The Spatial Experience: My feelings when I first entered the building were that of awe and amazement of the view overlooking the pond and the artwork that was displayed. When I walked into the auditorium I was amazed at the size of it and the set up for the play that I had no background information about going into it. I sat in the first row right in front of the stage and I will say that that allowed me to feel closer to the actors and really enjoy the play because I almost felt a part of it I was sitting so close. When the lights dimmed and the audience got quiet I became a little curious as to what I was about to watch and I wanted to see the characters and hear the play. The size of the auditorium didn't really affect me while I was watching the play because I was sitting right in front of the stage that I didn't notice the sheer size once the play began. The role of place in the Good Life is to provide the right environment for the occasion. Being in a nice theater for the play enhanced my experience by allowing me to become completely immersed in it.
The Social Experience: I went to the play with two other friends and to get ready for the play we dressed up so that we were semi-formal for the occasion. I personally wore a causal dress and put make up on for the occasion, which is something I rarely ever do. I wanted to look nicer than usual since it was a play, even it was on campus, I still wanted to adhere to the proper etiquette for seeing a play. Seeing the play with friends was a good idea I believe because once the play was over I had people to talk to about it and that helped me to remember what I watched and to better understand the play. Shared experiences are important in the Good Life because no one goes through life alone, or no one really wants to. Experiencing events with others is important because it gives you someone that you can talk to about the event or life in general or anything that happened. Sharing experiences with others is important because having others to talk to about things is part of experiencing life to the fullest.
The Cultural and Intellectual Experience: This play was set in the year 1905 in Quebec City, Canada. The central issue addressed in the performance was the struggle between religion and the rest of society, the part of society that relished in pleasure, looks, money, etc. The one main conflict throughout the play was that Talbot didn't want to speak up for what really happened to him, he wanted to bury it and try to forget it. Prior to the play I did know that in the early 1900s and even still today that Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion practiced there. The Catholic faith has the childish joke/rumor that goes around that the priests sexually assault or even rape the young boys of the church and this play revealed that it is no joke, it really does happen. This changed my view of that "joke" because it was no longer a joke that was said in high school, but it was part of an international play that revealed the truth behind what happens and how it effects those of the church. It isn't a rare occurrence either according to the play because Brother Casgrain was assaulted just like Talbot was, by the same man too. The subject matter of the play and the main issue doesn't have a personal relationship with me, but it caused me to sympathize with the characters of the play and for anyone who has had to experience such a traumatic event in the past and even now.
The Emotional Experience: This play in particular provides the opportunity for catharsis, or coming clean, in the way that Talbot is trying to suppress the sexual assault that happened to him by the priest at his past school; however, his new acquaintance, Michaud, is desperately trying to get Talbot to tell everyone the truth of the event. Michaud is the one who exhibits the catharsis in the play because although the emotional and mental disparity doesn't apply to him, he is the one who eventually reveals the truth to the police about what the priest has done and to whom he has done it to. Michaud's sudden obsession with Talbot's life in the beginning is inevitably what led to him discovering the truth of Talbot's troubled past and forcing him and everyone else to "come clean." Michaud's letter to the police is the catharsis moment in the play that showed the audience that when someone has been wronged and that person does not have it in himself to speak up, someone else who truly cares will.