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Summary Of The Play 'How To Defend Yourself'

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How to Defend Yourself is an original play written by Lily Padilla. The play was performed on Thursday, May 17th in La Jolla Playhouse, Potiker Theatre. This production is directed by Kim Rubinstein. There are six very distinctive characters in the play: Nikki, Kara, Mojdeh, Diana, Eggo, Andy and Brandi. Mojdeh is portrayed by Ariana Mahalatti, and Diana is portrayed by Fedra Ramirez. In this written critique, I will focus on those two actors’ performance in How to Defend Yourself.
As a college student, I find the acting in this production relatable. The play features a self-defense class with six college students after a girl in a sorority was assaulted. In the very beginning of the play, after they enter the room, they sit on the floor, …show more content…

When Diana kisses Mojdeh, Mojdeh’s body is almost stiff. After the kiss, Diana’s objective in this scene is to explain to Mojdeh and comfort her. She wants to repair the friendship. Her tactic is to explain herself by trying to get closer to Mojdeh. Her body is leaning forward towards Ariana. Mojdeh, on the other hand, is uncomfortable at first, but then she becomes angry with Diana and wants to confront her or blame her for the kiss. She first walks backwards slowly after the kiss, with her her hands pushing away Diana. Diana is comfortable with her sexuality and her body, but Mojdeh has insecurities regarding sex and her body. Suddenly after the kiss, a distance is created between Diana and Mojdeh. After backing off from Diana, Mojdeh thinks that Diana is kissing her out of pity, so she becomes angry with Diana. Her objective changes from leaving Diana to confronting her, so her tactics change as well. She walks towards Diana step by step, which scares me as an audience. Her movement towards Diana is intimidating and confrontational. In response to that, Diana walks backwards and further away from Mojdeh. She wants to calm Diana down, but she has to keep a distance between her and

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