Show and Tell Post #2

The play I chose to read is called Seminar by Theresa Rebeck. It is a comedy that premiered on November 20, 2011 at the John Golden theatre in New York City. It closed at that theatre on May 6, 2012. Seminar was well received and well liked, and received nominations as Best Play by both the Outer Critics Circle and the Drama League. Seminar is about four college students who decide to take a writing seminar with a highly praised man named Leonard. However, upon meeting Leonard, the group comes to realize that he is washed up, cruel, apathetic and insensitive to their needs. He is in fact a terrible teacher. In the meantime, Martin, the most reserved and most talented of the group, sees Leonard for who he really is, and refuses to show him his work. Throughout the play the students deal with rejection, love, hate, and many nights of complaining about Leonard. The play tells a story of dealing with emotions and pushing for success.
One dramaturgical choice that I liked was the choice to have the play almost entirely within one setting. The majority of the play takes place in Kate’s apartment, and Izzy and Martin stay there too. Even when Leonard teaches the classes, he teaches them in the apartment. I like this choice because it is a in which a person is supposed to feel comfortable. However, because there are all these other people there as well, there is no place in the apartment to be comfortable. Everyone is extremely vulnerable and unable to find the privacy they need. Even in their home. When Leonard teaches his class in the apartment, he feeling of hopelessness surrounds the setting even more. We see these characters in a place in which they should enjoy being. However, it is obvious that when Leonard is there, any feelings of safety are gone. Leonard has that ability to walk into any room and suck the life out of it. He can make a warm home into a cold ice box. I think it was important to see how the characters changed within the walls of that apartment. The place of safety became a place of regret and punishment. It changed the lives of five people. I think that is pretty powerful.
Another dramaturgical choice I liked was the choice to have Martin not present any of his work to Leonard. The other three young writers submit their work and are humiliated by Leonard. Martin, however, does not trust in Leonard, and therefore does not present anything. When I recognized this pattern, I wanted to know whether Martin was a good writer or not. We had no way of knowing because he had not turned in anything. However, at the end he finally turns in his work. Leonard praises it, which is a shock to everyone. This event changes the way Martin sees Leonard. Martin first is angry with Leonard liking it, and then he grows to understand why Leonard is such a messed up guy. The character we least expect to understand Leonard does. And it is because he likes his writing. They are bound together by their writing and that is when they understand. Rebeck’s decision to not show Martin’s writing is fuel for an even which changes how we feel about Leonard. Because Martin does not show his work right away, we side with him. We decide that Leonard does not deserve to see Martin’s work. Then, when he does show it, we see that even though he is a jerk, Leonard knows what he’s doing. Also, this shows a lot in character growth. Martin is weak because he cannot take rejection. That is why he won’t show his work. However, he is affected by this seminar group and by the teacher and so he finally shows what he’s got. It is a shift in character that fuels the rest of the play.