The Spatial Experience
The picture above is a similar depiction of the stage that I saw the play be performed on. The theater was slightly dimmed when I entered, but as the play began the stage lit up and the lights around me got darker. It added to the drama that the play was intending. The size of Constans Theatre was absolutely perfect. It was not too small or too large. I sat towards the top of the stadium-like seating and had a perfect vantage point from which to watch the performance. Place is a very important component of the Good Life. It allows you to have certain experiences and limits in your life. There is nothing better than to be in a comfortable place that allows you to have a meaningful experience. Picture from http://www.michelmarcbouchard.com/librairie/divine.tnm.3.jpg.
The Social Experience
I attended the performance with three friends of mine. Attending with friends allowed me to see their reactions and impressions to what was going on in the play and compare them with my own. This certainly enhanced my experience because I was able to share firsthand my own thoughts about the play with my friends. I was able to laugh with them when I watched the complicated and hilarious relationship between the two seminarians, Talbot and Michaud. Shared experiences are a huge part of the Good Life. They allow you to laugh or cry along with people you are close to or someone you just met.
The Cultural & Intellectual Experience
There are many themes and issues discussed in this play. Among them include poverty , child labor, religion, and death. I think censorship is the main theme. The Catholic Church tries to ban Sarah Bernhardt from performing in Quebec City. Bernhardt challenged the norms of her time. Talbot also challenged the norms of his time by rejecting his position of poverty and wanting to overcome his terrible childhood of being abused by a religious figure. Picture from http://www.stagedoor.com/Theatre/2015/Entries/2015/8/7_The_Divine__A_Play_for_Sarah_Bernhardt.html
The Emotional Experience
This play evokes many emotions such as pity, sadness, happiness, and anger. This play allows us to take a look at ourselves and decide whether we have made moral decisions in our lives. The loss of Leo allows us to look at the way we treat our loved ones and the treatment of the workers at the factory allows us to look at the way we treat others. In addition, the Catholic church's censorship of Sarah Bernhardt's play allows us to look the way we see things religiously and morally. It gives us a chance for katharsis by challenging our previously held views and our actions.