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The Role Of Waps In Theater

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Dust particles fall evenly along the undisturbed surfaces of the vacant theatre seats. A stream of light crawls across the floor as the sun sets. Every sunset resembles the last in this perpetual time loop of solitude. As the stream of light retreats in fear, the theatre settles into a familiar state of inky stillness. The creaking of the walls and the whir of the air conditioner prove that the building is indeed surviving, despite its present condition. The dust settles. Suddenly! A slow “Wap…Wap…Wap” sound cuts through the space. This noise increases in speed and volume until this series of “Waps” blends into the sound a flipbook would make if you shuffled it with fervor. A beam of brightness blinds the seats as they adjust to this newfound …show more content…

With every audience member’s “Plop!” the dust lifts into the air, returning to whence it came. The Nelson Fine Arts Center, which houses classrooms, two dance studios, and the Paul V. Galvin Playhouse was erected in 1989 in an attempt to expand the venues in which the students of the Herberger Institute could present their works (Lawson). The Paul V. Galvin Playhouse (or “The Galvin Theatre” for short) is connected to two dance studios. The stage itself measures approximately 101’ by 52’, and the audience can seat 481 spectators (320 on the main floor, as well as 161 in the balcony) (ASU). The theatre is located on the ASU Tempe campus, near the Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium, and is directly adjacent to the ASU Art Museum. Despite the fully-functional sound and lighting systems, as well as the extensive scene shop materials that this theatre houses, the theatre is only utilized for around 11% of the 365 days in a year (ASU). Not only is the venue underutilized for theatre students, but it holds great, unused potential for other Herberger students as well. The theatre students at ASU have access to the Lyceum Theatre, the Galvin Playhouse, and five “black box” …show more content…

Artist, textile designer, poet and novelist, William Morris, whose literary works helped to develop the genre of fantasy, once stated: “I do not want art for a few any more than education for a few, or freedom for a few.” In other words, art cannot exist in a vacuum. It is imperative to the success of an artist to be able to express and share their work with others. What is the purpose of creating a motion picture if not to present it in front of as many eyes and brains as possible? Despite film students learning both the theory and practical methods of creating narrative films in the ASU curriculum, the biggest screen most students can ever hope to see their work on is a Mac screen. This is a nail in the coffin regarding future careers, because students never learn how to create with the intent of presenting their product on the big screen. A minor error on a computer screen may increase ten-fold when stretched to forty feet of 16:9 glory. Professional writer/director David Lynch (best known for Elephant Man (1980)) once commented that people who watch films on small screens “will never in a trillion years experience the film...you'll be cheated” (Douglas). ASU’s film curriculum is cheating students out of experiencing their work in a way

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