Macaulay Seminar One at Brooklyn College

This trip to see the “off” off broadway play was arguably one of my favorite cultural experiences that happened within the class. When Professor Ugoretz told us all seats were great seats in this theater I simply wasnt expecting it to hold up true. However, all seats were in fact good seats in this small but certainly nice theater. Although I did not know what to expect prior to the play I was excited to find out what the Taboo subject that was talked about earlier within the play. It turned out that this subject was a sex change and how it effected a whole family and nearly 6 peoples lives. I was completely enthralled into the performance seeing how each actor showed how characters would act in the situation and they did it perfectly. All in all it was a great play and very well written.

This was definitely one of my favorite performances that we went to. It made me happy that the Professor trusted us enough to be mature in something that was rather racy, and very heavy to go to. The storyline of the play was very controversial and many times very difficult to listen to because of the intense homophobia, but it educated me because it showed me how difficult people’s lives can be when dealing with such strenuous matters as such.

The entire time I was wondering how my classmates would react to the play because I wasn’t sure how I was reacting to it myself. At some points during the performance I found myself literally sitting on the edge of my seat with anticipation, or clenching my fists out of fear and anger combined. I just couldn’t believe that someone wrote a play that consisted of so much profanity and hatefulness on a topic that is even difficult to speak about regularly. During intermission, a few of us were talking about the play, and everyone seemed to be in complete shock because they were not expecting something so racy and different.

This play was not the a-typical love story or Disney play, but it did send a message to me. It showed me that everyone has their own story to tell and everyone should be given the same chance to tell it without being judged because everyone is different, and thats what makes this world a more interesting place to live in.

I am glad I had the opportunity to go to Carnegie Hall because I don’t know when else I would ever have the opportunity to do so. Although I am not the biggest fan of classical music, and I don’t have extensive knowledge on the topic, I definitely enjoyed the calmness that some of the performances invoked within me.

My least favorite act was the second performance because the music put me on edge and did not soothe me in any way. I didn’t realize it as the song was being played, but once they went into the Four Seasons, which consisted of more peaceful music, I came to realize that your body feels it when the music is rougher.

After the performance, I was thinking about how musically challenged I am. I was stressed about how I would contribute in class because everyone else seemingly has more of a knowledge of music than I do. This made me upset at myself, but then I also realized that its the era that I was raised in that gave me less of an understanding of classical music. I associate classical music with things such as commercials and ringback tones, not because I’m less intelligent, but because this is what the 21st century is, and therefore I decided to download some classical music to my playlist.

Before coming to this performance, I assumed it was going to be about two people who fall in love at a bar. I did not expect the plot twist to be that the wife was a transexual, I thought for sure that the man she fell in love with her step brother her something. Major plot twist! I was sitting trying to figure out for a minute who was Chris, the man’s brother and what surgery she had. It took me a few minutes to catch on to what was going on. This show was very interesting and funny. The language was a little over the top but I enjoyed every minute of this show.

At first I was confused that the show was in such a small theater and that we weren’t able to take pictures, but I just figured that they wanted to conserve the rights to the show. This show went by so quick for me and I was upset that it was over so soon! I don’t like when shows end in the middle of the story somewhat, and the viewer is forced to decide what happens at the end. I was hoping that once it was over that they would have a scene fast forwarding into the future showing us what eventually happened to the family.

I felt bad that everyone did not believe that the husband didn’t know that his wife was once a man! It was probably so hard to deal with and  I kind of understood why the husband was yelling so much. I do think though that they shouldn’t have told the kids and just left the fight between them. The kids were so scared.

This was by far my favorite trip! I am taking music 1300 this semester and I just learned about all of the famous composers such as Bach, Mozart and Beethoven. I loved this event because I was able to relate to it and understand the performance.

During the first concerto, I wasn’t simply enjoying the sound of the music, I was studying it as well. I was paying attention to the tone change and the dynamic change, and was so thankful that I learned about those terms in class this semester.

The first performance was nice and calming. I loved closing my eyes and picturing a story in my head of what could possibly be going on. I loved that there was no set story for this concerto written, so I was able to use my imagination and make my own story.

The second performance to me, sound eery. I did not love the sound of the harpsichord, partly because I couldn’t hear it so well and partly because it sounded creepy to me. The harpsichord didn’t have as smooth of a sound as the violin did.

The last performance, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons was my favorite part of the night! As I was listening to this song I was swaying to the music and relaxing. I loved this song because it was familiar to me, it was my best friends phone ringtone when she was younger. Every time I was with her, her phone rang to this song. It was uplifting to hear a familiar sound and associate it with a nice memory. I also liked that there was a story for each season. I loved following along and thinking, “this must be winter the keys sound much deeper and slower,” or “this must be summer everything sound nice and calm”.

Overall, great night! I would definitely want to attend another classical music performance in the near future.

I enjoyed this event and was able to relate to it because I am Jewish. I felt that many people could just not appreciate what the panelist were saying and referring to because they had no idea what they were talking about.

At the beginning of the show, I was looking at the program with the picture of the two owners of Zabars. I looked in front of me and one of the owners were sitting in front of me. I was starstruck. The owner of Zabars was sitting in front of me! I wasn’t sure if it was him and kept asking the people around me if it was him, and lo and behold it was!

I enjoyed hearing about “Jewish” food but was confused because those foods are just associated with ‘ashkenazic’ Jews, not Sephardic Jews. I was hoping that the people would talk about the two different backgrounds of Jews and felt enlightened somewhat when the israeli woman spoke about that.

Other than that, I enjoyed this trip and was happy that I was able to hear about foods that my mother cooks at home. It was nice to share that experience with someone else. Those panelist also remember coming home to their grandmother making matzah ball soup, and I was so excited because while they were reminiscing about that moment, I was picturing myself running home to have a hot bowl of chicken matzah ball soup.

Of all the Macaulay events that I have gone to, this one was by far my favorite. Professor Ugoretz was right when he said that we would definitely be surprised. The plot twist was perfect and everything that led up to it in the beginning helped connect the beginning to the end.

I especially liked the way the creators of the production made it have an actual message. Most of the plays and performances that I have watched never really had such an apparent theme. The play was meant to “expose some of the most pressing issues facing members of the LGBT community today.” I would not have to read the various handouts I was given upon entering the theater to figure that out. Just by watching the first half of the play it was easy to see just how the plot related to today’s issues in the LGBT community. I think that having a message that clearly intertwines itself into a story is important. That way, whoever is watching would know what the writers are trying to tell them. If there was social commentary involved in Carmen, I most certainly did not get it. However, I understood what the writers were targeting in this production. This is a major plus for the play.

Another thing I enjoyed about this play was the set and the entire environment. The way they were able to perform an entire play with just the same set was remarkable. I also liked how the theater was small. It made the performance feel like it was more “in your face” than anything I have ever seen before. It definitely makes the writers’ purpose much easier to convey. It also makes you invest more into the actual performance. The small area makes you stop thinking about whatever it is that you were thinking about and focus exclusively on the performance. Even the simplicity of the set helps you concentrate. Everything about the performance was critical and meshed well with everything else. I enjoyed this performance immensely.

I have been to Broadway shows and Shakespeare in the park performances, but never really to a small theatre production. Honestly, I thought it would just be a smaller version of a Broadway show (I was even expecting some dances).  As soon as I saw the small stage (and thought “Oh well no dancing”) and the seats (which were really all good) I figured this was going to be very different, and I wasn’t sure I understood what the whole point was.  Then it started and I got it.

There were few characters, no side stories, and hardly any variation of scenery, yet the acting (or most of it) was real, emotional, and raw, in a way that a popular Broadway blockbuster can never be.  The connection the actors made with the audience was very clear as they created an atmosphere in the theatre of suspense, fear, sadness, love, and humor all mixed together.  They got the audience hooked on the storyline and made them invested in the characters feelings and lives.

This experience shed some light on the artistry of good acting.  I found that since we were so close to the actors, I not only heard how they said their lines, but also saw their face expressions and body language.  This gave me the chance to notice the difference between good acting and bad.  It also made me appreciate the good acting all the more once I saw what it entailed.  The actors who seemed like they were not acting, the ones who showed their emotion and conveyed feeling effortlessly (like Tony and Joey) were the ones I felt were the best.  Others, seemed a bit stilted and stiff, their tone was off in certain scenes or their vocabulary was not natural enough, those were the actors that fell short.

What have I got out of this theatre outing? I think I figured out one of the main components of a good actor – doing the unnatural naturally. And now I know that its a lot harder than it looks.

What a show. It was amazing. I had no idea what to expect and I was so surprised at the turn of events. And I guess that was the point. To me, it became even more controversial when I found out that this was written 30 years ago. It wasn’t something that was written in retrospect. It was written in the time that it was taking place, the 1980s, which I believe was very brave. Also, it was only over the course of two days… It felt much longer probably because it was so heavy.

The show really provoked many emotions within me. At the beginning before anything was revealed I thought, “what a cute little family!” They’re all so happy. Then, Tony’s reaction when he found out about Chris really upset me. He loved her for 8 years. However, I do agree that she should have told him from the beginning; it’s not a small detail of her life.

I really didn’t like that the priest was trying to convince Tony that he was gay, or bisexual. But that just showed that religion doesn’t accept people for who they believe they are. He didn’t accept that Chris was a woman, and believed that Tony didn’t know that Chris is trans. It made me feel that religion is so strict and has no room for interpretation.

The part that captured me the most, though, was when Joey confronted his father about it all. The father-son interaction in that scene was so emotional. Plus, they were really good actors. I really felt Tony’s struggle between setting his son straight to be respectful (and trying to make him believe the truth) and loving him so to not to hurt the family more. When Joey yelled at his dad that final time before he left, it was as if he was punching the tears out of me. He left me as stunned as Tony was.

The fact that the stage and the actors were so close that I could just whisper to them from my seat really made me feel like I was experiencing it all with them. At the start I felt a little awkward, as if I was intruding because we were so close, but then I didnt even notice anymore and I was just captivated by the show. It made it feel more personal.

This trip was by far my favorite! I loved it. It wasn’t like the previous trips where I had to struggle to feel connected. I was mesmerized by the story from beginning to end. As one shock led to another which led to another and so on, I could not lose my focus. The story was really intense and my emotions were definitely swayed by it. I keep wanting to cry, but then kept laughing at points too. It was such a weird mix of emotions, but that’s what made it so special. I actually felt connected to the story. Sitting there and watching it, I knew it was fake; however, my reactions to it couldn’t be more real. I really was looking forward to the play before we went but it definitely was not what I expected. It surpassed my expectations by so much and it was a great way to end our trips. After the show, a bunch of us were all just talking and the excitement about the performance was amazing. We kept wanting to recreate it in our own way for class because we loved it so much. I think that’s true art. When you look at art and have the urge to do some of it also, then you know it truly affected you. So happy I came.
Going to miss this class.
Love you guys