Response #4

Response Three Due 12/5/19 Name: Jonathan Mercer Date: 12-5-2019 Show: Is Jack Frost Nipping at Your Hose? Or… Christmas at the Firehouse! Director: Steve Hitchcock & Monte Wheeler Lighting Designer: Anna Rosell Set Designer: Dan Johnson & Monte Wheeler Costume Designer: Julia Faust & Monte Wheeler Music Director: Tony Harshbarger Sound Designer: Anna Rosell Props Master/Mistress: Anna Rosell Choreographer: Steve Hitchcock Plot Structure: A local firefighting unit’s leader is soon to become the captain for all of Wichita. His nemesis cousin doesn’t want that because he wants the position for himself, even though is aloof in much of his responsibilities. The hero ends up getting promoted, as his nemesis’ plan to stop the ceremony get foiled when his mother bakes him pot cookies. In a minimum of 5 sentences for each character, tell me about 2 characters and their type: Sparky Ember – Sparky Ember is the quintessential protagonist. He’s the first character we meet, and one that the audience immediately falls in love with. Over-the-top, Ember is constantly saving the day through his bravery. What he has in bravery, he lacks in smarts, as he tries to catch a human with a blanket. With all this said though, he is a good man, who is only good, and fights fires and saves lives for the good of the action, not for recognition or praise. Pyro Maniac – Pyro Maniac is the exact opposite of Sparky Ember. He is the quintessential antagonist. He is a lazy person who is looking to profit from other’s success. He is only in it for the glory, as he has only fought 3 fires so far in his career. While trying to be cunning and mischievous, his is also quite dim-witted and finds his plots fooled by very obvious roadblocks. Which actors played these roles? Sparky Ember – Steve Hitchcock Pyro Maniac – John Keckeisen What was the Genre of the play? Melodrama/Comedy In a minimum of 5 sentences for each actor, tell me about the acting of at least 3 of the main characters. Which acting technique do you think the actor used? Why? What did the actor do specifically to make you think the actor was good or bad? Sparky Ember – Hitchcock often found himself trying to physical portray the role of protagonist. As someone who is supposed to be physically demanding, he often would puff his chest out and have his base be very wide set. He would also use a lot more of his stomach to give his character a stronger sounding voice. Through his vocal performance, he also made sure to sound very confident when delivering each line, as if he was reading the script along with the reader. The lines that he had were gimmicky to begin with, so the predictability that he delivered them really fit the tone. I think through all of this, Hitchcock did a very good job. Pyro Maniac – Physically, Maniac was a very fascinating character to watch. He would constantly scrunch up his head into his body and protrude his waist out. It was downright repulsive, which is what you’re shooting for in an antagonist. He also adopted a very nasally delivering, to make jeering for his character that much easier. I think that he did a good job at creating a character that you didn’t like whatsoever, while still giving the part some charm. Mayor – The mayor was supposed to be a caricature of our former mayor Jeff Longwell, and I believe that she did a very good job through her delivery to make it that way. It was all satire, so everything was exaggerated, of course, like how she would constantly rub her fake belly or laugh much like a jolly old man. The costume was goofy, but the voice that she used was downright ludicrous and a delight to hear. Everything about this character was strange, and they did a fantastic job showing that. Was the Director’s Vision clear to you? Why or why not? Yes, I believe that it was because throughout the entirety of the play, it not only was understood who I was supposed to root for, but I found myself actively rooting for them. Everything fit into the classic Mosley Street style and their artistic choices I agreed with. What type of theatre was the show presented in? How did it help or hurt the telling of the story? It was presented in a proscenium stage. It helped as cast had to be moved in and out depending on the scene, and there were plenty of props that needed to be moved. It also set up a very noticeable fourth wall that the actors continually broke. What was the scenery like? Did it help or hurt the telling of the story? The scenery was sparse, with only a couple of props throughout the entirety of the play. The backdrop of a firehouse that was sparingly occupied allowed for most of the set, and the few times that props were available, they were used to great effect. For example, the firehose that they all carried on and stumbled over many times, or the cookies that helped drive the plot. What were the costumes like? Choose 2 major characters and using a minimum of five sentences for each character, and using specific examples, explain how the costumes told the story of each character. Sparky Ember – Sparky Ember wore the same fireman outfit that every fireman had. The outfit was a simple navy shirt, red suspenders, and seemingly fire-retardant pants. The color scheme and outfit are very quintessential for firefighters, and so it helps the audience familiarize themselves with the characters quickly. It also isn’t a full fire suit, so they don’t have to change out of certain things depending on whether they’re on the job or not, and it allows the actors to be more comfortable and breathe more. Another added benefit is that it allows the audience to relate more to the protagonist as they seemed more normal than if they were wearing the entire suit. Mayor – The mayor dressed incredibly ridiculously to fit the character who is itself incredibly ridiculous. From the oversized suit to the haphazardly worn bald cap, everything about this attire seems very outlandish. Even the mayor’s planet tie is out of this world! This artistic choice reelects how disheveled and unkempt the mayor is as a character. The play does a very good job in terms of costumes making this role fit. How was the Lighting? Using a minimum of five sentences for each topic, how did the lighting: Illuminate the show They often used spotlights to help find characters through the crowd and up on the balcony. There was heavy lighting throughout the entirety of the show, and very rarely had any semblance of darkness throughout the show. The only times were during scene changes, or whenever the actors moved around the room itself. There were always bright lights that shown above the show. Create atmosphere The lights being so bright allowed for the show itself to be warm and inviting. Just like the show, the lights indicated a high-energy environment. During the more musical or poignant points in the show, the spotlight and dark backgrounds allowed for more depth to be created in the scenes. It also gave a contrast and allowed more variety for the show. Help tell the story or show given circumstances The lighting heled advance the plot whenever the first main conflict came into place. There was a fire and they needed to save a woman and her baby. To show the woman stuck, she was on the balcony of the stage, and barely any light was shone on her. This allowed for the distance to look more exaggerated and give more effect of the scene. Were there projections? If so, how did they help tell the story of the play? There were no projections during the play. How was the sound? Using a minimum of five sentences for each subject, talk about: Motivated Sounds Motivated Sounds played a minor part in the play. There were very few times in which the play used these. The only that I recall is the sound of sirens whenever the firefighters are called over. Because of the songs played in between scenes, there wasn’t much else done extra auditorily. Sound reproduction Sound reproduction really wasn’t used during either performance. The band played all music needed live. The live band during the comedy revue and then Mr. Harshbarger during the melodrama really removed the need for much playback. Again, I may have missed a little bit, but the majority was most certainly just the live band. Environmental sounds The only environmental sounds added to the play were the sounds of the fire engine. Everything else that was done to replicate everyday life was through the actors. Sound reinforcement There were personal microphones that characters used during the musical revue. But I don’t think there were any personal microphones during the melodrama itself. I could be wrong, but I assume that it was either all live, or there may have been some general microphones set up around the set that could capture conversation better. Share any other thoughts or observations you had here: Was there anything that surprised you?