Water by the spoonful Day 1

09/16/21

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I thoroughly enjoyed this play. I felt as if it offered a real and raw storytelling of addiction and the way that it affects not only the addicts but also the people in their lives. This play had an amazing production team, all of the elements were well thought out and contributed meaning to the play. I also thought that the actors did an amazing job of portraying their characters, especially being able to act with the distinction between online and real life. The first part I noticed was the way that the stage was set up, it started out at ground level with platforms on either side and the farther upstage the higher the platforms would get. I think that this production element aided the actors immensely. The different platforms helped distinguish the website because everyone would stay on “their own” platforms. It was cool how the director was able to utilize these platforms to distinguish that they were online and even though it was never in your face that they were online, it was obvious. I also like how when one of the characters on the forum, usually Orangutan, was upset they would cross the platforms onto the character’s platform that they were upset with. I feel like this shows emotion very well because while the actors never touch and still maintain the online presence they were able to show how frustrated they were by crossing the platforms. I thought that the colors used in the play were very intentional and characterized the actors well. For example Orangutan was always wearing some shade of orange and her chair was bright orange. This shows her vitality and high energy personality. I think that this was an interesting color to choose for her because she also struggles with addiction, but I think the orange represents the way that she chooses to deflect attention away from her problems with her high energy. Another example of this was Chutes and Ladders who was always framed in beiges and browns which reflects the monotony of his desk job. This is in deep contrast to his addiction which is out of control and spontaneous compared to his in control and boring desk job. I think that the fact that Fountainhead introduced himself alone with no one else on stage speaks volumes to the audience that he has no true community and he feels very alone. So far I enjoy this play and I think it is really cool!