DEADLINES MISSED-
Isaac- Script (reasons understood, but still considered overdue)
Wen Zhen- Missed 4 deadlines for costume sketches.
- Missed 2 dealines for costume stitching (Because of this your work has been spilt and given to other members. Please note this will have a direct effect on your marks)
Rachel- Missed one deadline for sketching. (I understand that you want to do them well but please try to keep to deadlines. Thankz.)
ALL members- missed deadlines for characterization Including me.
NEW DEADLINES-
Isaac- Sound- all music to be cut and placed in order of use. MONDAY 3rd August.
Saad- Movement- Complete choreo by 8th August Saturday
Priscilla- Costume boards- Monday 3rd Aug
Priscilla- Prince and diety costume velcro and collar stitching-Monday 3rd Aug
Wen Zhen- Step mum, daughter and cinderella (Rachel)skirts- Monday 3rd Aug
Wen Zhen,Rachel and Priscilla- Headdresses for all characters- Wednsday 5th Aug
All actors- Script memorization- Saturday 8th August
-Characterization- Friday 31st July
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Research...
FAIRYTALES-
- They were originally classified under the category of fantasy before the word Fairy tale was coined by Madame D'Aulnoy who translated it from french.
- There is no definate history or date to indicate when fairy tales began to be told. It is a subclass of folklore which can go as far back as the Indian Panchatantra, which was told and pass on by mouth from generations to generations until they were finally recorded.
- It is not necessary for there to be fairies in the story for it to be classified a fairy tale. However, there has to be a fantasy and unrealistic element to it like talking animals, a location as well as a time that is imaginary (Hence most fairy tales start with - Once upon a time in a land far far away).
- Each literary fairy tale draws on folk traditions, if only in parody. This makes it impossible to trace forms of transmission of a fairy tale. Oral story-tellers have been known to read literary fairy tales to increase their own stock of stories and treatments.
- The first collectors to attempt to preserve not only the plot and characters of the tale, but also the style in which they were preserved, were the Brothers Grimm, collecting German fairy tales; ironically enough, this meant although their first edition remains a treasure for folklorists, they rewrote the tales in later editions to make them more acceptable, which ensured their sales and the later popularity of their work.
- Fairy tales with very similar plots, characters, and motifs are found spread across many different cultures. In the case of the fairytale Cinderella, the characters are clearly divided into the good and the bad. The Abuser and the abused. There is a happy ending. The persecuted rises above the persicutor eventually.
- Originally, fairytales were meant for the young and the old. But in the 19th and the 20th century, it began to evolve into something that was meant for children. Older versions of fairytales were changed to meet the needs of this new young audience and even the Brothers Grimm wrote new, happier, cleaner versions of old tales. This was done because they were always based on the fcat that good triumphs over evil in the end, a value that parents wanted to tecah children., The best way to do so was proven through be through story telling. And so it was done.
- Now a days, the classic fairy tale is being twisted around and made to spread the messgae on issues thgat the world is facing today. One of the main problems that have arisen is the 'damsel in distress' situations that always occur, that had feminist fuming.
- There are many ways to interpret a fairy tale and many messages that can be extracted. Perrault concluded his versions with one, although not always completely moral: Cinderella concludes with the observation that her beauty and character would have been useless without her godmother, reflecting the importance of social connections, but could symbolize a spiritual meaning. OTHERS say that the main message was the fact that one has to be at the right place at the right time. SOME say that it shows that truth and kindness will triumph over evil.
MOST information was taken from this website-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_tale
THe dark tale(original) can be found on -
http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/grimm/bl-grimm-cinderella.htm
BEIJING OPERA-
(Justification for this type of Opera stated in last post)
- Beijing opera was born when the "Four Great Anhui Troupes" came to Beijing in 1790. Beijing opera was originally staged for the court and came into the public later.
- It was not a new art form in itself, but because it evolved so late, it was actually a combination of various historical art and Opera forms.
- But new elements were also added. It wasnt as singing based, there was more acrobatics intorduced and the roles of charcaters was also changed, makeup was different fro the sake of the audience, high pitch singing was stopped and the plays were kept shorter.
- It is mainly based on stories told of China's history and has become increasingly contemporary dealing with issues in society.
- Due to a decrease in audience numbers as well as restraints from the government, the art form has been revised continually. These reforms, which include improving performance quality, adapting new performance elements, and performing new and original plays.
- They usually have three kinds of speech
i) Monologues, Duologues and short prose usually added in for humour.
ii) Quotations of famous Chinese proverbs and tecahings.
iii) conventionalized stage speech- introductory speeches given by characters.
-The oldest and most generally used system is to sort plays into civil and martial types. Civil plays focus on the relationships between characters, and feature personal, domestic, and romantic situations. The element of singing is frequently used to express emotion in this type of play. Martial plays feature a greater emphasis on action and combat skill. The two types of play also feature different arrays of performers.
- Now a days to attract more crowds, Beijing Opera has been adapting Shakespear scripts and plays into its traditional forms.
- They were originally classified under the category of fantasy before the word Fairy tale was coined by Madame D'Aulnoy who translated it from french.
- There is no definate history or date to indicate when fairy tales began to be told. It is a subclass of folklore which can go as far back as the Indian Panchatantra, which was told and pass on by mouth from generations to generations until they were finally recorded.
- It is not necessary for there to be fairies in the story for it to be classified a fairy tale. However, there has to be a fantasy and unrealistic element to it like talking animals, a location as well as a time that is imaginary (Hence most fairy tales start with - Once upon a time in a land far far away).
- Each literary fairy tale draws on folk traditions, if only in parody. This makes it impossible to trace forms of transmission of a fairy tale. Oral story-tellers have been known to read literary fairy tales to increase their own stock of stories and treatments.
- The first collectors to attempt to preserve not only the plot and characters of the tale, but also the style in which they were preserved, were the Brothers Grimm, collecting German fairy tales; ironically enough, this meant although their first edition remains a treasure for folklorists, they rewrote the tales in later editions to make them more acceptable, which ensured their sales and the later popularity of their work.
- Fairy tales with very similar plots, characters, and motifs are found spread across many different cultures. In the case of the fairytale Cinderella, the characters are clearly divided into the good and the bad. The Abuser and the abused. There is a happy ending. The persecuted rises above the persicutor eventually.
- Originally, fairytales were meant for the young and the old. But in the 19th and the 20th century, it began to evolve into something that was meant for children. Older versions of fairytales were changed to meet the needs of this new young audience and even the Brothers Grimm wrote new, happier, cleaner versions of old tales. This was done because they were always based on the fcat that good triumphs over evil in the end, a value that parents wanted to tecah children., The best way to do so was proven through be through story telling. And so it was done.
- Now a days, the classic fairy tale is being twisted around and made to spread the messgae on issues thgat the world is facing today. One of the main problems that have arisen is the 'damsel in distress' situations that always occur, that had feminist fuming.
- There are many ways to interpret a fairy tale and many messages that can be extracted. Perrault concluded his versions with one, although not always completely moral: Cinderella concludes with the observation that her beauty and character would have been useless without her godmother, reflecting the importance of social connections, but could symbolize a spiritual meaning. OTHERS say that the main message was the fact that one has to be at the right place at the right time. SOME say that it shows that truth and kindness will triumph over evil.
MOST information was taken from this website-
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fairy_tale
THe dark tale(original) can be found on -
http://classiclit.about.com/library/bl-etexts/grimm/bl-grimm-cinderella.htm
BEIJING OPERA-
(Justification for this type of Opera stated in last post)
- Beijing opera was born when the "Four Great Anhui Troupes" came to Beijing in 1790. Beijing opera was originally staged for the court and came into the public later.
- It was not a new art form in itself, but because it evolved so late, it was actually a combination of various historical art and Opera forms.
- But new elements were also added. It wasnt as singing based, there was more acrobatics intorduced and the roles of charcaters was also changed, makeup was different fro the sake of the audience, high pitch singing was stopped and the plays were kept shorter.
- It is mainly based on stories told of China's history and has become increasingly contemporary dealing with issues in society.
- Due to a decrease in audience numbers as well as restraints from the government, the art form has been revised continually. These reforms, which include improving performance quality, adapting new performance elements, and performing new and original plays.
- They usually have three kinds of speech
i) Monologues, Duologues and short prose usually added in for humour.
ii) Quotations of famous Chinese proverbs and tecahings.
iii) conventionalized stage speech- introductory speeches given by characters.
-The oldest and most generally used system is to sort plays into civil and martial types. Civil plays focus on the relationships between characters, and feature personal, domestic, and romantic situations. The element of singing is frequently used to express emotion in this type of play. Martial plays feature a greater emphasis on action and combat skill. The two types of play also feature different arrays of performers.
- Now a days to attract more crowds, Beijing Opera has been adapting Shakespear scripts and plays into its traditional forms.
Friday, July 17, 2009
Reasons for the way we did what we did
We changed our idea once again and decided to use Chinese Opera as a mode to tell our fairytale story. We decided that we wouls keep to the same classic story,but just chnage the mode of presentation to chinese Opera. But this in itself was a crazy hard task!
1) We decided to keep the structure of Opera as far as costume and makeup were concerned. Also, we tried to base the characters in Cinderella as close to the Chinese stereotypes as possible, thus making it easier to match the costume and make up.
2) Chinese Opera in itself is a HUGE genre, so we decidede to narrow it down to something that was more recent and famous so that our audience might be able to make some connection to the chracters, be it through costume or makeup. Beijing or Peking Opera was decided on as it is one of the latest tradition of Opera and is recognized world wide. We felt that this modern version oif Opera would be better to use as it does incorporate certain elements that have come about with modernization. The makeup for example is now thicker than it was before as now the indoor performance theatres have stage lights, and do not depend on natural lighting.
3) After talking to people in the Opera industry and also reading up, we found out that the singing in Opera was what made it so special. However, we decided that we would have to let go of the singing as it was a second barrier or double alienation for the audience, something that we did not want. They would not be used to seeing youths on stage dresed in Opera costumes and singing in english. This would only cause them to laugh, and thus hinder their ability and concentration on the play as a whole. Also, we felt that if singing were to be added, it would seem like a satire and a mockery of Chinese Opera, something that we are definately not trying or want to do. Furthurmore, after doing some research we found a play which was a chinese adaptation of Shakespears 'Taming of the shrew'. In this Opera performnace, there was more dialogue than sound, and the whole play was at a much faster pace inorder to accomidate the modern audience in 2001. Thus, using this as our example, we decided to incorporate faster dialogue in our production.
4) The story line in Chinese Opera is very straight forward. However, inorder to appeal and to capture the audiences attention as well as enable them to be able to connect with the piece, we have decided to modernize it. The aspects that we are changing is the chracters themselves. We have decided to make the step sister a person who has been greatly influenced by the American culture, and thus tries to be 'ang moh'. The Godfather in contrast is a chinese man, woth the typical accent, trying his best to fit in and move with the time, but failing to do so.
5) As far as movement in concerned, we wil be trying to stay as close to Chinese Opera as possible. We have done research on it, watched videos on it and are going to attend a workshop soon to work out what movement differentiates each character from one another and how one must go about acting Opera.
6) The reason we are using the story of Cinderella is because it has a very fariy tale, unrealistic element to it, something dreamy. That is what we are trying to achieve here. Opera is not something that you see in everyday life, the actions are exaggerated to a certain extent for emphasis and many of the movemnets are not seen in real life today either. Why Cinderela one might ask, arent Operas about politics and state affairs? Well yes, they did have a certain amount of politics in it, but as China began to be influenced by modernization, the joint family unit broke down, leading to may smaller family units and in some cases just the couples. Thus, this chnage broiught about a chnage in the Opera culture as well, after all the Opera was catered to the people's tastes and preferences and also chnaged with the times. Thus in the 20th and 21st century, Opera began to show plays that revolved around love and how it overcomes all things in the end.
1) We decided to keep the structure of Opera as far as costume and makeup were concerned. Also, we tried to base the characters in Cinderella as close to the Chinese stereotypes as possible, thus making it easier to match the costume and make up.
2) Chinese Opera in itself is a HUGE genre, so we decidede to narrow it down to something that was more recent and famous so that our audience might be able to make some connection to the chracters, be it through costume or makeup. Beijing or Peking Opera was decided on as it is one of the latest tradition of Opera and is recognized world wide. We felt that this modern version oif Opera would be better to use as it does incorporate certain elements that have come about with modernization. The makeup for example is now thicker than it was before as now the indoor performance theatres have stage lights, and do not depend on natural lighting.
3) After talking to people in the Opera industry and also reading up, we found out that the singing in Opera was what made it so special. However, we decided that we would have to let go of the singing as it was a second barrier or double alienation for the audience, something that we did not want. They would not be used to seeing youths on stage dresed in Opera costumes and singing in english. This would only cause them to laugh, and thus hinder their ability and concentration on the play as a whole. Also, we felt that if singing were to be added, it would seem like a satire and a mockery of Chinese Opera, something that we are definately not trying or want to do. Furthurmore, after doing some research we found a play which was a chinese adaptation of Shakespears 'Taming of the shrew'. In this Opera performnace, there was more dialogue than sound, and the whole play was at a much faster pace inorder to accomidate the modern audience in 2001. Thus, using this as our example, we decided to incorporate faster dialogue in our production.
4) The story line in Chinese Opera is very straight forward. However, inorder to appeal and to capture the audiences attention as well as enable them to be able to connect with the piece, we have decided to modernize it. The aspects that we are changing is the chracters themselves. We have decided to make the step sister a person who has been greatly influenced by the American culture, and thus tries to be 'ang moh'. The Godfather in contrast is a chinese man, woth the typical accent, trying his best to fit in and move with the time, but failing to do so.
5) As far as movement in concerned, we wil be trying to stay as close to Chinese Opera as possible. We have done research on it, watched videos on it and are going to attend a workshop soon to work out what movement differentiates each character from one another and how one must go about acting Opera.
6) The reason we are using the story of Cinderella is because it has a very fariy tale, unrealistic element to it, something dreamy. That is what we are trying to achieve here. Opera is not something that you see in everyday life, the actions are exaggerated to a certain extent for emphasis and many of the movemnets are not seen in real life today either. Why Cinderela one might ask, arent Operas about politics and state affairs? Well yes, they did have a certain amount of politics in it, but as China began to be influenced by modernization, the joint family unit broke down, leading to may smaller family units and in some cases just the couples. Thus, this chnage broiught about a chnage in the Opera culture as well, after all the Opera was catered to the people's tastes and preferences and also chnaged with the times. Thus in the 20th and 21st century, Opera began to show plays that revolved around love and how it overcomes all things in the end.
Monday, July 6, 2009
Roles
Issac- Scriptwriter- using the base story of Cinderella and gathering inspiration and information about fairytales, he is to come up with a script about Cinderella to be performed in Chinese Opera style. He has to ensure that the fairy tale magiucal factor still remains, and that the script does not restrict the chinese Opera style from displaying itself.
- Sound- Since Isaac wrote the script, he knows what kind of mood, or feel he wants the audience to have at particular moments. Thus, we thought that it was best that he was put incharge of sound editing.
Wen Zhen- Costume Designer- Research on costumes of those periods and what they told the audience of the character. She will have to improvise with materials taht we have to make costumes for the actors. Sketches will also have to be provided. Due to buget as well as time and manpower restrictions, the cotume will follow the basic shape nad cut of the real costumes in those days however the details and in some cases colours as well may not be followed.
Rachel- Makeup and headdresses- She will research on the makeup of the various characters and what certain colours, shapes, angels etc of the makeup give the characters their special characteristics. She will then resource for the make up needed and purchase them. She will also have to practise and train the other actors to put on their makeup. As for the headdresses, she will design the headdresses of the prince, the fairy Godfather and Cinderella.
Saad- Movement, Music and Script- He will have to watch as well as read about the Opera movements. How certain characters move about, what certain gestures mean and what the audince is to take away from that gesture. He will have to work alongside the costume designer so as to know what movemnets are aloowed in the costumes. He will then choreograph along with the actors to tecah them what to do. In addition to this, he wil have to work with the scriptwriter and sound incharge to make sure that these two elements can work with the movement that he had in mind.
Priscilla- Research,Costume, set and Techincal Aspects- She will research on fairytales as well as the Chinese opera and explain why the group used thses two elemets together and what their aim was. What and how these two factors work for each other, Also, she wil deal with the lights, as chinese Opers has diff lights that make adjustments to the makeup required. She also knows what is going on in each department and gives them deadlines and updates as well as plans meetings. In the area of costumes, she is doing the sketches and headdress as well as the final product stitching of her own character, the step mother. She will also help to stitch the God father and the Princes costume since the costume designer does not seem to be able to keep up with the increasing workload. In addition to that, she takes the skecthes drawn by Rachel and Wen Zhen, adds in explainations for designs used and then makes a final product or boards which will be displayed for the audience. As for the set, she designs it and the proceeds to execute the work needed to be done inorder for the set to be prepared.
- Sound- Since Isaac wrote the script, he knows what kind of mood, or feel he wants the audience to have at particular moments. Thus, we thought that it was best that he was put incharge of sound editing.
Wen Zhen- Costume Designer- Research on costumes of those periods and what they told the audience of the character. She will have to improvise with materials taht we have to make costumes for the actors. Sketches will also have to be provided. Due to buget as well as time and manpower restrictions, the cotume will follow the basic shape nad cut of the real costumes in those days however the details and in some cases colours as well may not be followed.
Rachel- Makeup and headdresses- She will research on the makeup of the various characters and what certain colours, shapes, angels etc of the makeup give the characters their special characteristics. She will then resource for the make up needed and purchase them. She will also have to practise and train the other actors to put on their makeup. As for the headdresses, she will design the headdresses of the prince, the fairy Godfather and Cinderella.
Saad- Movement, Music and Script- He will have to watch as well as read about the Opera movements. How certain characters move about, what certain gestures mean and what the audince is to take away from that gesture. He will have to work alongside the costume designer so as to know what movemnets are aloowed in the costumes. He will then choreograph along with the actors to tecah them what to do. In addition to this, he wil have to work with the scriptwriter and sound incharge to make sure that these two elements can work with the movement that he had in mind.
Priscilla- Research,Costume, set and Techincal Aspects- She will research on fairytales as well as the Chinese opera and explain why the group used thses two elemets together and what their aim was. What and how these two factors work for each other, Also, she wil deal with the lights, as chinese Opers has diff lights that make adjustments to the makeup required. She also knows what is going on in each department and gives them deadlines and updates as well as plans meetings. In the area of costumes, she is doing the sketches and headdress as well as the final product stitching of her own character, the step mother. She will also help to stitch the God father and the Princes costume since the costume designer does not seem to be able to keep up with the increasing workload. In addition to that, she takes the skecthes drawn by Rachel and Wen Zhen, adds in explainations for designs used and then makes a final product or boards which will be displayed for the audience. As for the set, she designs it and the proceeds to execute the work needed to be done inorder for the set to be prepared.
Entry 1
Sorry i put this up late... It was sitting on my computer..:D
Well during the holiday we did try to gather 'creative inspiration' Read the books and wrote reviews about it on our group blog. The plays were so different, yet when we searched for the topic of politics of identity, it was always there. We realized that it was the one topic that a playt could not avoid, no matter how hard it tried.
Here are the reviews and the reasearch i did on the books that i read---
Hey hey.. these were some of the themes that i managed to extract from the book.. it was really interesting.. and kinda freaky as well.. loved it!!!
THEMES FROM ‘WHEN WE DEAD AWAKEN’
What it means to be happy. It’s different for all of us, and it changes as we mature.
How ones perspective of life changes. It can never stay the same, there are always things added, subtracted and moved down the ladder of importance.
The missed opportunities and how some people have the chance to get it back, while others don’t.
The impulsive decisions that we regret but at the same time cherish.
The sacrifices that we make, only to realize that it was to the wrong person or that the person did not appreciate it enough.
The different ways that one ‘lives’.
WE DON’T SEE WHAT WE HAVE UNTILL IT’S GONE.
We get carried away by things in life, only to realize that the promises made were empty ones.
Sometimes we do good deeds, but they go unnoticed, or even worse, misunderstood. They change us into people that we did not want to be, they change us for the worse. They break us.
Second chances exist. Although they might not be as promising as the 1st.
People don’t always get together because they love each other, sometimes it is because each is willing to be what the other wants and needs them to be. Sometimes they just need them to fill in that hole that has been made by others.
Sometimes things appear good in front of us only because we have seen worse
SECOND PLAY-------THE SHAGAROUND.. .
.yeah.. the name says it all... it was a 'I hate guys, they suck' kind of play.. but i actually came to sympathize with the opposite gender!!!!:O This may seem like a very personal review btw..:D:D:D so get urself prepared..:P
Misunderstandings
They don’t tell each other what they want because they think the other will take it in the wrong way. If only they would talk!
If someone does it to you, it’s wrong. But if you do it to someone, its not.
People who share the same experiences tend to bond really well, and back each other up.
Being in love is now considered impossible.
Love is seen as a fashion, not an emotion.
It’s just not cool to fall in love and be open and confess it.
Now a days people say that love makes you weak, a ‘hopeless’ romantic is what they call it.
Women usually are scared that they will loose their freedom and then it will be really hard to get it back. They are scared that they will depend on men so much that they will just be lost when they don’t have a man. They are scared that that will make them look like the inferior, the weaker sex.
WOMEN DO NOT APPRECIATE EACH OTHER. Whether we like it or not, men will always be the 1st priority in a woman’s life, they crave for their love, affection and support. The only difference is that some women aren’t ashamed of admitting to it, while others don’t want to appear vulnerable. Girls say they have ‘girl power’. Yeah right. Well screw that! They say that they can do anything together, they will remain true to each other no matter what. When they are young they say that even when they find their ‘princes’, they will keep in touch. Well good luck with that cause that’s not how the real world works! We say that we have a special bond, something that only girls can understand. We bitch about the guys that have dumped us and the other people that we classify as sluts, we go shopping together, complain about how fat we get, call each other honey and darling cause its cool, it’s the trend. But when the ‘Prince’ enters our lives, what do we do? We say Asta Lavista girlfriends and hello boyfriend! Yeah, that’s the sad truth. We will SO NOT realize it when it happens, but it does. They slowly take second place in our lives. And then THE day comes, when we get dumped, or get to know he’s cheating on us, or we break up with him (rare). Now THAT is the day that we run back to our long lost friends, cry and bitching about the assholes that have dumped us, and how life is just so unfair and how you will never find a man, and just be independent! The 1st week we feel all bad, we regret the stuff that we have done wrong in the relationship, and we cry and brood over what has happened. And then the second week we realize that it was the assholes fault. So we bitch about him, we say we will be independent, we say we done need a man. We threaten and stab at him. And if a man comes along then, someone that you feel safe around, who listens to you bitch about your past relationship and who you think will always be there for the future, you date him then. I WONDER what happened to the ‘I will be independent, all men are jerks” pledge. And so then the whole cycle goes on again and again. But while that is going on, that annoying cycle, there are some that will always remain true to the pledge of independanthood, or maybe they just cant find a guy. Well the poor souls are left alone by themselves, no friend in sight who cares; they need someone to listen to them, to be beside them. One thing leads to another and a guy takes advantage of them. This is the ‘sad’ and unfortunate story of women. My my, don’t you pity them!
We are afraid and ashamed to be who we are sometimes because we are scared of what people will think of us as. We tend to bend towards the rules of society and what it says are the norms because we want to be cool, or normal. This leads to misunderstandings, fights and eventually heartbreaks. Those who do not abide by the rules of society get misunderstood, put down, looked down on and despised. WOW! What a world we live in!
And that was all for the reviews of the plays that i read.
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Our first idea was to create individuals who acted a certain personality, but deep down inside, they wefre different from what they showed others on teh surface. It was an ok idea, and we went to work on it, sometimes ev en creating severly differenyt stereotypes in one person. But tehre was always something missing, it was difficult to piece together and we felt like the production was going no where.
But here was what i had put together for my character-
Hi, I'm Natasha.I come from a relatively well of family. Dad is always out on business and mum too. So i don't really get much attention from anyone at all. I have always tried to please my dad because i didn't really like my mum that much. I thought that she was suppose to take care of me when i was a kid, but she never did. I tried everything to get attention from my dad. To get him to say well done, good job, smile and say thats why your my daughter. But her never did, it was all just half hearted. He was too busy.I keep trying to get his attention. I still do. thats why i work at his office. Even though what i do isn't really all that impressive, i try to get his attention that way. I work in what people call the 'geeks section', we basically deal with electronic stuff, try to invent new stuff as well as repair the old. I guess i got the passion and the skill from my dad. He founded this company, and its ALL about the gadgets. And i love what i do too. Its great because when your sitting there, all alone, its just you and technology. You don't need to talk, open up, be someone else. Nothing. You can just do what you want and give life to something else. Yeah, so thats what my work life is.But at college. Well, its a different story. When i first started out there, it was OK. I got along and had fun but kept a low profile like what i always used to do back in sec school. Then all of a sudden i found that i had captured everyones interest, i was the center of attraction, and i loved it! Surprisingly i did. Whenever i was all alone at school, i got scared. I wondered if I had been abandon3ed, whether i was an outcast, wondering if they didn't like me anymore. To protect myself i grabbed at their attention. I found out that the best and easiest way was to act cute, likable, dumb and playful.... well yeah, like a bimbo.. i guess... but there is nothing wrong with it!!.. right?But... I'm smart, i can... i can.... i know stuff... i know more than anyone in whole school, about gadgets that is. Then why do i act dumb? Why do i put up this fake front! But if take it down.... no, i can't! I depended on it so much... is it a protective wall? What am i hiding from? My intelligence? Who am I? Mum says that I'm such a waste of time, pampered and spoilt she says. Dad doesn't even care to look! What am i? Why am i what i am? A geek? Intelligent? dumb? stupid? Bimbo? Tech freak! WHAT THE HECK AM I!!!!?
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We did want to do something about one having to be and show the world that you are someone your not. That was the aspect of politics of identity that we were sure we wanted to incorporate in our production. But how, was the huge problem that we faced.
We looked at the other groups and saw that their pieces were serious ones, with intense and very dancy stuff. One group at least. So we decided to take a light hearted route, and since there were three girls ion the group as compared to the two guys, we suddenly came up with the idea of princesses. Yes, princesses. they were a stereotype in themselves, being known for their kind, gentle and graceful ways, so we decided to challenge that. Our New DV was Nature over Nurture. Very GP, but that was a good thing, cause it would tickle the audience. Or so we hope :D
Drawing inspiration from our culture as well as animated movies like mulan and well mulan mostly, we decided on our story line and now we are working on it to see how we can incorporate it into the movemnets that we are using as a DS skill. Since were doing an expressionistic theatre style, we will have to work around and find some weird out of the world props :D
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Well during the holiday we did try to gather 'creative inspiration' Read the books and wrote reviews about it on our group blog. The plays were so different, yet when we searched for the topic of politics of identity, it was always there. We realized that it was the one topic that a playt could not avoid, no matter how hard it tried.
Here are the reviews and the reasearch i did on the books that i read---
Hey hey.. these were some of the themes that i managed to extract from the book.. it was really interesting.. and kinda freaky as well.. loved it!!!
THEMES FROM ‘WHEN WE DEAD AWAKEN’
What it means to be happy. It’s different for all of us, and it changes as we mature.
How ones perspective of life changes. It can never stay the same, there are always things added, subtracted and moved down the ladder of importance.
The missed opportunities and how some people have the chance to get it back, while others don’t.
The impulsive decisions that we regret but at the same time cherish.
The sacrifices that we make, only to realize that it was to the wrong person or that the person did not appreciate it enough.
The different ways that one ‘lives’.
WE DON’T SEE WHAT WE HAVE UNTILL IT’S GONE.
We get carried away by things in life, only to realize that the promises made were empty ones.
Sometimes we do good deeds, but they go unnoticed, or even worse, misunderstood. They change us into people that we did not want to be, they change us for the worse. They break us.
Second chances exist. Although they might not be as promising as the 1st.
People don’t always get together because they love each other, sometimes it is because each is willing to be what the other wants and needs them to be. Sometimes they just need them to fill in that hole that has been made by others.
Sometimes things appear good in front of us only because we have seen worse
SECOND PLAY-------THE SHAGAROUND.. .
.yeah.. the name says it all... it was a 'I hate guys, they suck' kind of play.. but i actually came to sympathize with the opposite gender!!!!:O This may seem like a very personal review btw..:D:D:D so get urself prepared..:P
Misunderstandings
They don’t tell each other what they want because they think the other will take it in the wrong way. If only they would talk!
If someone does it to you, it’s wrong. But if you do it to someone, its not.
People who share the same experiences tend to bond really well, and back each other up.
Being in love is now considered impossible.
Love is seen as a fashion, not an emotion.
It’s just not cool to fall in love and be open and confess it.
Now a days people say that love makes you weak, a ‘hopeless’ romantic is what they call it.
Women usually are scared that they will loose their freedom and then it will be really hard to get it back. They are scared that they will depend on men so much that they will just be lost when they don’t have a man. They are scared that that will make them look like the inferior, the weaker sex.
WOMEN DO NOT APPRECIATE EACH OTHER. Whether we like it or not, men will always be the 1st priority in a woman’s life, they crave for their love, affection and support. The only difference is that some women aren’t ashamed of admitting to it, while others don’t want to appear vulnerable. Girls say they have ‘girl power’. Yeah right. Well screw that! They say that they can do anything together, they will remain true to each other no matter what. When they are young they say that even when they find their ‘princes’, they will keep in touch. Well good luck with that cause that’s not how the real world works! We say that we have a special bond, something that only girls can understand. We bitch about the guys that have dumped us and the other people that we classify as sluts, we go shopping together, complain about how fat we get, call each other honey and darling cause its cool, it’s the trend. But when the ‘Prince’ enters our lives, what do we do? We say Asta Lavista girlfriends and hello boyfriend! Yeah, that’s the sad truth. We will SO NOT realize it when it happens, but it does. They slowly take second place in our lives. And then THE day comes, when we get dumped, or get to know he’s cheating on us, or we break up with him (rare). Now THAT is the day that we run back to our long lost friends, cry and bitching about the assholes that have dumped us, and how life is just so unfair and how you will never find a man, and just be independent! The 1st week we feel all bad, we regret the stuff that we have done wrong in the relationship, and we cry and brood over what has happened. And then the second week we realize that it was the assholes fault. So we bitch about him, we say we will be independent, we say we done need a man. We threaten and stab at him. And if a man comes along then, someone that you feel safe around, who listens to you bitch about your past relationship and who you think will always be there for the future, you date him then. I WONDER what happened to the ‘I will be independent, all men are jerks” pledge. And so then the whole cycle goes on again and again. But while that is going on, that annoying cycle, there are some that will always remain true to the pledge of independanthood, or maybe they just cant find a guy. Well the poor souls are left alone by themselves, no friend in sight who cares; they need someone to listen to them, to be beside them. One thing leads to another and a guy takes advantage of them. This is the ‘sad’ and unfortunate story of women. My my, don’t you pity them!
We are afraid and ashamed to be who we are sometimes because we are scared of what people will think of us as. We tend to bend towards the rules of society and what it says are the norms because we want to be cool, or normal. This leads to misunderstandings, fights and eventually heartbreaks. Those who do not abide by the rules of society get misunderstood, put down, looked down on and despised. WOW! What a world we live in!
And that was all for the reviews of the plays that i read.
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Our first idea was to create individuals who acted a certain personality, but deep down inside, they wefre different from what they showed others on teh surface. It was an ok idea, and we went to work on it, sometimes ev en creating severly differenyt stereotypes in one person. But tehre was always something missing, it was difficult to piece together and we felt like the production was going no where.
But here was what i had put together for my character-
Hi, I'm Natasha.I come from a relatively well of family. Dad is always out on business and mum too. So i don't really get much attention from anyone at all. I have always tried to please my dad because i didn't really like my mum that much. I thought that she was suppose to take care of me when i was a kid, but she never did. I tried everything to get attention from my dad. To get him to say well done, good job, smile and say thats why your my daughter. But her never did, it was all just half hearted. He was too busy.I keep trying to get his attention. I still do. thats why i work at his office. Even though what i do isn't really all that impressive, i try to get his attention that way. I work in what people call the 'geeks section', we basically deal with electronic stuff, try to invent new stuff as well as repair the old. I guess i got the passion and the skill from my dad. He founded this company, and its ALL about the gadgets. And i love what i do too. Its great because when your sitting there, all alone, its just you and technology. You don't need to talk, open up, be someone else. Nothing. You can just do what you want and give life to something else. Yeah, so thats what my work life is.But at college. Well, its a different story. When i first started out there, it was OK. I got along and had fun but kept a low profile like what i always used to do back in sec school. Then all of a sudden i found that i had captured everyones interest, i was the center of attraction, and i loved it! Surprisingly i did. Whenever i was all alone at school, i got scared. I wondered if I had been abandon3ed, whether i was an outcast, wondering if they didn't like me anymore. To protect myself i grabbed at their attention. I found out that the best and easiest way was to act cute, likable, dumb and playful.... well yeah, like a bimbo.. i guess... but there is nothing wrong with it!!.. right?But... I'm smart, i can... i can.... i know stuff... i know more than anyone in whole school, about gadgets that is. Then why do i act dumb? Why do i put up this fake front! But if take it down.... no, i can't! I depended on it so much... is it a protective wall? What am i hiding from? My intelligence? Who am I? Mum says that I'm such a waste of time, pampered and spoilt she says. Dad doesn't even care to look! What am i? Why am i what i am? A geek? Intelligent? dumb? stupid? Bimbo? Tech freak! WHAT THE HECK AM I!!!!?
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We did want to do something about one having to be and show the world that you are someone your not. That was the aspect of politics of identity that we were sure we wanted to incorporate in our production. But how, was the huge problem that we faced.
We looked at the other groups and saw that their pieces were serious ones, with intense and very dancy stuff. One group at least. So we decided to take a light hearted route, and since there were three girls ion the group as compared to the two guys, we suddenly came up with the idea of princesses. Yes, princesses. they were a stereotype in themselves, being known for their kind, gentle and graceful ways, so we decided to challenge that. Our New DV was Nature over Nurture. Very GP, but that was a good thing, cause it would tickle the audience. Or so we hope :D
Drawing inspiration from our culture as well as animated movies like mulan and well mulan mostly, we decided on our story line and now we are working on it to see how we can incorporate it into the movemnets that we are using as a DS skill. Since were doing an expressionistic theatre style, we will have to work around and find some weird out of the world props :D
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