drama review

Rock n Roll. Author: Tom Stoppard. Director: Simon Phillips. Designers: [Set] Stephen Curtis, [Costume] Tracy Grant Lord, [Lighting] Matt Scott, [Audio Visual] Josh Burns, [Sound] Kerry Saxby. Melbourne Theatre Company, The Arts Centre Playhouse. Tom Stoppard's Rock and Roll is play about people, Politics and Honour. Rock and Roll has long been described as the voice of a generation, if this were the case this production of Rock and Roll is less of a scream and more of a whisper. The main players in this story are Jan (Newton) an idealist Czech student studying in Cambridge, England under the tutelage of Max (Zappa) a staunch communist, and Philosophy Doctorate at Cambridge University, other main characters include Elenor, Max's wife (Picot) also a Doctor of Philosophy whom is slowly dying of cancer and Esme (Armstrong & Picot) their daughter, hippie and love of Jan's life. The Action shifts between Cambridge and Prague and follows Jan on his return to Prague to continue his career as a journalist. No matter of his intentions he is taken for dissention of his love of Rock and Roll. Ten years later after the fall of the Iron curtain Jan is reacquainted with Max and his family in England. The acting in this production was patchy to say the least. Both Picot and Zappa shine and bring a real sense of legitimacy to their roles and scenes with them were generally

  • Word count: 765
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
Access this essay

The American Love Story through the Ages

The American Love Story through the Ages Too often people wrongly pigeonhole screwball as any comedy with zany components, from films with personality comedians such as the Marx Brothers to the wacky modern comedy styling's of Jim Carrey. Wes Gehring says, "To clarify the nature and role of screwball comedy, the films of the genre can be examined for five key characteristics of the aforementioned comic antihero: abundant leisure time, childlike nature, basic male frustration (especially in relationship to women), a general propensity for physical comedy, and a proclivity for parody and satire," (Gehring, p.29). In addition to Gehring's assertions, the screwball comedy genre can be characterized by a questioning of conventional marriage, mockery of authority and the rich, and lack of rational discourse through our comic antihero protagonist. However, screwball comedies are often confused with populist and romantic comedies. While this confusion is understandable, the genres are, in truth, very different. For example, romantic comedy's earnestness regarding love, as found in the slow establishment of characters and story to build a strong audience/character connection and provocative adult conversation concerning impassioned conclusions about right and wrong are entirely absent from screwball comedy, and if they were, such sentiments would immediately be subject to satirical

  • Word count: 4811
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
Access this essay

Design Has to work

I was very proud of my cardboard chair I had constructed. Not only was it an unusual shape, it also had cunning carvings on the surface that matched and added to the flavour. To me, it was a work of art. When it came to be my turn to explain my creation, I thought it wise to demonstrate how wonderfully functional my design was. I eagerly sat on my chair, as it was designed for that purpose, and instead found myself in a lump amongst folds of cardboard that were once my work of art. It was at that moment when I realised- design has to work. Design is based on solving problems. These 'are not the same as the "puzzles" that scientists, mathematicians and other scholars set themselves. They are not problems for which necessary information is, or ever can be, available to the problem solver. They are therefore not susceptible to exhaustive analysis, and there can never be a guarantee that 'correct' solutions can be found for them'1. Nevertheless, the designers' mission is still to create a solution to the problem. The solution must achieve certain requirements and tasks. The result must also have a level of practicality in order to be considered a successful piece of design (essentially, one does not need to have been educated with the laws of physics or chemistry to know that a bucket serves as an effective way to carry water). If, for instance, the bucket has no base, the

  • Word count: 1608
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
Access this essay

To what extent did the composers of symphonies in the Soviet Unionmanage to comply with the strictures of state control of music whilst retaining a degree of creative individuality?

To what extent did the composers of symphonies in the Soviet Union manage to comply with the strictures of state control of music whilst retaining a degree of creative individuality? "Soviet composers must reject as useless and harmful garbage all the relics of bourgeois 'form for form's sake' musical art. They must understand that creation of high-quality works in the domain of opera, symphonic music, song-writing, choral and dance music is only made possible by following the principles of socialist realism. Our duty is to mobilize all our creative strength and to give a worthy response, in shortest possible time, to this appeal of our Party, and to appeal of our great leader Comrade Stalin! (www.mster.macunlimited.net) Here, Comrade Khrennikov, Chairman of USSR Composers' Union delivers a message to his audience, embodying the ideals and functions to which he demands the music of the Soviet Union must adhere. The state clearly relished the notion that music could be utilised to consolidate and enforce a national solidarity that would that would embrace the national doctrine of social realism. Composers living under this regime struggled against the strictures of state control, as music for many artists represented an outlet for self-expression and escapism in a climate drenched with fear and brutality. Therefore, to do adopt a musical language of falsity, which forced

  • Word count: 2772
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
Access this essay

Intercultural Paper

Intercultural Communication Paper COM360 - Intercultural Communication John Alexander Introduction Culture is generally referred to as human patterns of activity and the symbolic structures that provide significance and importance to such activity. Everyone may in some way be shaped by their culture, whether by thought or action. These thoughts and actions are rooted deep within, and we do not pay it any mind until we are confronted with another culture and a different way of doing things. Upon first confronting a new culture, a businessperson's first reaction is to think, "My way is best." Business professionals may experience an unavoidable 'culture clash.' It is possible to avoid such a situation with some form of study, which may result in the realization that both he/she is wrong and there may be better ways of doing things. Furthermore, each one can open themselves up to possible problems in their culture. The following are issues, along with explanations, of different value orientations between the Bangladeshi and British that might affect cross-cultural communication. Cultural profiles of Bangladesh and the United Kingdom are drawn upon the basis of the work of Geert Hofstede, Fons Trompenaars and Edward Hall, used to analyze the factors which are likely to affect communication between people in these two countries. Cultural profile: Bangladesh Bangladesh has a

  • Word count: 1798
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
Access this essay

Make a brief assessment of the issues at stake in the debate over the Ranters with particular reference to a) the interpretative frameworks at issue b) the use of documents.

Make a brief assessment of the issues at stake in the debate over the Ranters with particular reference to a) the interpretative frameworks at issue b) the use of documents. The historians Morton and Hill supported the popular view held about the ranters and for some time this was very much undisputed. This view claimed that the ranters had rebelled against the groups or classes who came had come to power in the English revolution. The groups and classes, upon which they rebelled were those who possessed most of the power, land and supported the protestant ethic. These people who held the power would use the concepts of sin and hell to keep the masses in order. This was an essential framework authenticated by the contemporary writings of many historians including Albizer Coppe and was unquestioned until the work of Davis in Fear, Myth and History. Davis was very controversial in his studies; he denied the existence of any such thing as a Ranter sect or movement. He argued that they shared no consistent ideology. He claimed the speculation over the ranters in the 1650s was a scare tactic caused by the collapse of the old order after the English revolution. Finally Davis suggested the Marxist historians caused the shaping of the ranter myth in the 20th century. The points that he raised were somewhat controversial amongst historians, many historians even when as far as

  • Word count: 1381
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
Access this essay

Modernism. The breadth of Modernist theory resulted in an immensely diverse and somewhat confusing period. Whilst committed to progress and the emancipation of the bourgeois through knowledge, Modernists were often highly elitist artists. Their frustrate

MODERNISM: Modernism was not a single movement, but a broad period encompassing many movements. It spanned from approximately 1860 to 1970. Considering this breadth, the practices of the Modernists are immensely varied, indeed, at times paradoxical. These differences, however, are logical. Modernist philosophy is highly open - to challenge traditional thinking with the aim of emancipating the bourgeois from conservative Victorian values. Considering the enormous scope of this manifesto, multiple interpretations emerged. The generic Modernist philosophy was realised through other, more specific philosophies. Of fundamental concern to most Modernists was representing the emotions inherent to an object or artist, as opposed to depicting something with utmost realism. Such an approach developed particularly because of a major technical advance in the 1820s and 1830s - the invention of the camera by Frenchmen Joseph Nicéphore Niépce and Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre. Photography "rendered much of the representational function of art obsolete -" 1 which had previously been a major goal of Western art practice. Now, however, artists were spurred to explore new ways of representation. The Impressionists, for example, abandoned the pursuit of creating a flowing, porcelain canvas. Instead, they focused upon the impact and movement of light and reflection, often using free, jabbed

  • Word count: 2025
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
Access this essay

However, 'blind faith' in photography is not that simple and with this essay I hope to show that an entirely realist view does not stand up when examined and that the camera can indeed lie

"The Camera Never Lies"? There is a saying that 'the camera never lies'. This is a realist view of photography in so far as it trusts the camera thoroughly and without question. These views of photography have led to photographic evidence carrying connotations of truth from evidence in court cases to passport photographs, photo I.D. cards and now driving licences. However, 'blind faith' in photography is not that simple and with this essay I hope to show that an entirely realist view does not stand up when examined and that the camera can indeed lie or deceive. In the introduction of John Tagg's book The Burden of Representation he mentions Roland Barthes book Camera Lucida and in it that Barthes gives a reassertion of this realist view of photography. Barthes describes the camera as an 'instrument of evidence' and the photographs it produces represent what was put before the lens and that which was photographed 'was there' but what we see in the photograph is a reality we can no longer touch. A photograph is a capture of an event which has happened yet has also passed. (Tagg, 1988, 1). The first real problem with trusting photographs and giving them the virtue of an inexplicable truth is that photographs have been altered, doctored and faked since nearly as long as we have had photographic technology. A famous example from the 1920s saw photographic editing at the request

  • Word count: 2012
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
Access this essay

Signal flow & the console

Jack Abbotts Signal flow & the console Through the next few pages I will identify and describe the different areas of a mixing console and their possible use/ uses in a studio environment. The prefixes opposite will be used in the following diagrams to show the functions of parts and show what the diagram should represent The long column on the left hand side of the diagram above would be just one channel taken from a 24 track mixing console made by behringer. From the top of the channel the inputs are shown first. On this diagram the switch (1) is to change the initial input into the channel from mic/line depending on which input is being used on this particular channel Switch (1a) is used to drop the volume of the mic input by 20dB The dial P2 is used to control the volume of the incoming signal into the channel and so therefore turning it to the right offers a volume increase whereas to the left offers a volume decrease. This is the next section down in a channel as it is directly below the input settings and it is known as the Eq section. This is where the input sound can be altered through the desk by increasing/ decreasing the amount of bass/ mid /treble boost that are altered through the desk. P (4) &P (5) are the higher end of the sounds and so moving one of these dials to the right would boost the hi end of the output sound and so would increase the hi-hats

  • Word count: 2085
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
Access this essay

Sonic Arts Repetoire Essay- Poeme Electronique

VARESE- POEME ELECTRONIQUE STUDENT REGISTRATION NO: 080058926014 2/21/2008 MODULE NO: MUS-10026 Varese- Poeme Electronique A composition that demonstrated that it is possible to use electroacoustic sounds in producing a rational piece of music was Varese's 'Poeme Electronique' (1958). This particular piece paved the way for other electroacoustic composers to come in the future, and popularised the electronically-generated style of music for the other half of the 20th century (1900s). It was presented in the form of a prepared tape. The composition appears to be narrating some stories which supposedlyhints at the pieces title 'poeme electronique'. These stories distinguish life in the western world (i.e. countries such as the United States of America and the United Kingdom) which are more developed and emphasise a more modernised culture of living, as well as non-western countries (i.e. like countries in Africa), which are less developed and they emphasise a more traditional culture of living. Sounds you would hear in a city environment indicate that the story of life in the western world is being narrated. On the other hand, sounds you would hear in a jungle or village environment in third world countries indicate that the story of life in the non-western world is being narrated. This separation is illustrated by the two main contrasting electronic interpretations,

  • Word count: 2140
  • Level: University Degree
  • Subject: Creative Arts and Design
Access this essay