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Miss Brodie
Advanced Member
2421 Posts |
 Posted - 14 Jul 2004 : 4:29:01 PM
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Bumping this up, as it is due for discussion this week (7/21).
WHEN THE WORLD WAS GREEN (A CHEF'S FABLE) by Sam Shepard is the next play for discussion. I was able to order through Amazon.com a used copy of the 3-play volume of Shepard plays that includes this piece. |
Edited by - Miss Brodie on 19 Jul 2004 3:31:13 PM |
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Miss Brodie
Advanced Member
2421 Posts |
Posted - 02 Aug 2004 : 3:36:50 PM
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So, Irwin, what made you choose this script? Where did you hear about it?
This is the kind of play I don't like. There is very little story, and the characters (a young woman and an old man) are more symbols than humans. The script is poetic, but I'd be really frustrated having to watch a performance of this. |
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Prosper Block
Advanced Member
308 Posts |
Posted - 28 Aug 2004 : 12:18:42 PM
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Been busy, and then been away, so, Catherine, I haven't been able to respond.
Having spent my adult working life around writers, I have a great love and respect for the (well) written word, but there's another side of me that enjoys plays, such as this one, which are subtext driven. Sam Shepard's work leaves space for the actor(s) and the actors' chemistry to create, for lack of a better phrase, "a moment", which (I think) the audience understands on a subconscious level. They understand the feeling of the character and the character's actions, but they may not be able to articulate what they they just saw.
Sometimes Shepard's plays work for me, and sometimes they don't. I can certainly understand your frustration with the play. Perhaps, being in a production of his work, or seeing a production that "works" would help you understand, what I think I understand, about his work.
P.S. Where I heard about it: I just read lots of plays, and since I like Shepard's work, I picked it up when I saw a copy of it at the Drama Book Shop. |
Edited by - Prosper Block on 28 Aug 2004 12:25:27 PM |
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Prosper Block
Advanced Member
308 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2004 : 11:23:15 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Prosper Block
Been busy, and then been away, so, Catherine, I haven't been able to respond.
Having spent my adult working life around writers, I have a great love and respect for the (well) written word, but there's another side of me that enjoys plays, such as this one, which are subtext driven. Sam Shepard's work leaves space for the actor(s) and the actors' chemistry to create, for lack of a better phrase, "a moment", which (I think) the audience understands on a subconscious level. They understand the feelings of the character and the character's actions, but they may not be able to articulate what they they just saw.
Sometimes Shepard's plays work for me, and sometimes they don't. I can certainly understand your frustration with the play. Perhaps, being in a production of his work, or seeing a production that "works" would help you understand, what I think I understand, about his work.
P.S. Where I heard about it: I just read lots of plays, and since I like Shepard's work, I picked it up when I saw a copy of it at the Drama Book Shop.
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Miss Brodie
Advanced Member
2421 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2004 : 2:25:27 PM
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"...there's another side of me that enjoys plays, such as this one, which are subtext driven."
Maybe my reaction stems from seeing this type of play too often performed by inexperienced actors who don't have any idea what "subtext" is, much less how to play it.
"Better a short role than a long loaf." - Anonymous |
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Prosper Block
Advanced Member
308 Posts |
Posted - 30 Aug 2004 : 3:54:13 PM
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It's not only inexperienced actors, but inexperienced �and unprepared� directors that make this a less than imagined experience.
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WHEN THE WORLD WAS GREEN
