7 May 2018
Play’s overall theme/message?
I believe that the overall message that Variations on the Death of Trotsky is attempting to convey is that reality is not a set construct. It’s a mixture of sadness, joy, hilarity, and seriousness. It’s different for every person and constantly changing. There isn’t one way to define reality and it certainly isn’t going to have its ups and downs. Whether it’s an ice pick or a mountain climber’s axe that’s stuck in your skull, take the notion of reality with a grain of salt. And maybe a painkiller or two.
Final thoughts about class:
I very much enjoyed the ability to learn about dramatic literature in the overarching way that we did in this class. No one at UNE knows theater better than Professor Ramey and being able to take a class with him in this topic was truly exciting. Even though I’ve been doing theater for eighteen years, I learned something new in this class each day. I, in no way shape or form, claim to be a theater expert – there are still shows I haven’t seen and topics I haven’t gone over – so being able to take a class that focused specifically on genres of theater and assets of dramatic literature was incredibly valuable to me. The one section I would ask for reconstruction on is the idea of filming the plays that we worked on. While I did enjoy the end projects, I thought the act of filming and editing video detracted from elements that we had looked at incorporating into our show due to the camera and equipment restraints and it took away the possibility to engage in the experience of live theater, which I’m partial to. Overall, though, I really do hope that this class is offered again in the future. It just might peak the interest of some unknown theater lover and lead to the next Hamilton. Well, maybe not on such a grand scale, but you get the point. 🙂
