Last weekend I saw two extremely different yet stunning theater pieces in Seattle. The first was a fifth avenue production of "Man of LA Mancha". The chronicle of a 15th century man and his out of place escapades as he attempts to act his way out of jail with the same material he was thrown if for. One aspect that I found important was the interaction of story and set/setting. The story was well done, the acting clean and clear and emotive. The set was beautiful, a jail, high and well lit, clean ad well constructed. Though, when I looked at both together they didn't fit. The container of a turn of the century imprisonment didn't fit the plays setting of the 15th century. My attempts to reconcile this issue lead to some difficulty while watching the play.
The second play I watched was titled "Revolt. She said. Revolt Again." and produced at 12 avenue arts. This production was entirely the opposite of the previous. The hectic and gut wrenching series of vignettes eventually compiling to a terrifying yet deep questioning of feminist movements. The interesting elements that I was most inspired by in this production was the absence of a backstage and the use of lighting, projection and sound elements. Every section was accompanied by a scene change with music that represented the next theme. When the scene started the music died abruptly and a "bing" sound punctuated the appearance of the words above the actors. This type of punctuation of elements created a more immersive and organized production, something I feel is extremely necessary in devised theater like we will be continuing in the upcoming weeks.
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