Remember to write your full name and class period on the first line of your entry.
Choose one of the two options:
Option 1: Write about your thoughts on the play, The Importance of Being Earnest. Write at least 15 sentences in which you can analyze how a character chose to portray the part, a particular scene and why it was effective, the sets, costumes, any aspect of the play.
Option 2: Choose lines from your section of Carmina Burana that describe a particularly interesting visual image. Write out the lines and explain how these lines and the visual image works in the context of the entire poem. Write at least 15 sentence.
As always be interesting, intelligent, brilliantly creative and insightful.
Jessica Bruce
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"If a boy with a girl/ tarries in a little room,/ happy is their coupling./ Love rises up,/ and between them/ prudery is driven away,/ an ineffable game begins/ in their limbs, arms, and hips."
These lines are about love and how powerful it can be. It "rises up" like a fountain and is strong enough to drive prudery away. In this time this was a big deal, the church was very powerful and taught young men and women to be prude and protected. an "ineffable game begins" meaning that love is indescribable with words and can only truly be felt. Love takes over and rationality is swept away.
Julia McMichael
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"Behold, the pleasant/and longed-for/ spring brings back joyfulness,/ violet flowers/ fill the meadows,/ the sun brightens everything,/ sadness is now at an end!/ Summer returns,/ now withdraw/ the rigours of winter. Ah"! - 5.Behold, the pleasant spring
I thought choosing these lines would be appropriate because spring has finally just begun! I feel that everyone can relate to this idea of winter ending and spring now beginning. Especially with everyone living in such a rainy place we all long for springtime and to spend time in the sun. These lines definitely give the image of the dark and cold winter coming to a close and now warmth and brightness starting to begin. I think that springtime does bring a sense of joy to us from the sun, and happy colors from flowers are all around us. The spring can bring you out of that seasonal depression from the winter and can just make you feel not only happier but just in a better mood overall!
Austin Stenberg
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During the play of the importance of being Earnest I am going to protray the part of when Earnest is talking to Cecily about his real name being Jack. He leads her to beleive that Earnest might not be his real name. When Cecily then appears to only like Jacks city name he decides to not to bring up names anymore. Then soon realizes that Cecily only likes the name
Earnest because of its plentiful saying. She also explains that the name Earnest has much meaning and very particular to her liking. Earnest then changes the subject to asking if she would be interested in mariage. Right after he proposes to Cecily Lady Bracknel walks in and interrupts them. Cecily then leaves and Earnest tries to get Lady Bracknels approval to marry her daughter. She then asks him very particular questions with answers that if not are answered correctly will make Earnest look to confident and snooty.
Isabelle Carson
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“Burning inside/ with violent anger, / bitterly/ I speak to my heart:/ created from matter, / of the ashes of the elements, / I am like a leaf/ played with by the winds.”
This is the first verse from Burning Inside in the section of In the Tavern. These few lines gave great mental images. I imagine a leaf that is set on fire and is slowly falling to the ground. Or I think of a person who is just being pushed this and that way. The person is obviously very angry and holds onto contempt for something. So much so, that this person is being led around by his own hatred. He is consumed with it. In a way it makes you feel bad for this person. To be wrapped up in that much hatred, must be pretty hard. Also for someone to have that much hate must have had enough traumatic experiences to make them this way. This section of Carmina Burana is a little different form everything else. In the Tavern is a lot more angry and sad than any of the other sections. The majority is fairly upbeat.
Abbey Folsom
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I really enjoyed this production of The Importance of Being Earnest. It was very hard to find some of the things Oscar Wilde said in his play to be funny. How the actors chose to portray their characters and perform their lines made this play a lot funnier. I liked being able to see the differences of the set from Much Ado About Nothing to this play. In Much Ado About Nothing the sets never changed but in this play they had a different set in each act which I loved. Also the costumes that each character wore really portrayed their character. I could totally imagine those characters wearing those costumes. I think my favorite character was Lady Bracknell. I thought that the actress who played her did a fantastic job. You could tell that she had been studying on how to play her. I think the part that made me like her the most was when she was finding out about Jack/Earnest and how he was found in a bag in a train station. Whenever something was said that she disagreed with, she would shake which showed to me that she was truly in character. I would totally go see this production again. This has definitely been my favorite play this year.
Ashley Barnett
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I really enjoyed the play The Importance of Being Earnest. It was very funny and I laughed a lot. Since I was able to see the actors expression and how they moved when they said the lines it made a lot more sense. I also really liked the outfits; the girl’s dresses were very pretty. My favorite scene was when the girls were in the house and they were mad at the two boys. I thought that was very funny. Also since I was gone when we were reading the end of the play in class the ending was a fun surprise for me. Not knowing the ending really kept me engaged in the play. I do think it’s a little weird that they were all so closely related in the end. I thought the audience involvement with laughing was fun. The atmosphere was very comfortable and friendly with all the jokes and laughs. I really like that theatre because it is so small. It is easy to see all the detail unlike some of our other operas, and plays. I really thought the play was funny. And overall I really enjoyed the play.
After watching the performance of The Importance of Being Earnest, I found the storyline to be a lot more amusing. The way that these actors portrayed their characters added a lot of humor and their expressions were hilarious at times too. I wish that the performance had been in a bigger theater because I think this production was worthy enough to have a giant crowd attend, but the small setting provided a more intimate performance which I loved. The set was designed beautifully, their props looked so elegant and it helped contribute to the performance by showing the character's wealth. I loved the dresses that the ladies wore, and having the stage open up during the second act and then remain as a background piece during the third act made the setting seem more realistic with the garden behind them.I could tell that the older audience members seemed to understand more of the jokes but overall I found the performance to be hilarious as well. I loved the part when Cecily had yelled at Mrs. Bracknell because she assumed she was hard of hearing when she had said, "Excuse me?". Overall, I would highly recommend this performance to anyone who hasn't seen it yet. I would love to see those actors/actresses perform again in a different production, they were absolutely hilarious and can play their roles very, very well. I found that reading The Importance of Being Earnest was rather boring and I didn't seem to find it funny at all, but after this performance today, it completely changed my mind. :)
ReplyDeleteSorry I forgot to add that I'm in period three!
DeleteArezu Abdollmohammadi
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This has been one of my favorite performances we have gone to. I loved the part where they said "...they will be calling each other sisters. Women only do that when they have called each other a lot of other things first." I thought Gwendolen and Cecily did a fantastic job at that. When they both thought the same guy proposed to them, they really went at it at each other. The way they interacted, trying to one each other up, I thought was awesome. And after they figured out that they were proposed to by two different guys, they buddied up and eventually called eachother sisters. I loved the way they acted all that out. I also thought it was cool watching them change the set for the next scene. They had lots of elements yet they were simple and easy on the eyes. The change of the scenes is what kept it interesting I think. Its such a small stage and very little space to work with and they need an amazing job at utilizing the space. Overall, loved The Importance of Being Earnest. When reading it in class it was hard to really understand the aphorisms, but now that i saw the play, it was so much easier to pick up on them and fully understand them.
Arthur Gulledge
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I thoroughly enjoyed the play, The Importance of Being Earnest. Everything had that old-timey feel to it, from the sets, to the costumes, and even the acting. The sets were almost magical how they were like big pop-up books, which could fold and change. I liked the little details of the sets that really didn't have to be done, like some small holes on the walls when it was the gazebo during the second act. This detail really made the difference to make the sets stand out from each other. I also liked how they expanded the set to include the garden, while keeping the action close to the audience. It was interesting to see how they kept the curtains open during the third act to connect with the second act, and at the same time change perspective of the property. It also raised questions to me, was the first act house the same as the third act house. They had similar paintings and style, and it could’ve been another room. The furniture was also very nice and looked like it could’ve been in a house during the time. I did notice though, that one of the larger lounge chairs had wheels, making them an anachronism as they didn’t have them at the time. Although, I did like how the whole play seemed like the original text, and acted out accordantly. It wasn’t set a hundred or two hundred years past the original, like some the other productions we’ve seen. A Servant of Two Masters was set during the same time period as the original, but heavily modified it for a younger audience. Overall, this was a relief to see, as it was similar to what I thought it would be.
Byron Murray
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My opinion on The Important of Being Earnest is that it was better being actually played out on set than it was to read. When the play was being acted out it was much easier to pay attention and follow along. It was also easier to understand the little puns when there was emotion added to the words being said. The person who i believed did the best job to portray the person who they were acting as was the person playing Algernon. I believe that whoever played Algernon got his personality down perfectly and he acted pretty similar to how he was portrayed in the book and always found a way to be funny or witty like the real Algernon would have acted in the book. I especially thought that the scene that Algernons actor did the best in was when he was speaking to his Aunt about how Bunbury was dead and that whole scene managed to bring a small smile to my face because it was funny as well as realistic in my mind to how the whole thing would have actually played out. All in all the play wasn’t as bad as I thought it was going to be after reading the play and I was pleasantly surprised by it, however I still think I could have found a better way to spend my time there doing something more active and enjoying the sunshine that we have been experiencing this weekend.
Madison Ferris
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First of all, I absolutely LOVED the Importance of Being Earnest. It was the best performance I think we've been to and also the best play I've ever been to. I absolutely loved the way the characters acted out their parts. Algernon I thought was hilarious. I thought he did a great job with his expressions. One part where that was most true was when he ate all of the muffins while he was arguing with Jack. I also loved Gwendolen and all the girl's beautiful, intricate dresses. I loved how they had little vest type tops on with the dresses, it looked beautiful all together. I was gone for part of the ending of the reading of the play in class, so it was great to see how all the pieces of the puzzle came together at the end. I also thought that Lady Bracknell gave the best performance out of all of the characters. I thought a couple times she could be a famous actress from what an outstanding job she did. She really took time to learn her part and not just memorize the lines, but embody the character. She really reminded me of the acting of Maggie Smith who starred in movies like Harry Potter and in her presence as well. It was a wonderful play with amazing actors who you could tell really loved what they do and are so dedicated, and I laughed many times. It was an afternoon well spent.
Mallori Lindberg
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I really enjoyed seeing the play The Importance of Being Earnest. As we read it in class I didnt understand it that well, so now after seeing it I have a much better idea of how the characters impact the story. For an example, while reading it I hardly noticed any of the aphorisms, but when seeing it I saw that there were several funny parts. The characters were really good at portraying the aphorisms to allow the audience to get a laugh from it. I really liked the costumes, I thought the details especially in the dresses really made the setting more realistic. The costumes went hand in hand with their accents. All together their appearances made them seem very formal and classy, and even when the characters werent speaking, I noticed that they were still acting and making expressions on stage to fit the part. All of this worked together really well. I also thought it was kind of funny how much Algernon actually ate throughout the play. The story depicts him as a hungry fella and I liked how he actually acted that way and ate a lot, he did a really great job of getting into his character. From the very first scene I really felt as if he was the character, the setting felt really realistic. Overall I enjoyed the play, and am glad I was able to see another side of the play after reading in class. I always find it better to understand something when seeing it performed.
Kristina Lebakken
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The Importance of Being Earnest definitely is my favorite thing we have seen this year. It was funny, entertaining and easy to follow. The sets were pretty and realistic. The dresses on the characters were nice and very detailed. I really like the set up of this theater. I feel like we are so close to them and really able to see everything. I think that's why I liked Much Ado About Nothing so much as well, because the theater I so small. It feels more relaxed and casual and I like that. I loved the ending and how all the things he had been lying about were actually true. Like how his name truly was Earnest. Watching the characters act out the play made me pick up the aphorisms way more then when we were just reading them aloud. I really enjoyed this show and caught my self laughing quite a few times. As did everyone else in the theater.
Alison Mowry
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I was pleasantly surprised to find that I really enjoyed watching The Importance of Being Earnest. Unlike other performances that we've gone to this year, the play was easy to understand as far as what they were saying as well as the humor. I even found myself laughing here and there throughout the play. When reading the play in class I wasn't quite sure what was going on half the time, but watching the play really made the story come full circle and I thought it was a great performance. This play also reminded me of A Servant of Two Masters, which is my other favorite performance that we've gone to because it was easy to follow. Another aspect of the play that I liked was the setting. I thought it was very cool how every time we walked back in after intermission there was a different set, and each set looked very realistic. Also because the theater is smaller, it really made me feel like I was apart of what was going on. I especially enjoyed picking up on the aphorisms we read in class because it seemed to make more sense when I was watching the play live rather than just reading it on paper.
Chris Root
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I thought The Importance of Being Earnest was a really good performance. Each character played their role fantastically. I have to give a lot of credit to both Cecily and Gwendolon because they matched their characters perfectly. There were many funny moments like the "sisters" thing between the two girls that made me laugh. Towards the beginning when Algernon accidentally spat food on the ground out of his mouth made me laugh too. I liked the fact that everything throughout the play stayed within its character. The costumes matched the setting, and the setting matched the vision I had in my head while reading the play. It was cool to be able to pick out certain aphorisms I remembered while watching the play. When reading it in class it was really hard to understand the aphorisms. Now that I saw the play, it was a lot easier to understand their meanings. My favorite scene was at the beginning when Algernon kept taking the cucumber sandwiches and eating them, then complained to the butler that there were no cucumber sandwiches. This play was one of my favorites we have seen so far, and I would recommend it to anyone.
Jace Brandmeier
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I thought that the play the Importance of Being Earnest was pretty good. It was a pretty straight forward play. I could easily understand what was going on and follow along. I thought that that Cecily’s character was portrayed well. She just had a kind of a cute, happy, go lucky, personality. She also had a very innocent presence to herself. Which I thought was neat, since Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen both had kind of stuck up attitudes, and could be irritating to listen to. I thought that the scene, when all of the characters figured out that they were engaged to different people. As well as when Earnest found out the true story of where he came from and who his real parents were. Really rapped up the story and brought everything together. I also thought that the sets worked pretty well. It was interesting to see how they used one wall as kind of a base for the three different sets. But that the one wall always looked in place, no matter what was surrounding it. As for the costume’s I thought they were fine, nothing really stood out to be a significantly good or bad. Over all I thought the play was pretty good, it was easy to follow and funnier in person then the reading the script.
Mack Ohnemus
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I really enjoyed The Importance of Being Earnest. One thing that really affects the show for me is the size of the theater. I love small theaters, as you connect more with the actors. I also like how in small theaters all of the technical stuff is out in the open. As I am in Technical Theatre at WHS, I find it really cool that all of the lights are exposed. I thought that the sets were great, and changed each act. Regarding a comment made by someone earlier about the large lounge chair in the first act, the wheels were on it for a technical reason, not because it was part of the show. Anything that can get wheels on it, should. It makes all the techies lives so much easier! What i really loved about the sets was that it was basically a giant 3-D puzzle. Each act, there was the base set, but with slight variations. Such as windows, doors, and bookshelves. Regarding the actors, I was not too fond of the man who played Earnest/Jack; I thought he overplayed it. The two actors i liked a lot were Lady Bracknell and Algy. I thought that Lady Bracknell was perfect in her role.
Andrew Park
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The Importance of Being Earnest was acted with humor. I enjoyed the way all of the characters were acted out. They all brought laughter in every scene and every situation with their facial expressions, movements, and their body language. Jack was my favorite character. Prior to today, I had pictured many different ways Jack could be portrayed. I mostly thought that Jack could be an obnoxious character with a quite short temper. In the script, Jack mostly talks a lot of BS and makes excuses for it to show how annoying he could be. I thought he could have a short temper because he usually reacts in an impolite manner to all the true things he really wanted to cover up. In the play, the actor of Jack used multiple unique expressions to make Jack an enjoyable character to watch. The funniest scene with Jack was when he was kneeling for Gwendolen. Before he kneeled down, his body language was very awkward. At one point, I thought he was gonna chicken out on expressing that love for her. After he kneeled, I felt he just wanted to showcase his romantic character. Although it was very funny, I found it weird how Jack looked confident with Gwendolen at first and then somehow, he ultimately lost it. I was surprised how Gwendolen didn't react awkwardly at all to Jack's weird behavior. Overall, this was a funny play and I wish I could have invited some people to it.
Claire Kennedy
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The Importance of Being Earnest was much more clever than I thought it would be from the text. While reading it, I thought most of the aphorisms and sarcastic remarks were just kind of snarky and rude, lacking any component of an actual joke. But I thought the actors and actresses were extremely witty and smart about how to express their emotions. You have to have the exact right timing and expressions to successfully portray this kind of sarcasm. It really helped to see all of the aphorisms shared in class actually acted out. Listening to each of them being read is definitely different than seeing them in real life. I enjoyed this play a lot more than I expected. The type of humor is just like my sense of humor and some things I would probably say. Cecily and Algernon were my favorite characters. They didn’t over exaggerate their punch lines or try too hard. On the other hand I thought Lady Bracknell and Gwendolen were very over the top for most of the show. Overall I liked this show much more than I thought I would and really enjoyed the sarcastic and witty dialogue.
The Importance of Being Earnest was I think the best play we have seen this year. Granted during most of the show I wasn't 100% what was happening during the show but I still understood what they were getting at. I think the thing that I liked the most during the play was how the two actors who played Algy and Jack were able to play off each others personalities. I think that because they were able play off each others personalities it made the play that much better. How they talked to each other with a certain tone was perfect. I believe that those two actors could do a good job at any roles that required them to behave as best friends. I was also very impressed by the Lady Bracknell. She played her role with so much enthusiasm that she brought the character to life in a way I did not expect. All in all, today's show was amazing.
ReplyDeleteLaney McFarland
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The Importance of being Earnest was really good, I loved how the attitude had just the perfect amount of attitude and used little gestures to create and portray there characters. I loved the sets as well absolutely gorgeous especially the garden scene. It was very dimensional with the doors and passage ways and the color pallet chosen was perfect the bright blue contrasting with the pink. Over all I was very happy with the comedy, when we read it in class it felt like a bland comedy but seeing it preformed it was colorful and had more action and drama than i expected.
Desirae Lopes
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"Now I lie on a plate, and cannot fly anymore, I see bare teeth:"
This line has a strong visual image. It is talking about a cooked swan. The poem is about being in the tavern where this swan is being served. The swan has feelings of torment and sadness, much like the people in the tavern. The people in the tavern talk about gambling, cheating and drinking. In contrast, the swan has done nothing wrong yet it is dead while the people are alive. This to me, is very ironic. It does not follow the rules of everyone gets what they deserve. I find this hard to understand. The poor swan seems to still be alive even while it is being plucked and cooked. I believe this simbilizes the people the tavern people have cheated and hurt. The poem in a bigger sense is like a lifetime. There are good sections where people do what you'd like them to do. There are bad sections where you do not agree with their decisions. Overall, the visuals that this quote gives are up for interpretation.
The importance of being Earnest was much funnier and easier to understand seeing it than reading it. I think the theater and its closeness to the actors adds a lot to the play, but i did enjoy it more than most productions we've seen. The actor who played Aglernon pulled off what i imagined his character to be perfectly, except he was much skinnier than how i imagined him in my head (because of how much he enjoyed eating). The accents and language they used were perfect for the time period and social class too. This was the first performance we saw that felt shorter than it actually was, and i take that as a sign i truly enjoyed it and honestly wouldnt mind seeing it again. That theater is definitely my favorite one we've been to.
ReplyDeleteHannah Hunt
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The Importance of Being Ernest in it's performance form is far more humorous and enjoyable than it's written form. In class, it was flat, long and boring. And half the time, I didn't understand what the characters were doing and why. But in the play, it was clear and well done. The actors didn't overdo any of the lines, accents or overstep any lines. I loved how quick the actors were and that shows how well they memorized their lines. Their chemistry was amazing and I really enjoyed seeing the back and forth bickering in between Algy and Jack. The set was very accurate to the Victorian Era according to the two elderly women sitting next to me. They said that the chairs and sandwiches were perfectly chosen. However, they were not fans of how they could see that the books in the bookcase weren't real. I thought the garden scene was pretty and I could see all the work put into each set change. I love the atmosphere of the small theatre as well. It's more intimate, and being closer to the actors engages the audience more into the story. Overall, it wasn't half bad and I'm glad we got to see it.
Danielle Knapik
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I really enjoyed the play today and was surprised at how easy it was to follow along. I'm not sure why many of the productions we've seen this year we're kind of complex and hard for me to grasp, but this made perfect sense. The actors did an amazing job projecting their voices and how the script is written attacks the overall plot very well. Half way through the play I was surprised to remember these people have to memorize every single line of text they are speaking. I was wondering if there were ways to notice if they forget any lines or stumbled through certain parts, but even if they did have any issues with certain parts, they are so talented no one would even realize. The set was nicely set up, I appreciated the simplicity of it. Performances with too much on stage are off-putting to me and take away from the meaning of the actual work. Minimal props and stage set ups help the viewers pay attention to the story that is being told, allowing for sure understanding. Overall I was impressed by their talent, the humor and how well the play moved smoothly.
Maiah Swigert period 3
ReplyDeleteI thought that The Importance of Being Earnest performance was more entertaining than reading it, of course. When reading the play, it was hard to portray how everything would look. Or even how the characters acted and reacted. I thoroughly enjoyed the costuming and scenic design of the performance. I thought the way the director put those two aspects into the performance was well done. The costumes fit the time period and location of the story. And the set was intricate and also very well fit the period and place. The actor who played as John Worthing did a fantastic job of displaying an over-exaggerated, flaky guy; which is how I had originally envisioned Mr. Worthing. All of the actors/actresses did a great job at portraying each character, their talent definitely helped me understand the story line a whole lot better. I would definitely see the performance again. All in all, I enjoyed the performance; it was really funny with out over-doing it (such as in The Servant of Two Masters).
Sean Rankin
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Just like Much ado about nothing, The Importance of Being Earnest was excellent. Seattle Shakespearean Company does a great job of casting these performances. Each actor portrays the characters in the play perfectly, they are loud, clear and work well together. Lady Bracknell was exactly how i imagined it would be. I found myself laughing more than I thought that I would. When we read the play in class the aphorisms didn't really seem all that funny, but when performed a lot of them made you laugh. I think Jack or (Earnest) did a very good job, a lot of the funny moments were when he was finding out about his past. Like when he was running around with Algernon telling everyone that he knew that he had a brother all along. Or when he was asking Miss Prism about the leather bag and where she left it. All of those scenes were crucial to the preformed perfectly. I prefer the Seattle Shakespearean Company over the other performance because the theater is smaller and you are closer up to the action so you can hear moreand see all the different facial expressions better.
Mark Gibbons
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I thought the play was funny and I liked watching it a lot more than acting it out. It was funny and the characters where very energetic. The people portraying the characters really made the play enjoyable to me because they where very good and they made me laugh a lot. I thought it was really cool to see their outfits because that was how people dressed back then. My favorite scene was at the end of the play when all of the actors where on the stage and one character was trying to figure out who his mother was. I thought that was very funny. Another favorite part of mine was the audience because a couple people had really funny and loud laughs. I liked the theatre because of how small it is. It is easy to see everything and hear the actors unlike some of the other larger plays. My overall opinion of the play was that it was funny and had a really good storyline.
Mimi Gerhardt, Period 4
ReplyDeleteTo start off this blog post, I just want to say that I genuinely enjoyed this performance. "The Importance of Being Earnest" was my type of sarcastic humor, which made me enjoy it so much! This has definitely been one of my favorite performances so far. I'm glad we're able to see the performance after we read it in class, because it makes much more sense. While reading the play, it would get confusing and I would constantly try to remember what was what and who was who, and seeing the show really helped with that.
The actors in this show really knew how to use the space they had. I wish the space for the performance was larger, but the performers make the most of what they have. The props were very enjoyable and made the set more lively. For example, the actors would actually eat the foods on the tables all throughout the play. I definitely wasn't expecting it to be real food and real drinks! To me, that made the set more entertaining and genuine, as though it was actually something happening, rather than people just pretending to eat fake foods. I also enjoyed the set change after the intermissions. After the first intermission, I was very pleased to see the outdoor arrangement. It was full of flowers, and it looked as though it actually could have been someone's yard and they were just having a normal chat. Although the sets were fairly simple, they fit very well into the play's era and style. "The Importance of Being Earnest" was a pretty simple play, but adding the nice props to the show made it just a little more entertaining. The Shakespeare Theatre Company clearly puts hard work into their performances, which makes me like their shows even more!
Alex Rees
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The importance of being ernest was a good production. It was produced well and had many funny themes to it. This was a good change pace from all the more tragic or non humorous plays we have watched. Some of the things the actors said were funny for sure. More irony than anything though. A lot of awkward moment kinda funny stuff was going on in that play. Or like stereotypes, with how lady bracknell asked ernest if he smoked. Saying that men needed an occupation it was kinda a stereotype to men who smoked. Then there was the moments that were awkward due to the actions of the other character. This one thing that came up throughout the play. This created laughter within the audience and was enjoyable to watch. Although I felt as if there was too much of the same kind of comedic strategies. That would be probably be the only thing I would change would be that it have more varying kinds of comedy. But again this was a great play that I enjoyed to watch.
Sarah Porter
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In general I saw a huge gap between reading the play and actually seeing it. Particularly, the character portrayal in the play I thought was vastly different than when we read the play in class. Some of the aphorisms we talked about in class were not as amusing or even completely understandable while reading the play. However, having seen the play live, they were easier to understand by the way the actors performed them. I saw this the most in the character Algernon. I thought he was an extremely funny an interesting character, and I didn't necessarily think the same when we just read the play. Some of his aphorisms completely depended on his performance. For example, his facial expressions, actions, tone of voice, etc all played a huge part in his lines. It completely added to the overall humor of the play. Seeing this in all of the actors made me enjoy watching the play so much more than I thought I would after just reading it.
Bryia Madison
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The preformance of The Importance Of Being Ernest today was very well done in the sense that the actors really brought the show to life. Yes, you were right, Mr. Schindler, it was very funny when performed. I particulary liked the casual jesting between Algernon and Jack. The two actors brought their lines to life with their pausing and facial expressions. Previously overlooked lines suddendly become laugh out loud funny. I thought that the muffin scene with Jack and Algernon really emphasized their larger than life personalities and higlighted the apherisims with their exaggerated body language. The gouging of muffins and talking at the same time brought a realistic and also humorous tone to the play. Overall, I thought that the play was well done and I really enjoyed it. Thank you.
Campbell Gunnell
ReplyDeletep4
The importance of being earnest was a much better play than I had anticipated from reading the play. lines that did not stand out in the reading were much funnier when introduced with gestures and facial expressions. I thought the actors did a fabulous job with the script and really brought the play to life. in noticed a few instances where people messed up on their lines or stumbled over each other but they did a great job of just going with it, it think the mistakes actually added to why I enjoyed the play because it seemed much more relatable. the one actor I had an issue with was Ceceli, she did a good enough job at acting, how ever she was acting as one of my least favorite types of people, but she had the wrong accent. it is supposed to be an English play and everyone has an English accent. however Ceceli has a light Scottish accent which just bothered me so much. English upper class would never have aloud a scots woman in their ranks. I don't say this as an English person who hates scots, I say this as a Scottish person who is just bothered by the inaccuracy of the accents. it just threw the play off for me and I had a harder time enjoying the play.
Grace Nelson
ReplyDeletePer. 3
I thought the Importance of being Ernest was a great play. I thought that this one was going to be a bit of a bore but I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought that it was really funny thanks to the wonderful actors. I also really love that theater because of how small and intimate it is, it makes it easier to connect with the actors and sets. Also it's nice because the actors and audience members with the funny laughs are really easy to hear. The sets were really cool, I like how they switched it up for each act because it made it much more appealing. The costumes were also very nice. My favorite costume was the one worn by Ernest when he was wearing the top hat, I thought that was pretty cool. My favorite part was when the girls both thought that they were being played by "Ernest". I also thought it was funny when Ernest found out that his actual name was Ernest. I think my favorite actors where Algy and Ernest, I thought they did a great job and they made me laugh a lot. I definitely have a better understanding of the plot after watching it and I have a better appreciation for it.
Taylor Ingrum
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
The Importance of Being Earnest was definitely more entertaining than I thought it would be. In person it was harder to understand some of the lines, but it was still more entertaining than reading it in class. I was pleasantly surprised by the actors impersonations of their characters. From the British accents to the way the carried themselves in their costumes, they really played their roles well. In my opinion, Jack was by far the best actor. His facial expressions and tone were always on point. He moved around the stage just as I would have imagined someone in a real life situation to. One particular scene that stood out to me was when he was proposing and he pushed aside the gaudy dress to get down on one knee. It made me laugh as well as realize the upper class English person that he is. The set was also very impressive. I am always amazed at how big of a set they can make the tiny stage seem. I don't know if I would say this was my favorite play we have seen so far, but it was definitely entertaining and made me appreciate the actors and what they do even more.
John Ross
ReplyDeletePer. 4
The importance of being ernest was a surprise to me. It caught me off gaured and made me laugh. It was produced well and had many funny themes to it. This was a good change in pace from all the more tragic or non humorous plays we have watched. Some of the things the actors said were funny for sure. More irony than anything though. A lot of awkward moment kinda funny stuff was going on in that play. Or like stereotypes, with how lady bracknell asked ernest if he smoked. Saying that men needed an occupation it was kinda a stereotype to men who smoked. Then there was the moments that were awkward due to the actions of the other character. This one thing that came up throughout the play. This created laughter within the audience and was enjoyable to watch. Although I felt as if there was too much of the same kind of comedic strategies. That would be probably be the only thing I would change would be that it have more varying kinds of comedy. But again this was a great play that I enjoyed to watch.
Joshua Scheck period 3
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, each of the sets of the play contributed a lot to the overall atmosphere. The sets had furniture, items, food, and several other things that one would expect to see in the late 1800s. The costumes also contributed to the atmosphere since they fit with the time period. Originally I thought that the play would be quite boring and bland, but it was funny. The actors placed emphasis on certain things during a situation which would make it quite funny. However, I feel as if the amount of improv was quite minimalistic. The play in its entirety was very good but the actors seemed to stay mostly to the script. In my opinion, this is what separates a good play and an amazing play. Don’t get me wrong, the whole experience I got from this play was very good. The facial expressions, the body movement, the tone/voice, and the sets were as great as they can be which made it a success. But I do wish to see some improv because something written in the past can only be funny to a certain extent. In order to make it better, one must include improv with modern culture. Improv is a very important aspect because it gives every audience a unique experience. I really thought the play was effective in revealing the distinct social classes. You could easily see the wealth of the individuals in the play with their furniture and clothing and such. And the comments had also contributed to its effectiveness. I also felt that the play was really effective in showing gender stereotypes. Overall I think that this play was very effective in most aspects and it was pretty funny.
Sophea Thach
ReplyDeleteSchindler/4
"The roasted swan sings:
Once I lived on lakes,
Once I looked beautiful
When I was a swan.
Misery me!
Now black
And roasting fiercely!"
These lines are really interesting because it just starts out with a swan. A swan sounds so beautiful and elegant like it's just gently floating down the current. But then it turns into something dreadful where it's being cooked for dinner perhaps. But how was it caught? And why was it captured? I wonder if it were illegally captured. Or if someone really needed to food and they just saw this beautiful swan and had to turn it into something so ugly and dead. But then we read on, to find that the servant is cooking it slowly. And then the beautiful swan is just put on a platter to be served for dinner.
Wyatt Smith P.4
ReplyDeleteIn the play "The Importants of Being Earnest" there were many interesting characters but the two i found the most interesting was Algernon and Cecily. Algernon carried himself as a very rich, almost stuck up kind of guy. He was kind of a know it all and thought he was super cool. Cecily on the other hand was very sweet and misguided young women. A very powerful part in the play for me was when Ernest would only allow Algernon to marry Cecily if he can marry the women he loves. I found this interesting because it is also when Ernest finds out his name is actually Ernest and he wasnt lieing. Over all i thought it was a very good play, and found it to be funnier then i thought it was going to be.
Katie Daniels
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
The Importance of Being Earnest was definitely not what i was expecting it to be. Reading the play in class, i got an entire different look on it than i should have. I had a hard time following the reading of it, and most the time didnt even know what was being talked about. Watching the play in person today was an entire different experience for me, and much more comical. I was able to follow exactly what was going on and being said as the actors did a very well job. They seemed to know exactly what they were doing, and overall did a great performance. I also found it much more funnier in person, as i was able to actually understand what was going on. I also heard many familiar lines said that we had talked about in class and reviewed the meaning of. The set was very realistic, and i also liked the fact that we were much closer than we have been in other plays or operas. I can most definitely say it was a better experience than i expected, and my favorite show so far this year as it was very well done.
Riley Schroeder
ReplyDeletePer. 3
I really enjoyed seeing The Importance of Being Earnest today, it was a very good performance and they put it together well. From the setting to the pronunciation to the way they delivered the jokes, it was a well done show. The jokes were executed very well and made for lots of laughter. The actors fit their parts well, and were very funny. I particularly enjoyed the first act when Algernon was eating the sandwiches, the actor just did a great job of overacting the way he ate them. His little way of taking the sandwiches and awkward little way of trying to eat while holding the conversation fit the character perfectly. I think that my favorite part of the show was when Algernon had just taken a big bite of the sandwich and accidentally spat part of the sandwich out and the way the actor reacted was perfect. The way he sort of just paused mid line and just went um. For some reason that just stuck out to me from most of the show just because of the way that that is part of live theater is accidents and the way the actors handle those mistakes. Along with that mishap I really enjoyed the connection and way that Alegernon and John talked. They really worked well together and their jokes played off of each other, they both did great jobs playing their parts. The casting was great and everyone, not just Algernon and John, did a great job fitting Wilde's writing and I feel that they acted the way he intended. I thought that the show was really great today and i enjoyed seeing it, Wilde's play was done very well and everything was just perfectly done.
Michael Stiles
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
The Importance of being Ernest was done very well by the Seattle Shakespeare Company. I really liked this play not only because it was easy to understand but also because of the one liner jokes called aphorisms. The British accents added to the story of the upper class aristocrats that they were. I thought it was funny when Algernon was eating the cucumber sandwiches and spat some of it out. I don't think it was meant to happen but since it was a dress rehearsal it was accepted and he went with it.I like how through all the drama everyone lives happily ever after. Jack's actual name was Ernest and Algernon is his younger brother and everyone gets married. This play is one of my Favorites this year after the Servant Of Two Masters.
Evyn Anderson
ReplyDeleteP4
The Importance of being Earnest was my favorite play to date. I had never been to the Seattle Shakespeare Theatre before so the size was surprising to me, but I think that it made the play much more enjoyable because you were able to be up close and hear and see exactly what was happening very well. The characters were a pleasant surprise. When we read the play in class it was not exactly clear to me what time period it was supposed to be set although I imagined it would be fairly modern. I found that all the characters played their parts very well. They all had thick British accents, which at times were slightly hard to understand on top of the lavish language they were using. The acted out play followed very close to the written play, which I enjoyed because it was easy to know what was going on. I could watch what was happening and think back to reading the play in class and know what act/scene it was at. The set and costumes were very appealing. Even though the stage was on the smaller side, the actors really used the space well by creating lots of doorways to unknown places/rooms. The costumes were very true to the time period and they made it clear when it was set. All in all this was an excellent play and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I look forward to going to see more plays like this one in the future!
Brandon Penoyer
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
Going into the play, I was a bit worried I wouldn't like it all too much. I wasn't overly fond of the reading we did in class. However, I thought the play was hilarious once we saw it in person. One particular character I didn't originally enjoy, Jack or as he's secretly known as Earnest, exceeded my expectations greatly. Someone I talked to said he over acted the part slightly, but I think that he did so purposely. Earnest seems to be a rather ridiculous character at times, especially when he's acting as "earnest" in town, and must create a false persona for himself so he can see Gwendolyn. I thought it worked rather well for the character.
Chris Reed
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
I was honestly very surprised at how much I liked the play. Algernon was my favorite character while both reading, and viewing the play. Our personalities seem to meld well. Probably one of my favorite parts of the play was when Algy ate all of the cucumber sandwiches, causing a commotion then after when his aunt had none to eat. The scenery and set was done very well. Algernon's house looked almost exactly as I thought it would, elegant. One complaint I did have were the costumes, Algernon's seemed as if it hadn't been washed since the first play. His pants were very wrinkled and looked as if they had stains on them. I'm not completely sure if it was supposed to be part of the play or not, but being a row from the front it bothered me. But as I was saying, Algernon was just as sarcastic and asshole-ish as I thought he'd be. I loved it.
Noah Manns-Taylor
ReplyDeleteI knew pretty much how much I was going to like this play going in, and I was not surprised by the performance. The play was as dull and hard to follow as I knew it would be. I understood about one fourth of the jokes and even then, didn't find them that funny. They played their parts well, and I think I actually liked Lane, the butler, the most. I found him to be the funniest character in the play, and I understood his humor. I wish that the humor wasn't so dry and hard to follow, because some of the jokes were actually quite humorous. It was an entertaining play but I wouldn't have gone of my own fruition.
I didn't really enjoy the play that much, and it was definitely not what I expected it to be. I thought it was really boring and that the scenes were dragged out to long. However I did think that it was very funny and I liked all of the characters. I definitely didn't expect the scene to look as it did, and I didn't expect the costumes to look so old fashioned either! I did think that all the actors did a great job playing their parts but it was just a little too boring for my liking. I guess I might think this way because I saw the play so much later than everyone else in my class, but overall I was not that impressed with the play. Definitely not one of my favorites so far this year!
ReplyDeleteSpencer Read
ReplyDeletePeriod 4
Fate, as vicious as capricious, You're a wheel whirling around: Evil doings, worthless wooings, Crumble away to the ground: Darkly stealing, unrevealing, Working against me you go: For your measure of foul pleasure Bare-backed I bow to your blow.
I chose this quote because it is a very descriptive passage about Fate. It speaks about how tough it is. No matter what we do, we will fall victim to the hands of fate. One thing i noticed, was that this character was definitely in a bad situation. This is given because he is talking about how terrible and rough fate is. I find this quite interesting, because it is so pessimistic. There is no optimism what so ever. The character is also expressing, in a way, how he gives in to fate. The way he says that he will bow, bare backed, to the hands of fate. This is interesting because it shows the current situation of the story. It shows how much life can really suck in the end. Nothing like a good old passage from an old story to make one realize how rough life can actually be. The characters state of mind is almost not pessimistic, but contentness. He knows what his future and fate is, and has accepted it.