Hamilton has changed the way we view theatre in the 21st century. Although its style is not necessarily new it has introduced a form of theatre that attracts individuals with all kinds of interests- whether it be music (rap/hip-hop), individuals that like educational theatre or generally plays themselves as it is exceptional. I worry that this will create a need for theatre to transform in a way that makes the theatre going experience more engaging. Miranda uses sophisticated language with a steady rhythm making you nod your head along with the beat as you catch every word he speaks, there is something with rhythm that grabs our attention. This sets the bar higher for future productions on Broadway, audiences will need to be more physically entertained- this may not be hard to keep up with as we have technology advancing at a rapid rate.

Theatre has indeed changed many ways throughout the course of history. As time passes different generations join those who create plays and different performances. With these newer additions come new ideas and approaches. Examples have been seen with Phantom of the Opera and Hairspray. Most recently I believe there is a shift in modern theatre with the introduction of Hamilton. These plays although timeless when initially created they welcome a style that although is not popular. it is very adaptable to its current audience in regards to the popular music whether it be Opera, Rock or Hip hop.

I am glad we had the opportunity to have a scavenger hunt for class. Being my first one, I found myself paying attention to things I usually walk right past. I enjoy looking up and walking trying to find something new everyday but when I had to find certain items I found myself dissecting the environment around me. Asking questions with the people that seemed from the area (ex: NYU and its historical theatre). There is much history in the city that we live in and unfortunately most of the time we don’t think about it. We don’t have time to do things that we don’t need to do. If I didn’t need to, I wouldn’t have found a restaurant themed theatre or known where the players club is located. I definitely got more familiar with the city I’m from and appreciative that I had to do it.

Hamilton is indeed a revolutionary musical play. There isn’t anything new that is introduced in regards to style or production but what is intriguing is the fact that he takes modern day’s hip hop popularity into advantage. Miranda incorporates education into his flow giving the audience two things to pay attention to- His rhyming scheme and the plot of the story. Rhythm is something all people find interesting, although we have different preferences it is an internationally understood language. I wouldn’t be able to categorize Hamilton- it is an educational musical with sophisticated language and with the use of tones/emphasis on different parts this continues to grasp attention.

Our visit to the museum of NYC was a great experience. Not only have I not visited a museum in a pretty long time but I also had the great opportunity of learning about Yiddish theater, which was a huge attraction in the past. I’d like to share an interesting fact that I learned from browsing the exhibit. We understand that Yiddish was a great attraction so this comes along with the massive mixed audience. A challenge that I didn’t think would exist in Yiddish theatre would be the fact that actresses had to be aware of how they were portrayed. For example, the creators of Milk and Honey starring Molly Picon time and time again emphasized that they did not want the character to be “too Jewish for the American audience or too American for the Jewish audience.” Keeping this middle line between the both is indeed a challenge, one that perhaps may have attributed to her being such a successful actress.

Viewing the set templates as little cardboard models and extravagant costumes showed how sophisticated Yiddish theatre was. In a few of the drawings a class mate also pointed out that there were three entrances to the stage which may be a custom adopted from Roman Theatre.

Professor Caplan thank you for this opportunity, hope the class and yourself enjoyed the trip as well!

Kathakali seems like a very sophisticated style of theatre. The audience is required to pay full attention in order to understand the story through the hand gestures which i’m sure has taken years and years of practice, communicating through motion is no easy task. This style also seems very cultivated, from the costumes being different colors with multiple layers to the facial expressions/make-up it is clear this is an ancient style of story telling.

Also interesting how the hand gestures are still present in todays indian dance styles, growing up with sisters that enjoyed Bollywood I wondered why they were so active with hand gestures. At a multi-cultural concert at a young age I was told by an indian friend that they communicate through hand gestures. Perhaps this is where the style was adopted from.

Why is it that Drama theatre exists in majority religions? Theatre has a way of getting messages across and transferring emotions- there is a truth in seeing which leads to believing. Majority religions are perceived through text, perhaps being perceived through theatre is more persuasive?