The bunker trilogy was able to bring together a lot by merging the emotional struggles of world war 1 with that of the greek tragedy Agamemnon. While watching, I realized that the feelings of betrayal, distress, mistrust, and eventually vengeance, were universal. That being said, I didn't specify this play with one culture but instead with any kind of humanity faced with atrocities similar to those experienced during war.
I am not knowledgable enough to state exactly how the translation of the original story to the adapted screenplay happened. However, I was able to deduce the likelihood that the director probably found the feelings associated with world war 1 similar to those in the original Greek tragedy,Agamemnon, thus created a unique fusion.
The moment I walked in to the stage I felt as if I had walked in to an actual bunker. The realistic addition of true dirt and smoke further enhanced the experience. The best part had to be the fact that the audience was so close to the actors which certainly projected the emotions of the actors and thus created a feeling of intimacy. The circular position of the benches provided an almost traditional feeling as if one really were watching Agamemnon in ancient Greek. Another crucial factor was the dim lighting which allowed for a mellow and sullen audience reaction.
The bunker trilogy's Agamemnon provided insight in to a variety of areas. Something that caught my attention since the moment I entered the theatre was the incredible focus the actors maintained. Through Mark Hill's workshop I also learned the significance of focus in any actor. The night I watched Agamemnon, my belief that focus is key was further supported. There was also a great amount of chemistry and teamwork reflected in the performance. The basic flow between scenes was natural and could only have been so smooth if the group awareness was precise.
I thought that a crucial factor to the success of the bunker trilogy was the audience-friendly design. The circular formation of wooden benches and dusky atmosphere isolated time within and without the doors of the bunker like no other. I believe that as a designer I could perhaps remember such techniques on how to control the audiences emotions through design.
Insightful responses. Were you able to access the guideline I gave you entitled "Presenting Theatre" and use that as a guide to your responses? I wanted to check on that. I think it is key that you enjoy the show at face value but as a student of theatre right now, it is great that you are considering what you can do as a designer, the impacts you can have, the focus that you can employ as a performer etc.
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