Last Wednesday, we saw our last performance for our Arts in New York City seminar. It was William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. When we first stepped inside the theater, I remember thinking “Wow, this is kind of cool!” I was expecting a normal theater where the stage faces the audience and seats, but I did not expect this untraditional set up. The stage was set up in a way that there were seats against three sides of the room, and the seats were very close to the actors themselves, which I think made the whole performance a lot more intimate. When we spoke with one of the actors and directors Noah Brody who played Orsino in the play, he mentioned how the set up of the stage really affects the way they act. For example, they always have to angle themselves in a way that will make their voice project throughout the room so everyone in the audience can hear what they are saying even if they are not directly facing them. The lighting in the room was not very dark, so the actors could see the audience’s faces and reactions throughout the play. The lighting also made it a lot more personal. In addition, he said that he prefers this kind of stage set up because it is more natural. In a traditional stage, the actors can really only move from side to side, but with this set up, the actors can walk and turn freely, which makes it a lot more natural for them when they are performing.
The show itself was very entertaining because it was funny and not as difficult to follow as the other shows we have seen this semester. It was evident that the actors and actresses were really loved this play and loved acting because even when the actors were not in the scene, they would be on the sides laughing at what was going on in the play. Their enjoyment of the play was really portrayed through their performance and you could just tell that all of the actors were passionate about acting. Noah Brody said that every time they perform this show, it is slightly different. It is never the same any time they do it because while certain elements might be the product itself is always a little different.
One of my favorite scenes of the show was when the Viola, disguised as Cesario and Sebastian, her brother, finally meet appear in front of Countless Olivia, who has fallen in love with Cesario. This scene is one of the funnier ones as Olivia mistakes Sebastian for Cesario because they look alike and are dressed similarly. It is finally revealed that Viola was dressed up as Cesario and that Sebastian and Viola are actually twin siblings.
Overall, I think this was one of my favorite performances that we saw in this class, and I am so fortunate for the opportunity to be exposed to the different types of art such as theater.
