Best Man Wedding Speech -- Wedding Toasts Roasts Speeches

Best Man Wedding Speech Well to be honest Steven I thought you would have spoken for longer today†¦.. as that was probably your last opportunity to speak for any length of time without interruption. Not that I’m saying Ellen talks a lot! Afternoon everybody†¦..or is it evening†¦.. seems so long ago that we started these proceedings†¦. For those of you that do not know me my name is Mark Although I’m sure you’ll have a few other names for me after I’ve finished this†¦. Although BIG NOSE is a little obvious! Also just a little soundcheck†¦.Can hear me at the back???? Good then put a bottle aside for me!!!! Well†¦I hope you’ve all been having a good time and enjoyed yourselves so far†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Good †¦..but as they say †¦.. every silver lining has a cloud†¦.. and I’m afraid it’s just got overcast! I must thank Ellen’s parents for their hospitality today and that really did look like a splendid meal†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. although I’m afraid mine should be just be hitting the city sewer system around †¦. About†¦.. now†¦ Response to Steven’s Toast To Bridesmaid First of all may I re-iterate and thank Steven for his complementary comments to the Bridesmaids, who have done a splendid job today at looking wonderful. Although†¦.. No-doubt my sister has already told you this†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Read CARDS / TELEGRAMS here! â€Å"Don’t forget dear †¦.. the slightest ill treatment and you come home to Mother! Closer Look†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Oh!! Its for... ...m service lady will of course be puzzled by this request and ask him whether Mrs Scott might want something more substantial To which Steven will probably reply ‘No that’s ok I'm conducting an experiment to see if she eats like a rabbit as well!" Ladies and Gentlemen please†¦.. settle down†¦ Could you please stand now and join me in a toast to the bride’s parents for this special day. Thank you. And while you are all standing I’ve just got a few last things to say†¦.. Steven you are an excellent friend and it’s been an honour to be your best man. I wish you and Ellen all the very best for the future. If everyone could now join me in a toast to Mr and Mrs Steven and Ellen Scott. Congratulations!!!

Synesthetic Reality - Is our notion of reality the only truth? :: Synthesia Research Science Papers

Synesthetic Reality - Is our notion of reality the only truth? "What's first strikes me is the color of someone's voice. [V--] has a crumbly, yellow voice, like a flame with protruding fibers. Sometimes I get so interested in the voice, I can't understand what's being said." --From Synesthesia: A Union of the Senses by Robert E. Cytowic. What would you make of the preceding account? Would you think the speaker was...crazy?...on drugs?...making a play for attention? Would you be skeptical if the speaker told you it was her natural way of perceiving the world? In truth, it is an example of the way in which about one in every 25,000 people observes the world (1). The term (I hesitate to use "scientific term" for reasons I'll discuss further on) given to the condition-- synesthesia--derives from the Greek roots syn, meaning together, and aesthesis, to perceive, and conveys the principle features of the synesthete's perceptual state (2). In synesthetic perception, stimuli activate not just one sense, but several. An oral stimulus isn't a taste alone--it may also be a taste, a shape, a color, a movement (1). For example, a synesthete might explain that the taste of "squid produces a large glob of bright orange foam, about four feet away, directly in front of me" (3). Such joint perceptions are automatic and involuntar y, just as is usual perceptual experience, and, unlike imaginary images or ideas, synesthetic perception is not only vividly real, but "often outside the body, instead of imagined in the mind's eye" (2). Though accounts of synesthetic experience are receiving increased study and documentation, the many in the scientific community remain partially unconvinced, if not wholly dismissive. Lacking sufficient empirical, objective data to depict the synesthetic experience, synesthetes and researchers of the condition have had to combat doubt, disregard, and ridicule in defense of the condition's reality and validity. The question raised by synesthesia then becomes: Why does science discount first-person evidence to such an extent? If a condition has little to no "objective" or empirical "proof," does that mean it can't exist? If researchers can produce no computer read-out, no resonance imaging, no technologically-generated chart, should the scientific community turn up its nose? The existence of synesthesia has been questioned and discussed for nearly 300 years, and it received the most enthusiastic investigation between 1869 and 1930 (12).

Marketing: Ice Cream and Jerry

Market Research Report for Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream By: Swati Sugandh Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Incorporated started in 1978 when Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield bought their first ice cream scoop shop in Burlington, Vermont. Since then, Ben & Jerry’s has grown from being only offered in Vermont to other States and Countries around the world. Throughout the growth of Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. , many movements have been made in aspects of ingredients, packaging, advertising, and image.An example of these movements is branching out from common Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream to Greek and Sorbet types of desserts. The support of Farm Aid and Fair Trade are two imperative factors in regards to image and ingredients for Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. In today’s society, customer awareness is vital in promoting anyone’s product in the instance for Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. their web site has been able to inform a wareness of the variety of premium flavors they offer, their memorabilia available in their online store, and all the benefits that Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream offers their customers.Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. recognizes that the majority of their loyal customers are women between the ages of twenty to forty years old. Due to that fact most of the advertising done to promote Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is done in the areas that would reach this target market. Although Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. has many strengths there are some areas that Ben & Jerry’s could grow in and develop in order to reach future customers to widen their target market. Overall, Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. s a well known company that has been around for many years and will continue to be due to their dedication to their unique flavors and types of ice cream and frozen desserts. For the continual growth of Ben & Jerry’s the company is alway s discovering alternative ways to make and promote their company at all aspects of the creation of the perfect pint of premium ice cream. Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. strives to â€Å"create prosperity for everyone that’s connected to their business: suppliers, employees, farmers, franchisees, customers, and neighbors alike† (Ben &Jerry’s). There are many ways that Ben & Jerry’s has accomplished meeting these goals. First is their growing Fair Trade movement, this movement is about empowering small farmers in developing countries to compete and thrive in the global marketplace. Ben & Jerry’s buy’s cocoa, vanilla, sugar, coffee, and bananas from many different parts of the world. Additional ways that Ben& Jerry’s upholds their goals are by using cage-free and free-range eggs, and by their Caring Dairy program that only uses cows that have no rBGH (recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone).The containers of Ben & Jerry’s Ice cream is Forest Stewardship Council certified which means, â€Å"that the paperboard comes from forests that are managed for the protection of wildlife habitat, maintenance of biodiversity, avoidance of genetically modified tree species, and protection of traditional and civil rights, among other Rainforest Alliance criteria for healthy forests† (SEAR). Ben & Jerry’s offers over 30 different flavors of ice cream; they also have other types of ice desserts such as sherbet, and Greek yogurt for all customers to enjoy their favorite flavor and type.Ben & Jerry’s is a multinational corporation with their products offered all around the world. Although Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. has many strengths, they still have the weakness of the price of their product compared to their competitors. An example of this is one pint of Ben & Jerry’s is about five dollars, but for a half gallon of ice cream from Blue Bell it is only about seven dollars. Therefore, Ben & Jerry’s has to deal with many would be buyers that say I get more for my money from other ice cream sellers.Another weakness is that although Ben and Jerry’s offer many unique flavors, many customers prefer original flavors. Ben & Jerry’s have started to rectify this particular weakness by now offering original flavors with better ingredients to enhance the flavor. Lastly, Ben & Jerry’s is available to buy at many grocery stores; however, at those said locations many only offer a small portion of the flavors that Ben & Jerry’s offers. Thus, some customers never get to have the chance of trying many of the flavors. Even though Ben & Jerry’s is a multinational corporation with many ocations, and their products are around the world, there are still some opportunities that Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. could take advantage of. First off, Ben & Jerry’s could stand to update their advertising in the sense of some commercials, and social media campaigns. By doing this, they could inform people that do not know about their ice cream and all they offer, including a gift shop at certain locations and online. Second, Ben & Jerry’s could consider branching out and offering ice cream sandwiches and a half gallon of ice cream.This would allow them to reach people in the summer time that want a grab and run outside type of treat or, by offering the half gallon they could reach people that eat ice cream frequently and feel like a pint is too small. Society is a major threat for Ben & Jerry’s right now in the sense that society dictates that one should be very conscience of eating right and being thin. Ben & Jerry’s is held responsible for encouraging people to eat unhealthy with promoting ice cream, and therefore blamed for the â€Å"obesity epidemic†.To help promote a better image Ben & Jerry’s have started to offer the Greek yogurt ice cream. Another threat li ke many other markets is competition as stated earlier many competitors offer a larger quantity for close or equal amount of money. To try to counter this threat Ben & Jerry’s has started offering coupons. While considering all these strengths, weakness, opportunities and threats Ben & Jerry’s must always consider their target market which ranges from twenty to forty year old women, and anyone who has a sweet tooth. Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. trives to make sure there is absolutely no discrimination whether based on economic status, age, gender, or race. Customers of all ages and ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to try Ben & Jerry’s ice cream by having it available in all grocery stores in order to make them lifetime customers. Although society is changing Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. does recognize that women are still the primary grocery shopper for families, therefore leading them to be a good portion of the target market. à ¢â‚¬Å"The women being targeted are 20-40 years of age who’ll probably have a family size of two to five.The average family income is $30,000 plus†(Allen 20). Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. are targeting these types of women because they tend to care more about what products they are putting into their own bodies and those of their families. Since Ben & Jerry’s ice cream is made with the most eco-friendly and organic ingredients most women tend to appreciate it compared to other types of ice creams that might not use the best ingredients, they also tend to not gain as much value when they buy competitors ice cream.Even though Ben & Jerry’s target market is women, they are still trying to reach every possible customer by offering something for every type of ice cream consumer, in hopes of widening our target market. To ensure Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. is promoting their product to the before mentioned target market, we use th e best ingredients to ensure the value of the unique and innovative flavors of ice cream are made organically by using cage free humane eggs and steroid free milk from farms in Vermont and other states.Another beneficial strategy that Ben & Jerry’s offers are their availability of their products. Ben & Jerry’s initial efforts to market products involved selling their ice cream from the back of Ben's Volkswagen. In the following few years, they started selling through local independent distributors and opened franchises of their ice cream shop in several states. Then Ben ; Jerry added grocery store locations and the Ben ; Jerry’s web site, where customers can buy the premium ice cream from single serve cups to two point five gallon buckets.Ben ; Jerry’s recently started to open Scoop Shops across the nation. These locations offer ice cream cones and unique flavors not found in most grocery stores; thus, breaking into the ice cream parlor sector. Although B en ; Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. is not known for ice cream treats such as ice cream sandwiches or other such things; Ben ; Jerry’s does occasionally offer novelty ice cream treats, such as the â€Å"Peace Pops†. The strategy of offering Ben ; Jerry’s premium ice cream in most grocery stores and at Scoop Shops ensures availability.Ben ; Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. has been successful in creating brand loyalty with their target market by promoting their product through online advertising, street marketing and outdoor marketing. With these three types of advertising, the first one offers coupons for loyal customers to use and future customers the opportunity to try Ben ; Jerry’s ice cream at a discounted rate. Street and outdoor marketing involves offering free ice cream to people directly, allowing Ben ; Jerry’s to find out how people feel about flavors and Ben ; Jerry’s immediately.Similarly Ben ; Jerry’s Scoop S hops offer select deals on ice cream cones throughout the year. Another way that Ben ; Jerry’s Homemade Holdings, Inc. promotes their premium ice cream is by their â€Å"Peace, Love, and Ice Cream† campaign which was a movement that discovered the central values of all Americans. The primary goal of this campaign was to promote Ben ; Jerry’s charitable activities and target the emotions of the audience in an effort to create brand awareness and therefore increase sales within the product market.The campaign consisted of pictures of thrills, fun and excitement, from radio to printed advertisements in hope to increase awareness about Ben ; Jerry’s environmental advocacy programs. Many networks were thrilled because the â€Å"Peace, Love, and Ice Cream† campaign was a fun movement that allowed Americans to give back to the community through consuming tasty, frozen desserts. Ben ; Jerry's continues to grow daily by developing new products, new ideas, a nd new flavors for their public.Consumers around the world are well aware of Ben & Jerry’s tasty treats because of the firm’s execution of marketing concepts and bright visions. Ben & Jerry's mission of giving back to the community worked in various ways, and in turn, have evolved into one of the most prevalent ice cream companies of today. Ben ; Jerry’s product mission statement is â€Å"To make, distribute, and sell the finest quality all natural ice cream and euphoric concoctions with a continued commitment to incorporating wholesome, natural ingredients, and promoting business practices that respect the Earth and the Environment. In order to achieve their mission Ben ; Jerry’s charges a higher price to enable them to create their higher quality ice cream and allow them to have a striving and unique Research and Development department. The price decisions are well synchronized with product design, distribution, and promotion decisions to create a cons istent and effective marketing program for Ben ; Jerry’s Ice Cream. The market and demand are other factors that stimulate the pricing system of Ben ; Jerry’s ice cream in the sense that the economics condition, competition costs, prices, and so forth all affect the price of Ben and Jerry’s products.For instance, in bad economic situations, people will reduce their expenses on secondary goods, and in this case ice cream is a secondary good. Ben ; Jerry’s have very distinguished competitors like Haagen Daaz and Blue Bell that will definitely affect the price of Ben ; Jerry’s ice cream. Since Ben ; Jerry’s is recognized as a high quality manufacturer of ice cream, they tend to pay very close attention to their competitors, especially when it comes to maintaining their quality and prices.Moreover, the prices of Ben ; Jerry’s products set correlating between their competitor’s prices and customer needs and expectations while still making a profit and abiding by their mission statement. A Ben ; Jerry’s Homemade Holding, Inc. is a company that values their brand loyal customers and is always striving to improve and better their premium ice cream. Although Ben ; Jerry’s does advertise and promote their company and product there are still ways that they could expand their scope of advertisement and perhaps include new forms of advertising.Television is a central communication for most families; therefore, Ben ; Jerry’s could establish recognition of their product by doing product placement with popular TV shows. Another way to use a television for advertising is strictly just using commercials; this allows the opportunity to inform those who do not know what Ben ; Jerry’s offers in their ice cream. Ben ; Jerry’s company is mostly popular in the Northern United States; however, Ben ; Jerry’s could possibly shift to Southern US, and outside of the USA to broaden their custo mer base.Social media marketing is becoming a necessity in advertising now that most people are connected to at least one form and owns a smart phone. By entering this form of advertising Ben ; Jerry’s could connect with a different generation and build up a following. Overall, Ben ; Jerry’s Homemade Holding, Inc. is an established premium ice cream provider and will continue to be so through their dedication to using the best ingredients, being inventive in creating new flavors, and connecting with consumers and future consumers. Works Cited Allen, Margarat, Emily Brockett, and Steven Allison. Peace, Love, and Ice Cream Campaign. † Ben & Jerry's Homemade Ice Cream Company. N. p. , n. d. Web. Ben & Jerry's. N. p. , n. d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. . King, Rachael. â€Å"Ben ; Jerry's Imagine Peace Online. † Fast Company. N. p. , 4 Aug. 2008. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"SEAR 2011 | Ben & Jerry's. †Ã‚  Ben & Jerry's. N. p. , n. d. Web. 11 Nov. 2012. .

Leadership and Administration in Education Essay Example

Leadership and Administration in Education Essay Example Leadership and Administration in Education Essay Leadership and Administration in Education Essay Leadership and Administration in Education Name: Course: Date: Leadership and Administration in Education Administrative Changes The financial administrator was taking a lot of time in processing students’ financial balances and the secretary was making major errors in her work. These and the continued poor performance of the school in district assessments prompted me to introduce some changes in the organization. The first change that I sought to implement was to introduce penalties for employees showing laxity in their duties. These rules, I reckoned, would ensure employees worked harder despite the fact that I faced major challenges in their implementation. There were various ethical, human relations and legal concerns relating to these new changes. Ethical Issues Ethics is an inherent attribute founded on the beliefs of a particular community (Starrat, 2003, p.144). Administering the penalties on errant members of staff was the responsibility of the human resources assistant. The school however refrained from handing stiff penalties and rather concentrated on an arbitration process. Arbitration for first time offenders had a general positive effect on the workers and they started posting a higher performance (Palestini, 2005). Arbitration also saved on the time that would have been incurred in managing the penalties handed out to offenders. Human Relations There was visible opposition from the workers during the initial stages of the program understandably due as the employees were afraid of the new rules. The reception of the changes was poor. Apparently, they could not accommodate the new system to its required specifications. It was a tough choice for the administration considering the good relationship it had with its workers. However, as time went by and through the arbitration process workers understood their responsibilities and avoided problems with the administration. Legal Issues Due to the new changes introduced, some workers had to be relieved of some duties and those duties handed to others. This change of job descriptions posed a potential legal hurdle to the institution. Possible areas of litigation would have been the potential loss of income for some of the employees (Begley Leonard, 2005). There is also a potential risk that embittered employees might file a suit against the institution, but we held talks with employees and made some salary reviews in line with the responsibility changes. These talks helped avert the legal hurdles posed by the changes in the system. References Begley, P. T., Leonard, P. E. (2005). The values of educational administration. London: Taylor Francis e-Library. Palestini, R. H. (2005). Educational administration: Leading with mind and heart. Lanham, Md: Rowman Littlefield Education. Starratt, R. J. (2003). Centering educational administration: Cultivating meaning, community, responsibility. Mahwah, N.J: L. Erlbaum Associates. Educational Leaders and Change Leadership Roles Educational administrators have several roles to play in effecting change in an organization. Most administrators’ roles focus on decision-making, information processing and interpersonal contact (Hord, 1992). Second, they must be well skilled in management, show visionary leadership and have respect for their workers. In addition, such leaders must be proactive, risk taking and facilitators of internal communication and symphony (Mendez-Morse 1992). An administrative leader facilitates the organizational processes through his/her outstanding example. Administrator as an Entrepreneur An administrative entrepreneur endeavors to change an organization by identifying a problem and finding solutions to the problem. An educational administrator should act as an entrepreneur as he or she governs the organization to make positive strides as any successful business would. Entrepreneur administrators generate ideas that increase collaboration between employees and management. Entrepreneurs focus on the value of the product delivered to the market (Davies, 2005, p.152). They thus find new and efficient ways to boost the performance of the staff in order to provide quality services to the students. Administrator as an Organizer Organizer administrators carry out their duties in a structured, systematic way focusing on policy, process and people (Davies 2005). Organizing will entail enhancing processes to increase human relations and utilize the skills of his subordinates to their full potential. The administrative organizer seeks ways to improve organizational systems to increase co-ordination among workers. Creating a structured decision-making process that encompasses all organizational units. Organizers focus on efficient and standard organizational processes that have the potential of improving the overall output of the organization. Administrator as an Instructional Leader An effective leader has greater communication skills and values worker’s contributions in a bid to inspire individuals and effect change according to the goals of the institution (Mendez-Morse 1992). The administrator with instructional leadership endeavors to maintain a good relationship with his/her employees. Communication and instruction are of significant importance in maintaining good relationships with staff members. The instructional leader aspires to interact with employees in an understanding manner. Through instruction and understandable dialogue the administrator guides employees in understanding critical organizational issues and processes. References Davies, B. (2005). The essentials of school leadership. London: Paul Chapman Pub. Corwin Press. Hord, S. M. (1992). Facilitative Leadership: The Imperative for Change. Retrieved from sedl.org/change/facilitate/ Mendez-Morse, S. (1992). Leadership Characteristics that Facilitate School Change. Retrieved from sedl.org/change/leadership/welcome.html

Pan the God essays

Pan the God essays The great Arcadian god Pan is probably one of the most well known gods in Greek history. Everyone has heard of Pan, and would more than likely recognize him if they saw him today. His unmistakable physique distinguished him from all other gods: He had the feet of a goat, two horns on his forehead, loved noise and dancing, was hairy, dirty, lusty, ugly, and disheveled; yet, in his own way he was a charming creature (Carpenter and Gula, 103). He was considered a lesser divinity of Earth, the god of woods and fields. Pan was very of the people, and was particularly fond of shepherds. He was considered their special protector; in a general sense he was a divinity of the country, of sheep, goats, and other grazing flocks, of forests, valleys, hills, and glens (Carpenter and Gula, 103). He was, on the whole, easy-going and lazy, loving nothing better than his afternoon nap, and revenged himself on those who disturbed him with a sudden loud shout from a grove, or grotto, which made t he hair bristle on their heads, hence where the word panic is said to have been derived from (Graves,101). Pan was the son of Hermes, the Roman god Mercury, who also had duties as protector of flocks and herds, and was the foster brother of Zeus. He was considered a favorite and a delight to all the gods. Pan was also highly regarded as a singer, and it is said that he sometimes even surpassed the birds with his songs. The Homeric Hymns quote similar support; In song he could even outdo that bird which sits among the leaves at flower-rich springtime... (62). It is also said that combined with the clear-voiced mountain nymphs, their sound was overwhelming. Pan had many adventures, and unlike other Grecian deities, Pans adventures were said to be more comical and lighthearted. He was well known for seducing several of the nymphs, most notably Echo, who bore him Iynx. He also boasted to have slept with all of Dionysus&ap...

Bouncers Essay Example

Bouncers Essay Example Bouncers Paper Bouncers Paper Essay Topic: Literature Bouncers was a comedy that was enacted solely by four men dressed throughout in simple black tuxedos, indicating, of course, that they were doormen. These four men played a variety of at least three different characters each- both male and female- and depicted the typical Friday nightlife scene via snapshots of different people and their contrasting perspectives. John Godber, the creator of Bouncers originally came from the North of England. He obviously based his play around a setting that he was familiar with, and writes about his own experiences. The play is a social comment on the life of the uneducated working class in the UK, but has been performed all over the world. We watched the play in Dubai, a city with a cultural background that is quite different from the UK. This was probably why many of the jokes and puns cracked in the course of the play were lost out on the audience. However, I found it commendable that the actors had kept this in mind and had altered parts of the script to include little trivial things like specific venues in the city of Dubai. For example, going to the Mall of the Emirates was mentioned casually at one point. This appealed to the audience since it not only made the play seem more relevant, but it made them feel special since it seemed like it had been engineered specially for them. On first entering the theatre itself, the mood of the play was created. The hall was small and compact with a simple stage and rows of seats that were placed one behind another rather than in levels. The racy 90s dance music that blared from the speakers gave the audience a taster of what they would expect. Four solemn-looking men greeted us at the door, their smart black tuxedos making it clear that they were bouncers. They sternly told some people off for being so informal as to appear in sneakers but when the lights dimmed, we were in for a surprise: the bouncers climbed onto stage as the actors themselves! I thought that this was a nice touch to not only warm up the actors so that they fully immersed themselves in the character, but also an excellent way to set the scene and get the audience more involved in the play by giving them a fully rounded theatre experience using invisible theatre techniques as well. The story centered mainly on the lives of four nightclub bouncers: Les (Matthew Duquenoy), Judd (Jonathan Floyd), Ralph (Simon Watts), and Lucky Eric (John Carter). Of these four, Lucky Eric could perhaps be called the protagonist. He was older and generally more solemn than his three colleagues. As the plot unfolded we discovered that he tended to be as compassionate as the other males described in the story were shameful and disreputable. Lucky Eric had many monologues throughout the play, and through them he related instances that really convinced us of his character- instances like how angry he would get when he would see young, drunk schoolgirls taken advantage of by the vulgar men who frequented the nightclubs. Eric has quite a tragic past, with a wife who left him to become a sleazy bar girl. He is essentially a lonely man, but tries to hide it under his macho, tough character. The other, younger bouncers also tease him constantly about his body image. The stories of eight people, enjoying a night out, were also depicted- four men and four women. It was interesting to see their varied range of personality. The girls ranged from the exotic Sexy Suzy to the more mundane headache-ridden Elaine. The men also were of varying characters. Through all the fast-paced action, however, the play held a deep underlying message that was not lost out in all the humour. It was a message showing how hopeless and bleak peoples lives could become. What all the characters shared was the feeling of failure, since they felt that the only way they could be successful was to enjoy the nightlife. All the characters were desperate people who went out at night looking for love, mistakenly lost under the illusion that sex was love. What I admired most was the fact that they were completely independent of sets and props. The set was a plain black stage and remained the same throughout, with only two bar stools for aid. Despite this, however, the actors used their space to its full potential. The lack of props did not prevent them from pretending that there were props. In some cases, one of them would casually rest an elbow on the empty air, effectively representing the idea that they were leaning against a non-existent table. Since the characters played so many roles, they had to be able to switch between them effectively in such a way that the audience would not be confused as to who they were playing. To go about this, the actors exaggerated their characters and made them more physical- using their voice, actions and postures. When they were playing women, the actors minced about stage with their shoulders held back, talking in a high pitch and making use of their space by angling their hands and gesturing in very stereotypically feminine ways. Sexy Suzy was a perfect example: she made it clear that all the men around her hung on to her every word and struck very feminine poses. It was essential for the characters to be stereotypical if we had to be able to distinguish between the men and the women (since the costumes remained the same). To do this, the actors included little acts which are typically associated with females: when the girls are first shown on stage, they are doing each others hair and gossiping wide-eyed about each other. When Rosie loses her boyfriend she wails mournfully in an overly dramatic way. It is particularly funny to see the girls behaving very sweet to each others faces while making snide remarks behind each others backs. The women were depicted as shallow, superficial characters. Despite being equipped with only a handbag each for props, it was sometimes almost easy to forget the girls were in fact men! It was obviously much easier for the actors to play men, yet it was no easy task to accurately portray their contrasting personalities. However this was done very well. Emphasis and exaggeration was used to their advantage. I thought that Lucky Eric, in particular, did a great job in displaying to us strong emotions like his pent-up fury. His monologues provided an insight into his innermost thoughts, and were delivered with such power and attack that we could feel what he was feeling. One of his strongest monologues was when he told the story of how angry he had felt when he once saw a group of young men taking advantage of a drunk girl in a bar. Lucky Eric spoke with extreme feeling. Give me a kiss, they said, said Lucky Eric about the men in the bar. When explaining this, his tone of voice got loud and full of rage. But at the end, Lucky Eric explained that after he had sent the men away, he had turned to the girl. Give me a kiss, she said. The line was timely and excellent, using the power of repetition; and Eric used it to its full potential. Having reached the anticlimax of his monologue, his voice became soft and almost wounded, his shoulders hunched and his head hung. The last lines of this monologue were delivered with equal power, in a tone of frustration and sadness: Go home, I told her. Just-just go home. Despite this, I felt that Lucky Erics monologues could have been slightly shorter. I appreciated that the slow tempo of the monologues was meant intentionally to contrast the fast pace of the rest of the play; and that the slow tempo was meant to create a deeper message. However, they were slightly rambling and Eric tended to repeat himself slightly. Perhaps if he had moved around more then his monologues might have been more effective. He tended to stand still in one spot throughout his speech, and alternate between two or three expressions and postures only. The audiences attention was distracted slightly when these monologues came on. Judd also did a good job in showing his personality- his immaturity and fickleness was depicted in the way sheer boredom made him eager to get involved in fights. He would constantly try to provoke Lucky Eric, teasing him about something that Eric found very painful: the thought of his wife. In the scene where Eric finally breaks and fights with him, Judd turns morose and resentful. The director planned this scene well, making their fight look realistic by using space well. The audience probably found this scene unexpected but it was effective in illustrating the personalities of the two characters. Not only was the pitch and tenor of the voice involved in character transition, but accents were also a useful tool in this. At one point, the actors had to play upper-class men, going golfing. Their accents and their postures changed dramatically: they became more formal, more proper, their voices became deeper and cleaner, and they looked taller as if they were aware of their importance. The audience found these two upper class men very funny because it was so contrasting from the other, more coarse characters. It was a sort of light break from the plot because it showed, just for an instance, that there were people other than the working class, that the working class depicted only a segment of UK nightlife. Positioning was the other character transition aid. When changing roles, the characters spun around about their feet and landed in a position and posture that was suited to the new role. The bouncers, despite walking around during their speeches, always initially started off in one row with their hands behind their backs and their feet slightly apart (probably to indicate a more masculine posture). This was a method of showing rather than telling the audience that they were someone different. During monologues, the positioning and the lighting changed. The stage was bathed in a yellowish white light, with a spotlight focused on the key character, who moved forward to occupy the center of the stage. The other characters, meanwhile, moved back and faced their backs to the audience. There was one scene where Les was explaining his travails with a rugby team who came to the bar, and the other three actors played the rugby team on the other corner of the stage while Les talked in a spotlight. These methods were very effective because they focused attention on one actor, and the audience therefore found it easier to understand his perspective. Lighting was a very important element of the play. To make up for the lack of set, creative lighting was used in certain places to enhance the mood of the moment. In the scene inside the disco there were multicoloured lights flashing through the stage, and for a scene in which they were depicting a pornographic movie, a white strobe light flashed rhythmically; helping not only to create the sleazy background, but also to make it clear that the scene was on TV. Each set of characters was given its own lighting scheme. When the four actors were playing bouncers, the shape projected on the background screen was blue, when they were playing the young men, the shape was green, and when they were playing women it was pink. The colours were carefully chosen to be symbolic of the groups of characters they were representing; for example, pink is generally associated with women and blue is a more masculine colour. The shape that was projected on the screen rremained the same for the most part of the play. It was a rough contour of a heart, which was again symbolic of the theme of the play. At the end of Act One, the heart was highlighted in red, perhaps to emphasize what the characters were looking for. Music was an element that was used throughout the performance. Light rhythmic instrumentals were used to build up the tempo etc. and sometimes, specific songs were used as part of the comedy. When Rosy found that her boyfriend had been cheating on her, she sobs loudly on stage, and suddenly, the song I will survive plays on the speakers with Rosie lip-synching along in a dramatic and hilarious way! When the bouncers come on stage, deep classical music is played to give a very macho, manly feel. It is also interesting to note that when Lucky Eric and Judd have a fight, the music that is playing is from the ballet Romeo and Juliet; it is the song that is played when the rich Capulet is showing off about his wealth. Although the play had a realistic setting and a very genuine message to give, the performance itself did not use naturalistic techniques. Drama techniques like flashbacks, audience asides, monologues, tableaux and freeze-frames were constantly employed throughout the performance. The lighting was also strong and vibrant, in colours that were perhaps more symbolic than realistic. The costume and make-up were as subtle as the sets and props. The four characters never changed out of their black tuxedos, and if they had had any make-up on it was just so that their faces could be seen clearly against the light. The tuxedos were simple, universal, and made them all look the same. The wonderful thing about Bouncers was the fact that it not only had good acting, but also a good script. The language used accurately portrayed the setting, and the conversations held different contrasts. There were monologues where the tempo of the play needed to be slowed down, but there were rapid interplays of dialogue between characters when they needed to maintain the upbeat rhythm. Much of the script rhymed too. This added to the humour in the play! Some specific scenes were particularly impressive. In some dancing scenes, only the four actors managed to effectively give the impression of being caught in a crowd of people. They pushed, shoved, crawled, and mopped sweat from their brows; everything appropriately exaggerated. Another scene was a snapshot of a taxi ride, and although there were no props, sets or even parts of the dialogue that suggested that the characters were in a taxi, just their actions made it clear. They swayed, jolted and panted where the taxi was too fast, and even bounced in their seats where necessary. The movie scene was also well depicted. Two of the actors were playing the characters in the TV itself while the other two were watching the scene. The two watching the scene occasionally paused the movie by raising an arm- and the TV scene then froze. When a rewind had to be done, the TV characters enacted all their movements backwards. I thought that this was very effective. What really makes a play successful is using the medium of acting uniquely and effectively. The play should be able to give you a different feeling than if you had read the story in a book, or watched it as a movie. Bouncers definitely fulfilled this criterion. The variety of techniques that were used, along with the superb acting skills and the physical actions made us feel that the storyline wasnt the only important thing in the story; we wouldnt have felt the same if we had read it in a book. Similarly, the audience interaction in the beginning of the show, as well as the general atmosphere that had been created, made one feel that it was better to have watched Bouncers as a play in a theatre rather than a movie on TV. In conclusion, I was awed by the performance of the actors in Bouncers and was impressed by the script and the directions. The play was a source of inspiration to succeed in my own devised dramas!

Informational Memo Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Informational Memo - Assignment Example There are thousands of small islands surrounding the four main islands. There are a lot of mountainous regions in Japan. The weather in Japan experiences all four seasons with hot humid summers and cold winters. Japan has a high risk to natural disasters including volcanoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis.The official language of Japan is Japanese, but in the business scenes the use of English is common as Japanese include English as part of the secondary education of young students. The two primary religions practiced by Japanese people are Buddhism and Shinto. Shinto stresses a person’s relationship to nature and its many gods (CultureGrams, 2011). The capital city of Japan is Tokyo. The city of Tokyo is considered the most popular metropolis in the world (Japan-guide, 2011). The US Embassy in Japan is located in Tokyo. The embassy’s phone number is 03-3224-5000 and its address is 1-100-5 Akasaka Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8720 Japan (Usembassy, 2011). The official currency of J apan is the yen. The current exchange rate between the US dollar and the Japanese yen is 1 to 78.6 (Xe, 2011). Japan’s has a sound economy that generates for its people a gross domestic product per capita of $32,600. The country is highly dependent on its manufacturing activities. Some of the industries that are thriving Japan’s economy include machinery, textiles, chemicals, and engineering.