Kiss Me Kate

I must confess that I dreaded the idea of waking up and spending a beautiful saturday afternoon watching a play but after viewing the play I must say that it was a worthwhile experience. I have had the enjoyment of viewing four plays plus, being apart of three and I must say that I was highly impressed with the production that this cast was able to put on. I wqas impressed by not only the way that actors preformed and acted out their lines, but also by the way some of the main actors did not break character when they stumbled at a line here or there. The lighting was also very exotic in the way it was able to create a specific atmosphere and ambiance for the audience, specifically during the musical number "Its too damn hot". Compared to other generes in the theater industry, I highly enjoy the musical-theater genere because of the amount of energy that is involved in pulling this specific style off. This was evident in the many countless dance moves that the actors had to preform. The way that the male actors were able to preform their ballet techniques and moves were flawless and I also was intrigued by the countless facial expressions that they were able to apply in every move that they preformed. My favorite musical that I just so happened to be apart of would have to be "Miracle on Thirty-Fourth Street, which tells the tale about how the people of New York City are starting to lose faith in the spirit of Christmas so Santa Claus comes to the city to try and in still the values of Christmas in the city. However, things go terribly wrong when Chris Kringle is arressted for being an imposter (even though he is the real Santa Claus). In the end a little convinces the jury that he is the real Santa Klaus. This is my favorite musical because , to me the propt settings were excellent and I had a delightful time learning the musical numbers that accompanied the production. This production of Kiss me Kate blew my favorite musical out of the water mainly for two reasons. First, I believe that the production did an excellent job of outlining the story of Taming of the Shrew and blending key elements from that production into the main storyline of this play. Finally, I was set back by the way that the band was able to play under the stage in a secluded area so that they would not take away from the play itself. I have not had the pleasure of viewing the play Taming of the Shrew, but I have read the story line, and I feel that this production did make me feel a deeper admiration for the story of Taming of the Shrew, mainly because they were able to add modern-day humor into the story that is applicable for the audiences of today. In the end, I had a delightful experince and look forward to viewing more productions in the future

Essay #3: What is Art?

3-5 pages, double-spaced

Draft workshop: Thursday, 11/10

Final Draft Due: Tuesday, 11/15

For this assignment, you will need to use/tweak the criteria you have been inventing all semester for what makes something art and apply it to a thing, place, person, event or phenomenon at Penn State.

It would be easy to argue that something housed at the Palmer Museum can be defined as art. But I want you to go beyond the obvious. Think about the structures (buildings, monuments, statues), the public spaces (gardens, malls, alcoves), groups, individuals, meals, sounds you encounter in our community. (For the purposes of this assignment, you may go beyond campus and into State College itself)…the possibilities are endless.

You may also go a bit larger and choose to re-define Penn State itself as a thriving artistic community, with the express intention of refuting the NPR podcast that defined us as a “Party School.” If you choose to do this, you must use examples from that podcast in your essay.

You have been working on the first step—creating criteria—since the first week of class. You will need to explicitly state them in your thesis statement. Then, you will need to show how X thing/person/event fits the criteria you put forth for category Y/art.

An example:

The image of David slaying Goliath at the Palmer Museum (x term) is an example of art because it references historical and cultural figures and arouses strong emotions in the viewer. (two possible criterion that make up art/category Y.)

For this essay, you may choose between two possible audiences:

1        1. Parents who are coming to visit campus with the idea of sending their kids here.

2        2. Incoming freshmen like yourself who will want to get to know their campus.

Think about genre. What will be the best way to reach your audience?  Orientation brochure? Article or open-letter in the Collegian? Your choice of genre will dictate many things, including your tone.

Whatever genre you choose, though, think about what your audience might assume about art and about Penn State. Think about what they might already know. Think about what they care about and value. Have they heard the podcast? Do you need to address that? Being able to answer these questions will help you choose the best, most persuasive appeals in your writing. 

Journal Prompt #7: Kiss Me, Kate!

For your seventh journal, please reflect on the experience of seeing the stage production of Kiss Me, Kate!


NOTE: THOSE OF YOU WHO MISSED THIS PERFORMANCE MUST WATCH THE MOVIE VERSION http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0045963/. I WILL TRY TO PUT A VERSION ON COURSE RESERVE, BUT YOU CAN ALSO FIND IT VIA NETFLIX OR OTHER MEANS. YOU HAVE UNTIL THE END OF THE COURSE TO DO SO.

***

Have you ever been to a live theater performance before? If so, how did this compare? If not, was it what you expected it to be?

What do you think about the musical-theater genre? What are some of your favorite musicals? (on stage or on television.) How did this measure up?

Have you read or seen Shakespeare's Taming of the Shrew? If so, did that increase your appreciation of the plot? If not, did you feel like the show did enough to integrate it seamlessly?

What were your favorite parts of this experience?

Please answer the following questions in 500-1000 words.

Due by Tuesday, November 8th at 5pm.

Journal Prompt #6: This Penn State Life

For your sixth journal prompt (to be posted on your personal blog), you will need to listen to the entirety of this podcast about Penn State's party school status on NPR's This American Life. It's an hour and a half long, so be sure to allot yourself the time necessary. I promise, it's gripping.

I am looking first of all for a general, immediate response from you. How did this make you feel? As a Penn State student? As a college student in general? Do you think this is an apt portrayal?

Think about the appeals as you listen. Where is ethos particularly strong/weak? For the arguers? For the people interviewed? What about pathos? Where were you most moved/confused/angered/proud and why? Finally, how well does the piece make use of logos--statistics, reason, facts--to make its case?

What issues of definition are at stake in the piece? Small ones (hint: a jacket you wear to a frat party is called a___?) and large ones. How does this piece define PSU? Our students? Faculty?

Please address the above in at least 500 but no more than 1000 words.

Due Thursday, October 27th by noon.

Journal Prompts 4 & 5

Good news!

I'm counting your memoir's first scene and the comparison you did between the two suicide-themed poems as journals # 4 & 5.

Stay tuned for prompt #6...

Poet Anne Stevenson to Read, October 20th

Anne Stevenson is widely recognized as an eminent Anglo-American poet. Her many books of poetry and criticism include a collectedPoems 1955–2005, which won her the Neglected Master’s Award from The Poetry Society of America and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Lannan Foundation. She is the author of two critical studies of Elizabeth Bishop’s poetry and an important biography of Sylvia Plath. Her fourteenth collection of poems, Stone Milk,appeared in 2007.


October 20th
7:30pm
Foster Auditorium

Poet Heather Jordan to Read Wednesday, October 5th at 12:10 pm

Wednesday, October 5, 12:10 p.m.

The Palmer Museum of Art 

Heather Jordan, lecturer, Department of English

Heather Jordan published a collection of poetry titled Cheap Grace with Finishing Line Press in 2011 and will soon release a second book of poetry, Lottery Ticket, with the University of Wisconsin Press.