Metamorphosis Play Analysis

1.     Theater in Context-

a.     How did it relate to your culture?

• In the sense that this play was a metaphor, I felt like if the family symbolized the United States, and Gregor symbolized anything new. In my opinion, I believe there would first be chaos. The play portrayed this chaos when the family saw Gregor’s transformation for the first time. Nobody would know what to do and all reacted differently.

b.      How did it relate to other cultures?

• Metamorphosis related to other cultures by the way they may react to various situations. For example, something “new” or different could be a transgender female. This transgender female would probably be treated differently in a very conservative cultural in comparison to a liberal one. As the transgender becomes more comfortable in their own skin, some may continue to hurt her (when Gregor’s father hurts him).

c.       How did it relate to society today? Your personal world?

• I think it relates to my culture in the sense that we ignore, fear, and are curious about the things we don’t understand. I think each family member symbolized an emotion that one feels when they experience something new. For example, the father could represent ignore, the mother, fear; and the sister, curiosity.

2.     Theatre Processes-

a.     What processes were used to interpret/translate/adapt the play for the audience in terms of script and performers?

• During the transformation (of when Gregor becomes an insect), the ensemble formed a line. Instead of simply using a costume to transform human Gregor into an insect, they used language as well.  

3.     Presentation-

a.     How was the story communicated?

• The story was communicated through movement and language. For some of the actors, they started out primarily on their movements and evolved into only using language. For others, it was the complete opposite. They started out using language to communicate and eventually only used dramatic movements.

b.      How was it presented?

• The stage that the story was presented on was shaped uniquely. The audience was very close to the stage. The struggle with the audience being so close to stage, is that it’s much easier to lose the illusion. However, since the illusion required the audience’s imagination, being that close didn’t make that much of a difference. The story also visualized Gregor’s dreams.

c.      What was the role of the set design?

• The set design used minimalism. The stage changed numerous times, simply by changing the position of a piece of furniture. For example, in the beginning, the bed was just a bed. However, later the bed became a train with wheels made of umbrellas. Minimalism really emphasized the key ideas that the performers portrayed.

d.      Use of media?

• At of one point of the play, the actors starting singing “I’ll be there,” by Michael Jackson. It was very random and used as an element to surprise the audience.

e.      Lighting?

• During the transitions, the stage would blackout sometimes. This let the audience know that the stage was changing. There was also a spotlight used. The spotlight told the audience that something important was going to happen.

f.       What was the response of the audience?

• The audience was surprised by how much the ensemble could do with few items on stage. The performers were always changing the stage and making something new. They always managed to surprise the audience and open their minds to a new perspective.

g.     What was the impact and the intention of the performance?

• The intention of the performance was to open different perspectives and reveal human instincts.

Think as artists and ask:

4. What influences and inspirations might you use in your work as:

a.     performer

• The energy on stage was incredibly strong. I learned that while working together, each performer really needs to be aware of each other’s movement. I really enjoyed watching each actor’s facial expression. Although there were subtitles, their facial expressions really expressed every emotion they felt.

b.     creator

• I really liked how light the play was. Even though the novel was originally written as kind of a depressing book, the creator managed to add sparks of humor and a peaceful ending.

c.      designer

• I liked how they used minimalism. In my opinion, I think one of the hardest parts of creating a play (or a movie) based off a novel, most people will try to imitate everything. By using minimalism, each individual in the audience is obliged to use their imagination to create the setting themselves.  

d.     director

• To avoid the play to becoming dead theatre, I liked how they used the ensemble and language during Gregor’s transformation. The director could have easily used a costume of a bug, but then the audience would have always only seen a man inside a costume. Instead, the director used quotes from the novel and the ensemble as whole to reveal the change that was happening.

·      What do I learn as an artist from this play?

• I learned that minimalism isn’t boring. Due to my lack of experience, I had never been to a play that used minimalism. As a visual artist, detail is everything. Even in modern art, whether it be the shape, color, or size, there was something that made it special. I learned that, similar to modern art, sometimes it’s the story that is the most valuable thing one can take away from an experience.

·      What works and what doesn’t work and why?

• In general, I thought there was a really good balance of everything. The flow (written in the director’s notes of the pamphlet) was very interesting. I really liked how the actors relied a lot on the movements, but as the play continues, language becomes the dominant source of communicating the play. However, instead, the family works backwards in terms of using language first and ending with movements. I thought this was a very clever way of tying its original form as a novel with an unique play.

·      What do I learn about gesture/movement/face/body and voice?

• I learned that the audience can feel the energy giving off by the performers. The change in gestures and movement hinted to the audience a new character was going to be born. The dreams were very vivid and full of life. The pace that the actors were moving were also interesting to observe. Similar to music, the stronger the pianissimo, the stronger the fortissimo. This being said, in theatre, the slower one may walk will have a great reaction if all of sudden they start walking incredibly fast. The pace and speed can change the setting in an instant.

·      What do I learn from the use of mis en scene?

• I learned that mis en scene is extremely important. One minute the door is just a door, and the next, the door is like a window to another scene. It was very interesting to watch and captured the audience's attention.  

·      What did the director do to have an impact and intention?

• The director’s choice of changing the character flow and the transitions really impacted the speed everything was revealed. I really like how he distinctly differentiated the flow for the minor and major roles. In my opinion, I believe that by making the family’s flow start with language and end with movements, it revealed a hidden message. It kind of reminded me of how sometimes people will work backwards instead of forwards, and how this close mindess way of thinking can create limitations.