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Now We’re Getting Somewhere by Kristina Halvorson was a very modern day play. In my perspective this play gave a behind the scenes on what really might happen in a business meeting. I was able to read and watch the play on youtube getting a better understanding of the play.
ReplyDeleteThe way this play starts off in the open scene with Jen and Bethany you are able to get an understanding on how these characters are going to build up the play. The character description helps get a better feel of the characters, but if the descritption was not there the author made it very clear with the language, and punctuation along with the movements on how exactly here characters moods play out. The ending of this play made Jen come more to life in her character. Through out the whole play she played out as a very upset, unhappy, big attitude girl, but when it comes to the ending you can see as if she is trying to overcome that by calming herself down yet struggling with it. I did not like the role of Jack the character depiction states that he is a nice enough guy, but when reading this I didn’t really get that feel. Also when I reviewed the play on youtube I also did not get that feel from him it was more of a jerk, so in my perspective I really did not like that. Elaine and Bethany with there language and movements made the play come more to life, by being as a bigger motive for Jen and making her character come to life. Language from different characters the way it is presumed can make a different character fill in those missing gaps of words they simply do not say or movements they lack of doing and that is something this play does. Overall this play is able to come to life just by reading it even through you are unable to personally see the play in action. Also being very relatable to those who have jobs or have ever been in a meeting.
-Alicia Lucio
Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere by Kristina Halvorson. In this ten minute play, the story ushers in quickly. The author does a great way of hinting towards the problem; Jack. It was a very casual play and dialogue, to me it really made the characters and situation realistic. A lot of people have been in Jen’s and Bethany’s shoes, making this story easy to relate to and understand. In the end, Jen, the only one trying not to be unhappy, remains what I would consider still unsuccessful. But, Jen was the key to the play with her reaction and dialogue with Elaine due to how she handled the situation with Jack. With plays, the characters and dialogue are more important than stories, mainly because this is the chance to make them even more realistic. The characters involved were great, and with their character descriptions, it gives the readers a heads-up on how the characters will be. The title was a great choice by the author, clearly inspired by Jen’s dialogue with Elaine, having Jen come out and say the things that she and Bethany had bottled up in the beginning. Now when we put our focus on Elaine, we didn’t really learn much about her, but we did find out that she is late to every meeting, she didn’t really try to solve the conflict, and completely ignores her employees, Jen and Bethany. Which makes me think; is she fit for the position as leader? The description refers to her as “trying hard in general” but maybe that’s not towards work? She did have a positive energy flowing through her, constantly reminding everyone of how they’re on the same team and working hard. My favorite scene from the play, was when Elaine caused Jen’s trigger word “girls”. Bethany had previously brought specifically that this had bothered them when Jack did this, yet Elaine still does. Not once did we see Elaine directly bring something up to Jack, something that she had specifically agreed to do so when brought up by and we are left with this play; two modern women standing up for themselves in the workplace.
ReplyDelete-Jesus Pena
After reading Kristina Halvorson’s “Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere” I was able to reflect on it and make a personal connection to it because I used to work at a place where we had meetings, but nothing really got handled as far as issues among employers and management. At first it was slow and kind of difficult to really decipher what was going on but once Jack came into the scene it all started to come together. I definitely feel like Jack’s character raised the heat on everyone else especially Jen, and when he left, Jen’s energy continued and led to a conflict with Elaine. The scene felt like it all happened quick and in a hurry. There wasn’t much pausing and the remarks were quick and back to back. I guess like a real meeting would go if there was animosity between employees…. I didn’t like Jack it seemed like he took what the “girls” were trying to tell him much too personal and then went on a tangent almost belittling the girls. His “that’s why I’m in sales and you’re in customer support” comment really drove his condescending attitude home, at least in my opinion. I also felt like Elaine was either afraid of Jack or protecting him for some reason, like she didn’t want Jen to really open up and tell him what was REALLY on her mind. Then once she did, Elaine kind of stepped in and took the heat while Jack kind of sat back and then ultimately slithered his way out of the meeting.
ReplyDeleteWhile I was reading this play, I definitely saw it happening in my head, and not the characters in the scene but real people who I used to work with…. I think most people could take this play and plug people into it from their real life. I enjoyed it because it felt like it could be non-fiction, I bet people go through this exact scene weekly either at home with family or at work or even school with group projects.
-Alfredo Montemayor
Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere by Kristina Halvorson. This ten-minute play got me thinking it could be an episode of Mad Men or some other show. In Mad Men their meetings were always so pointless and nothing ever got done like this one I just read. Jen was just so fed up with her team leader Elaine not defending her and Bethany. Jen exploded all of her emotions she had bottled up for some time because Elaine tells “The Girls” to pretend like everything’s always all right. In the very beginning of the play Jen and Bethany are already complaining that their team leader Elaine is always late to their weekly morning meeting. In Elaine finally walks in and she drops news the two ladies never would’ve expected to hear. “You know, before we begin, I should let you both know that I’ve asked Jack to join us for a few quick moments this morning.” (Page 311) Jen and Bethany get this sour taste in their mouths when Elaine mentions Jacks name. The two ladies have had some difficulty with him and his work ethic lately. He’s always dumping his customers’ problems on Jen and Bethany. Kristina really gave these four characters a different voice and I really got into the play as I read on. Each character had their flaw and what they could bring to the table. Elaine for example; from what I interpreted was she wants everything to be perfect and for everyone to get along. Downfall, she didn’t stand up to Jack on the girls’ behalf. The girls felt betrayed. I’m sure this play has actually happened in many people’s careers. Not standing up for one another, saying what’s actually on your mind. Not everyone has the courage to do that. I get Jacks character I would’ve given him more voice, made him seem like a really big jerk. His character was a little dry. Personally I would’ve had Jack and Jen lash out and one another in the meeting. In my opinion that would’ve given the play more action. I enjoyed the ten minute play. It was interesting and not arc to follow one bit. The play writer did a great job constructing this play.
ReplyDelete- Monica Barbosa
In this ten minute play “Now We’re Getting Somewhere” by Kristina Halvorson you can feel tension amongst the characters and Halvorson provides the audience with such a languid tone throughout the play. I really enjoyed the characteristics of Jen in this play. The way great description of Jen really made her character, as Halvorson describes her as “cynical and unhappy”. I can already picture a person who is not motivated and not content with life. As she is just a ticking bomb waiting to explode and the salesman Jack ignites it by his mannerisms. The writer gives Jen a few long lines in the play to vent her frustrations about Jack and her life in general, which enhances the play. It does this because it adds drama and action in play. In the last line of the play, Jen repeats, “I’m doing the best I can” after everyone had left the conference room conveys how she is really unhappy and not content with herself. One thing that I really enjoyed was the action Halvorson incorporated in the play. How she referred to things as “office crap” and also how she says, “Elaine mutters what little dignity she has left”. That really put in perspective the true feeling and emotions the coworkers had for each other. This also made the play better because you can picture the actors in this play doing such things. The way Bethany is so positive is the hidden message in the play. No matter how bad your job may be it could always be worse and you’re supposed to look at the glass half full. Overall, this was a very enjoyable play to read as it reflects to everyday in the workplaces of some people.
ReplyDelete-Brandon Garcia
This ten-minute playwright was very comical and very surreal in relations to the actual real world, in other words was bomb. I loved how it is so relatable to, well relatable to my work settings that I have been in before. Kristina Halvorson, author playwright of, “Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere,” to me did a very simple job. She, through my eyes, achieved to make me laugh, to make me feel anger towards the parts where the other characters needed to listen. It was very calling in the sense where it had the right drama and action at the right time. It flowed perfectly. What Halvorson did different I would say would be just that the so called introduction to the play, the Characters, Settings, that had a bit of a different way of style. The way this has more than two characters amazes me. It describes a perfect ambient of a work theme, and every character has a very unusual part. To me this play portrays how a supervisor shouldn’t have acted, how sales is more important than customer service. I should what we would want to do, like talk back? Take action in things that seem unfair. In addition to this, I think that the dialogue builds up in the character Jen, as well how Elaine’s is timid and ignorant of what Jen is saying, Bethany is silent which I think is very important, and then Jack his lines are nothing but dumb in talking like his is the boss around this telecommunications company. It all fits together, something I think that the audience can take in for something that we should never do in actual life work situations. But I think it opens our eyes in something we definitely should not play around with and just be more mature in what we do.
ReplyDelete-Maria Salinas
Kristina Halvorson’s Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere, is the most relatable play I have read so far. Halvorson builds on the disgruntled worker theme with a slight mix of comedy. She uses Jen to take up the idea of mindless work driving someone nuts. The dialogue exchange between Jen and Bethany is all about timing. I can imagine that the two actors that play these ladies would have to have excellent chemistry in order to get the timing. This play had the feel of an SNL skit meets office space minus the political twist. The only criticism that I have is that most of the characters seem they should be labeled as late twenties if not early thirties instead twenties. The play runs as though it is in the current day and imagine that it would make sense as a tech support but I’m not too sure how it would run on sells. It would be interesting to update it and not very hard as it deals with the subject of having passion for one’s job. Halvorson hits on an idea that is very fluid and highly relatable with this theme because everyone wants to feel that what they’re doing serves a greater purpose at one time or another. Bethany and Elaine’s characters just seem to be satisfied that their bills get paid and their jobs are secure. While the protagonist is Jen, the antagonist switches from being Jack, to focus on Elaine in the end. Ultimately in every job the boss is always the antagonist.
ReplyDelete~Brenda Gomez
It took me awhile to get into this particular play, perhaps because it just seemed too normal. Every workplace has the rude boss, the pushover, the person who is always complaining, and the person that just goes with the flow. In a way, I guess this play gives an insight to what it’s like working in a small business. The audience is able to see what is going on behind closed doors in the typical office setting and is aware of the problems the characters are facing. Unlike the other plays we read, this one seemed very realistic, and I guess that’s why it didn’t appeal to me. There were no strong symbolisms or key themes, just subtle ones. I really didn’t like Jen, she just seemed very disgusted with her job and overall outlook on life. But at the same time, Jack didn’t have to be so rude and make snarky comments at the girls. In my opinion, I got the vibe that they all hated their jobs and just didn’t want to put up with each other. And I don’t blame them because their jobs seem like they really suck. The character that stood out the most to me was Jack because he represents the “rude male boss” so perfectly. I have one, so I know firsthand how they act toward their female employees. They make little jabs at you and tell you you don’t do your job well enough, but at the same time get weirded out when you have an issue because they don’t want to deal with your problems, fearing they may do something wrong or get in trouble because you are a girl. They are much more comfortable with the male employees. All in all, I could relate to it, I was just expecting something more. It’s definitely not a “wow” play, but it’s an ok one.
ReplyDelete-Alyssa Ramos
Reading this play was clear and very understandable. It could be because it seemed to be very modern and the dialogue really brought out who each character was for the particular setting. The fake and real personalities came out and for work place it was different to finally see a character speak up for something and for her personality to be used against her when she was really just fed up. I guess she was the one who stood for something when everyone was smiles and avoiding real issues. The style of this play helped me see how a choice of words and action can again play a big part in bringing a play to life. Reading the play was enough to make it clear and seeing it would only make it more enjoyable. I liked how Halvorson made her title kind of a sarcastic remark toward the play in general because in the end Jen only really got to express myself but it all went to crap-nowhere.
ReplyDeleteLisa Marie Serna
Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere by Kristina Halvorson is a play I think most people can unfortunately relate to. Even though the character’s situations were frustrating and a little awkward, I couldn’t help but giggle a bit here and there as I was reading along. It was just that relatable to me and being on the outside looking into this type of conflict was surprisingly entertaining. I enjoyed the way Halvorson started off a little slow with only two characters in the room, waiting. I feel this was done for the audience to get a feel for Jen and Bethany’s personalities before adding in the other characters. Once the other characters joined, the tension started to build up and I noticed the scene shifted to a faster pace as the characters talked back and forth trying to settle their differences. I especially liked the way Kristina selects the perfect words and punctuation throughout the dialogue. With that, the characters felt real and it helped a lot to be able to visualize the four different characters and to tell their personalities apart. When it came to Jack’s dialogue, Halvorson did a great job. Not being involved at all, I noticed myself getting frustrated at this fictional character. His attitude towards Jen and Bethany really got under my skin. Even Elaine’s character annoyed me, basically the whole thing was written well and realistically. As I reached the ending of the play, I started to feel incredibly bad for Jen. Here is this woman who is unfulfilled and upset, and only trying to make one aspect of her life less complicated, yet that seems like an impossible task. Reading her last line was a little heartbreaking. To me, it showed that this woman, despite being cynical, is trying to keep herself together in a work place that is failing her and possibly the reason she is always in a bad mood.
ReplyDelete-Brittany Garcia
This play just reminds me of the world for what it is, filled with people who don't seem to be able to really work together to fix anything at all. It started off with an idea Jen wanted to just get across and about Jack and then what happens in the end? Nothing at all. It was damn Jack who was smooth with his words convincing that they are one team and united and Jen is just completely not believing it while the others are agreeing that things are the way they should be. POOR JEN. In the end she is stuck in the same shitty situation she was in since the beginning and it didn't even get better. And the last lines were perfect because i could imagine this is actually how a lot of everyday people are in real jobs. Just behind a computer convincing themselves that everything is okay and nothing is wrong. The play wasn't that enjoyable or anything but i mean at lease the issue is real and so is the idea. Bunch of incompetence in this world.
ReplyDeleteIn Kristina’s Halverson, Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere, what stood out to me the most was how well the pacing of the play went along. It started off mediocre enough but I’m sure that was intentional. The setting of it all really solidified the feelings that are later adamantly expressed by Jen. The dialogue was so menial and appropriate for the type of work that they doing that it blended well with the story. Although it was meant to be boring it kept me engaged, I kept on reading because I wanted the problem to be solved. I felt like they created such relatable characters that I made a connection with them.
ReplyDeleteIn my writing I want to be able to create dialogue that is engaging admits a vey dull setting. Keeping a reader engaged in my story would obviously be something that I would want but what I really take away from this play is the way in which a dialogue is what can keep a reader engaged when dialogue is usually that least amount of focus in my paper. The writing was so engaging that the characters, even though there was very little back story, came off as someone that a reader can really understand.
The story also speaks about some issues that I am sure people have come across, inadequate bosses. Not only that but the whole routine that people fall into where everything is a stage and they just go through the motions. No change is ever accomplished; all people do is talk about it rather then do it because actually doing something takes an effort that some people just cannot preform. The play isn’t exactly light or intended to be humorous but it comes across in way that readers aren’t put off by it’s content.
All in all, the play is something that I would emulate, particularly the pacing and dialogue. Creating an effective story is something that every writer would like to accomplish and having that on top an effective play that will leave an impression on its viewers is definitely worth noting.
-Alvaro Pulido
After reading “Now We’re Really Getting Somewhere” by Kristina Halvorson I think a lot of people who have worked in any kind of work environment can agree with the character Jen, whether they have been in her position or not. We have all thought the way she did. I know at the jobs I’ve worked at and I was being treated unfairly I would let my supervisor know and they would do the same thing, the character Elaine would do just smile and say they will try to handle it and then when you go and talk to the big boss, which I’m assuming that is what Jack was in a way? He was someone in higher power than the three ladies. My boss would act the same way, try and turn my concerns into his, use it against me and try and make it seem like I was the problem and not him and I think this is a very common problem in work environments, it’s also a bit of a cliché because we’ve seen these problems in movies countless times, except in movies they have the cliché ending where the employee who feels underappreciated shoves it in the other guys face and he quits his job or he proves what an amazing employee he is and gets a promotion, and the other guy gets fired. but I like how in this play it shows us what might happen in real life if this happened. Jen ended up speaking her mind and was left alone with no one to help support her. Even her friend Bethany walked away leaving her to question everything, I loved how realistic her reaction is at the very end how she changes from being pissed off at the world and hating her job to telling herself at the end how she repeatedly tell herself she is doing the best she can. It made me wonder what exactly is she reassuring herself about? The way she handles work? Or the way she handles life? One of the main themes here was Feminism, and the way women are perceived in the work place, it was pretty obvious especially when Bethany brings up how jack calls them his “girls” and she claims she isn’t a feminist. I love how realistic that part is as well. Because a lot of people say things like that towards feminism, or towards homosexuality, or towards religion. I just loved this play in general; it brought to life a real world problem a lot of people, men and women, in the workplace face.
ReplyDelete-Bibi Ann Gonzalez
"Now We're Really Getting Somewhere is an interesting play by Kristina Halvorson. I can sort of relate to Jen since I have worked in an environment where there can be people who treat you unfair. Sometimes the higher authority takes charge but over use their powers to put you down. Some let it get to their head. Even after Jen spoke up and told the boss what is going on nothing was worked out. She was treated as if she was invisible. At least she tried but she should not give up.
ReplyDelete-Adelisa Fuentes
I really enjoyed this play, from reading it actually be in the moment watching it as it happens is a whole different ballgame. I feel like almost everyone who has had a job runned by a male boss may have felt this feeling before. I like how the author Kristina Halvorson created the characters, she created two who were both unhappy but one of them is trying hard not to be, like in a meeting where im sure the girls could care less about the meeting, but they have to be there. It makes more sense when one is trying their best to not make it obvious that they could care less for the job. I like how the author portrays Elaine as the two girls’ supervisor, but she herself has tricks up her sleeve. Ive had one boss in particular who would do that, they would ask how your weekend went or however the case may be and then be like “uh-huh, uh-huh” like not even having a care. The fact that when the male walks in, it seems like it has to be all about him, and how he works and how the girls are his girls. As if the woman have to get on their knees and worship this man. It brought the idea of feminist in my opinion, just because the women are working doesn’t mean they’re working for you. This short story kind of got my upset, because then the supervisor was also on his side as well! I’ve dealt with something similar to this and I understand the way the characters may have felt.
ReplyDelete-arianna tabares