Queen And Clown Play Response Speech
Anna Bautista September 30, 2014
Speech 111 M. Carlos
The Queen and the Clown – Response Paper
Attended show: September 27 (2PM)
This comedic play was an original piece that was produced to raise awareness for bipolar disorder. The Queen and the Clown was directed by Tamar Lopez who she herself has the psychological disorder. She aimed to apprise about bipolar disorder in the most comedic way possible. There was an excessive, yet funny use of profanity and sexual references throughout the entirety of the play. The director/screenwriter managed to keep the comedic atmosphere even during the intermission and until the end after the actors’ bows. Despite the fact that I appreciated this consistent formality, I felt as though it was sometimes over used; consequently, the plot was occasionally lost. I, personally, have not been to many plays or understand their normal structures. However, I would have liked a more obvious introduction of the characters and setting. I am not too sure if this is the norm for some plays, but a few apparent lines of where the characters were or more unique names than “Servant 1” would be nice. If I really had to pick at it, the stage hands weren’t very discrete when removing props from the stage as they distracted my and maybe the audience’s attention from the show. This was only true during one scene after the intermission. Also, I believe their depiction of bipolar disorder may have been slightly inaccurate. By NIMH definition, bipolar disorder is brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. These unusual shifts from mania to depression change through long periods of time, and are not very so instantaneous. However, during the play, the Queen who was cursed with the disorder switched back and forth with her mood swings in a matter of seconds. This is the common perception of what bipolar behavior is, but it isn’t the most accurate
Speech 111 M. Carlos
The Queen and the Clown – Response Paper
Attended show: September 27 (2PM)
This comedic play was an original piece that was produced to raise awareness for bipolar disorder. The Queen and the Clown was directed by Tamar Lopez who she herself has the psychological disorder. She aimed to apprise about bipolar disorder in the most comedic way possible. There was an excessive, yet funny use of profanity and sexual references throughout the entirety of the play. The director/screenwriter managed to keep the comedic atmosphere even during the intermission and until the end after the actors’ bows. Despite the fact that I appreciated this consistent formality, I felt as though it was sometimes over used; consequently, the plot was occasionally lost. I, personally, have not been to many plays or understand their normal structures. However, I would have liked a more obvious introduction of the characters and setting. I am not too sure if this is the norm for some plays, but a few apparent lines of where the characters were or more unique names than “Servant 1” would be nice. If I really had to pick at it, the stage hands weren’t very discrete when removing props from the stage as they distracted my and maybe the audience’s attention from the show. This was only true during one scene after the intermission. Also, I believe their depiction of bipolar disorder may have been slightly inaccurate. By NIMH definition, bipolar disorder is brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and the ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. These unusual shifts from mania to depression change through long periods of time, and are not very so instantaneous. However, during the play, the Queen who was cursed with the disorder switched back and forth with her mood swings in a matter of seconds. This is the common perception of what bipolar behavior is, but it isn’t the most accurate