Show Blogs

A commonly used and widely known idiom is “history repeats itself” and the production of Daisy by Sean Devine and directed by Jeffrey Bracco at the Hillbarn Theatre in Foster City, California showed how true that is the moment you stepped in the door of the theater. The show is a full experience immediately, from the 50s and 60s music playing throughout the building to the photos of old war and modern political propaganda that bear eerie resemblances to one another adorning the lobby walls. The experience continues once you get into the actual theater space, as expected. The set was wonderfully crafted with props, colors, and designs that make you feel like you have stepped into a time machine. A directorial choice I adored was the separation of spaces on the stage. Taken directly from the Hillbarn Theatre website, the summary of the show is “Daisy is a compelling and provocative drama that delves into the power of media and the impact of political advertising. Set during the 1964 U.S. presidential campaign, the play centers around the creation of the infamous ‘Daisy’ television ad, which forever changed the landscape of political marketing. Through the eyes of a talented ad team, the story explores themes of manipulation, fear, and the quest for power. With its sharp dialogue and intense performances, Daisy offers a riveting exploration of how media can shape public perception and the course of history, making it a thought-provoking experience for contemporary audiences.” Due to the need for multiple office settings and locations, there were no set changes to be made throughout the show as each space had its own section of the stage already established from the top of the show marked by changes in lighting, floor design, and wall design. This made for amazing contextualization of the set, story, characters, and overall ambience of the show. 

Speaking of context, the show began with videos in color of real, modern political advertisements beginning with the Trump administration and continuing back until the film turned black and white and we landed in 1964. The video furthered what was shown in the lobby, history does indeed repeat itself and it’s striking to watch that happen right before your eyes. There were multiple videos playing on the projector and through a television on the set with a live feed, for some moments, throughout the show, one of which was the original “Daisy” advertisement that the show was about. While the program doesn’t cite having a dramaturg on the production, in talking with the cast and director after the show, it is clear everyone involved did their dramaturgical duty when developing the concept for this show. In Chapter 5 of Twyla Tharp’s The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life, she talks about having an organizational system for when developing a new creative project, saying that hers is a box you can find at Office Depot for filing papers. The box is meant to hold all the benchmarks and ideas from your creative journey to ensure that not a detail is forgotten. I would love to see what this team’s boxes were like. Tharp says that while the box is not a replacement for the actual creative project, it is meant to inspire and keep you going. It is a reference point for you, your soil to grow, and the library of all your research, “Your box is proof that you have prepared well. If you want to know how any creative project will turn out, your box’s contents are as good a predictor of success or failures as anything I know” (90). While I wish I could look at the Daisy creative team’s box, I know that its contents would indeed have predicted the success that it was.

Archbishop Mitty High School is widely recognized for its success in Athletics and Performing Arts, producing many top tier athletes and performers including Kerri Walsh-Jennings, Brandi Chastain, Aaron Gordon, Isabella Esler, Conor Sherry, and Myha’la Herrold to name a few. I was fortunate enough to have attended the college preparatory for all four years of high school and to be part of its renowned theatre program. Due to my intimate understanding of the program, it was no surprise to me that the quality of shows has continued to be top tier and then some, leaving me always proud of my alma mater. The program gave me all the necessary tools and preparation to enter a college theatre program where I am studying acting, playwriting, and directing. I love attending shows and consuming many media forms to garner inspiration and find ways to improve upon my craft. In chapter 6 of Twyla Tharp’s book The Creative Habit: Learn It And Use It For Life, she talked about the idea of scratching, which “is what you do when you can’t wait for the thunderbolt to hit you” (Tharp, 2003, p. 98). Scratching is there for you to creatively observe and gather inspiration from other art when you are struggling to come up with those ideas for yourself.

Cursed Child takes place 19 years after the iconic golden trio graduates from Hogwarts and are now parents and working wizards themselves. The lighting and special effects were some of the best that I’ve seen. They had flawless magical illusions of the change in appearances caused by “polyjuice potion” and “transfiguration” spells with fog and cannons paired with extremely well timed and choreographed switches done by the cast. There was one scene in particular where the children of classic Harry Potter characters use “polyjuice potion” to disguise themselves as Harry, Ron, and Hermione to break into the “Ministry of Magic” offices, only to find that the real Harry and Hermione are approaching, as they work for the Ministry. In a frantic attempt to escape, the three actors put cloaks on and scatter in all directions, then run back on stage realizing the way they each went wouldn’t work and run different ways. They run back on a second time, however, this is where the real stage magic happens, there are two body doubles in for the “polyjuice” versions of Harry and Hermione, running off one side of the stage right when the original Harry and Hermione actors can now reenter the stage as their original characters. This in addition to the movement portions were major scratches for me.I am currently working on the devised piece, “Overhead, a Skylark Called” with Brian Thorstenson and find myself often struggling to work on movement scenes. “When you’re in scratching mode, the tiniest microcell of an idea will get you going” (Tharp, 2003, p. 99). When I saw both performances of Cursed Child, I was definitely in scratching mode. Looking for any sort of inspiration on how to build a more abstract scene. I feel I definitely found it in this. Magic is so inherently abstract I knew that I would find great inspiration from the movement and illusions created for my own work.