Bertold Brecht

Bertold Brecht

Part 1: Historical Context of Brecht's life (Major Events, Geography, etc.) & simple Biography
Bertolt Brecht was born, on 19th February 1898,in Augsburg, Germany. He majored in philosophy and medicine at the University of Munich. He completed this before becoming a medical orderly in a German military hospital during the First World War. This was one of the reasons why he later on he hated wars which influenced his plays aswell. Brecht had a controversial life since as early age. He used to portray heated topics through theatre in Nazi Germany for which he was soon kicked out of the country. He moved to U.S.A where he started Epic theatre. He used social and economic problems and portrayed it in his films there. He was sent to court a few times where he was on trial for his work. He changed the face of theatre and completely showed a different side of it. He believed that theatre should have meaning and that theatre can change people. His principles and ideas impacts modern day theatre and also new play writers. He died at the age of 54.

Part 2: Brecht's Major Influences & Beliefs 
Charlie Chaplin and Karl Marx majorly influenced Brecht. Most of his ideas were gained from Marxism. Indirectly, the Roman theatre also influenced Brecht since at that time there was no class difference. Everyone was allowed to go the stadium to watch the plays. Brecht thought that the theatre was for everyone and also that theatre should mean something and he wanted to make a difference through his plays. Russian director Konstantin Stanislavsky encouraged Brecht’s epic theatre.

Part 3: Major Tenets/Characteristics of EPIC THEATRE

The major characteristics of Epic theatre are that the audience was not the typical high class audience since anyone and everyone was allowed in the theatre since during that time only the high-class people were allowed in the theatre but Brecht changed that. Majority of the epic Theatre plays didn't give away everything since the audience had to think on their own. In the theatre the audience members were allowed to eat, drink and smoke. The actors had to portray the character. Brecht wanted to challenge and shake people up rather than make them "enjoy" the play. One of the major characteristics was the fact that he used the alienation effect. This would distract the audience and freak them out which would make them think logically. Epic theatre is the shorter form of "Episodic" theatre which basically means that in the play, they portray a major issue throughout but in episodes. Each episode can be from different time frames for example, it can star with day 1 and then off to day 50 and then back to day 3 but it is still about that one issue so that the audience does not get lost.  Brecht wanted the audience to be uncomfortable while watching his plays since he believed that everyone was too comfortable already and therefore during the span of time the audience was watching his plays, they would always be at the edge of their seats.  Epic theatre had no illusions either since Brecht did not want to compete with films. If anything on the stage was changed or moved around, it was right in front of us rather than in illusions. This was completely different than any other play.
Part 4: Major differences of EPIC THEATRE vs. dramatic theatre of the time
The first difference as I have mentioned before was the fact that everyone was allowed to be in the theatre not just high-class people. Dramatic theatre used illusions and the actors had to portray their character by completely changing. Epic theatre was different because everything was obvious and right in front of you. The lights in the theatre were on at all times and if any prop or stage had to change, it was done right in front of the audience rather than in an illusion. In dramatic theatre, if it has a good budget, there are expensive props, which are “perfect” for the scene, but in Epic theatre Brecht used any props he could find and he had cheap, low-cost props for all of his plays. The actors were there to tell the story not to create characters through illusions and skills. Also, epic theatre poked fun in everyday life problems in society, which were very controversial around that time. Since he used alienation, the goal was to make the audience freaked out or change internally since all the plays were set to give a message. Most of his plays left the audience speechless.Dramatic theatre and different scenes but epic theatre had different episodes in the same play. Dramatic theatre did not have a chorus but Brecht was influenced by Shakespeare aswell therefore he used a chorus in his plays to give the audience the overviews.

Part 5: Impact of Brecht's work in contemporary theatre

Brecht's influence on the contemporary theatre has been good and problematic too. Brecht’s use of formalist techniques in the form of entertainment has made his life difficult in socialist countries due to his Marxist views.  Brecht’s settings and costumes of his productions have most influenced the contemporary theatre. The modern contemporary design exhibits in many ways the influences of his staging. Not just his staging, his unique sense of theatre and style has shown the world a completely different view on theatre. Theatre made a difference in people’s lives and it was much more than enjoyment, it was learning. Brecht made it possible for theatre to make a difference.

Works Cited

1.   Bradford, Wade. About.com Inventors. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://plays.about.com/od/playwrights/a/brecht.htm>.

2.   The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica. "Epic Theatre (dramatic Genre)." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2014. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/189683/epic-theatre>.

3.   "The Influence Of Brecth." Brandeis. N.p., n.d. Web. <http://www.cs.brandeis.edu/~jamesf/goodwoman/brecht_influence.html>.

Funny Unit: Reflection

Funny Unit Reflection

Image from Google: "http://www.downloadclipart.net/large/2368-theatre-masks-design.png"

What makes US laugh...and why. 

The picture is taken from Google: "http://www.bubblews.com/assets/images/news/2010172974_1390272628.png"

“Everyone has their own idea of funny. We all need laughter once in a while and it sure doesn't harm us. Starting from ancient time’s tills now, doctors prescribe patient’s “laughter” as a medicine. It’s great for the heart and for blood circulation throughout the body. It is said that if someone laughs for 2 hours in their entire day, they increase their life expectancy than someone who doesn’t. This was statement that I made when I wrote my DW entry on what makes me laugh. I still stick to this sentence 3 months later. Laughter eases the environment and it also unifies people. I particularly enjoy exaggeration, Irony and Sarcasm. This is because they are subtle and they can take place at any time. Sarcasm and irony usually takes place in normal conversations which I’m fond of. Comedy also comprises of many different types of genres which different people prefer.

Why some things are funny to different people?

“Funny” is a very broad category and humor is different to every single person If something is funny to one person, the same thing can leave someone expressionless.  As I have said before, there is no science to what is funny to someone and what are not. Sometimes if there is a joke which you can relate to, it automatically becomes funny. If there are jokes about a certain place you visited before and or some food you ate and had a good or bad experience with it, you’ll usually find it funny. When jokes don’t relate to you in any way or doesn't relate to anything you've done before it wouldn't make you laugh.Humor also relates to personal experience. If you woke up late one morning and you were late for school and if someone makes a joke about it relating to them, you’d probably find it really funny, because it happened to you.  Personal experience is one of the key things to what makes something funny. During class when we do stand up, improving or even theater sports in front of people in which some things will be funny to a few students and some won’t be.

Image taken from Google: "http://gooby.naurunappula.com/org/c9/28/c928436e531f7f72/0/679435.jpg"

How “being funny” can offend people...personally, culturally...and sometimes unify people.

“Making fun of things which are close to ones heart often does offend them and cause unnecessary commotion. There also many people who would think otherwise and say that it’s alright. In class we watched videos on different types of comedy. There are some which made a few of us laugh where other’s frowned and vice versa which proved that not everything is funny to everyone. The comedian can’t please everyone in the room. If the audience liked the performance and their type of humor they would go back for more and the ones who frowned wouldn't consider doing that.” This was the paragraph that I had written in my initial DW entry. Over the past 3 months when we have covered our funny unit, my thought about the statement that I had made changed a bit. I do think that people can express their opinions while being funny but is it really worth it to hurt someone in the process? Being funny to unify people is the best way to go. Humor can offend people and it can also make them self-conscious. Sometimes offending people lowers their self esteem and makes them believe that they are smaller than someone else. Attacking different groups of people through humor and stereotyping them is not right. We as human beings should make sure that we aren't responsible for someone else feeling low, be it one person or an entire group of people. In some cases, attacking a certain group of people such as a religion or even an ideology can bring others closer together; the one’s which have the same mentality. It all depends on which end of the string a person wants to stand on. I think it’s the funniest when I’m in a room full of people who are watching the show, and the comedian is funny in general. A comedian, who doesn't talk about cultures, ideologies and religion. A comedian, who respects people’s ideas and just wants his audience to have a good time.

Image taken from google: "http://cdn2.dailyuw.com/sites/default/files/images/racist%20WEB.full.jpg"

 Whether or not we personally believe there should be “ethics” to comedy

Initially, I thought that comedy should not have ethics and anything is good. But when the days had gone by, I realized that ethics plays an extremely important role in comedy.  There are many things which we keep close to our hearts and if anything attacks it, we feel hurt. We all have different views and different ideologies. I remember when I was against something, and if people were against it too and they made fun of it, I felt better about it and It did make me laugh. When someone else made fun of something I believed in or I liked, it wasn't funny to anymore. When this year began, I only thought of one side of the string which was making fun of something which I didn't personally like, but as the months went by, I experienced the other side which was when someone made fun of something I believe in. Ethics is important when it comes it comedy. It’s not about keeping opinions to oneself because people can voice their opinions but making fun of it is another story. We shouldn't make fun of people’s ideas and beliefs.  More and more people should understand that so the world would be a much more peaceful place to live on.

Image taken from google: "http://www.cmk.me.uk/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/comedy-620x250.jpg"

Comedic Genres and Devices comedians/performers use. 

There are many different types of genres that comedians use to perform. My favorite genres are sitcom, props as well as improvs. These are my favorite because I feel comfortable working with these. Improvs and sitcom/sketch comedy is complete opposites of each other since in improv people just go with flow and get support from the other person to build up the scene. In Sketch / Sitcoms, the scenes are planned and memorized. Over the coarse of the funny unit, I never thought I would like it since I love being funny but just during conversations. I like making people laugh but this was the first time ever that I was told to make a group of people laugh. It was really different for me but as the weeks went by i got more comfortable with it. Some of the comedic devices that I am fond of are pun and overstatement. I think they are both really funny devices and puns are really subtle but they do the job. Overstatement is also really funny to me and I usually do it when I'm around my friends. I've gotten much more comfortable with the other comedic devices over the course of this unit and it has really helped me develop theater skills.

Image taken from Google: "http://alloveralbany.com/images/Theater%20Sports%20Poster.jpg"

 Improv comedy rules and skills and games and the tradition of Theatre Sports.

There are a few basic improving rules which I had trouble with but I overcame after the unit.

1) Don't Deny

Denial is the number one reason most scenes go bad. Any time you refuse an offer made by your partner your scene will almost instantly come to a end. This was the biggest problem I had when we just started doing improv. This is because I used to always deny what my partner said which would instantly end the scene. Afterwards I started accepting the scene and working towards building it up. I realized that I had accomplished this when we played ABC at the end. At first during ABC, i had a tough time but afterwards I started 

2) Don't ask open ended Questions

Open ended questions (like "Who are you?") are scene killers because they force your partner to stop whatever they are doing and come up with an answer. This was another big problem that I faced. I used to always ask my partner a question at first which would leave them thinking and wasting time. Improvs are usually fast. After doing improvs a few times and learning about it fully, I started to ask fast statement. I also tried help building the scene and avoided making any blocks along the story line.

Theater sports are basically sports which are played based on improvisation. In these games there are usually players playing against each other to make the other person mess up. In some cases they are played to build a story through improvisation. The hardest theatre sport for me was definitely the ABC game as well. I always had trouble thinking on the fly with that, remembering each letter of the alphabet was even harder. But I knew that with practice and commitment I could do the sport properly. I know at the end when Armin and I performed the ABC game in front of everyone it wasn't as bad as I expected. I guess I just needed a little bit of confidence to help me overcome the disastrous performance those we had the week before. 

Sketch Comedy and Stand-Up Comedy performance.

In class we had option to choose between standup comedy or group sketches. I chose do a group sketch with Ayat. The reason for my decision was because comedy is neither one of our strong points. Throughout the unit, even though we both improved as comedians, we thought it would be better for us to do a group sketch rather than a standup. In a group sketch I think there is less pressure on us to make the audience laugh and there are less awkward pauses if the audience is not pleased.

There were a few methods we used to come up with our group sketch. Initially we were looking at websites for good comedy sketches. Those were of no use because they were too long and most of them required more than two people. Thus we went on YouTube and looked for funny sketches. A “Punny” sketch particularly interested us since Ayat and I chuckled throughout the video, thus we planned on using it. 

During the rehearsal process we had a mixture of challenges and good segments as well. Firstly Ayat and I enjoy working thus we were quite balanced when we operated. It was never one sided and I never felt that I had to drag this work on. The challenges we faced were the fact that the original sketch  had two men with British accents. After rehearsing many times we realized that neither of us were good at it. Thus we looked at different accents, which was quite time consuming. Plus memorizing the script was a little challenging since there are some twists in the wording. Other than these challenges, everything worked well.

There were a few specific personal performances choices that I chose which were not in the original sketch. Firstly, I acted as an old man who had hearing problems. Thus I had to make my physicality slow and act as if I was little annoyed at everything. Also, we chose an Indian accent for this scene rather than a British accent since it would make it funnier and also because neither of us could pull of a British accent. I used some gestures in this sketch whilst I was talking about the dongle. I had a quite understated facial expression since I was an old man and it worked to build the scene up. I made these choices for my performance since it would add up well together as a whole scene. An old Indian man with hearing aid makes a good combination for a funny group sketch.

 Rough Draft Performance

During our rough draft performances, I honestly thought it was much better than I had anticipated. I was nervous throughout the whole rehearsal stage and I thought I would definitely fumble up. There were a few things which didn’t work well in our performance for example, I had a hard time staying in character and keeping my accent stable throughout the scene. Also, I think I mentioned the word “Dude” while asking the shopkeeper a question .It may seem normal at first but then I realized that Grandparents do not really say “Dude”.  I remember during the beginning of our sketch, Ayat had forgotten her lines so I tried to gesture her a few things in sign language to help her out. After a few seconds she did remember but that was a big fumble in the scene. Even though we did not have real fruits for our rough draft, we would surely bring real fruits for the final performance to have the proper sketch. Some of the good things in our sketch were that we did tweak the original but it was for the better. I felt that the Indian accent and the pronunciation of our words did have humor. I’m glad we chose this sketch since the pun about technology used as fruits is quite clever. The audience enjoyed it as well.

There are a few goals that I can set for my final performance.  I thought these of after getting critical feedback from the audience as well as Ms. Kimi. Firstly there were a lot of pauses in the middle since we didn’t have our lines memorized well enough. Therefore to fix this problem we need to practice the script over and over again to make sure that we know it by heart. Secondly, we were told that we supported each other well thus we are going to continue doing so. Thirdly, we need to keep composure during our scenes and not laugh or loose focus. Fourthly we need to set up the scene better since last time my face could not be seen properly as I faced slightly away from the audience view. Lastly I need to act more like a grandfather and incorporate hearing problems and slow physicality to make the scene more real. Also, Ayat and I need to keep our accents constant throughout the whole scenes and not change it.

After our final performances I felt that I was much more confidant and I had my lines memorized properly. We brought the real fruits as planned and the performance went well. Even thought we got a better response beforehand form the audience since we were re-telling the same jokes. As I have mentioned in my rough draft performances, the original script was tweaked and our accents changed to make the scene better. Ayat and I were confidant this time and the performance went quite well.
After getting the feedback from Ms. Kimi, we failed to improve on one aspect of our performance from the rough draft, which was facing the audience. This time Ayat and I had tried our best to face the audience but since we had to face each other in a conversation, it was quite hard for us to incorporate it. Also, we could have had more exaggerated facial expressions during some of the punch lines to make it funnier. Something Ayat and I practiced the most was keeping our accents constant throughout the whole sketch and I thought we did a good job. During our rough draft we gained feedback from the audience about being confused since the accents changed but we improved on it. Lastly, I was told to act more of a grandfather and show it in an obvious way, thus I chose to hold a walking stick and very slow gestures. Also, I incorporated hearing problems in the scene as given to us from the previous feedback. Lastly, as mentioned before, we used real fruits this time, which tied the whole performance together.

My overall feeling for this performance was great. This specific performance has made me more confident. I have become a better performer since the beginning of the year and after gaining feedback I always want to improve on my skills. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this performance and hopefully I will be much better next time.

 Final Performance

After our final performances I felt that I was much more confidant and I had my lines memorized properly. We brought the real fruits as planned and the performance went well. Even thought we got a better response beforehand form the audience since we were re-telling the same jokes. As I have mentioned in my rough draft performances, the original script was tweaked and our accents changed to make the scene better. Ayat and I were confidant this time and the performance went quite well.
After getting the feedback from Ms. Kimi, we failed to improve on one aspect of our performance from the rough draft, which was facing the audience. This time Ayat and I had tried our best to face the audience but since we had to face each other in a conversation, it was quite hard for us to incorporate it. Also, we could have had more exaggerated facial expressions during some of the punch lines to make it funnier. Something Ayat and I practiced the most was keeping our accents constant throughout the whole sketch and I thought we did a good job. During our rough draft we gained feedback from the audience about being confused since the accents changed but we improved on it. Lastly, I was told to act more of a grandfather and show it in an obvious way, thus I chose to hold a walking stick and very slow gestures. Also, I incorporated hearing problems in the scene as given to us from the previous feedback. Lastly, as mentioned before, we used real fruits this time, which tied the whole performance together.

My overall feeling for this performance was great. This specific performance has made me more confident. I have become a better performer since the beginning of the year and after gaining feedback I always want to improve on my skills. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this performance and hopefully I will be much better next time.

My growth as a comedian

Image taken from Google: "http://www.visionnoblesville.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/GREEN-GROWTH.jpg"

Comedy and being funny in front of people wasn’t really my thing. When I got into drama and I found out that my first unit was Comedy, It did make me cringe a little bit. I always had the fright in me that I wouldn’t be able to make people laugh and I would make a fool out of myself. When we started to play the theatre sports, I enjoyed playing it but I knew I had a long way to go to improve in them fully. I could see slight improvement in myself after I started getting the hang of the games and as we kept on playing them over and over. There were challenges that I faced which I have mentioned above, such as blocking offers during improvs or asking questions instead of statements. I realized that in comedy, it’s best to not try too hard. If we try hard to make people laugh, we often leave them more expressionless. I realized when Shubham was acting as an old man during one of our theater sports, it was really simple but everyone laughed at it. Whereas when I over exaggerated a statement and made unnecessary movements, no one in the audience laughed. Also, comedy and improvising has taught me a skill which would help me any other subject, even in daily life which is: To think fast! Sometimes in comedy if we don’t think fast then it completely ruins a scene. The scare of a scene being ruined has forced me to always think fast during improvs and theater sports. I know this will help me a lot in life. Over the course of this unit, I did have a few quarrels with my class mates over work being done and our ideas didn’t match but at the end it all worked out.  I am looking forward to the next unit in drama!

Work cited:

"Examples of Hyperboles." Examples of Hyperboles. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. <http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-hyperboles.html>.

"Examples of Irony." Examples of Irony. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Mar. 2014. <http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-irony.html>.

"5 Basic Improv Rules." 5 Basic Improv Rules. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Mar. 2014. <http://improvencyclopedia.org/references/5_Basic_Improv_Rules.html>.

A Memory of Lizzie Borden: Evaluation

*Evaluation*

The role of a designer in theater production. 

The play that we worked on in class throughout this unit was called A Memory of Lizzie Borden. The play was set during the Victorian era and it is horror/mystery play, based on a true story. The basic plot of the play is that the main character Lizzie Borden, murders her parents with an axe. In this play we had an option to be a costume designer or a set designer. I chose to be a set designer since I thought it would me more enjoyable. Before starting this unit, I knew a little about set designing. I thought it was basically the designers going to the store and picking out materials for the set. I never new in dept what the designers actually do in order to make the set the way it should be. After this unit I learned the importance of a set designer and here are some reasons why:
The role of a designer in a theatrical production is crucial for the play to even go on. People might think the actors and the script writer is the most important segment of the entire play; they are wrong. Without the designers, the play would be terrible because it would not be set the way it should the actors and actresses would not look in context. Think about it this way, what if you entered a modern film such as Star Wars which was based in the future and the set and the costumes of the play were from the 17th century. It would be terribly weird. Or even a Shakespeare play where modern teenagers are wearing skirts and tops with the background music of Justin Bieber. Again, it would not be right. The designers are the base of a whole production and they are essential and vitally important in every theatrical production.

Design process theatrical designers use when designing a production:

To help us creating our product and our final designs we followed the design cycle as reference. The design cycle composes of a few parts. There’s investigating, planning, creating and evaluating. Following the design cycle is essential since each part helps in building the next segment of the product and at the end it brings the product together as a whole.

The design cycle. This picture is taken from Google. "https://joinerd.wikispaces.com/file/view/design_cycle_picture.jpg/181797395/design_cycle_picture.jpg"

The first step of making our set was to investigate about what the play was about. I read the script a few times and looked for information that would give me a better idea of what the era was. I looked for hints of the type of homes they used to live in, their social status, different scenes where they talk and interact etc.
This is a table, which includes the page numbers of where I found information about the set from the script.

Scenic reference from script	Page #	Research task
“small American schoolyard – Massachusetts in about 1871/2.”	9	Find pictures and descriptions of small American schoolyards of period.
"The other's disperse around the playground area"	10	Find pictures of playgrounds from 1860s
"Lizzie Borden finally excused herself and went down stairs taking the cat with her"	14	Find pictures of Lizzie's Basement
"Lizzie was in her room with her friends"	14	Find pictures of 1860's houses.
" City Hall bell ringing eleven o' clock"	19	Pictures of churches from 1800's
" I went to the sitting room"	21	Sitting rooms from the 1800's
"In the ground, at the churchyard"	25	Find pictures of churchyards where the kids play funerals.
"In the ground, at the churchyard"	10	Find pictures of Fall river.

Lizzie Borden play took place in the late 1800s thus I searched for furniture and home decor around that time. Also, since the play was not short, there would not be enough time to change the set every time a scene changed thus I decided to do it on a unit set. A unit set is basically a stage where they are different segments of the stage where different scenes take place. I divided my stage into 3 different parts, the basement, Lizzie Borden's home as well as the playground. The set was going to take place on a proscenium stage. 

This is a picture of a proscenium stage. The picture is taken from Google: "http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KrCBXJJRYcs/UTBApT9DAvI/AAAAAAAAABI/wm2yv2dtrT0/s1600/proscenium+stage.jpg"

This is an example outline of a proscenium stage. This image is taken from Google : "http://blogs.swa-jkt.com/swa/10474/files/2012/11/proscenium.jpeg"

 

Afterwards I searched for the color combination that I would want the play to be based on. Neutral colors such as brown and yellow ochers would be perfect for the scenes since it shows alight mystery and horror. Bright colors symbolizes happiness and positiveness in a sense and for this play I wanted to stay away from that. Even though I would use the color red to show horror and gore symbolically.

These are the type of colors that I will be using. Picture taken from Pinterest "http://www.pinterest.com/pin/505529126894349747/"

After figuring the scenes out I searched for them in the context of 1860s.Since the play did mention any seasonal references, I decided that the play would take place around fall since that would give the scene and much creepier feel. The leaves of the trees would fall giving the branches shadows on the sets. Plus a tree without leaves looks scarier in general to me.

This is an example of the fencing around her house.This picture is taken from Pinterest. "http://www.pinterest.com/pin/505529126894348831/" 

This is an example of the trees without leaves. It looks very creepy. This picture is taken from Pinterest. "http://www.pinterest.com/pin/505529126894349080/"

This is an example of a playground.This picture is taken from www.pinterest.com

I searched playgrounds and basements too since the children in the play spend most of their time there.. I decided that the playground would have only one slide so that it would give more room for the characters to spread out and talk. One slide also symbolizes a playground but with less equipment, intern cutting the cost

Birds eye view of my set. Author's own image.

Front elevation of my set ( Basement, playground and Lizzies house). Author's own image.

After making the first rough draft we went on the second and draft, which was colored. This draft shows the front elevation view of the view that the audience will be seeing from the stage. As I mentioned in my investigation, I used all neutral colors, even for the slide. This makes the set look much creepier and has a mysterious vibe to it.

Author's own image.

The last segment that we worked on was making a white model of the sketches we made to show a 3D model. This would give my director a better understanding of what exactly I was trying to show.I made the white model using Styrofoam and bobby pins to hold the props in place.

Author's own image

Evaluation of my work

The design unit for this year was quite enjoyable. I learned a lot of new things and I can honestly say that I have gained more respect for costume and set designers. I understood and realized that it takes a lot of hard work creating even once piece of costume or even finding out and making one segment of a set design. Since I did a unit set, my job was easier that a set with different scenes which would interchange.
During my investigation stage, I didn't slack off and I had a great time in researching on these different props from the Victorian era.  This increased my general knowledge of the furniture, materials and the living conditions around that time which intern helping me in making my product. I would say that my investigation stage was quite strong. This made a good base in starting my product and deciding what to do later on. The investigation was extremely helpful since I could refer back to it while coloring anything when making my sketches or the placements and the props I would use. It also helped me in designing what each part would look like and it made the other segments of the design cycle much easier for me. 
Creating the first draft which included my birds eye and top view of my stage was quite simple for me since I had my investigation as reference. I knew straight away where I would place everything since I researched it beforehand. This helped me in making my second draft.
Making the second draft was quite challenging because I had trouble drawing from the perspective of the audience. I had to draw it twice since my primary second draft had terrible perspective. The next second draft was not perfect but it was better than the last one. even thought I knew what to draw and where to place everything, perspective and making the director understand what the set was going to look like is quite difficult. This was one of the challenges that I faced in this design segment.
The most challenging segment for me was making the 3D model. I had a hard time finding our resources to make the product. Later on I used white Styrofoam. I realized halfway though making the model that the glue that I used does to stick to Styrofoam thus I used bobby pins to hold the set equipment’s in place. There were many trial and error moments in this segment and it was also quite time consuming. I realized that I had not thought out what I was going to make it with which made it a hassle afterwards. Even thought I knew where everything would go, it was still quite difficult.
All in all, I enjoyed this unit. I learned tons of new information about the hands on work that takes place while making a play. It’s not just about the actors and the script, it’s about the whole production, design and directors work which builds it to perfection. I must say that after doing this unit, I have gained a lot of respect for the designers behind the stage. I would say that their job is the hardest and the most important after the director themselves.