Theatre

Theatrics activities are sometimes considered to be mere entertainment with no moral lessons or career opportunities. The participants are looked at as comedians or dramatizers out to entertain the audience and that is it. This kind of perception is ill founded since there is a lot of richness in theatrics. This study seeks to explore this valuable aspect through several tests procedures either to the teachers specializing in theatre or students taking part in such theatrics activities. These tests administered to the teachers can be used to cover certain themes. For instance, History, theory and literature of the theatre, performance, design and technical elements, production, instruction and professional knowledge and creative drama. On the other hand, the study will examine those tests that can be useful in helping the students discover career opportunities associated with theatre identification of roles, creation, performance and production of theatre evaluation of the ways in which theatre relates to other entertainment options, including other arts and disciplines and finally the identification of past and present cultures expressed through theatres. On the same note, it will discuss how theatre symbolizes trends in the society in terms of culture, beliefs, customs or convictions.
In general, even though theatre is considered to be a source of entertainment, it has got a number of fundamental benefits as well. This will be established by tests that are designed to this end.

As mentioned above the test can be administered to teachers who intend to specialize in theatre. The tests can be structured in the form of questions which will be discussed later in the subsequent chapters. Just to re-emphasize, the test can be aimed at covering six content areas namely performance design and technical elements production the history, theory, and literature of the theatre instruction and professional knowledge as well as creative drama (Educational Testing Services, 2009).

It is important to take note of the background of authors through the development of theatre-related affairs in history. This helps in understanding the situation of their times especially on how the society and culture impacted on particular works.  The impact can be assessed within a historical context, text analysis, aesthetic judgments, and structure and conventions (Education Testing Services, 2009). The test can be designed to capture different periods within Western literature, for instance, from the classical Greece to contemporary times. In addition, this takes into account the aspect of ethnic theatre together with the theatre of Africa, Japan, India, China and the Hispanic World, including traditional folk theater (Education Testing Services, 2009).

In so doing, one will be able to keep truck of the developmental stages of theatre to what it is today. In particular, it gives a historical understanding of the performance architecture, technology, the connection between theatre and society, theatre management, conventions, and vocabulary.

Performance is at the heart of every theatre activity. Interested parties should be very keen on it. It covers the role of the sensory and emotional expressions in acting. It goes further to understanding movements, improvisation, character evaluation and development. It helps to identify all those key factors that can lead to organized performance, voice, dynamics, gesturing, breathing, acting methods, techniques, just to mention a few (Education Testing Services, 2009). Furthermore, under performance, interested parties acquire relevant knowledge of directing skills, for instance, conception, script analysis, audition and casting, rehearsal planning, blocking and stage vocabulary (Education Testing Services, 2009).

Under design and technical aspects the interested parties get to acquire knowledge and application of various skills as well as techniques of theatre. This extends to the artistic and technical components, for instance, lighting, costumes, makeup, props, scenery, aesthetic judgment and sound (Education Testing Services, 2009).

Another important aspect is production. This takes into account the elements that support a good theatre management and organization. This entails the maintenance and safety of facilities and equipment and all other unproductive possibilities (Education Testing Services, 2009). In addition, product management covers box office, budgetary procedures, stage management and other issues pertaining to season planning and scheduling as well as the value of a particular play to the school or community.

It is important to acquire adequate instruction skills and professional knowledge to be able to interpret the audiences, develop the students imagination and creativity, self-concept and self-expression. In addition, it facilitates in understanding the social role of the theatre, the philosophy behind theatre programs, community resources as well as funding resources.

Creative drama involves all aspects of story telling and story dramatization, kids literature, role playing and theatre games, puppetry and masks, movements, rhythm and clowning, sensory and emotional perceptions, dramatic play and aesthetic judgments (Education Testing Services, 2009).
Having said that it is worthwhile to formulate certain test guidelines that can help to expose the teachers or other interested parties on the themes discussed above. It will be a set of twelve test questions and subsequently discuss them in the light of their preferred answers.

Test
Consider the moments when the actor is performing in a large auditorium what voice would be suitable when performing in such a context
Who is least likely to be included in the house management staff
Where can one classify the play The Way of the World by William Congreve
What aspect cannot be referred to as a type of stage
Which could be the least effective method in teaching high school students the mechanics of rehearsing a play
What would be the most essential training for an individual who is contemplating teaching theatre and drama to elementary students
After students get to watch a live performance of the play Our Town, which question would be suitable to assess their aesthetic judgments
Considering that students may later in their academic careers be able to evaluate theatrical productions as well as make informed aesthetic judgments what activities would one opt for to facilitate this goal
Consider the play Pygmalion, where several Londoners are under a canopy waiting for the rain to stop. The characters exhibit varied actions and performances that reflect their responses to the situation. Which is the best term that best describes these characters
Theatre of cruelty is linked to early twentieth-century movement. Who is that playwright that is commonly associated with it
Adolphe Appia (1862-1928) is among the greatest contributors in one of the aspects of theatre. Which one
Who is responsible for the audience control prior to a performance

Test Analysis and Discussions
This section discusses the possible solutions to the above test, including their practical applications.
Projection would be the best answer in question one. Projection is the most critical aspect to performance in a large auditorium. However, resonance, timbre and pitch play a major role in the voice management.
The best response to question two would be the stage director since he has an overall responsibility to oversee the activities that are geared towards the actual performance. On the other hand, the management staff consists of the reservationist, publicist and the box office manger.

The best response to question one would a comedy of manners. This is a type of drama that excelled in the period of Restoration. It brings out certain conventions and manners in the society in a satirical manner through witty dialogue.

Spike would be the best response to question four as one cannot talk of spike set. There are cases when the term spike and set are linked in theatre vocabulary, for instance, spike the set which implies the components like furniture. On the contrary, unit, cutaway, and box are all types of stage sets.

Publicity crew would be the best fitting answer in question five. Normally, students may be involved in the promotion and advertisement of the production, and this is an event that is way far from the rehearsal of the play.

In question six, creative dramatics best responds to the question. Normally, the process and techniques acquired in creative drama studies are very useful in the process of incorporating theatre and drama into a basic classroom.

In question seven, it is preferable to make the students make an enquiry into those elements that they liked or disliked about the performance in the play Our Town. If may be the teacher made them evaluate a character on the stage or identify the universal themes in the play, it would not motivate them to give creative judgments due to nature of the questions. In addition, it would incline the students to reflect more on the characters and the themes of the play which is rather a particularized approach than when they consider the quality of performance.

In question eight it would be preferable if such students viewed plays produced by professional theatrical groups while comparing them with local productions by a theatre group. It is indisputable that production can be from professionals or amateurs. Therefore, the preferred choice mentioned would allow the students experience these differences.

Pantomime would be the best term that best describes the characters as depicted in question nine.

Pantomime involves dramatic activities where actors rely on silent motions, gestures, facial expressions, and costumes in the expression of a story or activity.

The best answer to question ten would be Antonin Artaud. Although there are other playwrights like Beckett and Lonesco only that they are associated with theatre of the absurd. Again, Shaffer, a contemporary British playwright, is associated with realistic and absurdist drama.

In question eleven, Adolphe Appia contributed a lot in stage design. He is reported to have revolutionized stage design due to his desire for artistic unity that can only be achieved through concentration on theatrical elements, for instance, lighting and three-dimensional sets.

A house manager best suits in the audience control prior to a performance. This should be the best response to question twelve. However, the ushers can assist the audience, while the director is accountable for the actual performance, and the box manager is accountable for the reservations and ticket sales.

In Northern Ireland, as two soldiers approached a pizza delivery vehicle to pick up their orders, they were attacked by Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA) members armed with automatic fire guns. Instantly, the two soldiers as well as two pizza delivery guys were shot and injured. As the soldiers lay on the ground, bloodied and harmless, the gunmen approached and executed them.

This incident occurred not in an action movie, nor even decades ago in fact, this sudden and brutal killing happened barely a year ago on March 8 2009, at an army base in Co Antrim (Henry McDonald 2009). The seeds behind this terrorist attack started around a century ago when the British decided to split up Ireland, which led to all-out guerrilla warfare. The southern part of Ireland had become an independent state while Northern Ireland remained under Britains rule. As the result, a civil war started for the reunification of Northern and Southern Ireland. This conflict has since lasted over a century, with no immediate end in sight, originating a large number of casualties of from all sides and of both military and civilians alike.

The ongoing cruel terrorist attacks in Northern Ireland led the playwright, Martin McDonagh, to mock the political actions through his work, The Lieutenant of Inishmore. The play The Lieutenant of Inishmore is widely categorized as a blackdark comedy and as thus is full of blood and violence throughout its entire duration. The plot involves numerous instances of sudden brutal killings as well as the torturing of characters on the stage. The extreme and yet ridiculously-presented violence in the play has lead some audiences to believe that the play is only full of foolish jokes that do not imply any other meanings, never mind any political stance. However, it can be argued that the play was a literary tool with which McDonagh specifically criticized the way that the splinter groups from the Irish Republican Army (IRA) commission violence after peaceful reconciliation has been established. In order to criticize the senseless brutality as well as the parties involved in these political actions, Martin McDonagh used the symbolisms of the characters to represent the organizations, the plot of the play to show the endless cycle of violence, and the exaggerated expression of this violence to mock the acts of terrorism, overall making the play a blunt and dark satire of the entire violent situation.

In a sense, Michael McDonagh uses the play as a form of political satire. Political satire has long been a very common subversive tool among writers who are disgruntled with the political dealings in the society they are in but are hindered by either being explicitly forbidden to express these views of political dissent or by their own fears of unspoken threats of violence for these views. Thus, instead of tackling the issues head-on, plays that are written as political satires for example convey their political and societal agenda by entertaining their audiences with exaggerated situations while all the while educating them as to the harsh realities of the situation. The Lieutenant of Inishmore does this and more since it stands out by not merely using devices like slapstick but the uncommonly used element of unapologetic exaggerated brutality to get the points across. Also, unlike many other political satires that use vague symbolisms that may be mistaken for one thing or another, The Lieutenant of Inishmore actually makes mention of the specific entities involved in the real situation, but in a bizarre and roundabout way wherein it focuses on a small and seemingly insignificant incident, the killing of the cat, to represent the bigger picture.

To put the play into a clearer perspective, the historical and political contexts of its satire as well as the events that precipitated the situation must first be presented. The war to reunify the separated Ireland created a hostile atmosphere in more ways than one. Not only was Ireland separated into Southern and Northern states, but even within Northern Ireland, people formed different political groups to either support or oppose being independent from Britain. Additionally, discrimination against minor religions (and sects of Christianity), such as Catholicism, in Northern Ireland developed severely, in such a way that it began causing troubles between the Loyalists and the IRA in 1969. The Loyalists, dominantly of the Protestant religion (sect), wanted Northern Ireland to remain under British rule. On the other hand, the IRA, mostly composed of Catholics, supported the unification of Northern and Southern Ireland due to harsh religious discrimination. For example, the Catholics were treated as second-class citizens, with people from other sects refusing to employ them to such an extent that it caused the unemployment rate to increase up to 30. Moreover, the essential prosperity that composes economical growth could not be owned by Catholic people (Kathryn Gregory 2008). Since after the troubles began, almost 7000 people, militants and civilians, have been killed and immeasurable wealth have been lost. After being locked in an endless struggle for nearly thirty years, in the mid-1990s, the IRA and the British government opened peace talks to finally settle the problem. As the result, in 1997, the IRA announced a ceasefire and finally abandoned violence in favor of political strategy. However, the idea of a peaceful approach was not satisfying to some members, therefore, those who opposed the peace talk created the Real Irish Republican Army (RIRA or Real IRA), what is referred to as a splinter group, in 1997. They have threatened and attacked to stop the peace process in order to continue their war against Britain.

The Lieutenant of Inishmore takes place in the Inishmore, an island in Southern Ireland. In the beginning of the play, a black cat dies from what the audience assumes is a bicycle accident. The dead black cat turns out to be Wee Thomas, a certain Padraics precious pet. Padraic is a mad lieutenant of the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA), another IRA splinter group, who loves violence. His madness and taste for violence is apparently so terrible and dangerous that even the IRA refused to accept him as a member. Therefore, he condemns the IRA as being too soft and not practicing violence enough to protest. Moreover, he dreams himself as founding his own splinter group that practices violence as much he wishes. Because of his cruelty, his dad, Donny, is afraid to tell him of the death of his beloved cat. Therefore, Donny notifies his son that the black cat is sick. Donnys plan was to replace Padraics cat with another black cat, hoping that Padraic would not recognize it. When Padraic received this news, he had been torturing a man for selling marijuana to Catholic children, and implying that the crime would have been less heinous if the dealer had sold the drugs to Protestant children a subtle commentary on how the different sects view each other. Instantly Padraic arrives home, and he recognizes that the cat has been replaced, and that his own cat is dead. After realizing the death of Wee Thoms, he decides to kill his dad and a kid, Davey, who is accused of running over the cat with his bicycle.

The black cat in the play symbolizes the anarchy in the society. Since the 1880s, the color black has been associated with anarchism, and even today black is associated with darkness and death. The death of the black cat represents the settlement between the IRA and the British government as they tried to cease the belligerent attacks. As the two opposing groups negotiate the settlement in peaceful way, the Real IRA group initiates the continuance of the war. The character of Padraic represents the Real IRA, as he criticizes the IRA for their lack of aggressiveness. In addition, once his black cat is dead, he insanely become hostile. This exaggeration, the cause of much violence and death over a cat, something that most people find would find petty, gives the audience a sense of how petty or even downright ridiculous the author, McDonagh, views the entire situation to be.

As Padraic believes the kid has killed his cat, a trio approaches and paralyzes Padraic. They confess to being INLA members and planning the trap for Padraic in order to execute him. Padraic had harmed a drug dealer that was under their protection, and the three men possess opposing beliefs from Padraic and they could not bear his selfishness and cruelty. As a result, and to serve justice in their own way, they decide to execute him by themselves.

In a similar manner, as the troubles began in Northern Ireland, the Catholics were excluded and discriminated against before the law and, as mentioned, their opportunities for livelihood were very limited just because of their religion. Justice was with the majority, the Protestants, and they served that justice by themselves. Additionally, the Loyalists also used violence to keep Northern Ireland under British rule. In the play, the three INLA men represent the Loyalists who are willing to execute violence to fulfill their beliefs and serve justice as they themselves see fit. On the stage, the majority is represented by the three men, and the minority is Padraic. And yet, there seems to be no clear protagonist or antagonist in this fight as both parties are willing to accomplish their goal via violence and senseless killing, showing in a way that all the organizations that turned to violence to further their political agenda, no matter what it is, are in the wrong.

While Padraic was on his way with the trio, he intuitively knew that he will be saved. As he expected, Mairead, who has followed Padraic with admiration, saves him from being executed by shooting the eyes of the other men. After being blinded, each member of the trio is cruelly killed by Padraic and Mairead, and Padraic takes particular pleasure in torturing the one man who confessed to killing his cat. After killing the men, Padraic asks Mairead to marry him. Mairead happily accepts Padraics proposal until she finds out that her own beloved cat, Sir Roger, was killed by Padraic. Upon learning this, despite her obvious admiration for him throughout the play and their not even minutes-old engagement, she decides to shoot and kill her new husband-to-be.

Mairead is a character that represents any another IRA splinter group. Just like the Real IRA, other splinter groups follow a violent approach in settling matters and therefore, they would initially seem to cooperate with each other. However, Martin McDonagh implies through the actions of Mairead that once these seemingly cooperating groups come upon even a minor disagreement, they can very quickly become enemies and turn on each other despite their common goals or enemies. The cat is a symbol of the beliefs of the parties that each character represents. The death of Sir Roger implies the sudden disagreement of different splinter groups that can only settle their conflicts by pursuing violence. Again, this shows an abject pettiness in the parties involved in the conflict, who resort to violence over every issue. Martin McDonagh mocks the violent chauvinism of splinter groups that can only turn to violence to resolve their problems and thus, end up not resolving any issues at all but only creating more problems and violence as the saying goes violence begets violence. This is clearly represented in the killings of Padraic of Mairead and the subsequent killing of Padraic by Mairead.

At the end of the play, Wee Thomas walks across the stage. As Davey and Donny recognize him, they realize that the dead cat was not Padraics, and that his cat was alive. The massacre was triggered by death of Wee Thomas, which in fact never even died.  So all this terror has been for absolutely nothing (p.68). After killing each other to serve what they thought was justice, nothing was accomplished. As mentioned, a black cat is a symbol of anarchy. Hence, it symbolizes the anarchy of the last scene with the corpses and blood-soaked stage. As the British government tries to settle the Northern Ireland problem, the Irish are on their way to achieve what they had been fighting for for so long, but in peaceful way. As Wee Thomas did not die in the first place, this shows that that Real IRA did not really have a cause to fight in the first place. All the violent attacks thus seem illogical and ridiculous and only deteriorate the settlement.

Through The Lieutenant of Inishmore, Martin McDonagh criticizes violence usage in attempt to solve the Trouble in Ireland. Especially, he mocks the splint group from IRA with their violent attacks on civilians and militants. The characters in the play illustrate features of splint groups and shows ridicule of their pursuit of violence. Ongoing terrorists threats in Ireland should be stopped, if their goal is to reunite the Ireland.

It started on a small town in America. In that town lived Joe and Kate Keller who owned a manufacturing plant with their neighbour and close family friend, Steve Deever with his daughter Ann and son George. The Keller had two sons, Larry who is Anns girlfriend, and Chris. When the Second World War started, both Larry and Chris were drafted along with George, their friend.

During the war around 1943, the manufacturing business of the Keller and Deever family prospered, supplying airplane parts to the United State. One day, the defective parts arrived. With the demands of the US Army to keep up with the quantities of the products, Steve Deever informed his business partner Joe to help him decide what to do. Because Joe wasnt around for work because of his sickness, he instructed Steve to patch up the substandard products and deliver it out. Nervously, Joe followed Steve and delivered the package.

Soon, Joe and Steve were arrested for the faulty parts they deliver which caused the planc crash and death of twenty-one pilots in Australia. They were convicted of the crime, but Joe manages to overturn the decision by appealing and selling out his partner Steve. This set Joe free and Steve incarcerated. The news of Joes initial conviction reached to his son Larry overseas. With the shame and grief at his shoulders, he wrote a letter to Ann in an informal way of saying his goodbye.  While on a fly mission, his plane broke out of formation and crashed he was reported missing in action.

A year after the war in 46, Larrys brother Chris was already proposing to her beau, Ann. The couple was reluctant to tell this to Kate, still believing that her son was alive. A lady who believes in superstition, she was strengthened by the fact that Larrys memorial tree was blown down. She also went to her neighbor for a horoscope, in which gave her a positive outcome. And by this time almost everyone was considering the death of Larry, except her Mother.

When the wedding of Chris and Ann was on its way, George arrived to stop it. He conversed with Ann, convincing her that her father was innocent. He points the finger at Keller who was at that time self assured of his innocence, until Kate accidentally slipped by saying that Joe had never been sick for fifteen years. This convinced George about his accusation and shattered Chris confidence to his father. With this, Chris chased his old friend George out of the house.

This news shocked Chris. With a confrontation with his family, her mother pressed that he must believe his brother is still alive. Her mother stated that if not, shed be blaming Joe to be the murderer of his son by delivering the defective airplane parts. Joe points out that if he didnt do what he did, hed be broke. Shouting later occurred between father and son. Chris was so angry at his father that he took the car and left.

Later, Ann tried to talk to Kate that Larry is indeed already dead so that Chris love for Ann will no longer be shameful. When Kate insists that her son was still alive, Ann showed her the letter that Larry wrote before his death. As Kate learned about this, her hope of Larry being alive was destroyed.

When Chris returned, he wanted to move out to Cleveland to have a new beginning, as he cannot tolerate the sight of his father being a coward and doesnt have moral integrity. Ann tried to hitch but he rejected it. Joe later entered, and both the father and son argued once again. At the heat of the argument Ann gave Larrys letter to Chris, whom Kate tried to hide but failed. Chris read the it aloud, and confirmed his brothers death. When Joe heard the news, he went inside the house to get his jacket to turn over to the police. While Joe and Kate argue about Joes voluntary surrender, a gunshot was heard inside. Joe shot his head.

Characters of the Story
Joe Keller  the father of Larry and Chris the family man who is keeping a dark history
Kate Keller  the mother who was having a hard time in accepting his sons death self-denial and martyr
Chris Keller  the only son of Kate and Joe that survived the war. Morally uptight and idealistic
Larry Keller  unseen character in the play the son who sacrificed himself for his fathers wrongdoings
Steve Deever  former neighbor and business partner of Joe Keller who is now locked in jail
Ann Deever  Larrys beau, then later got engaged with Larrys brother Chris an honest and down to earth lady
George Deever  son of Steve Deever and Anns brother he is convinced of his fathers innocence
Dr. Jim  and SueBayliss  Kellers neighborhood doctor
Frank Lubey  neighbor of the Keller family who is into astrology
Lydia Lubey  Georges ex-sweetheart who didnt wait for him to come back after the war

Theater history for female Asians could be described as colorful as well as haunting the message behind each play echoed the suppressed cries of women. Women were not permitted to be in theatrical art for such a long period of time. One particular race that experienced such hardships is the Japanese women (both playwrights and actresses). Misako Koike, a prestigious American Studies professor from Tohoku University, explained with the excerpt below.

At the very beginning of Japans theatre history, women occupied the central place--in fact, Japans oldest written document (compiled in 712 A.D.) records a performance given by a woman and dedicated to Amaterasu the Great, the Sun Goddess in Japans creation myth. Kabuki, Japans still-thriving, 300-year-old classical theatre, was originated by a woman named O-Kuni. After some years, however, women were totally excluded from Kabuki troupes womens parts are even now played by onnagata, male actors specializing in womens roles. It was not until the turn of the 20th century, with the arrival of the Shingeki (new drama) movement, modeled after European theatre, that women performers appeared onstage in public. A womens movement has ever taken place in Japan the way it has in the United States from the 1970s on, and Japan has no organized Womens Theatre--although since the late 70s, a number of women playwrights have gained limited popularity, and groups led by women have given fresh vitality to the theatre scene. None of their works, however, cut through the fundamental structure of hypocritical and aesthetic cover-ups that oppress Japanese women, Some women in the audience may have identified with sympathetic female stage characters and taken comfort others (like those drawn to the totally unrealistic and apolitical Takarazuka all-women revue company) may have found solace in gymnastically busy and lavish stage-business. But for women, that was all. The mere fact that any women captured critical and audience attention was itself phenomenal, since womens voices had been so scarce and so detached from their own reality. Not even the turbulent decade of the 1960s did much toward breaking the mold that prevailed for so long. To borrow a phrase from the drama critic Yasunari Takahashi, the 60s saw an upheaval of turbulent theatrical energy and eventually the birth of a new theatre --but when one looks closely into the works of male dramatists whose careers date from this period (writers like Shuji Terayama, Kunio Shimizu, Juro Kara or Minoru Betsuyaka), it is clear that this new theatre didnt embrace any new images of women. Suffice it to say that, with a few exceptions, women in the work of these and other modern Japanese playwrights can be grouped into three types dependent and self-sacrificing mothers and wives beautiful and dedicated prostitutes innocent and lovely virgins waiting to fall into the arms of authentic men (Koike, 1997)

The portrayal of the Japanese women in these plays rung true to the current setting and domestic reality in the country. With the turn of the 21st century, the Japanese women may b seen as liberal on the front but accompanied by men, whether by their husbands or their fathers, interdependence is mixed with womens submission. No one questioned this setting women continuously forgive and accept men who physically and mentally abused them. It was quite ironic that Kabuki, the foundation of Japanese theater, was founded first by a woman. With its popularity several years ago, men excluded women from acting in Kabuki female roles were also done by men (Koike, 1997 Martin, 2003)

The Asian portrayal in the Western Theater, on the other, seems to have a opposite result compared to the former. Asians, particularly the Asian-American actresses, provided versatility in the theater acting. Its history was described below.

While many hail Asian-American theatre merely as an ethnic subset, this artistically flourishing entity is poised to catapult itself into a new era where it hopes to bolster the vitality of theatre art as a whole, state the fields leading artistic directors. Asian-American theatres will be the next significant movement in evolving the art form that is known as American theatre, says Tim Dang, EWP artistic director. Along with several dramatists, Dang notes that Asian-American theatre, by necessity, has become more ethnically diverse. The term Asian American has been continually evolving in terms of forms, styles, countries of origin and ethnic affinities since Asian-American studies pioneer Yuji Ichioka coined the phrase in the 1960s. Dang says the label no longer means simply the Chinese, Japanese, Korean or East Asian type of experience but hapa voices half Asian Pacific Islander or polycultural voices as well as immigrant and multigenerational voicesIn the art form, we are the future, and we are the new markets. Lim says. In financial markets, you invest in future performance. If American theatre is going to survive, it is best to look at theatres of color as emerging markets. The mainstream theater market is saturated, and, in the world of business, if youre not investing in future performance and considering new markets, then your business dies. A lot of mainstream theatres dont think of this risk as a problem. They hear what theatres of color are saying, and they say, Why cant we just placate them But I believe that American theater has to support Asian-American theatre and other theatres of color based upon pure investment principles and the changing face of America. Once people are forced to connect to cultures outside of the mainstream, it will only benefit the whole. (Hasu, 2006)

The excerpt above showed that in the Western theater, the Asians portrayal, even for the females, is more progressive compared with the Japanese theater. This goes to show that with time and the diversity in varying cultures, the Japanese women may experience the joy the Asian Americans had on producing a play in their theatrical career.

Popularly referred to as The Master, Noel Pierce Coward has indeed lived and gave justice to the word. With plays such as Easy Virtue (1926), This Was a Man (1926), This Year of Grace (1928), and Waiting in the Wings, Coward showed the entire world how a true master of theater should be. His creative and witty plays marked a milestone in theater as it continues to influence and inspire contemporary director, playwrights, and actors alike.
Biography

Noel Coward was born in Teddington, England in 1899. He was the second child of Arthur Sabin Coward and Violet Agnes. Coward grew up in a family where finances were tight due to his fathers lack of determination and ambition. His mother, on the other hand, had high hopes for the young Noel. At a very young age, she immediately enrolled her son to a dance academy in London. There, he discovered his natural passion for dancing and acting. His first professional stint came when he was only seven years old. He took part in a childrens play entitled The Goldfish where he played the role of Prince Mussel (Morley 3).

In that same year, he was discovered by the actor-manager Charles Hawtrey, who eventually cast him in the play Where the Rainbow Ends. He played the part for about a year at Londons Garrick Theater. By 1912, he moved to the Savoy Theater where he participated as a ballet dancer in the play An Autumn Idyll. Apart from this, he also performed as the lead star in A Little Fowl Party at the London Coliseum, after which he appeared as one of Lost Boys in the play Peter Pan at the Liverpool Repertory Theater (Morley 3).

Cowards wide ranging experience as a child actor molded and prepared for his long and magnificent life in the stage. When he was 14, he was taken in as a protg of a society painter named Philip Streatfield. His teacher introduced him to high society where he met Mrs. Astley Cooper who later became one of his closest friends and supporter. When Streatfield died in 1915, Cooper continued to encourage the then teenage Coward to continue his career in theater (Morley 3).

The encouragement pushed Noel to continue his passion for play. Throughout the First World War, Coward, continued to partake in various plays such as the Happy Family in 1916 as well as in 1917s The Saving Grace. In one of his memoirs, Coward recalls his roles and parts. He later mentioned that his parts were logically big and that he was good in this part (Morley 22). He later stated I achieved a great deal of what I set out to achieve (Morley 22).

After three years, Coward became the star of his own play entitled Ill Leave it to You. His play was soon transferred to the New Theater in London. Cowards light yet fantastic works earned the attention of various newspapers. Editors would often comment on his plays as light, fresh, humorous, and witty. The play continued to ran for a month before Coward retuned as an actor to that works of other writers. He participated in the play The Knight of the Burning Pestle and the Better Half (Morley 23).

By 1921, Coward summoned his courage and traveled to America in the hope of interesting companies to produce his plays. The young writer however, found little luck. However, he discovered Broadway Theater interesting. He started to incorporate its smartest and pace in his work, which eventually brought him the success he was looking for. He wrote The Young Idea and opened it in London after two years. It then made a provincial tour with Coward playing as one of the lead roles. Soon enough, newspapers found themselves in love with his play exuberating and youthful (Morley 23).
Achievements and Influence

It was in 1924 when Coward experienced his first critical and financial success as a playwright when he created The Vortex. The play explored the life of a nymphomaniac socialite and her cocaine-addict son, played by Coward himself. At that time, the theme of the story came in as a shock to its audience since sexual vanity and drug abuse was something not discussed openly. The wit and the fieriness of the play attracted a huge number of audiences. It was later moved from a small suburban theater to a bigger one located in the West End. During its run, Coward also met Jack Wilson who later became his manager as well as lover (Morley 23).

The Vortex proved to be great success in London and America. This success became a catalyst for producers to demand for Cowards play. In 1925, he presented the play Fallen Angels which tackled the life of two women who were waiting for the same man. Although I experienced success, it was with Hay Fever that Coward earned a mainstream repertoire in theater. The play was about the life of an egocentric family that invited acquaintances in the country home. Critics later pointed out that this play showed resemblance to the life of his old friend and mentor Mrs. Astley Cooper. By the 1970s, the play was declared as classic.

The following years showed a great demand for his play. His works included Easy Virtue, The Marquise, Home Chat, On with the Dance, and This Year of Grace. The play Sirocco however, proved to be a flop, as theatergoers hated it (Morley 38). Despite of this failure however, Coward was still recognized as one of highest earning playwrights with a yearly income of 50,000. With this kind of earning, he continued to thrive and wrote a string of hits that ranged from grandiose spectaculars to small yet intimate plays. This includes Bitter Sweet, Design for Living, and Drury Lane. In his 1930 work Private Lives, Coward co-starred with Gertrude Lawrence and Laurence Olivier. This play became the highlight of Cowards career as it became a hit in both New York and London (Morley 47).

Apart from his success in the theater, Coward also conquered the world of music. He is particularly known to record popular tunes from his plays. This includes songs such as His Masters Voice, Ill see you Again, Mad Dogs and Englishmen and Mrs. Worthington.

With the advent of the Second World War, Coward left his career in the theater and engaged in official war work. During this period, he ran the British propaganda in Paris and even worked as a part of the British intelligence. Despite his interest, Winston Churchill advised him that he would make a better contribution as an entertainer that by doing intelligence work. Although he was disappointed, Coward heeded Churchills advice and created popular war songs such as Dont Lets Be Beastly to the Germans and London Pride. He also created plays such as the naval themed drama In Which We Serve and the black comedy Blithe Sprit (Morley 81).

Although Cowards war plays experienced success, it was not as popular and as successful as his pre-war pieces. He soon created other plays such as Relative Values, Quadrille, Pacific 1860, Sigh No More, Ace of Clubs, and South Sea Bubble. During the span of the 50s and 60s Coward continued to write plays as well as musicals. This includes hits such as After the Ball, The Girl Who Came to Supper, Waiting in the Wings, Look After Lulu, Pomp and Circumstance, and Lady Windmeres Fan. Sail Away, which premiered in 1961, was Cowards most successful musical after the war (Hoare 464). It was produced not only in London but in America and Australia as well. His final success on the stage came when he created Suite in Three Keys. He later confessed by saying that I would like to act one more before I Fold my bedraggled wings (Hoare 464).
His audience likewise, continued to love him for his unique wit and infectious flamboyance. In fact, he attracted a group of followers and fans that even copied the way he w0ould act and even dressed. His fans with often hang out in the theater balcony with their scarves or turtle neck and imitate their version of Noelism.

Apart from his contribution in the world of the stage, Coward also made waves in a number of notable films. Later in his career, his plays were adapted in the big screen. This includes Easy Virtue, Bitter Sweet, Relative Value, Brief Encounter, Design for Living, Private Lives, The Astonished Heart, and Tonight at Eight-Thirty among many others. Similarly, he also appeared in films where he took roles as an actor as well as participated as director, screenwriter, and producer. In movies such as Around the World in Eighty Days, The Italian Job, Boom, and Bunny Lake is Missing, Coward showed his years of acting experience. Consequently, he was also asked to appear to play other roles as well as write other scripts but he all turned them down (Hoare 479).

By the mid 1960s, theater enthusiasts began collating his work to celebrate his lifelong career in musicals such as Oh, Coward that was shown on Broadway and Cowardy Custard, which premiered in London. This plays revived Coward popularity as well as reputation as The Master. He was son invited to make a comeback as he was asked to direct Hay Fever at the National Theater (Hoare 479).

As the 60s began to fade, Coward suffered from arteriosclerosis and even suffered from memory loss. He died quietly on March 25, 1973 in his place in Jamaica due to heart failure. His death proved to be a great loss in the theater. He was then knighted in 1969 and received a Tony Award for his magnificent work and lifetime achievement (Morley 145).

Noel Cowards life has indeed revolved around the stage. His plays did not only entertain the audience but it resurrected and gave flair to the British theater. He was primarily noted as the person who brought the world the concept of Englishness with his one of kind flamboyance. He destroyed the idea of stiff lip of Britain and recreated a cool Britain. Time later described him as person who mastered his personal style, with a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise (Time 2).

When it comes to his plays, Coward injected speed and libido into the British drama. His music created an atmosphere of liveliness and fresh air, which eventually gave birth to the jazz dance craze in the 1920s. His colleagues in the stage would praise him for his versatility while bringing in vibe and style in theater. Apart from this, he would add glamour and humor to depict even the most trying times such as the Great Depression and World Wars. Alternatively, Coward was also praised for continually reinventing himself as well as his works. Decades after his death, Cowards style and characteristics are still being imitated in the stage and even on television and on the silver screen. This only goes to show that Coward legacy is still admired and it will continue to live even for generations to come.

Although the American Broadway was a popular place for theatre admirers during many years, only at the end of the nineteenth century Broadway introduced the use of music and dance as the entertainment staple and beginning of the famous musicals era bringing new forms of art to the audience. Musicals were gradually changed with time as long as American people faced with new historical and social events. Starting with the musical Gold Diggers in 1933 history of the American musicals experienced important changes and improvements in the performance, stage decorations and messages toward the audience (Lewis, 2002). Spoken and musical interchanges of the Broadway musicals are liberally interlaced with dancing and singing being of serious or entrainment and comical nature (Ostrow, 2010). The current paper will address several most popular and important musical plays in the history of American Broadways musicals, including Oklahoma, Cabaret, West Side Story, Hair, Zoot Suit, Moulin Rouge and Across the Universe.
Oklahoma (1943)

Despite many art critics did not have confidence in the success of the musical Oklahoma, the freshness, beauty and the magic of its premiere performance charmed the audience and brought a vociferous ovation at the end. Originally staged by Rouben Mamoulian and the music by Richard Rodgers Oklahoma created the box-office history. Full of songs such as Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin, Pore Jud, and All or Nothin and humour in song The Farmer and the Cowman the musical has a relaxing and entertainment tone based more on the personal relations between the characters rather than addressing some serious social issues. Despite the musical did not include star performers, strayed into realism of peoples life in the Indian territory, and portrayed grim tragedy when Jud dies at the end, it was the first musical in the Broadway history that leaned heavily upon American folk-ballet choreographed by Agnes De Mille (Ostrow, 2010).  
West Side Story (1957)

West Side Story produced in 1957 transformed the story of Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare into a present-day New York revealing the issue of juvenile delinquency in the constant confrontations between two gang groups  the Jets and the Sharks. The first gang group was determined to prevent any invasion of Puerto Ricans into their territory while the second one completely formed from Puerto Ricans was struggling for their increasing influence in the region. Directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins, the musical begins in a warehouse as a primary set where both gangs agreed to meet to arrange time, place and weapons to be used in their later major fight between the gangs. The first five minutes of the musicals set the tone of the whole performance when not a word is spoken, but instead spectators observe the extended dance sequence that makes the atmosphere tense and warns about the further complications between the Jets and the Sharks. Being from two different gangs Tony and Maria fall in love expressing their feelings with Maria and I Feel Pretty songs. Tonight is considered as the best ballad episode of the performance describing the scene of tenement of fire-escape followed by a dance Rumble as culmination of the musical when Tony kills Marias brother and eventually being killed himself by an avenging Shark. On the contrary to the previous musicals, West Side Story brings serious aspect to the musical by pointing to the critical social issues of that time  juvenile delinquency and confrontations between racial and ethnical groups. Moreover, the musical was dominated by the dances and moving bodies rather than still scenes and talks between the characters. The music by Leonard Bernstein only adds tension and depth of meanings into the musical, especially in Somewhere, Tonight and Rumble. Though, in America and Gee, Officer Krupke spectators can also feel the satire about the perception of America from the point of view of Puerto Rican and attempts of social workers to deal with the issue of juvenile delinquency accordingly (Mordden, 2001).  
Cabaret (1966)

Directed by Harold Prince and choreographed by Ron Field the original Broadway production of Cabaret included both inside-cabaret and outside-cabaret scenes, though the later revivals saw numerous changes in the plot, scenes and characters. Addressing the issue of the increasing power of Nazi party in 1930s Berlin, the overall tone of the musical is rather entertaining, except perhaps the last song Auf Widersehena bientot by Emcee symbolizing the harsh and violent situation in Berlin and the stronger influence of Nazi party. The scenes limited only to the cabaret and house of Fraulein Schneider are often colourful and satirical showing easy life in cabaret, nave view on life by Sally and her living with Cliff as roommates in the same room. The use of numerous songs such as Willkommen, So What, Two Ladies, Money and others make the musical entertaining and easy to perceive for spectators, though still pointing to such important issues of that time as stereotyped attitude and violent actions toward Jewish people and the increasing power of the Nazi party (Green, 2008).  
Hair (1968)

The roots of the musical Hair come from the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, which caused numerous controversial opinions of the audience concerning the depiction of illegal drugs, nude scenes, the attitude toward sexuality and changes in the American society as a whole (Wollman, 2006). Though, the main achievement of the current musical is that it brought new genre of rock musical, which is characterized by racially integrated cast and invitation of the audience to the stage for the final performing scene. The plot of musical is related to serious events experienced by a group of hippies who are fighting for sexual revolution in the country and rebelling against the war in Vietnam. Before the premiere on Broadway the musical experienced many changes with dropping some of the original songs and addition of the 13 new songs, including the uplifting ending song Let the Sun Shine In. Another achievement of Hair is that choreographers OHorgan and Julie Arenal introduced an original and organic expansion of staging style and use of nudity as a symbol of freedom and defiance against Americas involvement in Vietnam War. Making the stage completely open exposing grid and fly area to the audience without the use of curtains served as a symbol of freedom and honesty in the issue of sexual revolution and anti-Vietnam War struggles (Wollman, 2006). Moreover, objects used in the musical scenes were not specially designed and created, but those found on the streets of New York showing realistic and natural approach to the performance process. Cloths, though designed similarly to what hippies at the streets had, were enhanced with texture and additional colours to strengthen the visual effects of the performance. The most controversial part of the musical was its nude scene Where Do I Go, which lasts only twenty seconds, though usually embarrasses the audience (Block, 2009).
Zoot Suit (1979)
 
The musical Zoot Suit debuted on Broadway in 1979 became the first Chicano play addressing the issue of wrong charges of the young Mexican-Americans with murder of a rival gangster in the early 1940s. Though, young people did not commit the crime they were unfairly prosecuted and put into jail. During the whole play the majority of songs are performed by El Pachuco who acts like a conscience of the main character Henry Reyna providing comments on each scene and action in the play. The innovation in the current play was to use constantly running commentary in the form of news headlines, either commenting the musical scene or providing news about some events happened outside the stage, though related to the events viewed by the audience (Kantor and Maslon, 2010).

Moulin Rouge (2001)
With love and creative inspiration the musical Moulin Rouge became one of the most popular musical plays of the 20th century (Bloom, Vlastnik and Orbach, 2008). On the contrary to earlier musical plays, the current one does not have songs originally composed for the play, but uses songs of contemporary bands and singers, and sometimes even addressing songs of Marilyn Monroe (Murray, 2009). The emotional involvement and conversations between the characters are supported by the song lines of such modern bands as U2, Beatles, Kiss, and Wings in addition to singers Thelma Houston and Elton John. Moreover, the use of technology largely improved the scenes decorations and musical performance, including flashy costumes, quick edits, and play of lights that all together brought huge success for the musical in the United States and all over the world. The complex choreography and shooting techniques by Luhrmann created a modern variation of the classic 1930s musicals (Maslon, 2003).
Across the Universe (2007)

The same as Moulin Rouge the musical Across the Universe has numerous technological effects, play of lights and modern sound techniques in the form of the film, rather than a stage performance as with early classic musicals performed on the American Broadway. Thirty-three compositions used in the musical belong to Beatles, such as Girl, Let It Be, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Hey Jude, All You Need Is Love and others. At the same time, dance solos are accompanied by extra music, such as Come Together and Hold Me Tight (Viaga, 2009).  

The play Dancing at Lughnasa by playwright Brian Friel remains one of the more unique presentations of Irish culture and history. The basic premise of the play entails examining a number of characters living together in a cottage. Upon first glance, one would assume such a minimalist venture would be bereft of deep introspection into the Irish traditions and history. In actuality, the minimalist presentation of the play begets a sincere depth. Specifically, a broad  and humorous  overview of Irish culture can be found within the microcosmic world of this play.

The plot of Dancing at Lughnasa centers on the bright hopes of the Mundy Sisters as love may be in the air for them. However, the process becomes bittersweet and does not turn out as they had hoped by the plays conclusion. During the proceedings of the play, we are able to see the events unfold through the eyes of an adult Michael Evans who narrates from adulthood but takes a prominent role in the plays proceedings as a young child. From his recollections, we are able to gain a unique insight into the characters and which opens the viewersreaders eyes to some of the family dynamics that may have existed at the time.

In traditional Irish culture, the family unite is considered to be vital. There is a strong belief in the need to remain close and supportive of family members. However, there is also a notion that there comes a time where independence is required. Within this framework, there can be a fear of spinsterhood. Such a fear hangs as a specter in the play as evidenced via an examination of the sisters in the play. Friels ability to weave such cultural components into the play allow for the work to remain a unique look into cultural components of Irish society as a whole through the specific character traits of the fictional cast.

The characters of the five sisters - Kate, Maggie, Agnes, Rosie, and Christina  can be considered archetypes of the stereotypical spinsters. However, none of the three sisters has reached the point that spinster-hood is unavoidable for them. Rather, there is the possibility that love can save them from a fate of loneliness. Such hope is what carries them and provides an additional amount of dramatic and comic action through the play. Such action is also influenced by the other brother, Jack, who has a rather odd and unique role in the play himself.

The development of the sisters and Jack can be considered Friels crowning achievement in his crafting of the play. This play, in many ways, can be considered an ensemble piece character study. This means the characters in the play must be effectively and properly crafted for the audiencereaders to be drawn into the proceedings. Friel definitely succeeds in his ability to make these characters memorable which can be considered the most impressive aspects of his writing.

In some ways, the character of Jack can be considered a somewhat subversive element to the play. His character is that of a priest who is suffering from malaria and is in a near delusional state. He had been working as a missionary where he contracted the condition and there are subtle hints that he may have acquired venereal disease as well. In some ways, the character is subversive because his presence represents a subtle dig at the long catholic tradition in Ireland.

This is not to say, however, that the character is designed with the intention of completely mocking the church or presenting it in a severely negative light. Rather, Jacks presence in the play seems to be more of a comic relief element. This is done to poke fun at some of the historical troubles with the Catholic Church in Ireland over the years. This could be considered another way in which Friel is able to use the subtle development of specific characters to craft a unique insight into cultural components of Irish tradition.

Again, the character does not serve the role of a deep criticism of Catholicism as much as his is an acknowledgment that the church is comprised of humans and not spiritual entities. As such, he  like other humans  is prone to folly and misguidance and should not necessarily be placed on a pedestal. So, with the character of Jack, we see a more human as opposed to deist face. Throughout Irelands history, the church and worship of God has been integral to the culture. In most instances, humor surrounding religious themes is frowned upon. The presence of the fallen angel in the form of Jack does present a respite from common themes in which religion is approached in Irish lore, poetry, and plays.

Also present as a theme within the play is the notion of financial hardship, struggle, and difficulty. This would seem to go hand in hand with the additional themes of unrealized love.

How do the two themes connect Essentially, both not having love and not having financial security symbolize and emptiness that the characters possess. Lack of love can be considered the loss of self-esteem. Lack of adequate finances can represent a lack of material possession. Then, the religious themes can promote the concept of a lack of spiritual growth and development. In some ways, the collective of these three areas of longing could promote the notion that the characters are collectively together but are not whole. In other words, the missing elements negatively contribute to their feelings of belonging and self-worth.

In some ways, this can be symbolic of the relationship between Ireland and England. For years, Ireland struggled for independence for political and religious freedom. By not being free, the culture of Ireland suffered from feelings of not being whole or fully realized. Again, this can be considered symbolic in the microcosmic sense as the characters of the play may represent such feelings. But, there is always hope even though the characters may not be completely aware such hope exists.

Why is this so Far too often, people will look for salvation from external sources. The characters of the play may be seeking something to save them from their own mundane lives. However, they do not necessarily stop to examine, experience, and feel joyful that they have each other to hold onto. Such an oversight can lead to some of the conflict in the play.

This is not to say that Friel trivializes issues of financial or personal insecurity. He is not trying to make light of the plight of the family. However, he does take the stance thematically that to weigh a great deal of time in areas of worry and concern can draw attention away from other aspects of life that can be considered positive. Namely, there is much family support that is drowned out but some of the woes the individual characters must face.

Again, the family does have itself to draw from for support. The problem is that some of the characters do not always see things in such a way. This creates a host of problems and conflicts within the framework of the play. In some ways, you could say the characters create their own internal conflict which impacts the other characters in the play.

In many ways, this is visible in the relationship between Gerry and Christina. It would not be an overstatement to say that Christina is hoping that a marriage to Gerry can lead to her escape from the current plight she sees herself in. This does raise questions regarding whether or not Christina is seeking to get married for the right reasons. Some might even argue that there is no wrong reason for the marriage since it may bring with it the potential for her to escape from her unhappiness.

Friel seems to leave much of the moralizing regarding Christinas situation to be somewhat ambiguous. This can be considered a brilliant stylistic approach since it avoids sermonizing and allows the readeraudience to draw its own conclusions regarding what is or isnt right in this particular component of the plot.

Dancing at Lughnasa by Brian Friel remains one of the more interesting  and entertaining plays to cover the world of Irish family, culture, and history. While there may be some iconoclast elements within the play, it still remains a touching and humorous character study which provides insightful recollections of family life and dynamics. That alone makes it a work of high merit worthy of critical praise.