"Six Characters in Search of an Author".
Luigi Pirandello wrote "Six Characters in Search of an Author", and was later translated by Stanley Longman. The show was produce at Valbourg Theater on Monday, March 1, 2004. When I first arrived at the theater as an usher, I listened to the music that was playing in the lobby. The music was very tranquil, not too loud, and reminded me of a mysterious kind of music. If I had known then how the characters were going to be represented, I would have seen this as foreshadowing. .
I noticed when the ensemble came on stage they were wearing light or beige colors. Knowing that they would not be the focus of the play later on, I realized how much this assisted the focus of the play. The cast was wearing darker, easier to see colors. The make-up was also helpful for people who had not read the play. The make-up and the clothing colors helped distinguish between the ensemble and the cast. .
When the cast fist made their appearance on the stage, I realized how the music (before the play actually started), foreshadowed the mysteriousness of the play. I wondered when I was reading the play how the cast was going to be depicted. The dark make-up and clothing also made it clear that the cast was involved in a tragedy. When reading the play, I did not really get a full understanding of what was going on, and in my own mind, the characters did not really have feelings. The music helped bring this mood to the surface.
There were many things done with the lighting throughout the play. We talked about the way the orange or amber lights mixed with the lavender lights on a persons face in class helps bring out the actor's expressions. I noticed these lights all over the stage at this performance. This helped to show the pain and frustration of the cast, and the laughter and thoughts of the ensemble. I also noticed a green light on the stage. When the actors were in the light, they seemed to be the center of attention.