Angela Sol Henson September 26, 2022

12 Arts and Design – HH Apprenticeship 8

Seth’s Anxiety Assignment

There are several aspects of the play I would change involving the direction and
acting choices, set design, costuming, makeup, lighting design, and sound design.
Overall, I enjoyed the play, even though there are some things I changed.

I did not enjoy the grandmother’s performance that much. It wasn’t convincing to
me, it seemed wonky in a way, and the way she’d enunciate words when she’d talk was
off to me. It was unnatural, so I would’ve coached her to act more naturally or teach her
how to enunciate properly. I think Seth’s acting was alright though, it reminded me of
the way Sam from Atypical or the Dear Evan Hansen kid would act, so it’s fitting to the
play in a way. I wish the mother and father acted more angrily before the physical fight,
but it was still pretty good. I believe all the other actors did well.

The set design was underwhelming to me. The backdrops were quite small, and
the stage didn’t feel filled. However, it’s understandable if it was low budget, but maybe
it could’ve been executed more creatively. I do prefer quite stylized set design though, so
I would’ve had a certain color scheme to stick to throughout the whole play as well as a
more minimalistic but full-feeling set. I also felt immediately that the set was placed too
far back on the stage so I would want it father up, but it may have been that way because
of the curtain placement or camera. Either way, I would’ve done more with the set if I
could’ve since it felt rather plain. The last set at the bus stop was quite nice though,
although it was simple, it looked nice.

I would like to know what kind of feel or aesthetic they were going for in the
costume design. The school character costumes were interesting, they reminded me of
Matilda, or those kinds of oddball characters in 1990s or 2000s children’s movies, so it
is fitting for the play. Personally, I liked the monochrome costumes so I would keep
them that way and do it for all, except for Seth since he’s the main character and he
needs to stand out.

There’s not much to say about the makeup, except I wouldn’t have gone for the
colored wigs unless it was for a monochrome costume. Otherwise, I would’ve kept the
hair natural and have gone for makeup that’d match monochrome costumes.

For the lighting design, it was quite alright. I think the part with flashing colors
while Seth was in bed should’ve been more dramatic, it should’ve been more saturated
in color or maybe like a spotlight since it seemed quite washed out. I liked the lighting
overall, but I wish the colored lights were more saturated or dramatic looking.

There’s not much to say about the sound design. However, I think the dismissal
bell was too loud and lasted a second too long. The Lunch Lady song was quite fun as
well, and I wish there was some more songs, or even just some jingles.

Despite all these changes, I enjoyed seeing the director’s vision come to life when
it comes to these directorial decisions and aesthetics. It was a fun experience.