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Before the show began, the Townsend lobby area was being treated as an actual theatre
scenario, and we were required to line up and take a different entrance into the show. This was
not my first live play performance, but it was my first time attending Townsend for a play, which
was interesting because I never spent much time within the building until that night. The
demographics of people that were in the lobby and in the play itself were mainly college
students, and staff members along with a few older guests with children. The mixed
demographic of people made the play more authentic like because they have a variety of
different audience members and not just students attending due to a live performance
requirement. I think this made the performers perform even better because they had to
accommodate other people who were watching. I was a bit nervous walking into the theatre
because I didn’t know what to expect and I didn’t know where to find my seat, so that gave me a
bit of anxiety. Once I found my seat, I was ready to see what the play was about and was a bit
excited to see how it turned out. When watching a play with your peers as the performers, it’s a
bit more special than watching trained professionals because you get a sense of likeness from
Set- One thing that I was impressed by within the play was the Set Design. Although the
design was somewhat simple, the way in which they utilized it was unique and gave a bit of
unrealistic realism, meaning that they took a prop and made it live. For example, the metal
tower prop that was used as a train and an industrial item for manufacturing purposes and each
time that the prop was used, the audience knew what purpose it served for the scene. I liked how
due to the dramatic interaction between the actors and props/set, it made the visual aspect of
watching seem more real. In correlation with the lighting and the sound, the set was able to
stand out and give the audience a perception or an idea as to what is about to take place, or where
the character may be during the specific time (For example, the door props, and the fencing made
us know that we were inside a structure, whereas the blue wavy paper/blanket when utilized
made us realize that we were in an ocean. Overall, the simple designs worked effectively for this
Costume- Honestly, the costumes during certain periods of the play confused me because
I couldn’t figure out which time period they were supposed to depict. For example, when the
couple came to sweatshop area trying to buy things, they were dressed in suits and causal gear,
which made me think that the play was somewhat contemporary. However, when the scene
switched to Anon and other characters, they were wearing dingy attire which made me think it
was a different time period. But after a while, I didn’t focus so much on their costumes and I just
focused on the dialogue. The main costume that majority of the cast wore was a beige like
colored shirt that was a bit worn and stretched out for a particular dingy effect. The characters
utilized a Greek persona mask in order to switch between characters. Also, certain characters
wore casual attire in order to get into character as well as a type of African skirt garment In order
Ishmail R. Coleman 3/23/15 Live Performance Report
to showcase African culture and give a sense of identity. The materials of the costumes seemed
to be made out of cloth, cotton, and silk and gave the impression of cheap, past time attire.
Lights- The lighting/lights of the play were essential to the play in which it provide
different effects for different scenarios. For example, when the scenes transitioned to the ocean,
it was blue lighting in order to signify the ocean. Also, the flickering of lights when showcasing
explosions and firefights, which gives off a realistic element, as well as suspense when in
correlation with the sound. The lighting and sound combination gave the play a realistic aspect
to it, especially with limited props. Also, another interesting thing that stuck out to me was using
lights in order to bring forth certain shadow effects (For example, the scene when Anon is
escaping from authorities and their flashing red lights are present, but the dimming of the actual
stage lights provided a background shadow, similar to a scene when showing the silhouette of a
body). Overall, I felt that the lighting was effective within the play because it brought forth
On February 24, 2015, I attended the live play titled Anonymous by Naomi Lizuka. Prior
to seeing the play, I had no information on what the play was about, or what the themes of the
play were, so I was quite anxious to see what the play was about. The play was mainly about a
young man who escaped from his war torn hometown with his mother, but lost contact with her
after a terrible storm. The play then showcases the young man journey in trying to find his
mother. My first impression of the play was that it was quite interesting and kept me captivated.
The dialogue that the play engaged in was unique because it left you wondering what was going
to happen in the next scene. The dialogue wasn’t too revealing of the storyline so the audience
had to wait to figure out what was going to happen next, which was quite interesting. However,
Ishmail R. Coleman 3/23/15 Live Performance Report
one thing that kept frustrating me about the play was that I couldn’t decipher if it was supposed
to depict a specific time period. After a while, I figured that the play is doing this on purpose to
bring forth another message, so I didn’t let it bother me too much. Thematically speaking, the
play brought forth some interesting themes, such as determination, identity, acculturation, and
trust. The themes that resonate within me the most was the theme of identity, especially within
the Anon character. It seemed that everywhere he went his identity was threatened, and he was
somewhat being forced to try to accept new lifestyles or becoming acculturated into existing
lifestyles. For example, when he was staying with his new family and his “girlfriend” urged him
to change his ways and become more modernized to a sense, and he refused to forget his past
and where he came from. I believe that showcases the idea that many people when they leave
their countries/cultures, they become indoctrinated into other cultures and complete forget their
own and their identity. This was the main theme that I felt was the central core to the play
because Anon’s character refused to change into anything other than himself, no matter how
many different walks of life that he engaged in. In addition to Anon’s performance, another
performance that I felt was strong was the performance of the wife who was attempting to by
Anon’s mothers slick garment. I feel that her performance was an explicit outward expression of
how people in modern times have no cultural or moral values toward anything that is not
materialistic. Her dialogue and acting showcases mentality of a lot of people today, especially in
America, in which they are only concerned with what they can get at the moment, as well as
what they can get in order to improve social status. Her character and Anon’s are complete polar
opposites, but both showcase something meaningful within play, which is that materialism,
wealth, and certain objects don’t buy happiness or shape identity, but sometimes it’s the little
things that matter the most. Besides dialogue, costumes, and general acting, another moment in
Ishmail R. Coleman 3/23/15 Live Performance Report
the play that impressed me was the final action scene. I wasn’t expecting them to be skilled in
sword fighting, as well as making it appear to be real fighting. I believe the actors did a great job
Overall, I enjoyed the play for what it was, but there were still certain aspects of it that
could have been improved. One thing I felt that could have been improved was that they should
have had a bit more actors in order to play some of the roles. It was fine to see the same actors
play multiple roles, but at times it seemed like it became overwhelming for them. Also, the time
period aspect of the play really bothered me, in which certain times, I couldn’t tell if the play was
supposed to be based in the 1800s, 1900s, or 2000s. However, after looking back on the play, I
think that by formulating the play in that manner, it gave the play a specific type of feeling to it,
which I came to enjoy. I enjoyed attending the play and it was a great experience for me, in
which I plan to go to more plays in the future due to me enjoying this school play. I felt that the
actors did a great job as their characters and gave the audience something to enjoy. Furthermore,
by engaging in this live performance activity, it made me want to look into a career doing
something within play/theatre production, in which I would like to help provide research toward