Dance Play Character Analysis

Overall, I truly enjoyed the play tremendously. I thought that the acting was awesome. Each of the main characters had a very good physicality, and they held their bodies in a way that each of the characters would have done in real life. For example, Sean Fannin's character was shy and unsure of himself, especially when conversing with Tory Parker's character, and he depicted this by the way he frequently touched his hair as well as hunched his shoulders and held his hands close to his chest, which gave his character some reality. Additionally, the acting choices as well as the blocking were well done, the sightless were clear from where I was sitting and the movement throughout the audience was a strong choice (breaking the 4th wall). At one point, Chris Lockhart delivered a line directly at P. Roush it was a strange acting choice, but all around a
good choice I think.
In addition, the costumes were well-made and beautiful. The colors worked well together and because the play entails different time periods, the costumes helped reflect the time period each scene was set in. For example, Natalie Trammell, Emilie O'Connor, and Grant Markwell's characters were all set in a scene in the 70s, so the women wore beaded necklaces and brightly colored garments. The costume choices helped bring the audience into the reality of the setting they were performing in.
However, I did not like the lighting choices and the projections.
The lighting was too dark for the majority of the play and it was difficult at times to see the actor's faces, and I wanted to be able to see their reactions to different lines and events. There were also random spotlights throughout the show that no one was in and I found that this was distracting from the performance. I also found it strange that the spotlights didn't move with the actors, so the actor would be lit for one moment but not in the next. Also, the projections on the screens above the stage were not very helpful or useful and were mostly distracting. I did not find them necessary to understand what was occurring on stage and in the performance. Additionally, the sound quality was not that great either. The microphones were not always working or would change the actor's voice to make it sound farther away. I found myself straining for lines or lyrics that were integral to the plot at different points in the play. The music was very good and so were the actor's voices, but I was not able to hear a lot of the singing and I wish I could
have. Overall, the show was suitable for a Centre audience, as it told an interesting story that related to the history of the United States as well as dealing with themes of anger, passion, love, and comradery. It was a successful show, as they were performing for an audience at a Liberal Arts College, which is reflective by the choice of the performance. I enjoyed the play a lot, except for some of the lighting and design choices that I previously mentioned, but overall it was a beautiful production.