THE SPATIAL EXPERIENCE: On my way to the theater, I was honestly a bit annoyed. A part of me wanted to hurry up and get it over with. I had not known it was going to be more than two hours long. I also knew I had to pay attention to the play, my settings, and overall be present physically and mentally. I did not know if it was going to be on the exam. Nonetheless, I was also anxious. I have attended a play maybe once or twice when I was in middle school for class field trips. I remember always enjoying myself and found myself amazed at how well prepared the entire theater crew throughout the performance. When I entered the auditorium, I was a little lost. I remember the first thing I saw was this art piece that hung beautifully in the air. It definitely made the lobby more interesting. It was exceptionally quiet when I found where the doors were to enter the show. I could tell everyone else there were anxious, too. I arrived a bit earlier and was able to get signed in right on time to get a seat in the front row. I wished I had sat a little higher up because I felt the actors could see my expressions clearly and I did not want to offend them. I was thankful when the lights dimmed. I just wanted it to start already.
THE SOCIAL EXPERIENCE: I went to see the play alone. Almost all of my friends already had taken Good Life. And as previously stated, I merely wanted to get it over with so I had not cared if I went with people or not. I did regret it when I got there because I had no one to take pictures with. And I am too shy to ask strangers to take one with me of of me. So I did my best with selfies and felt really silly doing so. I tried to find others who looked like they came alone so that we could sit together or take pictures together since we were in the same boat. But my shyness got the best of me and I never did approach anyone. I hoped that when I was seated I would talk with the people around me. However, I was seated in the front row on the edge with only two obnoxious boys next to me. They ended up leaving during intermission and I saw the rest of the play sitting alone. To be honest, I felt kind of embarrassed and really regretted not asking someone to come with me.
THE CULTURAL AND INTELLIGENCE EXPERIENCE: At first, I honestly felt that the play was irrelevant to my life or experience. Until I started thinking about the church and how it actually does play a huge part in society, culture, and even government. I strongly feel the people are often easily persuaded to making decisions based off what the church teaches and practices. For example, during the 2016 presidential election, I found that my non-denominational Christian church back home was playing Donald Trump campaign ads before every Sunday service. They also directly told the church that voting Trump is righteous and is what God would have wanted. I knew the pastor pretty well and was shocked at how he was taking advantage of authority. Likewise, in the play the Catholic church persuades the people into not attending Sarah's play because of her wild living. We also later find out that a priest takes advantage of his position and have molested children under the church's care. Furthermore, I think the central idea addressed in the play was the spreading of awareness to the inequities of the time, particularly about corruption in the church, child labor, and the true lifestyle of the poor. I only read little about the play before attending.
THE EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCE: The play did allow the audience to evaluate itself in its "less-than noble qualities" and come clean on what it means to be happy. Sarah clearly points this out during her last scene when she performed the play. She also addressed at how ridiculous the church tried to stop her merely because they did not approve of her life style, in which she was extremely happy living. Sarah shows that there are much more important inequities going on such as child labor and corruption within the church. We as an audience can learn from this by first admitting that there is a problem and "coming clean."
De Michel Marc Bouchard, (2017). La Divine Illusion- The Divine. May 5,2017. http://www.michelmarcbouchard.com/pieces-68.html