Monday, May 25, 2020

What Cheating Out and Other Theater Jargon Means

Drama class and theater rehearsals are some of the only places where cheating is encouraged. No, not cheating on a test. When  actors  cheat  out, they position themselves towards the audience, they share their bodies and voices so that audiences can see and hear them better. To Cheat Out means that the performer readjusts his or her body with an audience in mind. This might mean that the actors stand in a way thats not quite natural — which is why this practice cheats reality just a bit. But at least the audience will be able to see and hear the performer! Very often, when young  actors are  rehearsing on stage, they might turn their backs to the audience, or offer only a limited view. The director then might say, Cheat out, please. Ad Lib During a performance of a play, if you forget your line and cover for yourself by saying something off-the-top of your head, you are ad-libbing, creating dialogue on the spot. The abbreviated term ad lib comes from the  latin phrase:  ad libitum  which means At ones pleasure.But sometimes resorting to an ad lib is anything but pleasurable. For an actor who forgets a line during the middle of a show, an ad lib might be the only way to keep the scene going. Have you ever ad-libbed your way out of a scene? Have you ever helped a fellow actor who forgot his or her lines with an ad lib? Actors have an obligation to learn and deliver the lines of a play precisely as the playwright wrote them, but its good to practice ad-libbing during rehearsals. Off Book When actors have completely memorized their lines, they are said to be off book. In other words, they will be rehearsing with no script (book) in their hands. Most rehearsal schedules will establish a deadline for actors to be off book. And many directors will not allow any scripts in hand — no matter how poorly prepared the actors may be — after the off book deadline. Chewing the Scenery This piece of theatrical jargon is not complimentary. If an actor is chewing the scenery, it means that he or she is over-acting. Speaking too loudly and theatrically, gesticulating largely and more than necessary, mugging for the audience — all of these are examples of chewing the scenery. Unless the character you play is supposed to be a scenery-chewer, its something to avoid. Stepping on Lines Although it is not always (or usually) intended, actors are guilty of stepping on lines when they deliver a line too early and thereby skip over another actors line or they start their line before another actor has finished speaking and thus speak on top of another actors lines. Actors are not fond of the practice of stepping on lines. Breaking Curtain When audiences attend a theatrical production, they are asked to suspend their disbelief — to agree to pretend that the action onstage is real and is happening for the first time. It is the responsibility of the productions cast and crew to help the audience do this. Thus, they must refrain from doing things like peeking out at the audience before or during a performance, waving from offstage to audience members they know, or appearing in costume off the stage during intermission or after the performance ends. All of these behaviors and others are considered breaking curtain. Paper the House When theaters give away a large amount of tickets (or offer the tickets at a very low rate) in order to gain a large audience, this practice is called papering the house. One of the strategies behind papering the house is to create positive word-of-mouth about a show that might otherwise suffer from low-attendance. Papering the house is also helpful to the performers because it is more satisfying and realistic to play to a  full or almost full house than to play for a sparsely populated set of seats. Sometimes papering the house is a rewarding way for theaters to offer seats to groups that might not otherwise be able to afford them.

Thursday, May 14, 2020

My First Day Of School - 1392 Words

Summer Reading Assignment Name: Alex Yu Senior English -Brave New World By carefully completing this assignment over the summer, which you need to bring to class on the first day of school, you will be prepared to discuss the story in the fall and to write an in-class essay using your novel as the basis for your response. Key Characters: Name the three (3) most important characters in your novel, describe each character using two (2) adjectives and provide two (2) concrete details (quotations and page numbers) to support your choices. Name Adjectives Concrete Details Page Number Bernard 1.Insecure 2.Stunted growth 1.Contact with members of the lower castes always reminded him painfully of this physical inadequacy ...he†¦show more content†¦1.131-132 2.134 Characterization In a 10-12 sentence paragraph, choose a character and consider how well that character fits in the World State society. In what ways does the character successfully fit the societal expectations? In what ways does this character not fit in or is not happy with the society? Provide concrete details from different points in the novel to support your explanation, embedding those concrete details in your response. Bernard is unlike any other when he deals with his feelings and problems in World State. Bernard turns â€Å"pale† when he hears other men objectifying Lenina, whom he is attracted to(44). Although he knows she has many other men and other men have the choice to have her, he is unhappy with the way society is. It angers him and makes him want to â€Å"hit them in the face† because of the way other men don’t feel feelings the way Bernard does(45). Bernard does not take soma when he feels unhappiness, but decides to pursue Lenina even more. He wants to be â€Å"himself and nasty. Not somebody else†(89). He doesn’t feel that soma is the solution for any of his unhappy episodes. Bernard wants to develop himself in a conscious way, not taken over by soma. Although he has a harder time fitting in, he still wants to fit in and to love. His conscious mind seems to be more similarto those of contemporary society than those of World state. Tracking the

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

It s The American Dream - 1802 Words

One Hit Wonder When I was seventeen, I learned how to play the guitar. Naturally, I wanted to get famous. It’s the American dream. I got myself out there by playing at bars, cafes, and anywhere else that would accept a no-name guy. People usually didn’t remember my name or more than at least one song of mine. Sometimes, people would stop me and ask my name. Then they would give a reassuring, â€Å"Oh! That’s right! I remember you from (insert venue here.) You’re gonna go far!† It would give me a smile and a humble feeling. Though there were others that warned me about my decisions. Some would just say, â€Å"Be careful, they take advantage of whatever they can get.† Others gave more haunting descriptions of record labels taking time and youth and innocence from their clients. I was seventeen though, I knew everything. I ignored them all. After performing in small venues for a year with no real progress, I decided to nudge myself a little and get out of my comfort zone. Even as much as I ached to be a household name, I didn’t have the balls to call up a record label and give them my demo. But I forced myself to push the buttons and talk shakily to each deep voice that came on the other line. I drove to each place and gave each one a CD. Now I would wait for a call. But in the weeks that would come, it would appear that I would never get one. In my disappointment, I did what any depressed teenager does: steal their parents’ liquor and get a drunk tattoo. I went to the parlorShow MoreRelatedThe American Dream Is Everyone s Dream1934 Words   |  8 Pagesâ€Å"I think the American Dream is everybody’s dream.† When Ralph Lauren, the corporation, chose this quote from their respective patriarch as the basis for an advertisement in October 2017’s issue of Esquire Maga zine, they were making a bold, blanket statement. They also made an assumption. 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Tuesday, May 5, 2020

The Internal and External Environmental Factors †Free Sample

Question: Write an essay onthe internal and external environmental factors. Answer: Started as Uber Cab by Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp in the year 2009, it is now an American Multinational company working as an online transportation network known as Uber Technologies Inc. It market and operates through a mobile app, customers with their smart phones can submit a trip request and Uber drivers who run their own vehicles gets the information and are routed for the trip. The worth of Uber by late 2015 was estimated around $62.5 billion and ranked as 48th position in the top most American companies. Its business model has been copied by several other companies and formed a trend called Uberification (Yang, Yang and Wong, 2012). Situation Analysis An organization needs to examine and make changes as according to the internal and external environmental factors that may affect companys performance. SWOT is an organized planning tool which is used here to identify and evaluate issues related to various environments for Uber:- Strength Uber is a well-known brand Uber has a huge number of vehicles for servicing its customers The competition level is very low. Dispatcher for services is not required as the whole interaction takes place between the driver and customer which reduces the operational cost Dual rating system of Uber enhances safety and trust In comparison to traditional taxi, the charges of Uber is quite low (Vanek, Mikolas and Zvakova, 2012). Weaknesses The business idea is too easy to get copied by competitors. The loyalty of drivers is quite low for Uber due to lack of real communication and connection Customers loyalty ratio is also low as their no bonding between the company and the customer Ubers business model is very unpredictable (Belwal, Minhans and Al-Balushi, 2013) Opportunities Traditional taxi companies have high charges and long waiting which dissatisfied the customers. New market like India can be exploited as taxi services there are expensive and inconvenient. Markets in suburban areas can be targeted where no taxi services are available Inexpensive electric vehicles can be used which help in reducing the cost and drivers profit will increase (Chakravarthy and Coughlan, 2011). Threats Low-profit margin makes driver unhappy which gives bad publicity and discourages new drivers to join Uber Country like Germany have some new regulations which has banned Uber from operating there With the increase new drivers in the new markets, there is an increase of scandals and frauds also The coming of new technologies like self-driven cars may eliminate the need for Uber services (Vujic, Vasiljevic-Blagojevic and Peric, 2014) There is no question about Ubers popularity amongst its customers. Uber has the customer-centric business approach which leads to a low-margin profit for drivers, and they dont prefer at all. Uber does not need to follow rules as traditional drivers but they are regularly fined for skirting the regulations. France, Germany, India, United Kingdom and Netherlands are few countries that have fined Uber. Thus, Uber has to work on its weaknesses and exploit opportunities by using its strength and overcome threats against the company (Vanek, Mikolas and Zvakova, 2012). To analyse performance of Uber in the market and comparison to their competitors The PORTERS five forces analysis is used here:- The Threat of new entrants- Getting a patent for various technologies proves to be a limitation for new entrants to enter the market, but low capital investment and easy to follow business model attract them. Hence, threat of new entrants is medium. The Threat of substitutes- Alternatives or substitutes like public transports, car pool services, and bicycles are easily accessible and less expensive too. Hence, the threat of substitutes is high. The Power of buyers- Choices are available to customers which can make them switch as according to their need. Hence, the power of buyers is medium (Anderson, 2014).. The Power of Suppliers- Rental car companies and drivers has a high bargaining power as Uber need them for running its services. Thus, the power of suppliers is high. The Power of competitors- High competitions is there from taxi and limousine services. They are expensive, but they provide a broader range of services. Competitors like Lyft and Wundercar are gaining their market. Therefore, the threat of competitors is quite high. The above analysis shows that the competitive level is quite high for Uber. But still Uber has maintained its priority over the other competitors and substitutes with quick, efficient and inexpensive services (Chakravarthy and Coughlan, 2011). Segmentation, Targeting, and Positioning There three processes that a company follows to get the customer and they are segmenting, targeting and positioning. The three process of Uber is discussed below: - Segmentation means to find out what types of customer exits and for Uber following segment of customer exists:- Doesnt own a car Need a drive for a party or function Want doorstep cab services which are cost-efficient also People who want to move from one place to another for any reason or purpose Business professional Senior citizens who cannot drive any more Children need to pick from school (Belwal, Minhans and Al-Balushi, 2013) Targeting means to select the ones to which services of Uber can be best served off. Transportation needs to be reliable as running water for all, in all the parts of the world, is what Ubers version for its customer. This makes it clear that for Uber anyone who wants to go from one place to another within the city is the target customer. Initially in the starting, Uber focused only on the customer segment that was wealthy. But now at the present day, Uber served anyone who needs its service and ready to pay for it. This has helped a lot in increasing the number of customers for Uber (Batt, Nohara and Kwon, 2010). The positioning means implementation of all efforts to achieve the target customer by making its services in accordance to the target market. Uber is trying hard to attract its target customer. It is evolving in the way the world is moving; making areas of the cities more accessible and convenient reach, and helping people and their cities getting closer. Uber is using different Medias to promote its service to its target customers, for example, emails, FM channels, and online advertisements (Chakravarthy and Coughlan, 2011). Marketing Strategies of Uber The market strategies of Uber are:- Early Adopter Advocacy- Uber has marketing tactic word of mouth. Using local strategy to advocate its brand Uber changes its strategy where it goes. Referrals- referral credit proved to be a very successful market strategy for Uber. This gives money and get money offer was well approached by people, and they get free rides and credits which they can use anytime they want (Anderson, 2014). Reviews- rating system offered by Uber for both the driver and passengers lead to drivers know where they stand, and even customers behave in a better way. Stunts- the fun and quirky offers launched by Uber is a great market strategy followed by Uber. This helped in creating fun and friendly image of the company. Partnership- Uber is in partnership with many companies, hotels, websites, and other services. People riding an Ubers taxi may get offers from this various restaurants, or companies like discounts, cash back offers, etc (Schneider, 2015). A Loyalty Program- Special offers and discounts are offered to the loyal customers of Uber. This shows the gratitude of the company towards its loyal customers. The marketing strategies of Uber are a success that is the reason that they are the leaders of privatized taxi service. It holds the maximum share in the market. More offers for first-time riders can be started by the company to initiate them to use the services again. Along with regular reminder through the app can be sent to loyal customers regarding their travel plans for which they always book a ride with Uber. A more user friendly app could be introduced and special instruction for a senior citizen can be included in the app (Rapp, 2007). Recommendations Few recommendations that Uber company may use to improve its working and customer experience are as follows: - Deregulate fares- Uber has a controversial pricing model according to which it can demand any amount of money at the time of high demand which a customer can always deny, but it leaves a bad taste for the customer regarding the company. Thus, this pricing strategy should be changed. Cashless transactions- many a time passengers fear that their credit and debit information get leaked if they use them. Thus, option for cash payment should also be there for such customers (Enoch, 2015). Licensing all the drivers hired by the company should have proper license and experience before starting the work for the company. Training- a basic training program should be formed for all the drivers hired by the company about various protocols they need to follow. Insurance- every vehicle hired by the company should be properly insured and in its best condition. Drivers following rules can be awarded through various measures by the company (Harding, Kandlikar and Gulati, 2016). Conclusion Uber is a top most taxi services company giving away its services throughout the world. It has a high rate of competition but still it is has the highest market ratio. Uber needs to exploit all the available opportunities using its strengths and change its weaknesses into strengths. Ubers business model is very easy to copy by its competitors. Thus, it is necessary for the company to increase its customer loyalty to retain them. Hence, it concludes that Uber has huge competitions coming in future in the form of other companies and alternatives, so it should work hard to maintain its position as the top-most taxi service of the world (Gholami and Mohaymany, 2011). References Anderson, D. (2014). Not just a taxi? For-profit ridesharing, driver strategies, and VMT.Transportation, 41(5), pp.1099-1117. Batt, R., Nohara, H. and Kwon, H. (2010). Employer Strategies and Wages in New Service Activities: A Comparison of Co-ordinated and Liberal Market Economies.British Journal of Industrial Relations, 48(2), pp.400-435. Belwal, R., Minhans, A. and Al-Balushi, A. (2013). Perception of Taxi Services in OmanA Cross Examination of Citizens and Taxi Drivers Perception.Jurnal Teknologi, 65(3). Chakravarthy, B. and Coughlan, S. (2011). Emerging market strategy: innovating both products and delivery systems.Strategy Leadership, 40(1), pp.27-32. Enoch, M. (2015). How a rapid modal convergence into a universal automated taxi service could be the future for local passenger transport.Technology Analysis Strategic Management, 27(8), pp.910-924. Gholami, A. and Mohaymany, A. (2011). Analogy of fixed route shared taxi (taxi khattee) and bus services under various demand density and economical conditions.Journal of Advanced Transportation, 46(2), pp.177-187. Harding, S., Kandlikar, M. and Gulati, S. (2016). Taxi apps, regulation, and the market for taxi journeys.Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 88, pp.15-25. Rapp, R. (2007). The Strengths Perspective: Proving "My Strengths" and "It Works".Social Work, 52(2), pp.185-186. Schneider, A. (2015). Uber Takes the Passing Lane: Disruptive Competition and Taxi-Livery Service Regulations.Elements, 11(2). Vanek, M., Mikolas, M. and Zvakova, K. (2012). Evaluation Methods of Swot Analysis / Metody Vyhodnocen Swot Analzy.GeoScience Engineering, 58(2). Vujic, N., Vasiljevic-Blagojevic, M. and Peric, N. (2014). Analysis of the characteristics of taxi services as a prerequisite for their improvement.Marketing, 45(3), pp.231-239. Yang, T., Yang, H. and Wong, S. (2012). Taxi services with search frictions and congestion externalities.Journal of Advanced Transportation, 48(6), pp.575-587.