Sunday, November 04, 2012
‘Pittsburgh Ghost Stories’ provides the chills and thrills
TribLIVE: Adults seeking a Halloween thrill without the horror-house excesses should enjoy the creepy delights of Bricolage Production Company’s latest offering.
As part of its “Midnight Radio” series, the ever-imaginative and inventive company is performing “Pittsburgh Ghost Stories” through Nov. 3.
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This is an inventive new way to look at Theatre. I love going to haunted houses and other events that invade your environment temporarily, but this year I found myself a bit bored and not that entertained by the childish acts put on. When going to such events I want to be taken on a journey that evokes feelings of uncertainty and transforms the world to a state of unfamiliarity, which from the article sounds as though such is achieved. I am very intrigued by this performance and would love to be able to experience it from an audience members perspective. This is something I haven't really ever heard of before and would to experience in the future. (mhmhmmm...PLAYGROUND?!?)
I saw a performance of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" done exactly like this, and I absolutely loved it. It's a much more simplistic version of theatre, made to appeal specifically to one sense. As your other senses are not used (there is nothing theatrical to see, and thus it is actually helpful to close your eyes to get the full sensation), your sense of hearing increases and thus you are capable of picking up the nuances of the performance and better appreciate the foley artistry and the actors' enunciation. I'm sorry I missed this ghost tale, it would have been nice to experience a story told like this again, when the performers are not trying to hide anything and everything is much more blunt.
It is awesome that the story is taking place in Pittsburgh. It definitely brings the audience further into the world of the play and really engages them in the action of the story. It also makes them think even more about what it would be like if those events really were to take place in their own town. The idea that the audience is encourages to close their eyes during the show is new to me but it is exciting because it pushes the sound designer's and the performers' limits even further to engage the audience more deeply without constant visual aid.
In a recent article I talked about my love for Halloween and haunted houses and scary movies and this performance piece also seems really interesting and like something I'd love to go see. It also seems like it's not really scary but more creepy and it seems like it is a very enticing prospect for the audience. Not to mention the show rakes immense inspiration from an old radio show which is so cool by itself. I love the old classic radio shows that people used to sit around the radio and listen to together and hopefully this show brings back the same feeling of those classic shows.
I find all the articles about the shows that are part of the "Midnight Radio" series so interesting, because while they are very much a theater performance, the basic concept that they rely on is audio instead of visual. This is so unusual in theater where all, performers and designers alike, translate so much of their ideas by visual means; this specific article mentions at the end how much more interesting it can to attend this performance and close your eyes, only taking in the sounds. This specific show does seem like something I'd wanna watch, and I feel like it makes sense for a "scary" show to be so audio-heavy; in scary movies, I often find myself put off by sounds more than what is on the screen.
I was recently hanging out with two friends watching shows like Ghost Hunters and such and I was completely shocked to find out that my friends believe in ghosts and that shows like that one exist. However, something like this intrigues me. It's interesting and all for fun. Nothing serious and all just for a great experience. This seems like something I'd much rather spend my time seeing than the nonsense that is displayed on the television.
The spirit of Halloween is extremely important to me so anything that is "new" to halloween is great to me! In Dallas theres always an annual christmas show at almost every theater around, so to have a halloween show is just a great idea for me! And i love that it takes place in Pittsburgh! Im semi obsessed with Ghosts and anything spooky so i just really enjoy everything about this!
I love Midnight Radio. After doing a foley project in sound, I always get excited when I hear that there will be these performances in the city. I think the fact that this show is set in Pittsburgh makes the performance relatable to the audience, and therefore more realistic. It's fun to close your eyes and create your own world based on strictly what you hear. I'm kind of torn, though, whenever I see/hear these performances, because part of me wants to close my eyes and let imagination take over, and the other part of me wants to watch every second of the performance to see how they creates such noises. I cannot wait for their next performance!
I've always loved the idea of radio shows like this. There's something about it that reminds me of a bedtime story, but it's better because there's a cast of people instead of dad using different voices. I find it sad that shows like this don't happen more often, but it's not exactly flashy the way most people like their theater these days. I love how imaginative the audience has to be for this because it adds a whole different level of audience participation. The fact that the show relies on audio instead of all the visual aspects of theater call attention to a design element that people almost always forget about. This is like the sound appreciation show and I think that's awesome.
It sounds really interesting and amazing!! To me, while reading this article, I thought this is the creative play that everyone might look for. A feeling of thrill without "the horror-house excesses" sounds fascinating. Especially, I really love the format of the play; playing an old-fashioned radio show in which includes bunch of other interesting stuffs like music, commercials, and breaking news. I have no doubt that during the whole show, I wouldn't be any boring. Also, I could really see how much effort and time that the producers put in their "Midnight Radio" to be successful just by reading how an artist creates sound effects. Rather than getting help from a technique, people are actually making the effects to magnify reality of the show. I think this show can be way more intense and effective for Halloween to be thrilling.
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