To Kill a Mockingbird

Question: I want you to write about To Kill a Mockingbird. Identify a moment in performance that you enjoyed especially. Explain what in the moment of performance caused your enjoyment: the acting, the scene design, the lighting, the costuming, or the movement of the performers. I am asking you to clarify how well you remember a moment of performance and what elements of the moment stay in your mind. Then identify a moment of the performance in which an element of performance was not so successful in pleasing you.

Answer:  On October 11th, I attended the SJSU performance for To Kill a Mockingbird, which was one of the first plays I had seen live in a long time. Overall, the play satisfied my expectations for what I predicted a University performance would be like; several things stood out in my head, both good and bad. When I think about a favorite scene, I automatically think about the fight scene with Bob Ewell, Jim, Scout and the others. Additionally, a moment, or even an element of the play, that I did not enjoy so much, was the lack of a Southern Accent and sound quality within the cast members.

    The fight scene was able to plant a feeling of suspense and thrill in the audience members. The dim light concealed the actors such as Jim, Scout and the raging Bob Ewell just enough to make it hard to see them. Having prior knowledge about the plot of a story can change the experience of witnessing the play version of a book. However, in this specific fight scene at the theater, the dim light, among other elements, added thrill to the play. One thing that was funny and cool to see in live performance of this scene was how Heck Tate, the sheriff, made up a dictionary story to save Boo Radley from punishment after Boo killed Bob Ewell. When summing up my opinion of this scene, I would highlight the acting, usage of theatrical elements such as lighting, and strictness to the plot. 

    An online modified image of Boo Radley, the man who killed Bob Ewell

    There isn't really any scene of the play that I can specifically say I dislike, but I will complain about one lacking element: the sound. In a proscenium theater such as the one we have at San Jose State, sound should be audible than it would be say, an arena theater. What concerned me was that the sound quality at our University Theater was pretty lacking, and to be honest, bad, to a certain extent. It wasn't necessarily something that ruined the play, since I could make out most of the dialogue and narrating, but it could definitely have been better. In my humble opinion, SJSU should improve its theater sound quality; improved acoustics would make our theatrical performances that much more exciting and fun to watch. I currently have my psychology class in this hall and it is a very interesting class but I bet there are students who sit in the back rows who cannot hear so well. This is why I sit right up front every time I go to this class.

Morris Dailey Auditorium, our very own campus theater; in my opinion, this a great theater that stages some great performers. However, sound can be more clear when it travels throughout the auditorium

http://www.helium.com/items/2067193-theatre-types-thrust-stage-theatre-in-the-round-black-box-stage-proscenium-stage