Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjQaAK5Vof4

This is a movie created in 1920 that still comes into some topics of today. Dr. Jekyll attempted to create an experiment that went completely wrong and causes him to become an angry morphed side of himself. This version is a silent movie, but still gets the creepy plot across to its viewers. Also, if you ever visit NYC, you should attend the Jekyll and Hyde cafe. It has workers in costumes that come up to your table and attempt to scare you. They also have live entertainment of some of these workers or of the many props they have situated around the cafe. For example, they have old-looking portraits of either people or creatures whose eyes follow you as you walk by. And don't worry.. it is most childish than actually scary so don't be frightened to go and grab some dinner with a few friends.
I think the horror of old times is what interests me the most. A lot of what was considered terrifying to people back in the day is not so scary to us anymore... most likely due to the advancement of special effects and other aspects of the movies, but given that they did not have as much technology as us they still produce great films with great plot lines. Much of the plots that our society uses is derived from ideas before but just expressed in a more modern way.

Here is the link for the Jekyll and Hyde cafe is you are interested in checking it out: http://www.jekyllandhydeclub.com

Jekyll and Hyde Club 

91 7th Ave South

NY, NY 10014

"Black Mirror" - The Modern Twilight Zone

From my previous posts about the eerie black and white series of The Twilight Zone, I want to share a post about a series on netflix that has caught my eye. In every episode, the plot is different but all episodes are surrounded by a common theme of futuristic situations. Although it is completely sci-fi, it really makes you contemplate and wonder about how the future is going to be, good or bad?.. Who knows, but the series does a good job on setting the scene.
The series is called "Black Mirror" and gives you far-fetched stories of the future. What concerns me about what they make you think about is that almost every episode is bombarded by the use of technology and digital screens. I mean, we are already always around tv screens, phone screens, computer screen, etc. so if this is the future.. how bad is it going to be then. An example of one of the episodes is a women wakes up unaware of who she is or what she does with her life. She wakes up in a completely changed environment and has to run for her life from people who are trying to kill her. While she is running from these scary people, the rest of civilization, instead of helping her, just videotapes her on their phones without any signs of concern or remorse for not helping. I won't spoil this episode but you should definitely check it out on netflix. It is the "WhiteBear" episode and is probably one of my favorites. You can find all of the episodes on netflix and I am sure there is another way to watch them for free online. Feel free to check it out!


Link for Netflix (if you have an account): http://www.netflix.com/title/70264888
Source of GIF: www.giphy.com

Somewhere Over the Rainbow

I believe that the Wizard of Oz expresses underlying meaning, more than what most people interpret it at. Along with it being a classic movie which most people have seen numerous times, it transitions from the old black and white formatted film to a colored place that so animates the characters of the film. The transition from black and white to color can also convey the mental place where Dorothy is. When she is in black and white, she is not so contempt with her life as she lives with her aunt and uncle on a farm. It is almost as if Dorothy is missing something from her life, which almost draws her to the city of Oz. However, when Dorothy finally makes it to Oz (although she was transported in a tornado and thankfully has Toto aside her) she cannot fathom how beautiful the place she was dropped in is. It is filled with colors, which she has not seen before, with people she has not seen before, and eventually with a side of herself she hasn't seen before.
Dorothy's journey through Oz gives her the greatest friendships she would not have gained when she was in Kansas. She gains courage from the cowardly lion, more heart from the tin man, and more intelligence from the scarecrow, regardless of if these characters did not have these in the beginning of the film. She helps these characters throughout the duration of the film but in the end they help her even more. They gave her traits that she was somewhat lacking or was not given an experience in Kansas where she had toe express these positive characteristics. I think the best part of the film, "The Wizard of Oz", is that any age or type of audience can enjoy it. Although it originated as a childhood book, this story exceeds the ordinary young audience expected but can really provoke people's enjoyability while watching it. Along with this, it also has catchy songs that almost everyone can remember.

From my childhood, I was more revolved around the movie, "Return to Oz", which tells the story of Dorothy finding her way back to the Emerald City, that is completely destructed and all of the inhabitants are turned to stone. It is here where she meets even newer friends that help her along the way and eventually save her old friends form the original movie. It is definitely a creative twist to the original movie and has more advanced effects because it was created in 1985. Although Dorothy is portrayed as younger in this movie, it really gets the message across that Dorothy cannot remember being in the land of Oz, but once again feels that there is something empty in her life. There is a point in the movie where she is laying in bed and sees a shooting star. She tells her Aunt Em that she saw it and her aunt and uncle eventually think that there is something wrong with Dorothy because of her strange behavior. However, it all transitions back to the shooting star being a signal from her old friends of the lion, tin man, and scared crow. They send her this message to tell her that the land of Oz is in shambles and they are in need of her help. In this, she finds her way back to Oz for another enduring journey of finding more of herself through her relationship with the people she meets. If you are interested in watching this movie, I am going to post the full movie from youtube!

Hours on Hours of Creating Cartoons (ft. Walt Disney)

When watching a cartoon, it is not the first thing you think of as to how each movement of the cartoon is made. Well, it is not as easy as it looks, especially for the cartoon industry that emerged early in time. This can be exemplified through the youtube videos of Walt Disney Cartoons that convey the amount of effort that needs to be put into creating cartoons. Not only do the characters have to be drawn and decided as what to look like but also these characters must be redrawn for every single movement that is chosen to be shown within the cartoon. So for even just a small clip of a cartoon a couple of pages for a character must be made to efficiently show the character's actions. Imagine how hard it must be to not only draw an individual character's actions but to also show this character interacting with other characters' movements.
For the dialogue within the picture, it must be paralleled with the characters' movements and their interactions with each other. So the entire motion picture must technically be completed planned and organized before the movements of the characters are drawn. "Several trial and error" must be done before the finishing piece is revised and ready to be initiated. It is also not just the sketch artists and script writers that are included in this but also composers who will be handling the music and sound effects along with editors who improve and modify the draft piece that was first written. The time that these talented people put into for the entertainment of other people is astonishing. I, myself, know I could not handle drawing the same character over and over for every movement made and then somehow incorporate other characters' drawn movements into the same setting.

I looked into more youtube videos of the development of Walt Disney Cartoons, especially more modern ones, and they were truly just as interesting and entertaining to watch compared to the black and white dictation of "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs". If you're interested, I am posting the video of the development of "Beauty and the Beast", one of the most well-know of Walt Disney's creations!

"Dancers Among Us" by Jordan Matter

Jordan Matter created the "Dancers Among Us" photography theme of using ballet dancers in different everyday settings. In taking pictures of these dancers, Matter had to organize the precise timing that the dancer would be at the position he desired to capture. Thinking of this... it seems pretty hard to as my friends and I have sometimes tried to take jumping in the air pictures. But to capture such a graceful moment of ballet within everyday settings is beyond the time based aspect of it. In simple terms, Matter utilized his series of photos to express the beauty in our daily lives that is most of the time overlooked. To express the beauty and happiness in life, Matter used these ballet dancers in graceful and sometimes humorous positions to get his message across to viewers. I found the dancer in the shower doing the pose in mid-air to be a bit humorous as he was.. completely naked (haha)..
I think the utmost importance that I took from Matter's piece of artwork was the obvious reason of my fondness for his approach in getting his message across. It was such an unique and individualized way to exhibit the meaning of life he so clearly cherishes. However, there is an outlook on media that seriously needs to be addressed. Matter's photos were viral on different sites with zero credit to him or his artwork. I do not even think these websites labeled the title of the series of pictures. So even if people were amazed by his artwork, there was no source that could bring the viewer to Matter's official page. Matter's is a photographer/artist that wants his artwork to be made public and hopefully touch people's hearts with the meaning he wanted to convey. After further aggravation with these websites and numerous fans calling them out, the websites finally gave credit to Matter for his beautiful series of photos.
This is something to take into consideration when perceiving the social media/internet side of displaying artwork. It can be a monumental success for some artists as Matters said it was for him, but then again it can also deteriorate the value put on the piece because it has no brilliant individual standing behind it. I believe that crediting artwork can make a viewer more intrigued by it because if its titling the piece and giving credit to the artist then it must really be something extraordinary to look at. With this being said, the art world is being extremely opened to the internet and social media, but it is important to recognize it can really devalue art pieces if there is no source of the beautiful work done.

Evolution of Photography

Reading the article about photography timing was quite amazing. From being able to see a timeline of photos dating back from 1826 was so intriguing at the numerous efforts to minimize the timing to take a picture. I mean, look at the first picture the article shows that the man took of his backyard.. You cannot even make out what you're looking at. But then, the next picture is an enormously made progression into advancing techniques of taking pictures. One of the pictures I am familiar with is the picture a man took using a stereoscopic camera and taking a series of pictures, in which a horse is racing on the track. The man did this to gain knowledge as to if a horse ever has all four hooves off the ground and it was a remarkable discovery of his use of cameras back in 1878, reducing the camera time to 40 thousandths of a second. Today, it is now so easy for people to just take a picture so quickly and not even think of the technology behind because we as humans sure did have to take some time to advance the timing of it.

Here is another article you can enjoy that shows some of the first photos ever taken. Enjoy :)

http://petapixel.com/2015/05/23/20-first-photos-from-the-history-of-photography/

Is Technology Diminishing How Genuine Art Is?

As technology advances, people's direct communication with one another advances as well. But even beyond this, it is people's cultures put into a pool of expression that technology is really progressing. The ability to express whatever one is feeling through the internet is what opens the door for limitless possibilities of new styles, techniques, modernizations, and inspirations that are flooding into the world. I believe this infinite circle of ideas is what consistently animates the world of art. Each step of advancement in technology gives numerous opportunities for artists to utilize their ideas in different ways. Simply, the more tools available the more creative an artist can get. It is important for artists to stay in the look with new technological advancements, regardless of if they feel the need to us technology within their artwork. To just scroll through updates of upcoming pieces of artwork, in my opinion, can make a great deal of impact on how open their mind is to imagination.

However, regardless of professional artists, amateur artists who are trying to get into the business or even people who just want to publicize their art work have the utmost opportunity on the internet. The internet is the way of complete expression to the world even though there is no actual contact. It is significant, however, for artists utilizing technology for their art work to remember what makes something a piece of art. There has to be passion, emotion, visual stimulation. I believe using technology can blind some people of how effective it is to step back from technology for a second and realize the best way to interact with one's emotions is to be by oneself. Working on a computer, for instance, will not get in touch with your feelings but even more so be influenced by other people's feelings. As an artist, I find that I work best when I am working with myself, my hands, my music, my preferable environment. It is technology that can blind some people of this and that is where I agree in this article that technology can actually hinder an artists' ability rather than enhance it. I, personally, work better without technology when it comes to creating art. Being able to dig deep into my thoughts and experiment with ideas that I am not aware will turn out successful is the most efficient way to creating passionate art.

So to make a comment on the quote' "Today, in our connected world, almost everyone creates. Almost everyone participates"... I feel as if using technology for the world of art can be a great thing until it makes someone lose their sense of self and sense of passion. Once passion is lost, the motive for art is worthless.

Broken Windows Theory

I am already aware of the "broken windows theory" but this article touched some areas of the study I was not aware about. Simply put, I was educated about this theory in this way: If a building has a broken window it calls to attention that this place is not cared about nor is it maintained in an orderly way. Because of this, people will see this building as not valued and therefore can be destructed more so than it already is without anyone's care. If something is not cared for, it will not be seen as something to not have to be taken care of. However, I am now informed that this study was created for more than just that. It was actually founded that disorderliness evokes creativity while orderliness evokes tradition (as expressed when people who cleaned the messy room were more likely to pick the label of "new" rather than the label of "classic"). I find this experiment to be unusual yet a very unique approach to showing contrast of order and disorder. Thinking of it in my own life... I would most definitely create a work of art with excessive creativity in it on a cluttered desk rather than a desk that had nothing on it. I believe the clutter in front of me is what fuels my ability to think of more individualized and unique ideas in my art work. To my attention, it must be the variations of objects to the eye that conducts genuine thinking outside the box. Although the article stressed this, the result of the experiment can be used for issues that are more individual rather than societal. In my opinion, this theory is a very valuable one to contribute into one's life, basically in any aspects.
I personally brought this theory to my attention after having relationship problems with someone who did not treat me well. And although the article does not express this perspective and focuses more on creativity, I wanted to announce my own take on it. It was through my brother-in-law's wise words of giving me the gist of the "broken windows" theory that really taught me my self worth. And this is why I am trying to express that this theory can be put to any issue in one's life. He told me that if someone makes a broken window in me and I do not care for myself in the future to avoid this, then more windows will eventually be broken. In essence, people can feel broken windows in another person and take advantage of that. If a cruel person sees these broken windows in your self, they may view it as an opportunity to break down someone who is already broken down. Not to preach here but I think thats an important lesson for all people to take into consideration... Windows can be broken anywhere in life: your mind, your body, your self-respect, etc. With this being said, using the "broken windows" theory to reassure and technically prevent a person from letting more windows be broken. Don't let anyone break any of your windows, your body is a temple.


"The term "Broken Windows" comes from the metaphor used to describe this concept: "If a window is broken and left unrepaired, people walking by will conclude that no one cares and no one is in charge." This theory says that the little things matter."


Source of Quote: www.ci.missoula.mt.us
Link to read more: http://www.ci.missoula.mt.us/881/Broken-Window-Theory

More of The Twilight Zone

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Source of GIF's: www.giphy.com

The Twilight Zone

Sticking to the recent attention on eerie, black and white movies (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane) I wanted to share Twilight Zone episodes. There is a new story in each episode that has no relevance to the previous episode and each one is just as chilling. Also, if you ever at Disney World in Orlando go on the Tower of Terror ride. It is based on one of the Twilight Zone episodes and is a really fun experience. Basically, the ride depicts the story of when a lightning strike hits an old hotel where the electricity of the lightning goes into the elevator that people are in and makes weird occurrences happen. For the ride, you are walked through a series of rooms that tell the story to you and the details of the building are the best part. They have old furniture and rooms that would be in a hotel but before you get into the electrified elevator you walk through a creepy spider web-filled room. The actual ride of it is within the elevator which goes rapidly in an up and down motion. Anyways... back to the general Twilight Zone show... I am posting a youtube video with some of the most favorited episodes. Don't decide to watch it alone!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2kOSuz2VZM

Source of GIF: www.giphy.com

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane

If you are looking for a freaky and most definitely hair rising black and white move, watch the movie, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane. My grandma is always watching old movies and I remember specifically watching this with her when I was younger. I'll explain the gist of the movie: Baby Jane is an older woman with hopeless dreams of being a star just like she was when she was little. Tying this into what has been recently posted about.. Baby Jane was a vaudeville star as she would sing and dance in sequential acts. Anyways... Jane used to be a child star but her career path ended as she got older. However, her sister, Blanche, became a Hollywood star which ultimately threw Jane off the deep end. When Blanche was seriously injured from a "job-related accident" (or so did not seem it). It was apparent that Jane had something to do with the injury that put her sister in a wheelchair but she was not put accountable. Now, the scene takes place in an old, deteriorating mansion that sleeps Jane and Blanche. Because Blanche is in a wheelchair, she relies on her sister to help her which Jane completely takes advantage of and does the complete opposite. Jane torments her sister and ridicules at the fact that she is injured. This is how deranged and crazy Jane is... throughout the duration of the scenes within the mansion, Jane has herself dressed in a little girl looking attire with her hair all curled as if she were about to perform one of her Baby Jane acts when she was little. Freaky, I know. The ending scene is what I will always remember about this movie. By the end of the movie, Jane is dancing around a beachy area where cops show up and interrogate her on where her sister is. And soon you find out that Blanche's body is lying motionless at the edge of the beach (it is not known whether she lives or dies). The spooky part is that you know who is responsible for this and Jane does not show one sign of remorse through the duration of this scene. She has just killed or almost killed her helpless injured sister and she is dancing and singing around to get attention from people on the beach. To express to you how Jane tormented Blanche I'll give an example. Jane did not bring Blanche any breakfast because she said that Blanche didn't eat her dinner from the night before. But think about it... Would you not be hesitant to eat something your crazy sister made for you? I surely would be skeptical. She was depriving her of food, I think that is Red Flag #1 for seeing how coo-koo she is.
I think the plot of this movie is very creative. I don't think I have ever been frightened by a black and white film until I saw this one (besides the twilight zone, of course). It is really not expected as to what the story unfolds to be. I am actually impressed by how well-made the movie was depicted, even without color. The black and white, in my opinion, even adds into the dark aura that you feel while watching this movie. It is within the final scene of the movie that you really understand how deranged Jane is and what she is capable of. While watching the movie, I did not think Jane was as insane as I realized by the final plot twist. It is also quite impressive that the movie only takes place within their broken down mansion and still has you at the edge of your seat. This movie should definitely be on your bucket list if you're into this genre of movies. I found the released full movie and I will post the link below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lu7Pmhv9NOY

Paper Planes - M.I.A.

The Perks of Narrative Gaming

It is apparent that many games that are popular within today's interest have the players tackle on the game with a narrative dictating their path. Through a narrative oriented game, players are able to follow along the story and the obstacles it brings. I believe that having a story behind a game can make the game much more intriguing and can somewhat pull the player into the game itself. With this being said, it is not only a story behind a game that has been popularized as there are many different types of ways to approach it. A game can be based solely on a book or movie. And this brings the designer of the game to question if bringing the director or author of the book or movie is a good idea. This may prove to be more efficient in making the game's goal to be oriented around the actual story. This is not the only way to address this. Game designers can also have leniency for the players. For instance, a player can come across another character in the game whom gives the player two options: to either move forward into the next level or continue attempting to accomplish the goal of that level. I believe this approach gives the gamer some type of control in their path and may be more liked than other game designs. Along with this, the game designer must be be aware of the importance of spatial dimensions. Surrounding the design around a particular story can be a great way in creating the game world and its characteristics. Having detailed game worlds makes the experience of the game way more realistic and pulls the mind of the player right into it. Let's say a game was being made for a story of a princess being rescued... The game designer can make a forest type of world with creatures who help the player along the way. Also, creating descriptive depictions of trees and flowers will make the game experience really touch into the player's desire to follow along with the story. When a player is familiar with the story already it can either challenge or aid in the player's performance. This is why I believe it is very important for game designers to stick with a story plot if they are set on making the game around it. If the story is manipulated in some way that tracks off the story plot, it will nevertheless not make sense to the player and make them play poorly. Sculpting the space of the game with detailed depictions of the game environment is a must in successfully creating a well-made game. Moreover, a game designer can create a game that has absolutely no story behind it; many games have this type of design such as the popularized game of Tetris. Most games with no story have a puzzle design to them in that there is no story behind it but the goal is the game is deliberately expressed. I believe most of these game become popular because it is not directed to a certain audience but instead can be played by any one no matter what age. This is where the importance of making higher levels harder comes into play. To consistently entertain the player if the game has a story, each world or level should be different in some ways. For example going back to the game with trying to rescue a princess, one world could be in a forest while the next world would be situated inside the castle the princess is stuck in. If a designer is planning on making a game without a story, it is important for them to do the same tactic but in a different way. Because there is no story to change the levels, the levels within this type of game would be harder and harder as the player rises in completing levels. In my opinion, I believe games that have well-made spatial dimensions and traits within it are the most entertaining and visually stimulating. Along with this, giving players options within the game to choose their own path is a good way to make the player feel like they have some control over what happens in the future of the game. Having players interact with each other in a world is also another way to really have the player feel like they are in the game. With this, players in the same world can speak with one another and also feel free to team up together to help each other in the game. As technological communication skyrockets, gaming can actually be proven to be very sociable in these type of game designs where people can actually make friends. Gaming critics must be people with a lot of gaming experience in their hands but I believe what they are mainly looking for is if the designer can express the aim to win the game clearly as well as making a visually stimulating game world with variations of the environment for different levels. If you are interested in making game designs but do not know where to start.. consider looking into individualized game websites that allow anyone and everyone to post their created game such as Addicting Games, Miniclip, etc.
Just for a little fun, I am going to post one of my favorite online game I used to play as a kid. Feel free to take a wing at it :)

http://www.miniclip.com/games/snow-drift/en/

Vaudeville: Historic Entertainment

Vaudeville acts are certainly not a fun activity people think of that comes to mind nowadays. Vaudeville shows are composed of various entertainment acts that have no relevance to each other and are performed back to back. They popularized the eighteenth century into the early twentieth century. The acts can range from dancing, singing, comedians, and many more forms of enjoyable entertainment. Before seeing this video, I was not aware that Vaudeville acts existed nor was I aware how entertaining they could be. Many times people can get bored during a play or opera even just because of the lack in change of plot or scenery. Using a variation of entertainment can be more stimulating to the audience than a couple hour long performance.
I believe creating a modern version of Vaudeville acts could be a very successful form of theater to pursue. As the generations have passed, Vaudeville shows have the potential of gaining even more fame within time's today. Every year a new hobby or form of activity is created, especially with technology and its benefits advancing. It is not only through music that this can be validated but so much more cultural developments such as beatboxing. It is almost as if it is a recreation of a talent show but with people who are professionally paid for their performances. Even just a simple skit from a movie could be a part in the series of acts.
With this being said, I am sure that there are still local theaters or possibly jazz bars that play Vaudeville oriented shows but I feel as if not many people are even aware of this form of entertainment (even I just discovered it). I also like the idea of improvising just like the show, Whose Line Is It Anyway?, where the judges request a certain scenario for the three players to act and ends up being very humorous to the audience.

Popular - Kristen Chenoweth

Pertaining to my previous post about my comments on Angel's Stage Door blog, I was reminded of how much I adore Kristen Chenoweth and her voice. The first time I saw her was when she performed as Glinda in Wicked on Broadway. She has not only acted in multiple movies and tv shows, but also played parts in other theater shows on Broadway. The technology within this play is amazing to look at and Wicked is a perfect example of how theater shows, especially Broadway, in the 2000's have seriously advanced the props used as well as the special effects to heighten the entertainment made. I wanted to share a video of Chenoweth as well as Idina Menzel, whose career has skyrocketed as well, performing in Wicked together with the song, "Popular". 

WICKED

I greatly advise anyone who has not seen the play, Wicked, to definitely see it. The props and special effects of this play are PHENOMENAL. It puts on a show that has a twist to the classic story of The Wizard of Oz. It portrays the bad witch as somewhat of a nerd who takes guidance from Glinda to be beautiful. Within this story, Glinda and the bad witch are friends and help each other out. But more importantly, the main character is the bad witch who ultimately wants to defy gravity and take on the world powerfully. When the actress sings the song, "Defying Gravity", she is lifted off the ground which is depicted in such a realistic way by the directors.

However, besides this song, my most favorite has to be when Glinda sings "Popular" to the bad witch and gives her a makeover. I used to know all the lyrics to the song (actually I still do, haha). The relationship between Glinda and the bad witch is expressed in such a different way than the previous story of Dorothy who is not in this play. It is almost as if this play takes place before the witch turns bad and becomes enemies with Glinda and eventually Dorothy. In my opinion, it would be a really cool twist if the directors made a play on what happens after Dorothy goes back to Kansas in the hot air balloon.


Source of Picture: www.ideatetowin.com

Angel's Stage Door

My sister is an actress and has been doing plays/operas since she was little. Due to this, it was easy for me to pick out the operas lined up on this blog that I most definitely wanted to watch the excerpts of. With this being said, these are the comments I want to make on the excerpts I greatly appreciated:

~ Funny Girl ~
I remember seeing Funny Girl as a kid because my sister played in it. She actually played the main character, Fanny Brice, who wants to be an Broadway actress in New York City and falls in love with an entrepreneur with a gambling problem. Within the excerpt on the blog was an actress performing the song, "Don't Rain on My Parade". This song is about Fanny wanting to marry Mr. Arnstein, the entrepreneur, regardless of his issue with gambling. I found the video very entertaining in its variation of the usual people they would hire to take this role. This song also brought back memories of my sister constantly rehearsing this song in her room before her performance.

~ On the Twentieth Century ~
I am not sure exactly what the song, "Veronique", is about in the play, On the Twentieth Century. I was, however, very entertained by Kristen Chenoweth's performance. I saw her on Broadway in NYC when she was performing as the bad witch, the main character, in the play, Wicked. Her voice is so beautiful and she never fails to keep me so enjoyably focused on her performance. I did enjoy this song as well as Chenoweth's ability to make the audience laugh as she did with me when I saw her when I was little.

~ West Side Story ~
While watching this video, I realized that this blog was not trying to express a certain scene of West Side Story. The West Side Story video was showing the most prominent scenes in the play and almost portrayed itself as if it were a commercial or trailer for the play. I have never seen the West Side Story on Broadway but have seen my sister play in it when she was attending a small, local theater center. I think West Side Story is one of my absolute favorite plays to watch as it takes a modern twist on Romeo and Juliet in my eyes. It is so intriguing to watch as the actors and actresses dance and fight at the same time with such movement you can't take your eyes off it.

Within the likes of all of these excepts, the blog did not have my favorite play on it, which is Into the Woods. I saw this play on Broadway as a kid and have loved it ever since. I believe they also made this play into a movie recently... Here is most of the play I found on youtube if anyone is interested in discovering the amazing nature of this play:
Enjoy :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kqCsQCsinK4

The Cunning Little Vixen: Setting the Scene

I began to watch the play, The Cunning Little Vixen, which was created by Janáček from an inspiration of a comic book. The story transitions from a cute children's tale to an ultimate tragedy. Within this opera, the vixen is captured by a forester, who ties her up outside his house and names her "Sharp-Ears". The vixen does not like being held captive outside of the forester's cottage and is ridiculed by the hens, whom she questions as to why they enjoy being tied up and unfree. After this, the forester's wife comes outside, witnessing the vixen bite the hens and then escape into the forest. The vixen then settles in a badger's home to make a home for herself. Not long after, the forester has two acquaintances over who make fun of him for letting the vixen go. Once one of the acquaintances leaves drunk, he sees the vixen who reminds him of his past lover and tries to catch her but proves to be unsuccessful. Sharp-ears ends up meeting a male fox and she falls in love with him along with becoming pregnant with the male fox's cubs. While all of this is going on, the forester searching the forest from bottom to top for the vixen and comes upon a dead hare. The poacher who killed the hare convinces the forester to use the dead hare as a trap to catch the vixen as the forester had been looking for her for days. 
This is where the story transitions from bright to a dark tale. The vixen's cubs play around the trap and as the vixen sees this she threatens the poacher to come near her or her babies. Unfortunately, the poacher shoots the vixen with a rifle and kills her. The scene after this goes back to where the forester is sitting under a tree and sees a young vixen whom he believes looks just like the mother he used to cherish. He wants to catch the cub vixen but realizes life must go on and instead lets it go. 
The meaning of this opera is to show the circle of life and also portrays the animals as having human spirits such as the vixens falling in love and one of them becoming impregnated. The use of animals in replacement of human beings is a fun twist to the story; however, the story proves to be just as emotionally stimulating to the audience due to its ability to manifest so many feelings while watching it. 
The "mise en scene" in this opera has a very foresty feel to it with all the actors dressed as the character of animals. The opera I watched, although it was made in more modern times, seems to be set up in Shakespearean times, probably to parallel when the author wrote the opera. The end of the opera is just like the scenery and setup in the beginning. It begins with the forester sitting under the tree and admiring the vixen dancing around him. This scenery and plot is exactly how the ending of the opera plays out, but instead the vixen is the cub the vixen gave birth to before she was killed. It has the meaning of life written all over it and the scenery at the end being the exact as the beginning gives pride to this. A lot of the scenery in the opera takes place around the vixen when she settles into the badger's hole to stay away from the forester. It seems that although she did not like living outside of the forester's cottage and felt captive, the forester actually loved her and this is why he let her cub go at the end of the opera. It expresses that life carries on after a death and showing the cub vixen dances by the forester gives depth to this thought. 
If I were to make this play into a video game, I would make somewhat of a puzzle oriented game that would have the Vixen running away from the poacher. To execute this type of plot to the game, I would have certain badger holes that would need to be found throughout the game's maze in order to survive from the poacher's madness. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQvLOfbvRwE