of this event spawned from the brain of the Music Department chair Marshall Kimball in his proposal for the Leader in Residence program. Initially a small event for arts advocacy, the bash blossomed into a community wide event with three stages of live entertainment, fantastic art displays, and a number of children’s activities all for free. As the event grew into its final product, the People’s Bank Theatre cooperated quite nicely with the music department to ensure success, whether it be passing out flyers in the program for other shows or providing the performers a comfortable space

During the midst of the Great Depression, Americans were struggling in a fight to live. Factories all around the country were shutting down, causing people to be jobless, even homeless, unable to provide for their families. But the Factories were not the only ones affected. The theatre industry struggled to live on just as much, causing any enjoyment in life to be rare; which brought brilliant idea to the table, the Federal Theatre Project (FTP). This would not only bring jobs to those who are jobless, but bring back a scarce source of life, enjoyment. An Ideal Government funded theatre program the provided “free, adult, uncensored theatre,” as stated by the secretary of commerce, Harry Hopkins. And for 4 years, the FTP was actively trying to provide what it promised, but had a tragic downfall.

My friends and I walk into a packed venue, and are immediately met by a young guy with shaggy brown hair and a skull hoodie, who holds up a white piece of paper with a hastily scrawled "$8" in the center. I pull out my worn wallet from the left pocket of my leather jacket. My hands strain momentarily to pull the snaps open, before my fingers find their way to my single worn 10 dollar bill. The man hands me two dollars in change and stamps my hand with a blue paw print, and I turn to face the stage. All the while a man has been screaming and singing on stage, not unpleasantly. The vibe of this crowd feels different from the normal one, rougher. They have a more hardcore look to them, and I've never seen Alexia's band play with one that yells, other than one time at a small coffee shop in which a single kid with an acoustic guitar spent twenty minutes strumming and screaming slam poetry into the mic, while my friend and I sipped iced vanilla lattes in the other room.

Australian Contemporary Theatre is a form of Theatre which addresses the concerns and aspirations of Australian audiences; with the use of diverse and complex characters Australian Contemporary Theatre is able to connect with the audience making them reflect and challenge identities. This is shown clearly in the texts Ruby Moon written by Matt Cameron and A Beautiful Life written by Michael Futcher and Helen Howard which we have studied throughout topics.

Improv was always an intimidating faction of theater. Though there is no planning or scripting, no matter when or where the show was it always seemed a labor of love. Something that was worked on for an extreme length of time but really it was formed from the performer's mind only a second before the audience saw it. Even though I have done theater and dance in the past, improv always seemed something that I was never good at. From watching performances, tv programs, or improv workshops, it always looked like an art form that I could never learn or use besides the stage. With last week's class, that all seemed to change. I saw that improv could be used in many different factions of life. Providing new life skills and practices that cam

1 Assignment 2 Drama Assignment/Do our Differences Define Us? 1. Do our differences define us? Write a paragraph in which you answer this question and provide at least 3 reasons to support your opinion. Yes our differences do define us. Our differences affect our experiences, which shape our realities ,our perception of situations, and our futures.

The event is powered by Strong Ties nonprofit. It’s a collaborative effort involving volunteers, parents, teachers, and a local community college. The program’s success is on the students and requires their full participation. The shy and those who seemed forced to attend transform into being able to perform their part of the STEAM rap and later present their parts of the assigned group

Before we went to the convention, we helped with packing food for other countries. We went to Iowa State University for the food packing and state. Not a lot of school did it, but our school was one of the few that did. I was in a group with about 7 people I didn’t really know, and we packaged food. We had to wear standard stuff like a hairnet, and gloves. That night we ate at a place in Ames that was really good. My friends, and I got a table before most of the kids that went to FFA did. It took a while for them to get our order, but they soon did. After that day we went to the convention and we did our skit on the first day because the second day we had to go to workshops. The workshops were fun if you got put with your friends. I only got put with one of my friends and we had to sit at different tables. At the end of each night we would watch people on stage and slideshows talking about FFA, and how state would be the next

Realism provides only amoral observation, while absurdism rejects even the possibility of debate. (Frances Babbage, Augusto Boal). The cynicism of this remark reflects the aberrant attitude towards absurdism, yet there is truth to it. Theatre of the absurd is an esoteric avant-garde style of theatre based on the principles of existentialism that looks at the world without any assumption of purpose. Existentialism and Theatre of the Absurd became identified with a cultural movement that flourished in Europe in the 1940s and 1950s, after the Second World War. The idea that man starts with nothing and ends with nothing is a common theme amongst most absurd plays. Despite this strange philosophy, Theatre of the

Spirit festival- an eleven day festival with dancing, visual art, singing, theatre, screen, spoken word and opera to celebrate the indigenous culture in Melbourne

Shake and Stir Theatre Company is a compelling theatrical voice which aspires to render Shakespeare’s plays to appease modern audiences. However, William Shakespeare penned his last play 400 years ago; despite this, his plays and sonnets are as alive today as they were in the 16th and 17th Centuries. Shakespeare’s plays still appeal to modern society because of the universality of the dramatic themes- desire, domestic relationships, the complications of love and power struggles in relationships - humans still experience these emotions and challenges which gives Shakespeare a foothold in modern times (Bruster, 2014). Shake and Stir sequenced together an array of modified scenes from Shakespeare’s most iconic plays, to implore the dramatic meaning that Shakespearean text can be rendered to engross modern audiences while maintaining its integrity and Elizabethan charm. “Great Shakes” is staged in a graveyard, where three year ten students, Betty, Brock and Ben are incarcerated. However, after appearances from several supernaturals, they are returned to their everyday lives, but not before they are faced with the task to manipulate Shakespeare’s tragedies, comedies and histories to engage contemporary audiences. It is evident that Shake and Stir’s production, “Great Shakes” effectively conveyed the dramatic meaning of Shakespeare’s relevance in contemporary society. This was made explicit through the re-contextualization of the historical context and utilisation of conventions

The two Improv shows I went to were the Midnite show and the Comedy Sportz Show. Both shows were incredibly well done from the production to the improv itself. The Midnite show had me laughing out loud which is something rare for me at least. My whole life I have done relativity clean improv and to see an X-rated version of it was hilarious. The format for the Midnite show was like the improv I do where there is a selection of games performed for the audience and suggestions are taken by the audience yelling. While Comedy Sportz was the first time I have ever seen competitive improv, it was very interesting to see how they turn improv into a sport and how they use color coordination for audience suggestions. But in my personal preference I

Twelfth Night is a great Christian holiday that marks the Feast of the Epiphany. It is celebrated by playing pranks on one another-, which usually result in confusion and chaos. Hence the title of the play- as it’s subject revolves around confusion and chaos as well. In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, confusion and chaos are shown in multiple ways. Confusion of identity creates the love triangle between Duke Orsino, Viola /“Cesario” and Olivia while confusion and chaos plays it’s role in the prank on Malvolio. Furthermore, chaos transpires when Antonio mistakes “Cesario” for Sebastian- since the two look alike.

I’ve adored theatre for as long as I can remember. From writing plays throughout elementary school, to being involved in Drama Club in middle school, to performing in community theatre in high school, and to visiting the theatre as often as I could from the very beginning, theatre has always been a part of my life. Every aspect of it engages me: the directors working to bring their vision of the show’s scenes, choreography, or music to life, the actors transforming into different characters through their expression of dialogue, song, or dance, the costumers and set-builders transporting the audience into the setting and time period with their artistry, the backstage tech and crew working quickly and precisely to keep the show flowing to curtain call, and the orchestra bringing the show to life through music. There is nothing like the experience of live theatre, both as a member of the audience and as a member of the cast and crew.

The Public Sphere within theatre was a concept that was first delineated by philosopher Jurgen Habermas in his book titled The structural transformation of the public sphere, in which he refers to the right that all citizens hold, the right to participate and engage into discussions on public matters of interest and public issues. Habermas writes: “the audience does not constitute a space for spectators and listeners but a space for speakers and addresses who engage in debate.” (Habermas in Balme 2012). The Public sphere has now become a space, a stage, for performers, speakers and protesters to have a voice rather than for the preliminary use of entertainment for the audience, spectators and listeners.