Critique for "the piano lesson" play at stagehouse theatre Essay - 1

Critique for "the piano lesson" play at stagehouse theatre at grossmont college - Essay Example In The Piano Lesson, Esther Skandunas provides the costume design. Danielle Dudley sets the stage for the play. The stage manager is Aimee-Marie Holland. On the stage is an antique piano directly under an ancient painting. A stool covered with an old tablecloth stands in front of the piano. A sofa faces the audience just behind the piano. There is a kitchen and a wall clock hung above the cabinet. In the center of the stage are dining chairs and a table. On the table are four glasses with whisky. A staircase leads to an upper room. The piano is the major prop located in a place from where we refer all other items. It is the artifact in which all the family history is enshrined. The setting was in the 1930s. The piano is customized with the curving of the owner which indicates a strong connection of this item and the central theme. This arrangement of the stage suffices all the activities in the play that convey different themes. Some of the ideas are not well displayed in the stage design applied. Superstition is a theme in this play. We expect the stage to be equipped with props that suit this theme like caskets or smoke emanating from one corner of the stage. The lighting design was provided by Craig Everett. It is partly produced by a bulb hanging from the ceiling of the stage emitting yellow light. Blue light comes from a bulb directly above the audience. The lighting patterns in this stage help emphasize the theme. Supernatural powers apparent in this play are illustrated by the blue light that is visible even outside the room. All the scenes were lit all the time. If the stage was darkened at times when the spirits were say talking, the show could be livelier and express some fears in the audience at the thought of ghosts’ visitation. The question of Family history is well captured in the play. The piano is a family souvenir that reminds it of its historical legacy. Two characters, particularly bring out the issue of historical legacy, and