Saturday, March 9, 2013

When in doubt, go to the groupies

I've been having some difficulty with my research paper simply because for the past couple weeks I haven't had a computer (hopefully I will by the end of next week). With this said, my research recently has taken the form primarily of looking back to the primary texts and gathering "social proof." I've decided that my research paper is going to be centered around The Winters Tale which BYU is soon to put on a production of (A Winter's Fairy Tale). So, in an attempt to find enthusiasts on my topic, I went and spoke with members of the cast about the play. Wow. I mean wow. I've talked to roommates and friends about my ideas, but frankly they didn't always care or have any input for me. Talking with enthusiasts was extremely beneficial for me in that 1. they seemed excited about what I was doing, which made me excited and 2. they were able to give me some new insights.

When I told some cast members about how Time was a form of power, one of the actors pointed out that the irregular passage of time went against the rules for popular theater in England at the time. It made me think... was the peculiar use of time in A Winter's Tale a means for Shakespeare to display his power over Elizabethan theater? I had only thought of Time being a power controlling the characters in the play, but this broadened my perspective to see Shakespeare's use of time as a power play within historical context, fighting against Neoclassicism.

I also told them some of my thoughts on music, and they informed me that they would be incorporating a dance number in their production. They told me about how rhythm was the driving force within their choreography which brought up another idea for me - if Time is power, and music and dance is dictated by rhythm/timing, then isn't music in the Winter's Tale one more demonstration of the power of time?

Anyways, it was definitely a good idea to talk to the cast. I'm going to see if I can talk to the dramaturg and director as well and I'll definitely go to see the performance!

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4 comments:

  1. Mikaela:)March 9, 2013 at 6:14 PM

    This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Mikaela:)March 9, 2013 at 6:16 PM

    p.s. - if anyone wants to tell me how to load an image that would be great, because I keep on trying and it still won't work...

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  3. UnknownMarch 9, 2013 at 7:59 PM

    When you're in the composing screen, there's a little button in the tool bar, nearer to the right side, that looks like a landscape painting. Click on that and you'll be given the option to upload a picture from your computer or from a URL.

    I really think the commentary about rhythm and time is interesting. It seems a little bit like your topic is still pretty broad, but I think you're doing some good exploratory stuff. I think both music in Shakespeare or Time in A Winter's Tale are strong topics. I think you just have to find other people online who are talking about one of these things and it'll be easier to narrow it down.

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  4. KayweeMarch 10, 2013 at 6:50 PM

    There is a picture frame button at the top of the tool bar when you are on the "new post" page. If you scroll over it, it says, "Insert Picture," so after you've saved the picture you want to your computer, you should be able to just load it from there.

    By the way, excellent experience talking to the cast! Unbelievable that you got so much more information and insight! What a great idea!

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