Micro and Macro Statement

There were many things I was able to learn to help myself better understand the play and things that would also help my actors better understand certain situations as well as character improvement. There were many ideas that I wanted to research from Education, to Mental Hospitals, to mental illness , price of living and Red Sox games.

My first section that includes pictures for me was ideas that I could bring to my actors from the first rehearsal have something they can visually see. I added pictures of how I wanted the final set to look, based off of other sets I have seen. The play itself gives ideas on where certain doors should be and how things should look (pg 3.) on the stage and I would like to keep those ideas in the show. I also offered pictures for each character such as a spider man tie for Lucien to show that even as an adult he has very child like behaviors. I have pictures of the beautiful landscape that Arnold mentions on several occasions (pg 37) so that they know what it is he is refereeing to as well as a photo of where Moscow is in Russia and how far it really is. Among many other pictures to better help actors understand how to progress as a character through the show.

My Macro views were quiet at large, I included major events such as tax cuts because in the show the men are in a state where money is a viable source which is why Jack is so angry about the groceries at the beginning of the show (pg 7 ), in the same category I included the major inflation costs and the costs of living in America. I included major events such as the U.S. embassy bombing because of Arnold and his attempts to really want to visit Russia would impact his character I believe in many different ways, perhaps change his outlook on visiting Russia for the time. Lastly, I included the Challenger explosion. I know it could be stretching it but I found this and thought it interesting because it had such a huge effect on people and how they continued to view life, similar to how we came together for the World Trade Centers. It is not mentioned in the play but I think that getting the mindset of how people were thinking in the 1980s is a very important thing for an actor to follow and this is a major event that should be in the head if they want to successfully create the character of this time period.

I found some very amazing things in my Micro discoverings for Boston, Massachusetts in (June) 1983. I included research on Mental Hospitals being cut from funding because obviously the men in my show are in a house unit so they would not have to be in a Mental Hospital like the one I have listen in my Micro findings. Without the courts allowing the men to living in a safe living complex with a caretaker these men would be in a Mental Hospital but in 1983 in Boston cuts from funding were being made on these hospitals that removed many residents so I found this very interesting and it comes to play a huge role in the show. I included little things like the Red Sox win over the Yankees which is a huge deal in the baseball world and also to Arnold and Lucien who enjoy sports. I included that the Mayor running during this time was the first Black man to attempt running for Mayor in Boston and I have always wanted Lucien to be played by a black man, and if this were to be the case I think this would provide a very influential mentor for Lucien as a character. Other small things I included was Fathers day 1983, because these boys view Jack as father almost at this point, even when he leaves them at the end of the show, I wanted to know more about how fathers day was celebrated in 1983, if it was different or similar to today's celebration, so I also included that in my Micro research.

Overall I found an incredible amount of Micro and Macro research that I found use full not only as a Dramaturg and a Director but as an actor. I've always loved getting papers in my hand the first day of a rehearsal that helps me define a character, even the smallest of things like a spider man tie, or what Mental Hospitals were going through in 1983. I think that without the research done the show would still be a great show, but it wouldn't be a accurate show, the characters wouldn't be living in 1983 but would just be putting on a show in the present time.