Performance Report 2

I attended Side Show: the Musical on Friday, April 16^th, 2010 on the campus of UTDallas in the University Theatre. The performers were UTDallas students and staff. The performance was a musical. The musical is set in the 1930’s depression era and is loosely based on the real lives of Daisy and Violet Hill, a pair of conjoined twins who worked in circuses then moved to big stages later on. The musical follows them from a circus to main stage and shows their complicated love lives and dreams. Even though they share so much, their dreams are quite different.

The music of the play was often quite thick in texture. An orchestra/band played behind the stage and often accompanied the performers. I could see the orchestra at all times, although some props covered up parts of the ensemble. There were a few solos throughout the performance. There were also quite a few group performances. Daisy and Violet often sang together, while one sang in a higher pitch and one in a lower to complement each other’s voices and give character to the songs. Sometimes they sang in the same pitch. Slower songs usually exemplified sadder songs and the louder, faster songs were usually associated with excitement and happiness. During a few pieces the performers would sing backup behind the curtains while only a few performers would remain on stage.

The performers were mostly college students. I believe one or two performers were identified as teachers or campus staff. The performers had to dance and sing as well as recite lines and there were multiple outfit changes. The two main performers had to remain side by side during most of the performance since they were playing conjoined twins. One of the “twins” was shorter than the other, but with the aid of high heels they helped balance them out. Also the costumes and wigs aided in helping them appear more similar. The other performers costumes seemed time period appropriate as well as interesting and added a lot to the show. The performer’s were able to interact with the audience a lot due to the set up of the stage. The Cannibal King/Jake was able to climb out into the audience, and a lot of the performers entered from the same steps that led to the seating.

The audience was mostly UTDallas students, teachers and staffs. I assumed the several people who were purchasing tickets were friends and family members of the performers. Several people were texting on their phones throughout the performance but most people seemed very interested in the musical. The theatre looked mostly full with only a few empty seats.

The performance on Friday the 16^th was the fifth performance of Side Show at UTDallas. It was also the second to last performance. By this point, most of the kinks had probably been worked out since it was not their first performance and jitters were probably gone by then. The University Theatre has an interesting set up because the stage is flat and level with the first row of seats. So for everyone in the first row, they saw the performance right in front of them without looking up. Everyone above the first row looked at least slightly downward towards the performance. It made me feel like I was more involved in the performance since there wasn’t a separation from stage to seats.

Overall, the performance included a variety of songs, each with a unique sound. Performers were able to interact with and include the audience due to unique staging. The songs performed told most of the story with minimal dialogue in between.

Blog Post 12

Grunge rock, sometimes referred to as the "Seattle Sound", is a version of alternative rock that began taking root in the 1980's around the Seattle area. Grunge is a fusion of elements from indie, heavy metal, and hardcore punk rock. Grunge music is typically categorized by a heavily distorted guitar often with feedback effects. The instrumentation is often quite complex with slower tempos and dissonant harmonies. Another key factor is that the band is typically seen as "dirty" or "unkempt". They are often unconcerned with the theatrics of performance unlike other rock subgenres. The two most famous grunge bands are Nirvana and Pearl Jam, both who emerged in the 90's. Kurt Cobain is an excellent example of the grunge "look". The lyrics are either very angry or apathetic.

Nirvana - Smells Like Teen Spirit (1)
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The tempo throughout the song is relatively slow compared to the chorus where it picks up speed (1st example at 58 seconds, at 1:30 it slows back down). At 3:14 you can hear a distorted guitar sound for several seconds. The lyrics seem apathetic and to me don't really make sense. Cobain sings very intensely and almost screams in part. His loudness and the overall loudness along with the guitar distortions are elements of heavy metal.

Blog Post 11

The Gullah people's music culture is very similar to various African music cultures due to their African heritage and preservation of traditions. The isolation of the Gullah people due to geography and disease has allowed them to remain very similar to the various tribes their ancestors represented, especially those from Sierra Leone. In their music, they use several types of membranophones and employ polyrythym to create intricate beat patterns. There are also several "shakers" and tambourines used. The music is very participatory. People dance, sing, call out and become involved in the action. It seems that everyone does something when the music is going. The music tells stories of their past and also of their beliefs. Some of the dancing seems to be a group dance that everyone can participate in. There also seems to be a sort of "battle" dance where to people go back and forth. They use a "drum call" to signal the death of a member of their community and they also sing and dance around the grave at a funeral. Music is very much a part of their everyday lives.

Performance Report 1

Introduction

I attended Shakespeare in Song, a performance by the UTDallas Chamber Singers, on Friday, March 26^th at 8pm in the Jonnson Performance Hall. The Chamber Singers are a group that is composed of 20 to 24 students that must audition to be admitted to the class/group (http://www.utdallas.edu/ah/programs/arts/musi/chambersingers.html). They perform both on and off campus and have performed a variety of concerts with a variety of different musical styles depending on the season and performance.

Music

The performance included 17 songs. “The authentic songs which accompany his plays, the solo songs of the British composer Roger Quilter, and the choral arrangements of the songs of Shakespeare by Juilliard graduate Matthew Harris” were chosen for this performance (http://www.utdallas.edu/calendar/event.php?id=1220061121). There were several solo performances with accompaniment by piano as well as songs performed by the whole choir. There was a variety of rhythms in the songs. Solo performances had a thinner texture with only a soloist and the piano. The full chorus numbers were much thicker with the piano accompaniment as well as various sections singing in different ranges and also sometimes singing different lyrics or melodies.

Performers

The performers were UTDallas students who are a part of the Chamber Singers and vocal students of Kathryn Evans, the director of the performance and Associate Dean for the Arts at UT Dallas. There was also an accompanying pianist. All performers including the director and pianist were dressed up in attire reminiscent of Shakespeare’s time. The costumes helped to set the tone for the performance. The pianist’s outfit was a bright turquoise which made him stand out and become a part of the performance instead of him just wearing all black and being just a part of the background. Almost all of the performers appeared to be in their early twenties with about two people appearing older. One of the female performers was blind and used a special machine to follow along with music. In between songs, one or a few of the choral members would come down off the bleachers and recite pieces of the original plays to set the context of a particular song.

Audience

The audience was mostly students. Several older people who I assume to be teachers, parents, and grandparents were in attendance. I only saw one child there who was about ten years old and it was a struggle for her mother to keep her focus on the performance. By the end of the performance she was working on a workbook. Several students there were taking notes and other seemed to be there to watch their friends or because they are former Chamber Singers out to support the new group. Several audience members whistled, clapped, and yelled out people’s names when the performers took the stage after the intermission and at the end of the performance. Approximately 100 people attended the performance. The performance was open to anyone who wanted to attend.

Time and Space

The fact that the concert was on campus and free encouraged more people to come than probably would have if it had been off campus or if there was a set ticket price. Since the Chamber Singers practice in Jonnson Performance Hall on a regular basis it was familiar to them and there should have been no surprises to the performers acoustically or functionally.

Conclusion

There was a variety of songs from several different Shakespearean plays. Some songs were performed by soloists or by the whole group which aided in providing variety. In between songs the singers would recite small pieces of the play to put the pieces in context as well as fill any awkward gaps in the performance.