This past week I went to see two plays at my College. I go to Illinois State University located in Normal. The two shows I saw were Don Juan comes back from the war and A Street car named Desiree. Don Juan was absolutely fantastic. They covered the whole stage in snow, had snow falling from the ceiling and had a backdrop onto which they projected an animation of a snow storm. The play had only one male actor who plays Don Juan, every other character was a female of some sort. Don Juan was a womanizer before the war and even worse after wards. The set was in a thrust setting which means that the audience surrounded the stage on three sides. It was a beautiful set and lighting design. The costumes where lovely, even the tattered clothing looked good. It was delightful performance and it got me excited for the spring season.
The second show I say was Street Car. The set was absolutely fantastic. It had different levels, this wonderful spiral staircase. The main play area had walls made from scrim, so you could see through them when lit from behind. The show had a fantastic cast and the play was long but amazingly done. I cannot believe that it was three hours long. The show takes you on a ride through Blanche Dubois’s visit to her sister Stella and her husband Stanley. There is something off about Blanche when we first meet her and Stanley takes it upon himself to find out what is up with Blanche. At the end of the play Stanley has raped Blanche, Stella birthed a baby and Blanche is being tricked by her sister into getting mental help.
These plays were both done with such art and a focus to detail. I applaud the directors and actors of both theses wonderful shows.
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