SIDE A:

• You have to show or create a shipwreck on stage. How might you do that?
  • I would create a shipwreck on stage by first constructing broken down rooms/ceilings/walls, with wooden planks, pieces of glass, boxes, and ragged clothes.
• One character in your play is a spirit. How might you have a character as a spirit onstage?
  • Since spirits are mostly depicted in ghostly manner, I would have the actor wearing chiffon costume on. The actor will have a mystical makeup on to signify that they are a spirit. If possible, the use of smoke machine will be good as it will provide an atmosphere that demonstrates the spirit’s smooth movement.
• Another character is imprisoned in a rock. How would you show a character imprisoned in a rock?
  • The rock would be made up of a material that looks solid when seen from the front, but when seen from the back with light, it will show someone inside it.
• You have to portray ‘magic demon dogs’ that are unleashed onstage. How might you portray magic demon dogs (without using real dogs)?
  • I would use shadows to show the demon dogs. I would create props to shine the light on – in which the dogs will have demon ears – and move it around so that it looks like the dogs are magical; untouchable. Everything would be done behind a thin curtain, and the light will shine from behind it.
• What elements would you bring in to create a deserted island? What would you create? Describe how the audience would know that it is a deserted island.
  • I would use some typical symbols of a deserted island. A beach background, with only tiny amounts of bush, and a coconut tree. The floor will have some sand, and yellow-brownish color light shown to the stage . Because these are quite obvious things that audience imagine when thinking of a deserted island, the audience will directly know the setting of the scene.
• What challenges would you face when trying to create all of these elements in person, on stage, live, in front of an audience.
  • There are always unexpected outcomes during performances. Some of it could be related to technical errors, such as the elevating seat not working, and light not shining at the correct place.

SIDE B:

• “Inspiration” comes from many sources. Describe one source of inspiration for Julie Taymor when she was setting the scene for the play. 
  • One source of inspiration for Julie Taymor when she was setting the scene for the play was connecting everything to reality. For example, when she was planning the set up for the spirit Ariel and the deserted island scenery, she was always brought to the thought of “How can it be more real? How can an object come to life?”. This allowed the actors and actresses to interact with the set up and bring the most feasible solution.
• Describe one moment where you went “a-ha!” or “that is brilliant!” or “I never would have thought of that!” and describe how or why that moment stood out to you.
  • I was quite amazed at the Ariel scene. If I were the director, I would’ve only thought till the point of using chiffon laces on the spirit, and not much of the hands. However, from looking at Julie Taymor’s video, I have spotted how influential ones hand gestures can be. Just with the mixture of voice and hand gesture, it made the spirit seem like it actually existed, and had human characteristics.
• ‘Symbolism’ plays an important part of most theatre. This is different than ‘Literal’. Pick one moment or element that was represented “symbolically” as opposed to literally and describe it.
  • The Logs were a symbolism in the play. Literally, it was something that Caliban had been carrying for Prospero. On its symbolic side, it represented the enslavement. By Caliban throwing the log away, the audience will realize how Caliban is now liberated from the shadows of Prospero. Usually, a log would just be a piece of cut wood, but by giving such symbolisms, the log became an important part that helps the story to progress further, and help the audience to understand better.
• What would you change about the production (from what you saw) if you were filming it for movies or television?
  • If I were filming for movies or television, I would’ve changed the perspective of the cameras. Though I am going to put in full scene shots, I would have also put in cameras showing the character’s perspective. By doing this, the audience will feel more like that they are in the play, traveling alongside the protagonist. If it were on stage, this kind of technique won’t be possible because the audience are only allowed on full scene view. I would want to give a slight change, and play around with the perspectives throughout the production – to the extent that it will not interrupt the flow of the story.