T. Stewart Assignment 6

These types of performances, side projects in English classes, are often doomed to a monotonous fate on the stage. Bored students and lackluster material contribute to this, but the performances of Earnest were exceptional in many ways: they were funny, most people truly tried to develop character, and we had some great props/costumes, too.
I think my group did fairly well in terms of character development, with what time we had. The all-girl thing might've been a challenge, but I think it actually made the performance more humorous, seeing as only one of the parts was female. There was no lapse in focus or awkward silences (apart from the time where I forgot my line, my b), but that was because we had our scripts there with us to hold our hands, which detracted from the performance. This is something that could've been ameliorated with more practice, again. Projection was something emphasized throughout our practices, and I think it's something we succeeded in - nothing was inaudible, really, but maybe that's because I had heard our scene so many times that I'm biased.
Space was another item we mulled over during practice, as I was in charge of adding stage directions to the script and didn't want to confuse anyone. We tried our best to make sure backs would never be turned to the audience, and movements with Cecily and Algernon wouldn't get awkward with all the props and stuff. Speaking of props, THE SHOPPING CART was super funny oh man and all my idea btw, and the letter box was supposed to have more paper in it but oh well. Preparedness is something I already touched on with the scripts, which were the main issue. Other than that, we were fairly prepared for our entrances and exits, cues and such.
Performing this scene added to my experience of the text through various interpretation choices. Some parts of our performance I added to the script myself, like when Algernon cups his hand around his ear as if he's listening intently. Though the script Wilde wrote is detailed and everything, I didn't realize how much it left up to interpretation by the actors, or in a more advanced production, the director. Choices in character portrayal like inflection and use of space can make or break a performance, and that's something easily taken for granted.