Spatial
I took this photo when we first got to the theater. We did not know where the theater was at first so I was afraid we might be late. I was surprised at the size of the theater when I walked in. It was a lot larger than I expected and there were way more kids than I expected. Our seats were high up but we were in the middle so we had a great view of the stage. When the lights finally dimmed and the audience went quiet snow began to fall on stage. However this lasted for 20 minutes and when we all realized that there wasn't going to be any action soon we all started talking again. The role of space plays a key part in the good life to me anyway. Where you are for an experience has a large effect on how the experience effects you. In this case I had good seats and a great view so this affected my experience positively.
Social
These are my friends that I attended the play with. To get ready for the play we all met up at springs residential complex and then drove to the play. They made the experience much better for me because we able to share in the experience together. Also once the play was finished we were able to share our thoughts from our individual perspectives. It helped me to see the play in a different light and I noticed parts of the story that I wouldn't have if it wasn't for my friends. For me shared experiences are a key part of the good life. Without my friends many of the things in my life would not be as fun or as special. This play is a great example of something that was mandatory for a class but because I went with friends I ended up having a good time.
Cultural and Intellectual
Cultural and Intellectual: At first I was very confused by the story of the play. The whole play being written within itself was a cool concept and pointed out the flaws within theater. The whole story about child labor really made me think about the forced labor that is still going on in the world today. My phone, my shoes, my clothes are all made through forced labor. The play really opened my eyes to this and I really don't know how to feel about it. It is horrible that these people must live in these conditions but because of their suffering I can continue to live my life in comfort. I also was very touched by the exposing of the hypocrisy of religion. Growing up I went to Catholic school which was affected by a child sexual abuse scandal. I did not personally know the kid but because I had a story similar to the plays happen close to me it really brought me joy that the play gave a voice to people who might be afraid to speak out about their problems. Also the overarching themes of poverty and social inequality were explored well through a setting in the past but related to some problems today.
Emotional
The divine really made me think. Am i a part of the problem? The back and forth at the end of the play was very insightful. I appreciated the fact that the cast stuck around and made the audience feel relaxed and explained some of the more complicated plot points. When someone asked the lead about how it was to play a person being abused he said that he was inspired by real stories of people who were abused. The Divine best represents the word katharsis or coming clean in the way it exposes the many hypocrisies of society. Not only does it expose the hypocrisies of society but it realizes its own flaws and works them into the framework of the story. Religion, poverty, theater these are all social constructs which The Divine set out to expose and also gave some privileged college kids get to see life from another perspective.