faye

meliorism: the belief that the world gets better; the belief that humans can improve the world

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I believe that it is important to create art that depicts everyday struggles of individuals, since many use art as a way of healing. Specifically, it is important for movies and plays to discuss mental illnesses and social issues that are a part of individuals' lives. Through them, the audience can find something that may relatable and find empathy and compassion, while also feel like they are being understood. "Euphoria" is a TV show that manages to express different mental struggles of teenagers, including depression, bipolar disorder, drug addiction and gender dysphoria. I believe more movies and plays should focus on being relatable and not focus on social norms and create unrealistic stereotypes.

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This mood board consists of 9 pictures which take the viewer to a much different era than the modern one. The mood board inspired me to come up with an idea for a play: A magical garden in a completely different world/dimension with a fairy tale aesthetic where a young woman has been living there alone since she was 12. At the age of 22, a young man appears in her mirror and tells her that she needs to get out of there. Together, they try to uncover the secret of the garden and how she got there, while she doesn't remember anything that happened before she arrived there. Together, they realize that she had been cursed and the only way to break the spell is by passing it on to another person. In the end, they don't manage to break the spell and live together in the magical garden.

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This video shows the importance of music and music selection in film and also theater. Music plays a vital role in a performance, while it can completely alter the message which is being conveyed. The visuals are very important, but many times it is music that defines the mood and aim of the film or play. The video gives six different examples of music added to one particular scene from the movie "Lion King", and each example makes them completely different from each other. Like the creator describes it, the six different music selections make the scene mystic, sad, silly, scary, majestic or heroic. Different types of music can really change the emotion that a specific scene evokes and can even change the plot and meaning of the play.

[mmeliorissm]

"All the world's a stage,

And all the men and women merely players;

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts.

The stage is not merely the meeting place of all the arts, but is also the return of art to life."

This quote describes the relationship of art and life. Art imitates life, but life imitates art as well. We tend to take aspects of life when creating a piece of art, whether it is a painting, a song, a sculpture, a choreography, a film or a play. All art forms express feelings and narrate stories individuals have experienced throughout their lives. They tell the history of our ancestors and focus on real-life events or even create another reality, one where we would like to live in. Life, though, is art. Every single man-made thing expresses a story, and holds history behind it, just like art does. Artists take aspects of their art and embody them in their everyday lives. Whether that is morals, meaningful teachings or knowledge, through art we learn about life, and through life we are inspired to create art.

[mmeliorissm]

In honor of Mikis Theodorakis, I decided to include this song in my theater blog. It is incredible how music tells a story. More specifically, how music can be used to teach the one listening about historical events and honor important days in history. The song "To Sfagio" was written to honor Andreas Lentakis, a politician who fought against dictatorship, and is also sung today to honor the remarkable day, 17th of November, 1973, and the uprising of the Athens Polytechnic in order to regain our rights after 6 years of dictatorship. Music referring to historical events can be used in plays to empower the importance of them, and also give the play the dramatic effect it requires.

[mmeliorissm]

“Καλό ταξίδι, αλαργινό καράβι μου, στου απείρου και στης νυχτός την αγκαλιά, με τα χρυσά σου φώτα! Να `μουν στην πλώρη σου `ηθελα, για να κοιτάζω πίσω για να κοιτάζω να περνούν τα όνειρα τα πρώτα.

Η τρικυμία στο πέλαγος και στη ζωή να παύει, μακριά μαζί σου φεύγοντας πέτρα να ρίχνω πίσω, να μου λικνίζεις την αιώνια θλίψη μου, καράβι, δίχως να ξέρω που με πας και δίχως να γυρίσω!”

(Κ.Γ.Καρυωτάκης, Ποιήματα και Πεζά)

It is very interesting how each individual can interpret art in a completely different way. The poem could be about feeling nostalgic about someone. The ship in the poem could describe a person. When in the ship, when you are with that person, you feel safe and happy, and that person takes your sadness away. When they leave, you recall the memories you have made with them, wishing you could make these memories again. It brings a sweet and sour feeling, while on the one hand you are happy looking back at those moments, but nostalgic because they're leaving. Just like poems, each individual can interpret a play differently. Usually, they try to connect parts of the play to their personal life, and the message they take is what suits their own experience. I believe that it is important to look at a play from our own perspective and interpret it in our own way. This is one of the best things about art; you can find a plethora of different meanings.

[mmeliorissm]

Art is the only way to run away without leaving home

-Twyla Tharp

This quote is very accurate. Art is a way of escaping reality. Through acting, painting, singing and all other art forms one is able to transform into another person, travel in another dimension and temporarily forget their own struggles. Through theater one is able to understand parts of life, even without having experienced them. They are able to learn and understand a whole new personality. Acting is a way to focus on the story of somebody else, and forget your own story, for a while. You can run away from reality and gain new experiences through acting them. An actor/actress doesn't only replicate the feelings of their character but also manages to walk in that person's shoes and feel what they are feeling.

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This song by Manos Hadjidakis is a great example on how music doesn't need lyrics in order to evoke emotions and narrate a story. The way this song builds up narrates a story on its own, while all the intense feelings are built up and are released as the song climaxes. I believe that music without lyrics can create even deeper emotions to the one listening, since they can imagine their own stories and interpret it in their own way. Gioconda's Smile, which is the album including this song, allows individuals to find their own meaning in the song. If the album was used as a soundtrack for a play, and would be very successful in doing that. For me, the album brings feelings of freedom, nostalgia and passion.

[mmeliorissm]

It would be interesting for a play to have this 50-60s aesthetic. Most plays either take us back to a very early age or are set in the modern day. A play with such an aesthetic could give the viewer more information on the lives of individuals in the 1950s and narrate either a love story or focus on adventure. Another interesting idea would be to see a horror-themed play with this aesthetic, using different color pallets and creating contrast between the characters and the setting. Another idea that came to mind, would be for the play to involve time-travel, and take the characters back or forward in time. Even though it is aesthetically pleasing and looks pretty, the characters could be stuck in that time period making it a living nightmare. A last idea, would be to show the role of women in this time period. Even though women were shown in happy families, the play could show their struggle and the deprivation of their rights.

[mmeliorissm]

1991, Directed by James Lapine

2010, Directed by Timothy Sheader

2014, Directed by Rob Marshall

2020, Directed by Dimitris Bogdanos

The above pictures are from four different productions of "Into The Woods", originally written by Stephen Sondheim. A play can be approached from many different points of view, while each director adds specific elements to make their interpretation of their play unique. The first picture is from the 1991 play, directed by James Lapine. This play has a fairy tale narrative and uses a natural setting and props to depict the far-off kingdom where the story takes place. The 2010 version of the play, directed by Timothy Sheader, adds a modern twist to the original play, which can be noticed through the clothing of the actors. The modern-day dresses, helmet, hats, and shoes make each character more unique and even give the play a hint of comedy. The setting of the play, which is a park, makes the play differ from the rest, while it is something original and doesn't match the fairy tale narrative of the play. The 2014 movie of "Into the Woods", directed by Rob Marshall, is the one who focuses on the fairy tale aspect of the plot the most, while it is easy for the director to add more magical elements, since it is a movie and not a theater play. The costumes also take the viewer to a different time and place and manage to set a fairy tale aesthetic. Lastly, the 2020 version of the play, directed by Dimitris Bogdanos is the most unique one. The different concept of this play, the darker aesthetic, the contrast of the white clothing, the ropes, the props, and the attic all set the viewer to a more modern but also mysterious aesthetic and manage to alter the concept of time and place of the original play. The four interpretations really differ from each other but all successfully pass the meaning of the story using their own elements to switch the aesthetic and make them unique.

[mmeliorissm]

Vintage Postmodern Jukebox and Haley Reinhart covered the song "Creep", originally performed by Radiohead. Through her powerful voice, Haley Reinhart manages to express intense emotions and bring this song to life, and intensify the meaning of the lyrics. The cover is a jazz version of the original indie rock performance by Radiohead, and it is very impressive when artists manage to give a completely different interpretation to a song and making it unique. It is also very interesting how Haley Reinhart builds up the emotion through the song and it's like she's releasing the emotion gradually through the choruses. This cover is very important to me, since we used it to practice improvisation with my theater group two years ago. To this day, whenever I listen to it I can still recall the feelings I used to express through movement and exaggeration.

[mmeliorissm]

This poem from Amanda Lovelace’s book, “The witch doesn’t burn in this one” has a meaningful message to pass to the reader. The poem mentions the pressure we have as individuals to fit into categories and follow the beauty standards. If we believe in stereotypes society has created, we will never be able to show our true identity, or understand it ourselves. Theater has been a way of self-expression since its appearance. From women appearing on the stage, to "controversial" plays during a period of dictatorship, it has found a way to reach the audience and pass a strong message. One of the best experiences for an actor is to relate to a moment of the script and use his knowledge on that feeling to achieve a freeing and expressing performance. The intense characters and feelings depicted in a theater play allow the actor to discover the identity of their role out of the boxes of society, and I believe it is amazing to manage to discover who you truly are, even if you're portraying someone else.

[mmeliorissm]

It is incredible how a story can be told without words. These two dancers Josh Killacky and Jade Chynoweth, on a dance choreography called "Greed", not only show their amazing performing skills but also manage to tell a story using their bodies. Their body movement and exaggerated gestures capture strong feelings of greediness in an unhealthy relationship as well as mental abuse. The black outfits play an important role since they are neutral, therefore do not take away from the performance and allow the viewer to focus on it, and also the combination of the black clothes, dim lighting, and the fact that it's nighttime all contribute to the "darkness" of the feelings these performers want to portray. The rope used is a symbolism of the unhealthy codependency with each other as well as the feeling of being choked one might have during the relationship.

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Lupita Nyong'o is an actress who studied both theatre and filmmaking. She is mostly known for "12 Years a Slave", a movie for which she won a best-supporting actress oscar. 12 Years a Slave spreads a social message on racial discrimination and educates the viewer on the social background of slavery and human trafficking. Apart from an exceptional and very talented actress, Lupita is an activist for women's rights, racial equality, and the fight against sexual assault, especially in the sector of the film and theatre industry. She speaks out against Hollywood´s lack of diversity and generally aims to eliminate all kinds of violations against the human rights of minority groups.

[mmeliorissm]

Keala Settle, in the role of Lettie Lutz, gave a very powerful and emotional performance in the musical The Greatest Showman. Being a musical that focuses on the acceptance of all kinds of people, it includes many dynamic songs, one of them being This Is Me. With exaggerated body movement and facial expressions, this performance gives out feelings of inclusiveness and bravery. This performance of the song has certainly reached the hearts of many people who have ever felt left out and like they didn't belong or meet society's expectations.

[mmeliorissm]

Looking at these images, an idea for a theatre performance came to mind. These pictures are beautiful and put out a calming and euphoric feeling. However, the same color palette and theme, as well as the concept of a calming meadow under a pink sky could be used to show a place where everything is perfect on the surface, but the population of the place is miserable inside, while the authorities are controlling everything they can do and say. In this place, everyone is obliged to hide their feelings and show their love for this magical place. It could be a musical, while the songs could be ironic or a "cry for help".

[mmeliorissm]

Doniella Davy is a make-up artist, and Euphoria´s make-up designer. Doniella creates very original, out-of-the-box, and colorful make-up looks. Her style is unique, and without her addition to the show Euphoria, it probably wouldn't have succeeded. The show is mostly known for its intergalactic, space-themed, euphoric makeup looks which contribute to the concept of drug use. Doniella always has unique ideas. Make up contributes so much to the world of acting since it can show many parts of a character's personality. A theatre performance using out-of-the-box and space-themed make-up looks would be incredibly interesting since it could explore many intriguing themes.