Page 61 - The Gonzaga Record 1987
P. 61
tinges the morbid blue darkness; webs atmosphere of evil, ferocity, hatred, re-
hang from dark looming trees, and venge, death and magic was a pleasant,
there is movement from three black sil- relatively harmless English teacher.
houettes, whose mouldering shapes What had now been transformed into
blend in with their grotesque sur- the Blasted Heath has started out as a
roundings. The air grows thick with messy, old school stage with past acts
mist, and the wind wails. of vandalism decorating the walls.
"The weird sisters, hand in hand, This was the great "equivacation".
Posters of the sea and land; How appropriate that Shakespeare's
Thus do go about, about: "Macbeth", so dense with ambiguities,
Thrice to thine and thrice to mine, puns and paradoxes should be per-
And thrice again to make up formed through so many contra-
nine~' dictions and contrasts: the use of the
The hags' spell repeats and echoes new to return to the old.
powerfully, hypnotizing listeners into For three nights, audiences were
fear. Beneath the large cauldron the invited to step back in time, to enter
fire glows with the wretched tint of the into the illusion presented before
"everlasting bonfire". them. This they did. Each night the
Backstage, a small sixth year robed audience seemed to submerge them-
in denim jeans and a "caj" black selves in all that they saw and heard.
jacket, flicks a switch: the clash of And so it seems that on this
thunder and howling winds flow out November night, "so foul and fair"
from the well-concealed amplifiers. when "murder and treason" did fill the
The cauldron and the sinister blue air, that many things were concealed;
rock formations which cover the stage as many things were revealed. Where
were made from chicken-wire walled upon the multiple few, their "eyes
with endless pages of The Irish Times making fools of their other senses" did
and the Sunday Tribune. The rest of enter a world of blood and death; the
the structure was made up of desks kingdom of spells and noble Macbeth.
and benches, covered with planks and In the end, when the "battle was lost
boards joined arid stabilised with quite and won" my feeling of having put in
a few nails. Bulbs, plugs, sockets, wires so much effort was clear:
and fuses; all of these controlled by a "Not so happy, yet much
handful of lighting "experts" helped to happier.'
create various moods, and to convey
the passing of time. The mist was Colm Kirwan (S.6A)
frozen carbon-dioxide.
The powerful reverberation of the THE OPERA
witches' voices was synthesized by
complicated sound equipment. This The author, director, conductor and
same modern technology produced the producer gave hi s ve rdi ct in the early
sound of ancient trumpets and battles hours of Sunday morning: Saturday's
with clashing swords and distant battle performance had been 'the bes t ever'
cries. production of A Dog in the Hand. His
The exquisite garments were put to- audience, a motley collection of prin -
gether by a small, diligent group of cipals, dancers, chorus mem bers and
Home Economics students in a near- stage crew, were inclined to agree. The
by Convent school. The life-worn men opera had survived myriad threats to
and women on the stage were really its ex istence, and yet again proved that
seventeen year-old sixth year Leaving nothing is imposs ible: not even the
Cert students, in spite of the stubble challenge of putting on an opera with
and make-up. The man responsible for a cast of we ll ove r a hundred in ju t
instilling into this illusion the pungent over three wee ks.
59
hang from dark looming trees, and venge, death and magic was a pleasant,
there is movement from three black sil- relatively harmless English teacher.
houettes, whose mouldering shapes What had now been transformed into
blend in with their grotesque sur- the Blasted Heath has started out as a
roundings. The air grows thick with messy, old school stage with past acts
mist, and the wind wails. of vandalism decorating the walls.
"The weird sisters, hand in hand, This was the great "equivacation".
Posters of the sea and land; How appropriate that Shakespeare's
Thus do go about, about: "Macbeth", so dense with ambiguities,
Thrice to thine and thrice to mine, puns and paradoxes should be per-
And thrice again to make up formed through so many contra-
nine~' dictions and contrasts: the use of the
The hags' spell repeats and echoes new to return to the old.
powerfully, hypnotizing listeners into For three nights, audiences were
fear. Beneath the large cauldron the invited to step back in time, to enter
fire glows with the wretched tint of the into the illusion presented before
"everlasting bonfire". them. This they did. Each night the
Backstage, a small sixth year robed audience seemed to submerge them-
in denim jeans and a "caj" black selves in all that they saw and heard.
jacket, flicks a switch: the clash of And so it seems that on this
thunder and howling winds flow out November night, "so foul and fair"
from the well-concealed amplifiers. when "murder and treason" did fill the
The cauldron and the sinister blue air, that many things were concealed;
rock formations which cover the stage as many things were revealed. Where
were made from chicken-wire walled upon the multiple few, their "eyes
with endless pages of The Irish Times making fools of their other senses" did
and the Sunday Tribune. The rest of enter a world of blood and death; the
the structure was made up of desks kingdom of spells and noble Macbeth.
and benches, covered with planks and In the end, when the "battle was lost
boards joined arid stabilised with quite and won" my feeling of having put in
a few nails. Bulbs, plugs, sockets, wires so much effort was clear:
and fuses; all of these controlled by a "Not so happy, yet much
handful of lighting "experts" helped to happier.'
create various moods, and to convey
the passing of time. The mist was Colm Kirwan (S.6A)
frozen carbon-dioxide.
The powerful reverberation of the THE OPERA
witches' voices was synthesized by
complicated sound equipment. This The author, director, conductor and
same modern technology produced the producer gave hi s ve rdi ct in the early
sound of ancient trumpets and battles hours of Sunday morning: Saturday's
with clashing swords and distant battle performance had been 'the bes t ever'
cries. production of A Dog in the Hand. His
The exquisite garments were put to- audience, a motley collection of prin -
gether by a small, diligent group of cipals, dancers, chorus mem bers and
Home Economics students in a near- stage crew, were inclined to agree. The
by Convent school. The life-worn men opera had survived myriad threats to
and women on the stage were really its ex istence, and yet again proved that
seventeen year-old sixth year Leaving nothing is imposs ible: not even the
Cert students, in spite of the stubble challenge of putting on an opera with
and make-up. The man responsible for a cast of we ll ove r a hundred in ju t
instilling into this illusion the pungent over three wee ks.
59
