Fringe Theater

Girl on an Altar

Of all the plays that we’ve seen so far, this one was definitely not for me. That’s not to say it was a bad play, I think it was excellent actually. It was really impactful as a modern retelling of Agamemnon with prominent ancient Greek theater tradition. The play was mostly told through what Courtney called “memory monologues.” These monologues are hard to deliver interestingly because the actor needs to have a clear need from the audience. Most of the time I did not understand this need which made it seem like the actors were only playing emotion or opinion most of the time. However, this was a very difficult script. And, although it is very new, it’s written in a very ancient tradition. The acting that did occur between characters was interesting though. It was just frustrating for them to turn to the audience and describe what was happening as it was happening instead of living in the moment with their partner. There was one moment with a narrative monologue towards the end that I found really interesting. Cassandra, the prophetess was monologuing about the imminent murder of Agamemnon when he himself interrupts her, “What are you whispering?” Very intimidating. It brought what I assumed to be a private moment with the audience into the story. The stakes shoot through the roof in a second because Agamemnon is genuinely terrifying. He’s killed many men and at least one woman, whose to say he wouldn’t murder this girl?

The Great Gatsby Immersive Experience

The Great Gatsby was an absolute blast and I recommend any young person with a love of literature, dancing, or improv go see it. I was most impressed by how demanding it was of the actors to improvise and remain in control. They direct the “partygoers” the whole night and have to accommodate those who will say absolutely nothing to them and those who are really willing to play into it. Some of the story beats involve secrets of affairs and such so it’d be pretty easy for something to let slip and ruin the thing for everyone. I also loved the swing dancing! There was a bit at the beginning when we got to East Coast swing and me, Grason, Margaret, and Leah strut our stuff. We got called show-offs by Tom Buchanan though. The action among the characters were brilliant as well. The cast were super talented dancers and singers and pianists too! I was truly blown away. Best theater experience I had by far.

Lift
Lift was a beautiful show. It was hard to understand exactly what was going on. However, I loved how it looked, sounded, and felt. I was in the front row of this blackbox-type theater so the show felt really intimate. Intimate isn’t the right word. Being that close was intense. Overall the message of the show was kind of cute, the music was good, and the spirit of the show was strong.

Girl on an Altar

Of all the plays that we’ve seen so far, this one was definitely not for me. That’s not to say it was a bad play, I think it was excellent actually. It was really impactful as a modern retelling of Agamemnon with prominent ancient Greek theater tradition. The play was mostly told through what Courtney called “memory monologues.” These monologues are hard to deliver interestingly because the actor needs to have a clear need from the audience. Most of the time I did not understand this need which made it seem like the actors were only playing emotion or opinion most of the time. However, this was a very difficult script. And, although it is very new, it’s written in a very ancient tradition. The acting that did occur between characters was interesting though. It was just frustrating for them to turn to the audience and describe what was happening as it was happening instead of living in the moment with their partner. There was one moment with a narrative monologue towards the end that I found really interesting. Cassandra, the prophetess was monologuing about the imminent murder of Agamemnon when he himself interrupts her, “What are you whispering?” Very intimidating. It brought what I assumed to be a private moment with the audience into the story. The stakes shoot through the roof in a second because Agamemnon is genuinely terrifying. He’s killed many men and at least one woman, whose to say he wouldn’t murder this girl?

The Great Gatsby Immersive Experience

The Great Gatsby was an absolute blast and I recommend any young person with a love of literature, dancing, or improv go see it. I was most impressed by how demanding it was of the actors to improvise and remain in control. They direct the “partygoers” the whole night and have to accommodate those who will say absolutely nothing to them and those who are really willing to play into it. Some of the story beats involve secrets of affairs and such so it’d be pretty easy for something to let slip and ruin the thing for everyone. I also loved the swing dancing! There was a bit at the beginning when we got to East Coast swing and me, Grason, Margaret, and Leah strut our stuff. We got called show-offs by Tom Buchanan though. The action among the characters were brilliant as well. The cast were super talented dancers and singers and pianists too! I was truly blown away. Best theater experience I had by far.

Lift
Lift was a beautiful show. It was hard to understand exactly what was going on. However, I loved how it looked, sounded, and felt. I was in the front row of this blackbox-type theater so the show felt really intimate. Intimate isn’t the right word. Being that close was intense. Overall the message of the show was kind of cute, the music was good, and the spirit of the show was strong.