Fuenteovejuna Play Analysis

On Saturday, October 10th, I went to see the production of Fuenteovejuna put on by the University Of Houston School Of Theatre. I purchased my tickets well in advance, so I had no trouble getting a seat. The audience waited outside in the lobby before the performance. I sat and waited for the ushers to begin taking our tickets. I learned that the production was two and half hours long with two intermissions. This play was directed by Keith Byron Kirk and is an episodic play set in a renaissance era Spanish town Fuenteovejuna. It focuses on a village that must overcome its fear of a ruthless tyrant in order to protect the sanctity of its citizens. In this review I will discuss stage, scenery, costumes, and acting involved.

It confused me
The scenic designer had an important objective of creating an environment for the performers/performance. She had very little space to work with and created a workable environment with such little space. The cast was so large, and she did well by including few structures that didn’t conflict with the movement of the actors. The benches were easily moved around so that actors could sit around or have free standing place when needed. Many of the structures were also tall so they didn’t take up much floor space, but they still made an impact on creating the scenery for a small countryside town. The scenic designer also did well in trying to establish the time period of a small 15th century Europe countryside town. She included a very large gateway which had the feel of a town gate. Also she did well in creating a town square where many of the scenes take place. The inclusion of the well fit the period well too. Overall the scenic designer did a good job of creating a workable environment and highlight the period the play was set
The lighting designer had the important job of providing focus onstage. He accomplished this very well by highlighting points when the King and Queen were on the balcony area. He also put focus in the center performing area and center square where much of the performance took place. Throughout the play it darkened and lightened areas of the stage to highlight where the dialogue was occurring which made it easy for the audience to follow. The lighting designer also provided excellent visibility throughout the performance. My only hindrance on visibility was the location of my seats. Overall the lighting designer helped make the performance clear and