The Spatial Experience
When I first entered the auditorium, I noticed how big it was. I sat towards the back so that I could get a full panorama of the room. ¬ As soon as the lights went out all of my attention was drawn to the stage and everyone in the room fell silent and the atmosphere became very serious. The grand size of the auditorium made the whole experience seem a little bit more extravagant. The role of place in the Good Life, is when all elements of the environment come together seamlessly to create an overall perfect experience.
The Social Experience
I attended the play with my friend Ana, along with a few others. I made sure that I looked presentable to attend the performance, as this is proper etiquette and the respectful thing to do when attending a play. Seeing the play with friends made the overall experience even better because we could discuss each other’s different thoughts and perspectives. In my opinion, shared experiences can be very essential to the Good Life. They allow us to connect with each other and gain from each other in the process.
The Cultural and Intellectual Experience
The Divine is a play about the hardships of coming up poor in the 20th century and struggling to make something more of yourself. The Divine also tackled a much deeper and intense issue. The play took an unexpected turn when it exposed the other side of the Catholic church that most do not like to address, that of sexual abuse. Today we hear about situations like this on the news, but never are we given an inside perspective of what it must be like for those involved, or the process of covering it up. Thinking that these painful scenes that were acted out on stage in front of me were also being played out in the real world was upsetting. I felt a connection with Talbot’s character, because just like him I did not always grow up with much but my mother made many sacrifices to give me the best and continues to do so today. Just like Talbot’s mother, my mother puts aside her needs and happiness at times so that I may make something of myself just like Talbot.
The Emotional Experience
The Divine provided an opportunity for catharsis for both the characters and the audience. In the play, Talbot struggled with his inner demons and was only able to let go in the end one Michaud had revealed the truth, that Talbot was harmed by another priest and he never stole the silver. Even though Talbot decides not to tell his mother the truth, he finds some peace in knowing that others do and that he was not at fault. Michaud finds catharsis in letting go of his relationship with the catholic church and embracing his passion for the theatre and justice. The audience finds catharsis in being forced to face the harsh realities that we often try to ignore. These un-pleasantries include the constant issue of poverty and large gaps in social classes.
Credits:
All pictures were taken by Marguerite Bonhomme Permission was granted by those pictured: Ana Arnillas, etc..