Event presentation

EVENT PRESENTATION BY: GRACE CASAMBROS

Little Women

September 5, 2014

Virginia High School

Background

Musical play performed by high school students

Little Women is a musical with a book by Allen Knee

Based on the novel, Little Women, written by Louisa May Alcott

Story

Based on the adventures of the March sisters (Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth) as

they grow up in Concord, Massachusetts during the Civil War.

Intercut with the vignettes in which their lives unfold are several

recreations of the melodramatic short stories Jo writes in her attic studio.

A timeless tale about the power of family, friendship, and romance.

A musical that demonstrates some Greek drama characteristics and tells

a story where everyone can relate to today.

Exhibit

Musical had few choreographic dancing, but the majority of the play was acting and singing.

Music

Mainly played when it came time for the actors and actresses to sing their dialogue.

Depending on what the dialogue was about, the music was either cheerful or sad.

Played as lights dimmed for scene change.

Mood of a scene

During a scene, they played music as Marmee March read a letter from her husband to her four daughters: Jo, Meg, Amy, and Beth.

Musicians played a slow and sad music to accompany the reading of the letter.

Method was used to make it more dramatic and for them to tug at the audience’s heart.

Ancient Greek Drama

Little Women incorporates Greek theatrical culture

Greek Drama

Similarities Melodramatic short scenes, which

originated in the 18th century

They exaggerate their facial

expressions and body movements so

people who sat in the back can see

the mood and emotions that they

convey.

In order for those who seated far in

the back can hear, they also have

to project their voice.

The Stage located on the lower

level; the seats ascended higher and

higher, like the Ancient Theater of

Dionysus at Delphi, Greece.

Greek DramaDifferences

There were some differences between Little Women and ancient Greek

plays.

One difference was who played the characters. In Little Women, the female

characters were played by females. In ancient Greek time, the female

characters were played by men.

Another difference is that in Little Women, they had the technology to dim the

lights and have a stage that can revolve that can change scenes. On the

other hand, Greek plays didn’t have light switches to dim the lights, or a

revolving stage.

Greek plays usually have a moral theme while Little Women didn’t. These were

the main differences in Little Women and the ancient Greek plays

“The hook”

Everyone in the audience who has siblings can relate to this musical.

Individual personalities

This tale was about four sisters who strive to be together but wanted to do individual things in life. Even though these four sisters wanted to be together, there was

Jo wanted to be a well-known and publish writer, Meg wanted riches and to fall in love, Beth wanted to stay at home with her parents, and Amy who wanted to be a proper lady and artist.

Sibling fights and rivalry

Jo and Amy quarrels in the musical, just like any siblings that we have.

One major quarrel that Jo and Amy had was when Jo didn’t allow Amy to join Meg, Laurie, and her to the ball. In spite and in anger, Amy destroyed Jo’s unfinished novel by throwing it in the fire. When Jo finds out, she is furious and claims that she will never forgive Amy.

This is a scene that anyone who has a younger or older sibling can relate to because we all have fought with our siblings; exclude them from our friends, and taken things that belong to the other.

“The hook” (continued)

The father was not physically present in the play. He was away at war. When Marmee read a letter to her daughters, there was a sense of sadness. They missed their father and wanted him to come home. Anyone in the audience who have a friend, father, brother, sister, son, daughter, etc. in the military that is deployed overseas can relate to this. They can feel the March’s pain and sadness. The audience can understand them and relate to them.

SUPPRESSION

Little Woman demonstrates that women had a hard time to fight against

society’s view on woman.

Suppression of woman has been dated back, since beginning of time.

Since the beginning of time, women were to be at home and act lady

like.

Writers and scholarly jobs were meant for men.

For example, Jo wanted to be a writer but no one took her seriously. Her aunt,

Aunt March, wanted her to act more ladylike.

Moral

In drama, art, and literature, there are usually a purpose to it.

The purpose of Little Women was to entertain and teach the audience a

moral.

The singing and dancing entertain the audience and kept the audience’s

attention.

The moral to this story, in my opinion, was that no matter what the

obstacle is, you can reach your goal by working hard and not quitting.

Conclusion

It had some sad moments and some funny moments. In the audience,

you can hear laughter when the funny parts came, and you can hear

sniffling from the audience during the tearful parts. This musical definitely

kept the audience’s attention.

Overall, the musical experience was enjoyable. I was very surprised that I

enjoyed this play. I honestly thought I would have fallen asleep during the

play. Little Women incorporated morals, history, and what we learn in

Humanities’ class.