7/27/2019 ACTF Adjudicator Notes Pirates

1/3

Pirates of PenzanceAdjudicator Notes - Jon Young, Assistant Professor of Theatre, University of OklahomaApril 2011

Overall Notes:-Great consistent physicality, except for a dip in Act 2, think about projection beingeffected, connect physicality to character without sacrificing the song, words, lyrics,or dialogue.-Really good moments. Embodied physical characteristics of the characters.-Great choreography getting us in sync. -Nice use of the space.-Great job breaking the 4th wall.

Diving In:-Fun beginning, responsive audience, they loved the fun ride, and the way we got out to the audiences, they had great intermission chatter.

-Loved the color palate of the pirates costumes, in contrast to the set, then echoed inthe sisters look.-Enhanced staging with the boat established the convention of what this musicalwas going to be. Great use of that old theatre trick with the rope pulling the boat.-We staged for the audience, as we connected and spoke to them.-Great milking of the moments, as in the Pirate King.- Good establishing emotions such as the question of Ruth's beauty, or not.-Nice use of throwing the girls from the vom, great anticipation for seeing reallybeautiful girls, versus off upstage.-Bright women, great dancing.-Every character makes you want to be a part of the show, he wanted to be a piratefor most of it.-Look at the transitions between singing and speaking when it comes to accents.-Great contrast between fear and lust for Frederick, ladies.-Great Elvis moment, all of the nice ladies sitting around him really grabbed on tothat moment.-Mic issues for Mabel? Consistent problems between orchestration.-Awesome dress for Mabel. Fantastic way to stand out, first white contrast, thensheen of fabric from the other cotton-clothed girls, versus plain white matte fabric.-Nice Wandering.-Nice weather ensemble work girls, even though it took focus from the development of Frederick and Mabel's relationship.-The Pirates absconding with the women was very fun, even with costumemalfunction (Caroline's petticoat).

- Liked the direction of presentation for the moments of the song, staggered towardthe different planes of the audience.-Great choreography and staging.-Great encore, even though it took a bit of prodding for the audience to get involved.-Good work with one of the hardest songs in the show

7/27/2019 ACTF Adjudicator Notes Pirates

2/3

7/27/2019 ACTF Adjudicator Notes Pirates

3/3

-Ruth lost in light when she enters and sings the song. But fixed when she meets upwith her partner the king-Great the way it all works out at the end.

-Really enjoyed the show and his time here coming out

-Be sure the physicality doesn't hinder the accent, diction, projection, or energy.

-Q: Jace- the lull in act 2?-A: Getting right into when the sergeant approaches at the end of Mabel andFrederick's songs. There was a dip in the energy. The beauty of live performance. It returned when the pirates came on for "Catlike THREAD".

-Question about how long we've been working. (End of feb during ACTF)

-Q: Caleb: Did we honor the piece with improv and such?

-A: This is the type of show that allows for the lenience of milking in bits. It wasn't over the top, but a fun ride. Pirates who aren't good pirates, love story about a boywho's never seen women, then marries the first one he sees, noble pirates. A funnyset-up with convention.

Thanks for having him, he had a great time coming out!