Theater, like any art form, can serve as a medium to make accessible social commentaries of problems present in society. In this theater course, students learned about the origin of theater; read classical pieces from around the around the world; discussed the different job positions required to create a modern theater piece; and applied said knowledge into pieces created by Puerto Rican theater companies. Below are some samples of my best efforts.
- Group Presentation: Musical Theater Part 1
- Group Presentation: Musical Theater Part 2
- Reflection: Into the Woods
- Review: ¡Oh! Natura
This group presentation was centered around the history of Musical Theater. We looked at the origins of the genre; mentioned exemplary pieces with a brief summary; spoke of well-known actors who contributed greatly to the art form; and commented on "Into the Woods" and an adaptation of the piece created by the university's theater company. My contribution to this project was the research of the most recognized actors in the genre.
Stephen Sondheim's acclaimed musical "Into the Woods" was adapted by the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus' Theater company in Spanish. As a student, I had to write my impression of the musical adaptation into Spanish. There were some inconsistencies in the language used for this adaptation, and I compared some elements of this live adaptation to a previously watched recording of the original run in Broadway.
"¡Oh! Natura" was a theater piece created by Sylvia Boffil Calero, a Puerto Rican playwright, and debuted in the Victoria Espinosa Theater in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The objective of this review was to comment on the work created by the playwright, the actors, the wardrobe, the set design team, and the lighting. Having studied the process of creating a theater piece and adapting said piece into a set design, students were to analyze the performance of each aspect of the piece a a theater critic.