Theatre Questions

I love the Met and the Guggenheim! I've never been to MoMA, but I've always wanted to go.

Haha. I love this NY convo. I have only been to NY once. I went last summer for 4 days and saw 4 broadway shows. I wished I could stay forever and can't wait to go back..hopefully for theatre!!

I wanted to go to the MoMA mainly because of their Edward Hopper collection. I love his work!

I really love the city paintings, especially The Automat. Though, I also love the lighting that Hopper achieves in the Massachusetts series. I saw the Hopper exhibit a year or so ago at the National Gallery in DC. It was a-w-e-s-o-m-e. Nighthawks was there, I think!

Two things -- the monologue should be from a 20th/21st century published play, not from a screenplay, novel, or anything else. Please. Of course, if you can find the play from which your monologue comes, you should read it. Or let me know the title of the play and I can bring it along (possibly -- I'm lucky enough to own some 3000 scripts, the largest collection in Richmond, even larger than the libraries'!).

Secondly, if someone will remind me, there's an award winning play based on Hopper's NIGHTHAWKS which is pretty cool. I'll bring that to Gov School, too, but I'll forget unless somebody gives me a nudge (nudge, wink, wink...).

Soon, dudes!!!

I will definitely remind you, David! I love all of Hopper's works, especially 'Nighthawks'.

My all time favorite Edward Hopper paintings are "Nighthawks" and "New York Movie".

I'm glad that there are others here who have the same artistic tastes that I have

So we have some Hopper fans....any other favorites? I've already pledged my devotion to The Raft of the Medusa...Cezanne's paintings blow my mind, too.

So not to feel left out and "unworldly" I used my good friend google to look up this artist. I like his pieces. I'm not sure why but I especially liked Chop Suey and Rooms by the Sea. Yay for exploring new stuff.

So now consider how a theatre director would use the information provided by the artist. Composition? Color (and value)? Perspective? Geometry/topography/geography? Look at, say, Hopper and Jackson Pollack and ask yourself if there are similarities, perhaps subtextual, in the artists' messages and the way they choose to communicate to the audience(viewer). Remember, all a theatre artist has to work with is the text -- ink on the page. Same thing the painter has to work with.

Ain't the arts amazing?

BTW, I am OUT OF MY MIND excited that I'll get to work with y'all. You ask great questions, you show passion and curiosity and brains and discretion. I expect you -- all of you -- to challenge us and each other, to keep asking questions and demanding meaningful and useful answers. And, most imporatantly, to remember: there's a reason they call it a "play."

Seriously, are y'all as cool as you seem on this forum?

Those are also wonderful painting by Hopper!

I also think that Turner is a wonderful artist. I got to see both the Turner and the Hopper exhibit at the NGA and it was really interesting to look at the contrast between both exhibits. Very different, but I also like Remedios Varo and Van Gogh- Varo, because she has such an unusual style, and Van Gogh because of his use of texture and color. And Mucha too! He's an excellent artist!

...sorry, I got a little carried away there

Psh....absolutely as cool!!!! if not cooler!! haha btw you never let us in on your NYC hot spot favorites =P

I would like to hear about those hot spot favorites! And I only hope that we are just as cool in person- I know that Bri will be!!

Cezanne is amazing. I like genre paintings in general, Vermeer is anothe rone of my absolute favorites!

I agree with everything David says, especially about monologue selection. Those of you who will be in my course will be building your own material but it's still important to know how to pick a good piece. I can't wait to meet everybody!