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After reading Proxima B, I did like the contrast between Judy and the Woman in the park with her on that cold Christmas night. Judy is a passionate, educated yet work obsessed astrophysicist that is not entirely respected by her peers while the woman is a carefree old lady who can give someone a hard time but does have a good heart. In the beginning of the play, she comes off as snippy and witty, making fun of one the professor’s last names. But when she see’s Judy having a rough day, even though she kept getting after her for her presence, she still have Judy kindness and generosity, a change in character. Judy also goes through a change at the end after being closed off with the woman and being stubborn, but she grows on the woman and they become friendly strangers. We also see how Judy is with the professors, who are her superiors, since she knows that they are the ones that would help launch her career in astrophysics. Her behavior with the old lady is different and is it because she believes herself to be superior or just because the lady is getting on Judy’s nerves? I do love how the professors that Judy needs to talk to have no dialogue because they don’t need it and based on how the actor for Judy would perform it, make their messages clear. If I was to direct, I’d have whoever would play Judy go to the corner of the stage and look above the audience to show superiority the professors have.
ReplyDelete-Michael Anthony Lucio
I really appreciated the set up that went down in Proxima B and the two characters Judy and the Woman (Mirta). Judy reminded me of all those other characters you see in film/television who are passionate about what they do but also want to prove themselves to their superiors yet she is underappreciated or disregarded despite the information she’s gathered and want to share. It doesn’t help that when talking to Nagafuchi, who doesn’t even have a speaking role, he doesn’t seem to know about a woman in their field that Judy admires and aims to be like. Both men’s dismissals of Judy’s work has her very dejected and having Mirta in the mix only seems to worsen her state. However, Mirta’s character is enjoyable right from the start. She appears humming to Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star and setting up for a night of stargazing (most likely), paying no mind to Judy. Throughout their exchange, you can see how Mirta is a very carefree, kind old lady despite Judy being annoyed with her and even cracks a joke about Nagafuchi’s name. What I really liked though was how even after Judy snapped at Mirta, after the day’s event has taken its toll on her, she still comforted Judy.
ReplyDelete- Savannah Lopez
After reading Proxima B, I have gained more insight and changed my perspective on play scripts. I really loved the plot, structure, language, and how it was engaged with the audience. It was entertaining in the sense of adding comedy along with conflict which is a special mix, I think all age groups can appreciate. Everyone loves conflict along with humor, and a happy ending. What I loved was the added details that relate to the woman and her dictation as well as her personality. Women in Hispanic culture are usually blunt in a humorous way. The scene where the woman is pinching her nose and laughing saying, “Fuchi Nalga! Ha!” is very reminiscent of my own family. I thought the character details for the woman were spot on comparable to real women in Hispanic culture. The added aspect of the woman helping Judy (Even though Judy doesn’t deserve the woman’s kindness for being taking out her frustrations on the woman) is very comparable to the women that I love in my family. There is always love to their character when it comes to young people. I also loved the imagery from reading the description of the scenes. Though I have not seen this acted out, I can still visualize what is happening clearly.
ReplyDelete-Valerie Valentin
I really liked the play for this week. For one, it was able to mix the science fiction vibe with the latinx themes really well. I was able to get into the mindset of these characters and the conflict hit very close to home. One thing I noticed in Proxima B was the different take on the female Latina. We had the Woman, who represented your average Latina in terms of language usage, this sense of unity, and bluntness paired with confidence. In contrast, Judy was more ‘Americanized,’ so to speak. She didn't speak Spanish despite understanding the Woman perfectly, she seemed to have a distant sort of vibe that prevented her from acting amicable to her own ethnic group (her outburst toward the Woman better clearly displays just how independent and isolated Judy has made herself from her own ‘people’), and doubt was prevalent in her attitude toward her superiors. This difference is no doubt related to the fact that Judy is an astrophysicist and appears to run in a world where the white man is most often in a position of power. For a Latina woman to be treated a certain way because of her gender and ethnicity/race is not new, and this is the reason I believe the playwright chose to have Judy address the audience when speaking to Heinemann and Nagafuchi (Nagafuchi presumably of Asian descent but still a man). By addressing the audience, Judy is more directly able to relate to the viewers. The irony of it being a day of merriment is not lost on me, considering it's also one of the worst days of Judy’s life. It seems almost as if the Woman is fated to be there and to provide a helping hand, to be a loving and motivational companion perhaps on a more figurative sense. I also found the inclusion of the familiar nursery rhyme very fitting and enjoyed how it was used in the play.
ReplyDeleteSandra Martinez
The play “Proxima B,” by Robert P. Moreira was emotionally touching to me. I honestly loved it. My favorite character was Mirta. Reading the play, the first time was a bit confusing to me when Judy was talking to the two doctors, only because I was trying to figure out if Judy was talking to herself or what else was going on. Another thing that I was confused about was the “beat” that was mentioned during the play a couple of times. But other than that, I really enjoyed it. Judy somewhat made me mad at times the way she would treat Mirta. Towards the end is when I started feeling for her. In the beginning she came off as a stuck-up person, but as time kept passing by, you can feel what she was going through. She was just a hard worker that was not concentrating on herself. Not only with work but also in her relationship. Mirta was there to show her that she needs to worry about herself occasionally. Mirta’s attitude was amazing. She let nothing get to her, not even Judy’s rude comments when she tried to belittle Mirta. I loved how in the end Mirta was there to comfort Judy with her personal problems with her boyfriend and work. Towards the end they were both vulnerable for each other.
ReplyDeleteVictoria A. Gonzalez
In Robert P. Moreira’s ten-minute play, “Proxima B”, is about a young astrophysicist named Judy Lopez who is conducting research on Proxima B to report to her colleagues. She runs into an elderly woman who annoyed her at first, yet it turned out differently in the end between her and the elderly woman. First off, I was confused where this was going and what was this about. Is it communication between Judy and her colleagues? Is she invisible or not-good-enough for a conversation for her esteemed colleagues? To be honest, I had no clue what the conflicts or rising tension were and how to identify it. Secondly, the note where it states that Judy will talk to the audience when addressing her colleagues just added to the confusion to the play, like if it was unrealistic. Overall, when reading or watching a play, I would like a play to make complete sense to the audience or the audience will be uninterested and confused as well as questioning why are they watching a play he or she doesn’t understand whatsoever. Additionally, I’d like some, but not all, stories, despite the medium, to relate events that happen in the real world. In other words, Judy talking to the audience, while addressing her colleagues, seemed unnatural that it was confusing and repulsive, which impacted my view and understanding of the play itself. That’s how I feel.
ReplyDeleteJose Contreras | 233 words
“Proxima B” right off the bat establishes a melancholy tone. scientific discovery, one way or another, is an event with blander emotion, it’s a feeling of objective discovery that lacks human sentiment. Being freezing on the night of Christmas eve builds on this more. An interesting thing in situations of life is when a relatively happy moment can be something much sadder for someone because of the circumstances (i.e., being at a party, and a song that reminds you of something you once had comes on, ruining the time for you). Judy’s frustrations are natural, as the stubborn woman persists in being annoying. My only issue with this character is that she is later established to be wise and thoughtful, but that does not justify her messing around with Judy for no real reason. She did not seem to try to lighten the mood or ease Judy’s tension until the end, where her character takes an important, but not very fluid shift. Notably in this section, one or two characters has a short monologue. I suppose that it is necessary for dramas, because drama focuses on emotions, and in a 10 minute play, one can’t draw out much emotion through conventional dialogue. Then again, “Hamlet” was full of monologues, all which explored and deepened the emotional strain of Hamlet in each act. From this, I would like to learn 1 of 2 things. TO create a play that does not rely on a monologue to express a character’s real emotion, or to create a play where instead of the monologue being a rant, incorporate devise action that helps forward the plot of the play in some way. “Proxima B” had mostly convincing dialogue and a good buildup in the polarization of its two characters, that may be its strongest component.
ReplyDelete-Kedrick Wyatt
I like Proxima b the 10minutes play by Dr Robert Moreira. It is a very nice play, but plays for me is very hard to read and understand at best. The festival would have been the best place to see that play. One of the characters’ Judy was so funny. I could not stop laughing at her, as I was picturing her in my mind. Especially waiting for someone under the cold weather that doesn’t have a minute for you is not a joke. She was rude to The woman by saying “Ma'am, look: I and the other people who work here—important, smart people, mind you—we're all here today, we’re working. For us, today’s a working Christmas Eve. The park is closed to the public”. She never realized that the women would end up comforting her. Other women was nice and calm. She continues doing her things with her telescope, but I don’t even if she knows how to use it. And she was using names in Spanish like mi’jita to call Judi that was getting more upset without knowing the signification. The end was so amazing when the two ladies finally get alone and singing the TWINKLE, TWINKLE song.
ReplyDeleteFatimata Traore
Definitely enjoyed reading "Proxima B", thought the script was written really well and structured in a way to keep the reader hooked. Because of that I feel that if it was performed, the effect would be even greater and more absorbing. The only issue I had with it was the ending, I didn't really get what happened there. For whatever reason Judy and the woman randomly bond at the end which i thought was weird and random. Felt like the woman's role in this play was a bit forced. While reading it I kept wondering what the woman's purpose was going to be and when they began to sing at the end I was just left dumbstruck. Like other readings I've read from Robert P. Moreira, the ending was ambiguous which would usually result in it being a good thing. However, in this instance, I was just left confused. Maybe it was due to fact that I was reading it and not seeing it get performed live. I thought the dialogue between the two main characters was written really well. I really liked how through the dialogue we were able to gain an insight into Judy's psyche. Overall, I felt like this would be a really enjoyable play to watch due to its compelling dialogue.
ReplyDeleteAdrian Martinez
I found "Proxima b" by Robert Paul Moreira to be a really good ten minute play. I would have to say that it's one of the examples I've most enjoyed while reading for this section of drama. For starters, I liked how the character Woman's name is Mirta but that she is listed as Woman, opposed to her actual name, because I feel that it makes for her to seem all the more fitting of an older, wise woman. Similarly, I feel that it enhances the contrast between her and Judy, Judy being a girl trying to make her way up and Mirta having the real knowledge of recognizing the importance of respect. I'm not sure if that could be part of the author's intent as to why Judy is listed as Judy and Mirta is listed as Woman; however, that's just one of the possible purposes I could think of. Another thing I really liked about this play was how it was easy to follow and the story itself. It was funny to see Judy think that she's so much above this woman she that encounters in the park, thinking that Mirta belongs nowhere near her because they can't possibly associate with one another, Judy being an astrophysicist and all. The story does a great thing in presenting how while Mirta is shown no respect by Judy, Judy is shown no respect by her authorities as well. The ending nicely ties in their sharing of a common ground and how they are able to both carry in this idea of imagining life far away from their own.
ReplyDeleteKimberly Cervantes
In all honestly I have no idea what this story is about. I just know there are two women in the park one named Judy and the other called “woman” (Mirta). With the “woman” character is looking at the skies while calling Judy “mi’jita”. Which made me picture this old Latina woman. While judy is a astrophysicist who is not really respected by her peers. Which kinda makes you feel bad for her. So the majority of the story is a conversation between the two women. Again I didn’t really understood the story. But I’m pretty sure there’s a hidden meaning. I will also like to thank my script writing teacher who showed me what the word “beat” means when it comes to scriptwriting or play writing. Which help me read the play and not made me go to google and search up what it meant so, thank you scriptwriting professor. I feel like if I saw play acted out I will understand it more and it will make sense. But for right now, I didn’t really like it nor understood it. But my mind can be change.
ReplyDeleteJuan Carlos Guerra
While reading “Proxima B” I could tell that Judy was just trying to prove herself to her bosses and to the Mirita. To show that she wasn’t just a measly worker. She wanted them to know that she was smart and could contribute to their work. I liked how Mirita was so blunt, just being herself. Out in the cold looking through her telescope not taking crap from anyone not even Judy. Mirita sees what Judy goes through with her boss and with her boyfriend Stan. She offers her comfort Mirita can see how stressed Judy is just trying to be the best she can be. I liked how they came to an understanding in the end, how different they are in the beginning but come together by the end of the play. I could just picture myself on the cold bench, on Christmas eve looking at the starts listening to their conversation. Seeing Judy and Mirita just talking and humming “Twinkle Twinkle Little star”. With Marita saying “Fuchila” and laughing at Mr.Nagafuchi’s name like any grandma would. The story just comes together with a beautiful ending. It transported me to the park on Christmas eve.
ReplyDeleteKendra Lara
I found Proxima B to be a very heartwarming play. I felt bad for Judy as I was reading it, seeing as how she was so excited for the chance to talk with the professors about her findings but kept on getting brushed aside. A part of me felt like maybe Judy was representative of the overall struggles that women tend to have asserting themselves in academia, especially younger women like Judy who have yet to make a name for themselves. It was crushing to see how she clearly poured her heart and soul into this research—not to mention she really looked like she knew what she was talking about—and yet the only person she could find to give her the time of day was Mirta. That being said, I loved Mirta. While I found her a little obnoxious at first and found it extremely rude and inappropriate how she’d say things like “nalga fuchis,” I quickly grew to love her. I don’t think Dr. Heineman and Dr. Nagafuchi were meant to be bad people but it was clear they weren’t going to give Judy the attention she sought, so I was glad when Mirta stepped in and gave Judy a shoulder to cry on. I honestly wish we could have an entire or something just on Mirta because I love the idea of this brash 70-something year old woman who seems to have her own interest in astronomy, and I’d love to know more about her. In fact, I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe Mirta had once been in the same situation as Judy when she was younger, and maybe that’s why she was so willing to go out of her way to comfort Judy. I can’t wait to see the play acted out because I want to see how they bring Mirta to life. I don’t think that a character as memorable as her is meant to exist only on paper.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Garza
I liked that at the end of reading the play, the tune that the woman is humming throughout is finally revealed. Of course, this wouldn’t be extraordinary to the audience watching and listening to the 10-minute play, but it was to me, who thought it was just a random tune. The conversations were also convincing even though the two men (scientists) didn’t speak at all. This might also be because Judy sounds like someone from a movie, so the scenario was familiar. I felt like I already knew the men’s lines. To me, she doesn’t emulate anyone from real life because I’ve never met someone like her; but I’ve seen her on tv. She uses people’s names extremely often, like firing a gun along to a staccato piece of music. This, I found inhumanlike. But that could be argued to be part of her inhuman personality. The way that she breaks down like an annoying robot (still cutting down the old woman as she’s continuously rejected on Christman Eve) reveals some deeper part of her personality that boils down to the conclusion that I wouldn’t like her as a person in real life. But the old woman was cool. Similar to watching Love on The B-Line in class versus reading it alone, this play would probably open up new images or details that I hadn’t seen before. For example, I mostly focused on Judy’s performances. In a play, I might focus more on the old woman’s quips.
ReplyDeleteRaquel Williams