Justice Served Assingment

I was quite impressed with some of the acting presented in the three short plays during Justice Served. While some of the actors’ acting was better than others, I still never felt that any part of the play was forced or fake, as I did during parts of Monsieur Baptiste.

The first actor I was rather impressed with, was OOshene Fox, who played the protagonist Delia Jones. What impressed me most about Fox’s acting was her ability to make facial expressions that truly matched what I would expect someone to look like in the same situations. Fox’s mannerisms and the look upon her face during the scene at which she first encounters the rattlesnake in her house is a perfect example of how she embodies the characters fear of snakes. The way Fox jumps and falls backwards towards the ground reminds me of how I would feel in the same situation (replace the snake with a spider, however). The fear that she tried to show was very real, and I felt the tension and nervousness throughout the entire scene (in a good way.)

Another actor I was extremely impressed with was Milbre Burch who played Mrs. Wright in the one-actor short play Sometimes I Sing. What really impressed me with Burch’s acting, was her voice and the way she really kept her captivating tone throughout the entire play. What I mean by this is that Burch’s almost-quiet voice was filled with so much emotion and power that my attention was hers for the entire duration of the play. While this may not sound like something spectacular, for me, someone who has the attention span of a goldfish, this really is something. One scene in particular that really left me in awe was the scene in which Burch describes how her husband wrung her prized canary. The way Burch’s seemingly calm voice really “yells” her emotional strain and the way her hands and face dripped with pain and anger not only left me with shivers, but gave me Goosebumps that lasted for a good five minutes.

Lastly, I was extremely impressed with the direction of the short play Triffles. The play, directed by Cheryl Black, was a pleasant trip into a time almost forgotten. Having read the play prior to the show, I was interested in how Black would translate the show onto the small stage that the Corner Playhouse provided. I am happy to say that with the space provided, Black did a very adequate and fulfilling job. The blocking and spacing that Black created also really helped my impressed reactor to the play. For instance, the way the characters entered and exited the stage was impressive considering the limited spacing that Corner Playhouse provided. Another thing about the directing in Triffles impressed me, was the way the characters filled the space inbetween their lines. For instance, the natural movement that Mrs. Peters and Mrs. Hale had on stage between their lines (when their character wasn’t talking) and the way that they really filled the space with movement and mannerisms really made me feel that the nervousness and raw feeling that the characters felt in the play.