Good Life Performance By heather hart

The Spatial Experience

When I was entering the theatre I was a little excited because I had never been inside it before. I'd always passed it in Reitz and was curious as to what it was like inside. My seat was four rows up from the front so I was fairly close to the stage. When we first walked in the lights were dimmed a bit and the stage was glowing with the purple colors of the set. When the play began it was fun to have the actors enter from the audience and walk through the aisles. I feel like the setting of anything is very important. The auditorium setting was comfortable and intimate with the stage. In the Good Life I think it's important to be aware of the place you are in and how that can affect the decisions that you make. Even if you're not in an ideal place there are still ways to pursue and achieve a good life.

The Social Experience

I attended the performance with my friend Jessica. We didn't get super dressed up for the performance but we did dress a little nicer than casual. I think attending the performance with a friend is more fun than just going by yourself because after the performance you have someone to discuss it with. This is also the case with shared experiences. The more moments that you share with a person or group of people, the more connected you become. Some of my favorite moments are ones that only I and one other person experienced, which makes them that much more special. I think it's a collection of special moments that come together to create a Good Life.

There were several issues that were addressed within the play. Between poverty, the virtues of theatre and the influence of the Church, the audience must contemplate several important issues. Before watching the play I had read a brief synopsis of what the plot was about. The end of the play really made me question the idea of sacrifice and the greater good. In class we wondered if it was worth it for one life to end to better many other lives. I could see parallels between that idea and the conclusion of the play. I can't directly relate the subject matter to a specific event in my life though.

The Emotional Experience

The Divine revolves around Talbot having a secret throughout the play that is eventually revealed to be that the fight he got into with a priest was about the priest abusing him. The Church obviously does not want this to be revealed. When the audience finally learns what the secret is there is a weight lifted off the character's shoulders in relation to the audience. I think katharsis isn't entirely achieved by the play, but it certainly makes the people in the audience ponder the things that weigh them down. The play does pull at the heartstrings with its connections to family and the sacrifices that are clearly made for Talbot by his family. It bring about the question of how much one is will to give up to find a good life.

Photo for the title slide taken from http://arts.ufl.edu/in-the-loop/events/the-divine-a-play-for-sarah-bernhardt/

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