Good Life Performance By: olivia granaiola
The Spatial Experience: When I first entered the auditorium, it was packed and all of the lights were on, so I felt kind of suffocated to be honest. But once students were allowed into the dimmed auditorium, I felt excited because I enjoy the theater. Even though the same number of people were allowed inside that were outside, it felt roomier because the theater was much larger than the narrow hallway. I sat near the front, so I felt good about being able to see all of the action play out so close to my face. When the lights officially dimmed, I felt at ease because I knew I would be able to relax and see a performance put on by my classmates, connecting me to them. The auditorium was roomy, so I did not feel claustrophobic. Location relates to the Good Life because if you are somewhere where you feel comfortable, experiences will be further enhanced by comfort.
The Social Aspect: I attended the performance with a girl from my Spanish class who I did not know well before, but now we are good friends because the play gave us an opportunity to connect outside of Spanish. I did not interact much with the strangers around me, but we felt the same during certain moments of the play, giving me a glimpse into human nature. To get ready for the performance, I googled Sarah Bernhardt so that I would have a better understanding of the play, making it a better experience for me. Attending with friends enhanced my experience because I was able to speak about different and similar feelings that I had. The role of shared experiences in the Good Life gives people different perspectives from their own, broadening their spectrums, thus leading to a better life. This picture reflects the Church, which was the central theme of the play and in a sense, where priests go to socialize with each other and the Lord.
The Cultural Aspect: The morals and ethics of both priests in training Michaud and Talbot marked the central issue of the play. Michaud was supposed to be a priest, but clearly lusted after Sarah. Instead of delivering the letter in the name of the Lord, he uses it (and Talbot) as a chance to get close to Sarah. Talbot needs to make a decision between the morality of sinful dishonesty and the chance at a better life for he and his family. I honestly knew nothing going into the play other than the fact that Sarah Bernhardt was an actress. I now believe that there is a strict moral code of basic decency, but it is up to the beholder whether or not he chooses between two sinful acts. Although I personally am fortunate enough not to have to be faced with decisions like Michaud and Talbot, I can relate to Michaud because I have made some questionable decisions in the name of love. This photo reflects not only the culture of the theatre and Sarah, but the two minds that Michaud and Talbot were of throughout the performance.
The Emotional Aspect: The Divine: A Play for Sarah Bernhardt provides us an opportunity for katharsis because of the simple fact that everyone is faced with decisions that will hurt them one way or another. Katharsis, to me, is a chance to repent what has gone wrong by doing something right. In The Divine, we see two men who plan to dedicate their lives to the Church. But, in my opinion, the decisions the men were faced with were the final chance to do something wrong before the ultimate "coming clean". This photo represents the difference between sin and holiness. I believe that the baby on the weight in the middle represents katharsis, because the woman is in a pleading position, leading to speculation that the baby is illegitimate. But, for a woman to have had a healthy child, she would have had to have come clean to be so blessed, the way Michaud and Talbot experienced sin and then katharsis.
Credits:
All photos taken off of the link on Adobe Spark, except for the first one, which was taken by me