Project Self assesment by Tanzeel Ahmed

How creative and innovative was my staging for the play on the script? A benchmark I am trying to match is the staging creativity in Sarah Kane’s Crave. (Creativity)

ahmedtanzeel2016 — 2025-05-14 15:46:11 UTC

I do think staging in terms of creativity was one of Agapenza's biggest strengths. I still remember sitting in Godfrey's office last semester and discussing the concept and limitations of staging a play with a painting as its centrepiece. I knew that I wanted the painting to be seen by the audience, or it would feel like a cop-out. So I settled for having the painting remain mysterious for the majority of the play, and then it is revealed as a mirror. The mirror would be a cop-out if there wasn't a meta acknowledgement of the painting being a mirror in actuality, but not in world; and that is the characters then being able to break the fourth wall as they can see the audience through the painting. Additionally, I believe it is highly Brechtian in nature and shifts the play from having an audience set engrossed in the world, to being highly alienated upon having reality reflected back at them, which was one of my aims I sought to explore when applying for solo studio.

9/10

How clear is my script in conveying my ideas while leaving small holes to allow directors to add their own flair? I don’t want my script to be confusing to read. (Craft)

ahmedtanzeel2016 — 2025-05-14 15:59:01 UTC

Okay, by now I have forced a few family members and numerous friends to read and critique the play, and one issue keeps recurring. The skeleton of what the play used to be, an abuse story, still rears its head. While the themes of abuse and the commodification of art can work in tandem, Gregor and Marilena's conflict would make her decline seem like an interpersonal issue rather than a systematic one orchestrated by Clair. This is an issue I have been aware of and tried to fix many times by re-writing how lines are said but I've come to realize I need to reorganize scene order, and maybe actually to do the Iris backstory contrary to IART's opinion to solve it.

If I were a director and reading the script in order to put it into production, it is very clear on the essential requirements of the set. Those being the covered mirror, the flower bouquets, the Iris mask, and the floor paper as the major symbols and when to use them. Other than that, the play is fairly open to the director's discretion. I have a personal gripe with scripts that spell out what each character is doing alongside their lines, and so I sought to craft their actions to be interpretable in their lines. The evidence of it working was clear, as the blocking done during the IART performance was all improv and on-the-fly work.

8/10

Have the characters been crafted in a manner that they are distinguished from me in behavior and (more importantly) use of language? It is important I am able to write characters that don’t speak like me. (Craft)

ahmedtanzeel2016 — 2025-05-14 16:06:53 UTC

In simple terms, yes.

It wasn't at all like that in the initial drafts and use of language in the play. This is an issue I knew I struggled with from the previous two plays I wrote and emerged its head in the first versions of Agapenza, being truly egregious in what I wrote before Solo Studio began (so Scene 0-2). Upon hearing feedback from my friend circle and 2 language-use overalls, I believe my characters are distinct because 2 friends who have seen my progress all the way through Agapenza, Justin and Orfeus, both said that it is noticeable that all the characters have their own voices and they sound fluid in conversation.

As a personal critique, I still don't like Scene 0-3, but I think those ones I will need to cut and reorganize within the play moving forward, because the play gets interesting Scene 4 onwards (which thankfully is 2/3s of the play). I do think it shows maturing of not only my use of language, but also scene structuring. Okay, that's the end of that little tangent.

Overall, hearing the feedback from others, I was able to overcome one of my earlier novice pitfalls, which is reassuring.

10/10

Was I able to use theatrical devices in a confined space without proper lighting or staging options? How was I creatively able to convey my staging in a limited place like the Cornelia? (Creativity)

ahmedtanzeel2016 — 2025-05-14 16:29:47 UTC

Hah! No. I think I dropped the ball on this one. I will cut myself slack as resources were limited, but I definitely could have prepared myself better for the stage action. So what was done?

Reza and Sam's spiel from the audience reserved chairs was interesting. Distancing and blocking between Gregor in relation to Sam and Iris were decent. A good creative choice was the constant glances at Iris by Gregor while he was talking with Sam, but the big thing that is missing is the lighting work. Undeniably, working with lighting design was on my application to Solo Studio as that was one of the core theatrical aspects I was keen on experimenting with. Unfortunately, I wasn't proactive enough on booking a dedicated space for the performance and I just had really bad luck with finding actors (which is understandable due to exams).

Overall, I did what I could, but I could have set myself up earlier to be able to do more.

6/10