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Kristina Halvorson’s Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere makes me reflect on my own experiences at work and this is important because the play is supposed to evoke resonance with the audience. There’s team leader Elaine (team leaders at Starbucks) Bethany & Jen from the customer service department,(barista’s in customer retail service) and Jack from sales(People who work but don’t solve customer complaints at Starbucks) haha. A lot of the time in work environments, in order to avoid as much confrontational conflict as possible, people can be passive when it’s time to discuss constructive feedback. Jen senses Jack’s unreceptive & unappreciative tone and decides to dive into what she’s holding in. There’s something I’ve noticed in all of these plays, the space their in is restricted and yet so much is occurring between the characters. I’m still trying to think of something that allows me to utilize a certain space like in this play (they’re in some type of office conference room) so I’m coming up with ideas about types of situations/conflict to perform in a smaller space.
ReplyDeleteI think some of the best plays I’ve ever seen are just like Adam Kraar’s Love on the B-Line there’s this magic feeling in the air when something so personal is revealed/happens on stage involved with romance. When Marie finally tells Robbie why she can’t stay the night with him, we learn more about her and it’s time for Robbie to react, and as an audience/reader it’s a lean in kind of moment to see what happens next. These events are mirrored in life where relationships can have these complications/ backstories too so seeing this strikes deeper and catches my attention. Again the space with this play is creative enough where there’s a reason they’re there and for the whole scene. They’re waiting for the train, so they stand or sit at the nearest bench. On a stage there would be no props needed except for the poster Marie points to with the poem written on it and the bench they sit on, (little things like the pack of cigarettes can easily be added)
-Naissa J. Acosta
In Kristina Halvorson’s play, “Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere”, talks about two customer service representatives named Jen and Bethany who are on bad terms with their sales specialist, Jack, and their supervisor, Elaine. All four attend a meeting discussing the so-called issues in the workplace. However, at the end of this meeting, none of these issues get resolved despite the ironic purpose of discussing and resolving these issues. I had total sympathy for Jen that no worker(s) should be let down by a worker(s) who thinks he or she is doing good yet is having the opposite effect. Throughout the whole play, I felt anger toward Jack at first and then toward both Jack and Elaine for not doing the respective jobs to the fullest. Out of these readings, I found this reading to the closest to reality, which I like to an extent. Additionally, READING this play made COMPLETE sense despite it not being performed.
ReplyDeleteIn Adam Kraar’s play, “Love on the B-Line”, is about two individuals of the same age, Marie and Robbie, who ride the subway together for a few months. Both fell in love with each other. However, Marie’s family and habit of smoking in the past had hindered their love from reaching a new level in their relationship. For this play, I felt sad for Marie who was scared to advance her relationship due to her family not accepting of Robbie and her habit of smoking which is unappealing to Robbie. However, this play didn’t have same amount of emotion as I did with the previous play I have read.
Jose Contreras | 265 Words
Now were really going is about an office meeting with the customer service, HR and the sale person. From an office meeting to a open mic in a quick second. What I like is Jen in general very relatable to me. How she is standing up to herself to her shitty sales guy. I have a history of dealing with sales people and their bull. And I have had a couple of times where I felt like Jen and just wanted to fire back at them but I couldn't. But what I dislikes: jack is not really talking. Wish I could see a back and forth with jen. I know it's part of the story but still. The next play is LOVE ON THE B-LINE is a Train story with a couple arguing. What I like is the settling of the train keeps everything in one place very intimate. Robbie and Marie arguing. May sound weird but sounds realistic. Alittle over dramatic buts it's a play. But I can picture myself over hearing this. Also I'm sucker for a story about a couple. What I somewhat dislike is robbie, clearly hes worrying about something and wants a straight forward answer. From past relationships it's never that easy to get it. Clearly it's not about her not staying over and its explored later in the play.
ReplyDeleteJuan Carlos Guerra
Reading “Now we’re getting somewhere” makes it a play that can most definitely be valid in today’s world. It is a play that will resonate with audiences who have a passion towards equality between the sexes, especially in the work environment, whether at a retail store or in an office space and of course people who have had dull, snarky and unreceptive co-workers, we all have. The board meeting is intended as a chance for the customer support staff to talk to Jack, the top salesmen of their company, about certain issues. When Jack comes in, he works the charm that he uses on his clients to sort of sell the idea that all is well and that customer support is doing a “great job”. But Jen, a cynical customer support representative, isn’t letting jack get off so easy. She doesn’t talk much in the beginning of the play, but after Jack ‘mansplains’ his side of how things work, Jen opens up about how it’s not just Jack’s lack of brains that causes the problems. She reveals that Elaine, as their supervisor, just nods her head, smiles and continues to ignore what’s wrong around her. This can actually fit on the levels of how people feel or try to speak out on certain problems in society, be it in government or the workplace, and all they get is a “I’ll look into it” or “Nothing is wrong” and will not get anything from the representative. “Love on the B-Line”, is a sweet romance story that may be little in duration but is big in its presentation and story. It covers how sometimes we are afraid to say what we mean to those we love and how what may seem like a little thing to one person can mean a lot to another and we fail to see it through their eyes. We may have our disagreements and our fall outs, but in the end and when it’s real, it all works out. Robbie and Marie have been seeing each other for about five months and Robbie wants her to sleep over at his place, which he considers a big step. Marie can’t because she needs to feed her cat but Robbie thinks there is more to it than that. When they talk about the seriousness of their relationship it seems that this may be the parting of the ways for the couple. But when Marie reveals how she was before she met Robbie, he understands that just being with her is enough for now and that their love shouldn’t be rushed.
ReplyDelete-Michael Lucio
Kristina Halvorson’s play “Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere” centers on four work employees who are having a meeting to discuss an issue concerning one employee, Jack, about his performance at work and how it makes it impossible for the others to do their job. Although nothing is resolved at the end and we are left with feeling Jen’s frustration, I really liked the setup of this play. Unlike the ones from last week, this felt as if it wasn’t a play because it didn’t have as much instances where it’s obvious we’re reading a play like with having a bell or screaming at boots (and vice versa). Instead, Halvorson did a great job of making the characters and the situation believable in the play with the realistic aspect as meetings and discussing work issues with fellow employees is something a lot of us can relate to or have experienced. “Love on the B-Line” is another play that deals with an issue a couple is having. Marie and Robbie have been seeing each other for five months, as they are waiting for Marie’s train Robbie asks Marie to stay over, which she kindly declines. Wanting to take their relationship to the next level, Robbie asks for the real reason as to why Marie does not want to, an argument ensures and just when it seems they are going to breakup, Maries confesses to her reason. Unexpectedly Robbie accepts it with no question, stating just being with her is enough and they continue on. At first, I assumed this play was going to end with them parting ways but seeing Robbie’s acceptance of what Marie went through in the past and not wanting to go that route again made the play a little more endearing. In a way, it felt as if we just stumbled across a small bit of someone’s life as they worked through a relationship issue because in the end a relationship is one that requires both sides to work together through anything.
ReplyDelete- Savannah Lopez
“Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere” is an interesting play, it has four characters instead of two, and while Jen and Bethany don’t seem too different at the start, we see how different these similar characters become, Bethany tires her best to be happy with her job, but Jen cannot reach that, but understands Bethany and wishes she could be as passionate. Jack is the static character In this play, he does not change, and is the driving conflict in the story. Elaine appears to be a happy go lucky supervisor, but ends up being someone trying very hard to believe that everything is fine. The Three women are introduced in one way, and all come out with character development that isn’t separate from the character, but are layers of each character’s existing personalities. That might be the best way to develop characters in short plays, through reveal of their truer feelings. “Lover on the B-Line” was a truly sad story. It was not tragic, or as intense as other material we’ve read, but its tone is just, sad. Robbie clearly loves Marie, and his raw emotion feels genuine The dialogue in this play feels real, but Marie’s monologue is the only thing that sounds somewhat scripted. Robbie’s lines all come across as genuine wants. It ends predictably, with the two waiting for the train, dealing with the issue they now have at hand. Of the two, I can get a feel for what playwrights believe genuine dialogue sounds like, and, with that, understand that short rants from characters might be the best way to show the audience a character’s personality.
ReplyDelete-Kedrick Wyatt
After reading, I have gathered my consensus about the two plays that were assigned for this week’s blog post. Both had a way with turning a relatable conflict in today’s society that will reach a broad audience. The overall themes of were based on the nature of man and the nature woman.
ReplyDeleteThe play, ‘Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere’ was scripted around the theme of equality in the work place. This topic is passionately discussed in the present as a social issue. The second play, ‘Love on the B-line’ was scripted around the theme of love between man’s perspective and a woman’s. How understanding each other’s truths with love instead of fear, frustration, and anger can outweigh in benefits. Sometimes loving someone means to completely understand the person they were even before you came into the picture. Analyzing the reason behind the action can be frustrating of a person can be frustrating when you have to dig out the answer. This usually gives an overwhelming fear to a partner. This fear will bubble until it reaches high temperature. Society has put the notion that women should not speak up, which can lead to conditioning to speak about feelings or problems. I love these plays and I'm glad they were assigned.
- Valerie Valentin
This week’s readings were entertaining and stimulating to the mind. As being primarily dialogue, the plays made me imagine the voices and body language accompanying each spoken sentence and really grounded me. In Now We're Really Getting Somewhere by Kristina Halvorson, in particular, I especially liked the evolution of Jen as a character, almost completely switching roles with Bethany, who'd been listed as a cynical but determined character. As the events of the play transpire, we are shown through enticing dialogue that the simply cynical and unhappy Jen is not so simple and is in actuality trying to do the best she can, as can be reflected by her last line : “I'm doing the best that I can.” What really makes Jen a relatable character is how she initially tries to broach an issue with Jack with caution and blows up as a result of Jack’s continued arrogance and bigotry. We are right there alongside her when she snaps and frankly, the use of dialogue can be used for many things. It can be used to make us hate a character (Jack & Elaine) or love a character (in my opinion, Jen), and Kristina does this very well. In Adam Kraar’s Love on the B-Line, I, again, couldn't help but love the dialogue. It was very atmospheric and gave a certain kind of vibe, far past the tone of the characters into the tone of the city life. I also found the characters really believable by their conversation and reactions. The level of ambiguity also made the end so much more satisfying. Throughout the play, I was conflicted between hating on Marie or Robbie. At first, Robbie gave me the impression of a stalker or predator or even just a clingy stranger, but as I started to notice the actions and how Marie was behaving with him, I started to get the picture that perhaps it was Marie who was the deceptive one: using Robbie for pleasure but not committing. Of course it's when her past is revealed that we get to see the final picture and how Robbie reacts is so genuine and kind that I fell in love with the resolution.
ReplyDeleteSandra Martinez
While I had a little bit of a hard time relating to these plays (mostly because the situations they depict are ones I’ve yet to experience), I think I still understand more or less what they were getting at. “Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere” felt like a cynical criticism of the typical workplace setting, like an episode of “The Office” or “Parks and Recreation” without any of the humor. In it Jen and Bethany are both critical of their co-worker Jack and their supervisor Elaine (though Bethany was overall much kinder), perhaps representing what every fed-up employee wishes they could say to their higher-ups. Elaine felt like the typical authority figure who claims they care about those beneath them, but is really only concerned with their own work and “keeping the peace” rather addressing any of the actual concerns/problems their employees might have. The tension between Jack and the girls to me felt representative of the struggles women face in the workplace, as even when the claim is that they’re treated as “equals,” women still find themselves valued less than their male counterparts. While I can’t be too certain because I’ve yet to have a job of my own, I feel like the play represented the part of working that people don’t want to talk about or admit to, perhaps because of the idea that as workers of whatever occupation we’re supposed to perform our job with nothing short of the best, most upbeat and positive attitude, completely sacrificing ourselves to those who do business with us and never having our own feelings or needs considered.
ReplyDelete“Love on the B-Line” was heart-wrenching for me to read. I’m such a sap and love angsty romance like this so I loved seeing how desperately Marie wanted to give all her love to Robbie, but was ultimately too afraid because of the hurt she experienced in the past. I actually saw a little bit of myself in her. I loved how you could feel the raw emotion in their dialogue and actions even just reading the script, and I loved the attention to all the different little details, like the poem Robbie wrote for Marie on the poster. I was scared that they really were going to break up but I was so relieved with the ending when it seems like they’re making up. I’m honestly amazed that such a strong emotional scene can be created in such a short time, but I think it just reminds us how quickly such moments can happen in our own lives. I think that both of these plays were beautiful depictions of brief but strong moments in our lives that we tend to just gloss over.
Elizabeth Garza
This week’s readings were very straight forward. I felt like I automatically understood and connected the readings the first time I read them. I honestly related to them both. In “Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere,” by Kristina Halvorson was pretty good. I enjoyed reading it and was waiting to see what was going to happen in the end. Jen and Bethany felt uncomfortable working with Jack and the fact that Elaine didn’t do anything to solve the situation frustrated me. I work retail and deal with customers all the time, so customer service is a must in that department. When someone belittles you in your work place, you don’t feel important after that. So, I felt sympathy for the girls and grew to hate Jack and Elaine. Jen’s attitude was coming from her being underappreciated for her work performance. I don’t blame her for having an ugly attitude to the people higher than her. In the dialogue “Love on the B-Line,” by Adam Kraar was very emotional for me. I was able to tell that the relationship was going to be very toxic because they questioned their love for each other so much within just five months. Marie had already been “locked in a cage” (pg 321) and she didn’t want to go through her mental problems again. She was scared to let someone in, while Robbie was ready to love her with all he had. Though I was a bit confused at the end of what happened, this was my favorite reading.
ReplyDeleteVictoria A. Gonzalez
The Plays of Kristina Halvorson “Now we’re Really Getting Somewhere” is great but I find it annoying. It is talking about three women (Jen, Bethany, and Elaine) that usually have an office meeting on Mondays. Jen and Bethany were surprised to find out Jack was invited to their Monday norming meeting. I don’t know what he did, but they did not love him at all. Beside that Jen is an unhappy person; perhaps she is bipolar. Elaine was trying to get the meeting go smoothly, but Jen was almost taking it personally. I did not find anything special about this play.
ReplyDeleteThe second “Love on the B-line” by Adam Kraar was very interesting. It is talking about two lovers Marie and Robbie inside a subway station, discussing why his girlfriend would not want to spend a night in his house and she is giving excuses. This play reminded me of when I was in New York taking the subway to school or work. I could see lovers stay in the platform or some inside the train. Some even end up fighting inside the train. It was sometimes funny but you have to squeeze your face not to laugh; if you smile the man or the woman will turn the fight to you. Many things happen in the subway in New York.
Fatimata Traore
“Now we’re really getting somewhere” by Kristina Halvorson reminds me of actual work experiences where a coworker wouldn’t help and would direct problems my way without giving me any information, so the frustration felt by Jen was understandable. When Jen said “But I don’t respect you” the intensity was magnified by ten the build up leading to the quote was fierce. Then Jen saying her mantra “I’m doing the best I can” goes to show how he fight affected her. With “Love on the B-Line” the story was awkward yet romantic. Marie never wanting to stay over (for good reasons i.e. being hurt by a man before) and how Robbie was hurt by her decision is something many young people go through today. How she repeated the poem he wrote for her and how Robbie understood she was wild and wanted to be free is something many can learn from. I liked how real it was, how you could picture the interaction happening. When Robbie fell asleep on Marie’s shoulder, or when she stuffed cigarettes up her nose giving it some comedic relief it was perfect. And at the ending with Marie talking about her memory of getting caught smoking in school just gives the story a feeling of authenticity.
ReplyDeleteKendra Lara
After reading both ten-minute plays, I found one of the two to be fairly relatable. This is because, while reading "Now We're Really Getting Somewhere" by Kristina Halvorson, I felt that the character Jen represented the way a lot of people feel but are pressured not to. I'm sure all of us at times have felt the desire express our true attitude towards something that riles us up. It can be irritating when everyone just quietly goes along with a certain situation and because of this, nothing really gets accomplished. For example, on page 315, there's this part where Jen gets aggravated because the real issues that exist between the team are not being directly addressed by their team leader, Elaine. Because of how upset this makes Jen, she goes off on Elaine, responding "we are not done" when Elaine tries to stop Jen from rambling on. Jen just wants to finally get real with them and is fed up with having to act a certain way that's considered professional. She's had it, and she doesn't feel like complying to their societal norms any longer. Another reason that most people in these settings probably don't speak out on their opinions or views is obviously because there are risks involved in taking these actions. In addition to admiring Jen for her boldness, it's also refreshing to see someone challenge a higher authority for a just cause. I really enjoyed Halvorson's characterization of Jen, along with Bethany, Elaine, and Jack because each character represents a different kind of person that most of us have likely encountered, and their roles in a given circumstance. "Love on the B-Line" by Adam Kraar felt a little confusing in that, although it's apparent that there are issues in Robbie and Marie's relationship, the conflict of her not wanting to spend the night at Robbie's because she fears of going back to where she lived her darkest days, had a mysterious tone, leaving me with an off-put impression of what must have been going on with not only them as a couple, but them as individuals. Also, him calling her "mom" while he was falling asleep offered a glimpse into his personal background that may involve further complexities.
ReplyDeleteKimberly Cervantes
What’s great about “Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere” is that the title is never mentioned or extremely obvious in the play, and there is no precise moment where the reader would think, ‘Yes, now we are getting somewhere.’ But when you look back on the play, you do realize that yes, now they did get somewhere.
ReplyDeleteThere’s a lot to get at with this play. The characters and their little skirmishes before Jack comes in (the conversations between Jen and Bethany) show that Bethany should be the protagonist. She is the one that is trying her best. Jen and Bethany don’t like each other very much. Jen doesn’t try at all. Bethany tries her best and Jen won’t contribute. Only Jen and Elaine are reasonable. This all flips, however. Bethany ends up being fake, not voicing her opinions at all. Elaine falls away completely, even telling Jack that he is doing fine-- disregarding Jen’s and Bethany’s complaints. Jen is the only one who stands up for all of them… and then she stands up to her boss, who won’t help her. The characters that we thought we knew (through the character descriptions) were all false. In the end, Jen is trying. She’s quoting something that you’d hear in therapy. She’s doing her best.
Raquel Williams