wererojak

Q and A Crap!!

2009-08-18T17:19:00.000-07:00

What we did to get to what we are now!!!

-Inner mono
-Listening to music
-Watching vids
-learning about stock types, taking their characteristics and main emotions used and connecting them to our modern lives
-hotseating
-putting characters in situations and asking them to react
-walking around in charcater
-posing in character
-tone, pitch, pace, etc.
-Watch practicioners

Our 'creative' process!!!!!:P

- Politics of identity
- focused on stereotypes (Priscilla) Work (Saad) and school (inspired by SDEA) environment
- DIDN’T WORK
- Then Mark’s group came along
- non human
- fairtales (WZ and Rachel)
-debate over what kind to use
- idea 3 princesses (Isaac) who were Chinese
- REJECT!!!
- Miss N told us to use something already there
-chose Cinderella
- tried to change the characters in the story
- Miss N said change form of presentation.
- building on prev idea of using Chinese princesses we took Chinese Opera.
- Add in humour, stereo characters, influence of the west approach (Isaac)
- REJECTED!!! Miss N said Don’t base the DV on the form, base it on the story….
- put in stock type characters, proper movement, humour and westernish stuff removed. Added in the part about bound feet. (Priscilla) DV- Nature vs nurture
- THRASHED!!! By seniors
- change DV to something more specific= self vs society. Made edits to the script to make DV more obv.

stepmum

2009-08-17T20:34:00.001-07:00

Headdress

In Chinese Opera, the older women, ‘Lao Dan’ wraps cloth around their head. Black was used as it is a more foreboding colour and thus shows the stepmother’s serious and stern side. Jewels adorning the front of the headdress shows her high status and wealth.

LIGHTING CUE SHEET

2009-08-17T20:13:00.000-07:00

LIGHTING CUE SHEET
WereRojak

Scene 1-

-Lighting combination has been saved under SubMasters, page 2, Command 4. Name- “Rojak final”

Lights
Intensity
6-7
7-6
14-8
16-7
18-6
20-8
28-7
30-7
31-8
32-6
35-8
38-7
42-6

-Sudden Blackout at last line- “FAIRY GODFATHER One, two, three”
-Lights fade in to allow set to be moved. Set includes two boards.
-Lights fade out when set has been placed and all stage hands move off performance stage.

Scene 2-

Lights follow the combination seen in Scene 1
Lights fade off after last line- “PRINCE- Wait!”
Lights fade on for props to be moved off.
Lights fade off when props (One Black platform) have been set.

Scene 3-

Lights fade in, same combination as in Scene 1.
Lights fade off after last line- “PRINCE- … to try this shoe.”
Lights fade on for props to be moved off.
Lights fade off when props (Table at the side) have been set.

Scene 4-

Lights fade in, same combination as in Scene 1
Lights fade off after last action- Prince puts the shoe on Cinderella“

THE END

ROLES- what was submitted-Priscilla

2009-08-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

Wen Zhen’s Role: Costume I/C

1) Research on various costume types for different characters)
2) Sketches for all costumes
3) Stitch on Water Sleeves for all costumes
4) Stitch skirts and collars for girls’ costumes
5) Stitch bottoms, hems and collars for guys’ costumes

Saad’s Role: Movement Coach

1) Research on the various stock types in Chinese Opera
2) Write out a systematic guide on each stock type
3) Create exercises to impart the basic movements of Chinese Opera
4) Teach each member how to move as per the requirements of their stock type
5) Annotate movement into script

Isaac’s Role: Scriptwriter, Director and Sound director.

1) Write the script and make changes as the creative process continues and make sure it sticks to the Chinese Opera style.
2) As director, guides the actors positioning, tone of voice, actions and intentions.
3) As sound director picks, edits and inserts songs into each scene so as to bring out the right mood.

Priscilla’s Role: Dramaturge, Lighting Designer and Set designer.

1) Work on the historical and cultural research into the play and its setting. In this case, Chinese Opera, Chinese culture and fairytales.
2) Make all the components work together and form a Directorial Vision for the director to follow.
3) Help develop an original script.
4) Assist the playwright, director and design team in their production.
5) Keep a critical eye on the company's creative activities, working to improve and maintain high quality.
6) As lighting designer, set the lights required for the play.
7) As set designer, sketch drawings of the set and also get the required props ready.

Rachel’s Role: Makeup I/C and Group Secretary.

1) Conducts research on Chinese Opera Makeup.
2) Sketch makeup for all the characters.
3) Source and buy the required makeup.
4) As secretary, take down notes during group meetings and update the group blog.

The Sword Dance

2009-08-16T06:20:00.000-07:00

Hey guys this vid is great for the dance. Please do take a look.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-aqLeK06uw&feature=related

Oh and the dance will be choreod this monday. So please do help me out k.

Stella's monologue

2009-08-16T06:19:00.000-07:00

Can squeeze this in after stepmother's monologue? It's more appropriate I feel.

Crushing and binding my feet
is part and parcel of being a virtuous(or some other word?) lady.
Yet I couldn't care a bit
for all these is to please my majesty.
How I yearn to gain happiness
as easy as how Cinderella did.
To be able to stay optimistic
against Mother's evil deeds.
I will stay strong and nurture myself
to be the perfect wife for the prince!
No matter how hard it'll be,
it is my dream to marry into royalty!
Isn't it every girl's dream too..?

Exercises and Movement Training

2009-08-16T05:33:00.000-07:00

Ok time for movements and exercises.

Jing(Fairy Godfather)
- Placing, throwing and opening up motions with the use of water sleeves.(this has been taught)
- Kick style walking(this has been taught)
- Must practice fluidity
Exercise to be done
-Walk around in character, doing the prescribed stock type movement and say your lines.

Lao Dan(Stepmother)
- Head isolations( You have been taught these on saturday, and expected to be able to do this)
- Graceful and controlled walking which is slow yet very graceful(this has been taught too)
- finger isolations to be practiced so as to be able to carry out gestures requireed of this stock type.

Hua Tan(Cinderella)
- Walking with slight trots to be practised
- Playing with handkerchief
- Bending knees low when posing
- Practice finger isolations for greater control of your gestures. This has to be done due to lack of water sleeves

Xiao Sheng9Prince)
- Practice kick style walking(different than Jing's)
- Practice gestures
- Practice pivoting

Agendas for The Meetings

2009-08-16T05:18:00.000-07:00

PLEASE TAKE NOTE-

Rehearsals-
Monday- Scene 1 and 2 to be finished. All stock type movement for each character must be known. Only touching up of movement is to be done. Scene 1 to be memorised. Showcase also.

Tuesday- All scenes completed. And rehearsed. All scenes to be memorised, as scene 3 is just me.

Wednesday- Perfect everything.

deadlines once again...

2009-08-16T01:09:00.000-07:00

Script-

Scene 1 and 2- 15th August.- DONE
Scene 3 and 4- 16th August-

Sound-
Everything to be done by 18th August

Movement-

Annotation of scene 1- 15th August
Annotation of scene 2- 16th August
Annotation of Scene 4- 17th August

Costume-

Stepsister shoes and collar- Rachel- 17th August
Stepmother headdress and collar- Wen Zhen- 17th August
Stepmother Headdress sketch- Wen Zhen- 17th August
FairyGodfather clouds and stitching- Wen Zhen- 17th August
cinderella Collar and headdresses- Priscilla- 17th August

More about Qingyi (My stocktype)

2009-08-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

The young maiden (qingyi) exudes refinement with her delicate movements, mincing steps, and exaggerated falsetto singing.

A Dream in the Girl's Room
Note: This is a Qingyi's costume. So don't say you can't recognise Qingyi anymore.

A Dream in the Girl's Room 2
Note: There's a short part where they danced.

A Dream in the Girl's Room 3
A Dream in the Girl's Room MV
Note: Make-up, headdress, costume :)
I FIGURED OUT THEY ALL HAVE TWO LONG STRANDS OF HAIR AT THEIR SIDES!!!

鎖麟囊: 選奩
Note: The one on e left is a HUADAN, the one on e right is a QINGYI.

鎖麟囊: 一霎時把七情俱以味盡
鎖麟囊

Jade Hairpin 《三蓋衣》

MORE OF OTHER OPERA STUFF! :
A　CLIMAX IN OPERA:
Farewell My Concubine, Climax Part 1
Farewell My Concubine, Climax Part 2
A HUADAN'S DANCE. As in really dance only. NOTE THE WAY SHE CARRIES HERSELF.
春闺梦（古典舞女子独舞）
Note: Her face is always smiling. Her dance moves are fast, flowy and ALWAYS HAPPY. Shows a lot about her character!
Oh and the music is nice!!!!!!

What has changed..-Priscilla

2009-08-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

- DV has been chnaged from nature vs nurture to Self vs society. (Need to elaborate more)

- STEPSISTER- The stepsister is NOT evil. She has been influenced by her mother who has also been infkluenced by society so basically in both their cases SOCIETY WINS! So what does society proclaim that the stepsis follows. Its the fantasy of marrying a Prince and that being the goal in life of the women in society in those days. She does not hate or despise Cinbderella and so does not treat her cruely. But at the same time she does envy her. She is an overall likable character, kind and demure. However, the audience may percieve her as shallow.

- STEPMOTHER- for the step mum, she is driven by societies high opinion of royalty and the rich. She believes that if one wants to be great, or something in life, one has to aim towards being rich, famous and respected. And thus she years to be the to be empress mother.

-CINDERELLA- As for Cinderella, she is still the bubbly, vivacious character, but in a way she knows her place. She requests her stepmum iof she can wear the shoe, not just demand that she wants to and continues to do so. She is someone who unline the stepsis and thus unlike society belivees and longs for true love, whatever form it may come in. In the end, society and her share the prize, as she does get married to her true love, the prince even though its just as a concubine. Society still wins though, as She cannot become the Empress because of her bound feet and queer status.

-PRINCE- In the end, like cinderella, he shares the prize with society. He does find true love and then proceeds to get married to her, but only as a concubine because of societies customs and rules.

-FAIRYGODFATHER- He is not funny or bubbly. An easly irritable man, who is impatient BUT at the same time has a soft spot for people in trouble, the oppressed and the weak. However, even to these vistims, he does not show his kind side.

Stock Type Movement of Lao Dan- Stepmother

2009-08-12T00:20:00.000-07:00

The way they walk-
They are the most grounded stock type of this piece. They're lower body movement is very limited, at most they have slight up and down motions to accentuate sudden flares in emotion. They walk very slowly and tend to move about the same spot when speaking. Though they are grounded, they do not bend their nees very much when posing as they are 'old' and portray their grace through their control.

The way the move their upper body and posture-
Their upper body is very stationary, only moving with their head to accentuate the movement of their head and pose. It is also detrimental as it portrays whther the character around her is of a higher or lower status.

The way they make gestures with their arms-
The movements exhibited by their arms is very slow and controlled, portraying an element of trained grace. The make use of their fingers and arms by making gestures towards people or things. They also use it to make very elegant poses to show an emotion as the trend is to create a character sophisticated enough to show underlying emotions with their short poses.

The way they move their heads-
The Lao Dan's head is the most important part of their body in terms of movement. They use their head to portray almost all of their emotions and gestures. Their head is used by cocking it towards or away from the person they are talking to show whether they like or dislike the person. They also use facial expressions very heavily which is why the head's movement is essential to the way their emotions are portrayed.

In General-
This character requires a good amount of physical control and assertive facial expressions.

Stock Type Movement of Xiao Sheng- Prince

2009-08-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

The way they walk-
The prince always walks upright, stamping te ground with his feet as he is the authority and one who is in an extremely high position. He never bends his knees. When turning, he pivots just like army men or does th 'check T L V thingy'(didn't know how else to put this). He is always marching from one place to another and is very rooted to the ground.

They way they move their upper body and posture-
The upper body hardly moves, unless it follow the movement of the arm, and even this is not done very obviously. It moves with the lower body as if one unit, and or seems to have a 'swagger' when walking. This motion which i call 'swagger' is actually the character's persona which is seen through the way the body sways. This motion is done by moving more of the hips to give off a slightly more feminine composure to portray a more loving male character.

The way the make gestures with their arms-
The gestures, are very locked. The fingers must be closed tight and movements are done with the use of the shoulders while the elbows are locked at different positions to give a more addertive demeanour to the movement.

The way they move their heads-
This character doesn't move his head too much, unless he wishes to assert a point or portray a sudden change in emotion as regardless of his persona, a male has to be stoic and calm.

In General-
This character is quite uptight in his movements, yet he presents himslef with grace and poise as expected of one from regal bearing.

Stock type Movement of Hua Dan- Cinderella

2009-08-11T08:13:00.000-07:00

The way the walk-
They are not as grounded as most characters, and tend to hop before posing or making a gesture. They walk with small trots which makes them look energetic and youthful.

The way the move their upper body and posture-
They tend to be lithe and fluid in the movement of their upper body, showing a good command in terms of flexibility and coordinated body isolation.

The way the make gestures with their arms-
They actually have one of the most complicated set of gestures and movements for this area. As they do not possess water sleeves they need to refine and perfect the use of their fingers and wrist so as to further exaggerate their movements. This in turn equates in a greater control of the movement of their arms as the audience can actually see what they do.

The way the move their heads-
They are very animated, moving it along with their arms and body, giving rise to a very playful looking character.

In General-
This character is very lively and bustling with energy. It needs to be played with a lot of energy as the movements required of it has to be 'blown up' on stage.

Update on Deadlines

2009-08-11T07:59:00.000-07:00

DEADLINES MISSED

Saad- missed Characterization submission date and Monologue (No, that was not done well)
- Missed submission of movement for three characters (Next time pls show me the crappy work taht you do. I want to see SOMETHING. But something that has effort in it)

Isaac- Missed Characterization date and Monologue submission as well.

Wen Zhen- Missed Monologue date (you wrote it at the clinic right?)

NEW SET DEALINES

Script- To be done COMPLETELY by 12th Midnight.

Costume Boards- By 15th. (I cant do anything withoout the new sketches ppl..pls work wid me on this..)

Headdresses.....??? I have no idea... by 16th should be ok. Yup.. 16th IT IS.

THINGS TO DO

-Cut off all strings from the water sleeves
-Paint clouds on deity back
-Paint handkerchief, apron and cloth
-Girls the collars of all your gowns
-Paint the shoes- Cinderella's and the stepsisters.
-Attach elastic to the headgear things.

Note: PLEASE CHECK THE BLOG REGULARLY. YOU ARE EXPECTED TO KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON THIS WAY.

Stepsister Stella

2009-08-08T21:16:00.000-07:00

FACTS
A Qing Yi actress portrays a lady of good and sympathetic character. Usually of a quiet, gentle disposition and graceful in her movements, she is the Chinese ideal of a beautiful woman. As a wife she is faithful, as a young girl a model of propriety. Her good breeding is shown by the graceful, flowing movements of her 'water sleeves'. The Qing Yi's costume is elegant, simple and of good quality, but not as vivid in color as that of the Hua Dan. Her singing is of a pure, high-pitched quality.

Name: Stella
Age: 23
Family: Stays with Mother and Stepsister
Father is a general. He died during a war. Mother refuses to reveal much about the past to me. All I was taught of is that I'm lucky to be born in a noble family so I would need to train hard to be a graceful and demure lady to get into a noble family too.
Social position: High-class

Lifetime objective:
"I need to get married into a noble family."

Personality traits:

On the outside:
Faithful, proper, shy, graceful.
Demure, dignified, understanding.
Calm, controlled, careful.

Deep inside:
A Huadan!
Lively, talkative, carefree, excitable.

Things she does:
Practice Chinese calligraphy, Chinese painting, Chinese paper art, Chinese handicraft.
Learn Chinese poetry.
Do Chinese Embroidery.
Play the Guzheng.
All these are trainings to be a refined lady with abilities to please my husband in future.

Features:
Binded feet
Small lips
Big eyes

Inner monologue:
How I yearn to be like Cinderella!
Her carefree lifestyle is so much more enjoyable!
She doesn't need to have her feet binded.
Nor does she need to sew till her fingers bleed.
All she does is to sweep and clean,
to cook and make tea for us.
How I wish I can steal her happiness.
Look at the glee in her eyes!
I've never heard her complain.
Her optimism is what I hate the most.
Even with all my nice clothings and accessories,
I still can't get rid of that joy in her!
Why can't I live a simple yet happy life?
I don't need to be rich to be happy.. Right?

Inner objectives:
I want freedom!
I don't want my feet to be binded!
I want to marry a guy I love, not someone who's just rich!
I want to have happiness!!!

Related actions:
Smooth and flowy.
Bends the knees a lot.
Keeps the head low.
Swift exits and entrances.

Chinese Opera Movements

2009-08-08T06:35:00.000-07:00

“The choreographic nature of acting on the Chinese stage,” A.C. Scott wrote in the International Encyclopedia of Dance, “is apparent in the formalized treatment of movement and gesture, integrated with passages of song and music, in which words are treated as time-movement units. Hand gestures symbolizing emotional reactions create a continuous visible element with the tonal movement of the actors’ singing and declamation. Graceful passages of pointing with the fingers of one or both hands move through spatial sequences attended by the following glances of the performer, whose foot movements timed to the music carry forward the motifs of the dance.”

Delta wrote: “Always present...is the manner of moving used to define the specific individual being portrayed. Roles fall into genres—human beings, animals and birds, and supernatural beings...Ghost are conceived of as being stiff, devils as curvaceous; they dance grotesquely and humorously...The intrinsic quality of each animal or bird is fancifully and fully exploited—the powerful tiger, the brazen leopard, the sly fox, or the wily eagle.”
“Because classical opera uses no scenery, the actor-dancer sets the stage by incorporating the idea of physical environment onto gesture and movement...Action expands the stage when, from atop three stacked tables, the dancer does a double somersault to indicate he is running down a mountain. Many actor-dancers turn the stage into a sea with spread-eagle leaps, diving falls and spiraling turns...A general on a symbolic horse uses slipping, sliding and collapsing movements to portray efforts to advance on icy ground.”
“The choreographic nature of acting on the Chinese stage,” A.C. Scott wrote in the International Encyclopedia of Dance, “is apparent in the formalized treatment of movement and gesture, integrated with passages of song and music, in which words are treated as time-movement units. Hand gestures symbolizing emotional reactions create a continuous visible element with the tonal movement of the actors’ singing and declamation. Graceful passages of pointing with the fingers of one or both hands move through spatial sequences attended by the following glances of the performer, whose foot movements timed to the music carry forward the motifs of the dance.”

Delta wrote: “Always present...is the manner of moving used to define the specific individual being portrayed. Roles fall into genres—human beings, animals and birds, and supernatural beings...Ghost are conceived of as being stiff, devils as curvaceous; they dance grotesquely and humorously...The intrinsic quality of each animal or bird is fancifully and fully exploited—the powerful tiger, the brazen leopard, the sly fox, or the wily eagle.”
“Because classical opera uses no scenery, the actor-dancer sets the stage by incorporating the idea of physical environment onto gesture and movement...Action expands the stage when, from atop three stacked tables, the dancer does a double somersault to indicate he is running down a mountain. Many actor-dancers turn the stage into a sea with spread-eagle leaps, diving falls and spiraling turns...A general on a symbolic horse uses slipping, sliding and collapsing movements to portray efforts to advance on icy ground.”

Deadlines as of 8 August- Priscilla

2009-08-08T05:52:00.000-07:00

SCRIPT AND MOVEMENT-

Script half of scene 1- By 8th Night

All monologues (stepsister-2, step mother-1, Prince-1, Cinderella-1)- Sunday Night

All characterization- Sunday Night

Script- Till Scene 3- 10th Monday. Night

Script- Scene 4- 11th Tuesday. Night

Choreograph and learn movement scene 1 +2- 11th Tuesday

Choreograph till scene 4- 15th Saturday

COSTUME-

Priscilla- All costume boards to be completed- 5th Wednesday

Wen Zhen, Rachel and Priscilla respectively- Step mother, step sister and Cinderella ball costume (water sleeve refinement, collar stitched)- 5th Wednesday

Priscilla- Cinderella maid costume (hankerchief, apron with painting, shoes painted)- 6th Thursday

Wen Zhen- Diety and Prince (water sleeve refinement and painted bottom)- 5th Wednesday

Failure to meet deadlines will have its consequences.

Fairy Godfather

2009-08-08T02:20:00.000-07:00

Iron-crutch Li (李铁拐/李鐵拐, PY: Lǐ Tiěguǎi, WG: Li T'ieh-kuai, Japanese: Tekkai) is sometimes said to be the most ancient and popular of the Eight Immortals of the Taoist pantheon. He is sometimes described irascible and ill-tempered, but also benevolent to the poor, sick and the needy, whose suffering he alleviates with special medicine from his gourd (calabash ). He is often portrayed as an ugly old man with dirty face, scraggy beard, and messy hair held by a golden band. He walks with the aid of an iron crutch (t'ieh kuai) and often has a gourd slung over his shoulder or held in his hand (Encyclopædia Britannica). He often is depicted as a clown figure who descends to earth in the form of a beggar who uses his power to fight for the oppressed and needy (Ho and O'Brien, pg. 1)

Lantern Festival - used to serve as a day for love and matchmaking, on which an unmarried girl was traditionally permitted to appear in public unescorted and thus be seen by eligible bachelors. It was one of the few nights in ancient times without a strict curfew. It is sometimes regarded as another Chinese Valentine's Day. Young people were chaperoned in the streets in hopes of finding love. Matchmakers acted busily in hopes of pairing couples.
One legend tells us that it was a time to worship Taiyi, the God of Heaven in ancient times. The belief was that the God of Heaven controlled the destiny of the human world. He had sixteen dragons at his beck and call and he decided when to inflict drought, storms, famine or pestilence upon human beings. Beginning with Qinshihuang, the first emperor to unite the country, all the emperors ordered splendid ceremonies each year. The emperor would ask Taiyi to bring favorable weather and good health to him and his people. Emperor Wudi of the Han Dynasty directed special attention to this event. In 104 BC, he proclaimed it as one of the most important celebrations and the ceremony would last throughout the night.
Taiyi Zhenren (Chinese: 太乙真人; Pinyin: Tàiyǐ Zhēnrén) is a famous character in Chinese folklore. Taiyi (lit. "great 2nd Celestial stem) means "primordial unity of yin and yang" and Zhenren (lit. "true person") is a Daoist term for "Perfected Person".

So mainly, the Fairy Godfather in our show is going to be a God of Matchmaking. He uses his power to fight for the oppressed and needy especially ladies. That explains the "feminine side" in him. He controls the ~~destiny~~ love life of the human world. He's anxious about pairing people up. (Rest of characterization to be done by Isaac!!! ^^)

Character Stock Types!!!

2009-08-07T22:56:00.000-07:00

Ok... After spending TWO WHOLE HOURS of my free periods, i've finally found a link to the stock types of chinese opera which is comprehensive enough for our groups use.
The link is:http://74.125.153.132/search?q=cache:3hC6CTvXrLgJ:literaria.net/Shakespeare/L6/Characters.ppt+hua+tan+chinese+opera&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=sg

Movement

2009-08-07T20:55:00.000-07:00

Maiden dancing
Maiden dancing 2

Prince
Boy emperor, note how he moves
Prince, see the lyrics! THE ENGLISH VERSION!
PRINCE FUSU!

Qingyi VS Huadan

2009-08-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

A Qing Yi actress portrays a lady of good and sympathetic character Usually of a quiet, gentle disposition and graceful in her movements, she is the Chinese ideal of a beautiful woman. As a wife she is faithful, as a young girl a model of propriety. Her good breeding is shown by the graceful, flowing movements of her 'water sleeves'. The Qing Yi's costume is elegant, simple and of good quality, but not as vivid in color as that of the Hua Dan. Her singing is of a pure, high-pitched quality.

For a Hua Dan actress the gay, flirtatious personality of a young girl is required. Usually not of such a high social standing as the Qing Yi, the Hua Dan actress with her coy, coquettish and generally quicker movements arrests the attention of the audience. This is a difficult part to play successfully. The Hua Dan's facial expression is continually changing and her mischievous eye movements are particularly attractive. Because of her lower social status more hand movements are required, as in olden times it was not considered polite for a well-bred Chinese lady to show her hands. Costume, usually vivid in design and color, consists of a jacket and trousers, and a red or coloews handkerchief is carried to flutter in the actress's hand. Her character, needless to say, is not as virtuous as that of the Qing Yi and therefore her singing voice has a gayer and slightly stronger quality. She also has to do more speaking than singing.

A Gui Men Dan is the young, unmarried girl, who in later life will develop into a Qing Yi or a Hua Dan; her immaturity is clearly shown in her reactions, for though naughty and slightly mischievous, she has not the confidence of the Hua Dan, although her schemes and plans are often just as successful.

From http://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/beijing-opera/roles.htm#dan

DAN- Female roles of several categories.

i. QING YI ( Ch'ing I)- Lady of good character. Quiet gentle disposition. Graceful flowing movements in "water sleeves" costume. Elegant but not vivid. Singing voice is high pitched.

ii. HUA DAN ( Hua Tan)- Flirtatious young girl role. Usually not as high a social standing as Qing Yi. Coy and quick movements. A very difficult part to play. Attractive eye movements and continually changing facial expression. Vivid costume featuring handkerchief to flutter in her hand. Strong voice but more speaking than singing.

iii. GUI MEN DAN (Kuei Men Tan) - Young unmarried girl. This role may turn into Qing Yi or Hua Dan. Mischievous but not as much as Hua Dan. Immature reactions and movements. iv. DAO MA DAN (Tao Ma Tan) - Female Warrior role. Trained for acting and singing but performs highly skillful martial movements often with feathered headdress. Still a very feminine role. The now famous role of Disney's "MULAN" was based on Hua Mulan who disguised herself as a man to prevent her father from being conscripted into the military. She served for 12 years during the SouthNorth Dynasty and was decorated as a national hero.

From http://www.chinatownconnection.com/beijing-opera.htm

5)Dan
The Dan (旦) refers to any female role in Beijing opera. Dan roles were originally divided into five subtypes. Old
women were played by laodan, martial women were wudan, young female warriors were daomadan, virtuous and
elite women were qingyi, and vivacious and unmarried women were huadan. One of Mei Lanfang’s most
important contributions to Beijing opera was in pioneering a sixth type of role, the huashan. This role type
combines the status of the qingyi with the sensuality of the huadan.

This website shows Traditional Meets Experimental--Modernizing Peking Opera on the Mainland :
http://www.sinorama.com.tw/en/show_issue.php?id=199678507050E.TXT&table=2&h1=Art+and+Culture&h2=Traditional+Opera

One of Mei Lanfang's most important contributions to Beijing opera was in pioneering a sixth type of role, the “huashan.” This role type combines the nobility and grace of the “qingyi” with the flirtatious, extrovert characteristics of the “huadan.”

Women in chinese society - Priscilla

2009-08-07T05:30:00.000-07:00

http://academic.brooklyn.cuny.edu/core9/phalsall/studpages/vento.html

This is the website whe i got info about the state and treatment of women in China.
Basically a summary of the article and what idea i thought could be used...(possibility)

-No one knows were the tradition of binding feet originated but ppl say that it might have been during the Tang dynasty.
-It started with royalty. Its origins may be perceived as a means of enforcing the imperial male's exclusive sexual access to his female consorts, ensuring their chastity and fidelity.Since the emperor's life was thought to have moral and political significance, information was protected and the physical freedom of the imperial and palace women was restricted. The court's custom of keeping women hidden was echoed in urban society at large, setting standards of behavior that reduced women to a state of near-total domestic seclusion. In those urban centers, such standards were widely observed by women who aspired to elite status.
- This trend set buy the royal family was followed by people from the upper classes as they strived to be considered 'high class'. It is like what a fashion trend is today.

IMPORTANT FOR THE PLAY
- Within the areas and classes in which footbinding was widely accepted, a girl of marriageable age with natural feet had only limited prospects for making a "good" marriage, one which reflected well on her family's ability to raise her properly.[18] Having a daughter with bound feet conferred many potential benefits both on the girl and her family, transforming the biological disadvantage of being born female into a distinct social advantage by increasing her opportunities for making a lucrative marriage. Mothers impressed upon their daughters that the mark of a woman's attraction resided more in her character as revealed in the bind of her feet than in the face or body which nature had given her. Her selection in marriage was the responsibility of her prospective mother-in-law, whose criterion for a good daughter-in-law was the discipline that the bound foot represented, thus a daughter learned that she carried the reputations of both her natal family and the family into which she married in the bind of her feet.[19]

The stepmother could want to emphasize this poinyt in her speech, that she had raised her dautghter allher life, bounded her feet and taught her what must be done and what is needed to marry well. In comparison, perhaps Cinderella's feet were bound before her father died, but after his passing, when she workjed as a maid, her feet were left to grow. Thus, this might be one of the factors that forced the prince to not be able to marry her and the reason the stepsisters feet could not fit the shoe. It was too SMALL.

Reason Cinderella was forced to not bind her feet- Even without the promise of hope for upward mobility which a good marriage provided, women bound their feet to signify their claim on the dignity accorded those who embodied refinement and a "sense of class".

Agenda for group meeting 3rd August

2009-08-02T08:27:00.000-07:00

Expectations

-Script memorized by all actors. At least Two scenes that you are present in.
- A printed anotatable script. Not too small so that you cant see the words from far off (hint hint)
- Anotations of your movements on your indiv script. NO white spots beside your lines.
- Charcaterization done and a back story formed.

Agenda
- Wen Zhen and Priscilla will begin rehearsal of 2nd scen at 6 outside BB.
- Whole group Start with warmups outside the BB at 6 30 (after star finishes).
- Quick recap of the 1st and 3rd scene.
- Choreo for the 2nd scene. 1/4th.
- Enter the BB and run through scenes 1, 2 and 3 complete with sound and lights.
- Practise scene 4. Finish half of scene 4 with lights and sound.

DEALINES MISSED AND TO BE KEPT

2009-08-02T06:35:00.000-07:00

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 1st deadline for characterization Including me.

Saad and Isaac missed 2nd deadline for characterisation.

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

Step mum characterization

2009-08-02T06:33:00.000-07:00

Name- Mrs Chan

Age- 48

Family- One daughter who is not worthy to be called my own.
- A step daughter who serves as a worthy maid
- A deceased husband who left this world 8 years ago.

Social position- When my husband was alive, we enjoyed a good position in society and were very wealthy. But ever since he passed away, there has been no source of income and thus this has forced us to be classified as the upper middle class.

Main Objective- To be rich and be a part of the royal family.

Personality- Calm, Thoughtful, controlled, rigid, reserved.

Power-Agreed- Over Cinderella and step sister since i am older than them and i control their lives and ration.

Abuse- Cinderella. Not like she is goign to rebel anytime soon.

Reward- Cinderela and Step sister.

I do not hate Cinderella, nor do i think that she is useless. But i dont trat her as my own daughter because she really isnt. I was never good to her, i could not bring myslef to be. I blame my husbands death on that little girl, and it was becuase of her that i never spent enough time with him. My daughter is no better, she has no grace or the style that i have. If she wasnt my flesh and blood i would not care a hoot for her. All i want of life now is to live it well, comfortably and to be looked up to and be known by all. What better way than becoming royalty?I am a cool and reserved woman, some say too cool, but i could not care less about other people and their hardships ij life. Even when i was married, my husband was the one who organized all the oarties at the mansion, i never bothered much about them since i didnt think that was my job.Tit for tat is wht i play all the time. Since Cinderella stole my husband from me, she will now be my servant. And since my husband doted on her so much i turned a cold shoulder to him for most of our married life.I had a difficult time growing up, we were poor, but i worked my way up and now im rich. But i want more than that. I dont want to runa household. I want to be pampered and be taken care of. I want to spend whtever time i have left living life to the fullest.

stepsister's characterization

2009-07-31T08:53:00.001-07:00

NOTE: this is also on my own blog so yar.

I'm Stella, often called by my mother as "Guai". I hate that name as it is so demeaning to me. I mean, hello!! I'm not your pet dog or something. Treat me with the proper respect please! You always demand respect from me, and you shouldn't treat me like my stepsister. I use the term "sister" loosely because we're not even related by blood. At least not anymore. We have never been close and I don't see why I should start now. I'm perfectly fine with her helping around the house. No, of course it's not equal to slavery! We treat her perfectly fine. It's not like she's mistreated or anything. People say that she's prettier than me. I don't believe that of course. They don't say it to my face, but I know they do. But sometimes, when I'm not feeling particularly happy, I make her do more housework.It's not really wrong, no. She's already doing so much housework, nothing wrong with making her do more right? Even though I sometimes wonder if she might one day die from all the work, it doesn't bother me too much. Anyway, I'll be the prettiest in the house when she's gone. It's so unfair though. My mother makes me go through all these lessons and exercises so as to become lady-like but I still slip up sometimes. HER on the other hand, she's like, always so graceful!!! I can't stand it! Maybe it's all the housework she does. But the thought of even going near those dirty windows or the URGH toilet! Nevermind. She'll never find a good husband or whatever anyway. She's just like a servant girl. ANYWAY, who'll wash my clothes/do my hair/freshen my room/carry my shopping/do my homework?!?!?! I can't believe I'm saying this but, I think I really need her! Hmmm, there's a funny question. Who do I need more? Her, or Mom? Well, if you REALLY want me to choose, I'll pick........ both. Why can't I have both of them? I mean, I AM important enough!

OKAY! Enough about them. This is about ME! I was born on the 2nd of August. My dad was alive then... I think. I've never seen him before. All the photos I have of him are quite fuzzy. Well, what can you expect, they ARE local goods. I LOVE pink! It is such a pretty colour! Oh and black is such an intersting colour too, so mysterious!! Mom doesn't like me wearing black because it's "inauspicious". Hmmph! Nevermind. Pink then! I didn't go to school(of course not). School is for the people. The uneducated, illiterate and low-class. I have a governess of course! The very best in the whole of China. Not that I care much but my French tutor IS really very cute!! I'm generally VERY good in anything and everything. And if I'm not, I WILL BE. I strongly believe that I can get what I want, when I want it, how I want it and it will come to me AUTOMATICALLY. All my friends know this, of course. And OF COURSE I have a lot of friends. They're mostly from America because the Chinese here are SO unsociable and URGH! I can't stand them. I always tell Mom to send me to America/France/Spain/Italy. But she says I'm not ready yet. I don't understand her! I know so much more about those other countries than I know about China. I'm not stupid!! I can take care of myself! I'll just hire more servants!! Okay!! That's enough about me, I need my beauty sleep you know! I mean, I MUST be beautiful!!

Cinderella's characterization

2009-07-31T06:51:00.001-07:00

FACTS
Name: Cinderella
Age: 18
Family: Stays with Father, Stepmother, Stepsister.
Social position: Low-class

Lifetime objective:
"I want to have a life of my own."

Personality traits:
- Lively - Easygoing - Optimistic
- Excitable - Even-tempered - Thoughtful
- Quiet - Kind - Loving - Compromising
- Bubbly - Humble - Hard-working
- Patient - Easily bullied - Timid

Things she does:
Housework all day
Loves to sing
Loves the company of animals
Day-dreams a lot

Inner feelings:
Sad and angry but has to be strong as she is being controlled tightly.
Yearns for freedom.
Wants to rebel but has no ability to do so.

Related actions:
Smooth and flowy.
Bends the knees a lot.
Keeps the head low.
Swift exits and entrances.

The step mother costume

2009-07-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

Colour
- Dark Green
- Dark colours are used for older characters to show they are mature and respected.

Pattern
- It has sharp patterns at times to show her harsh, strict disciplinary nature.
- And soft rounded corners at other times to show her motherly attitude towards her daughter.
- Plain but yet elegant.

Headdress
- Her headdress does not have the petal like structure at the forehead unlike the younger characters, but instead have a straight cut line.
- Simple yet elaborate designs usually made out of jewels.
- The colours used on the headdresses are also usually limited to two or three.

Makeup
- Basic Chinese Opera makeup with white base and highlighted eyes and eyebrows.
- In order to show that she was the ‘evil’ party, we extended her eyeliner upwards and made it pointy.
- The rouge on her cheeks is lighter than the younger characters.

The step sister costume

2009-07-25T09:53:00.000-07:00

Colour
- She is your typical spoilt girl, hence the colour pink is used.

Pattern
- Heavy embroidery shows us that she is from a rich family.
- It is a traditional Chinese pattern made up of flowers and leaves which represent youthfulness.

Headdress
- The multiple brightly coloured flowers are to emphasize her girly nature and her youth.

Makeup
- Basic Chinese Opera makeup is used.
- Like the step mother, her eyes are made to point upwards to give the ‘evil’ effect
- In contrast to the Stepmother, she has more rouge around the cheeks to show her youthfulness.

Cinderella costume

2009-07-25T09:38:00.000-07:00

This is Cinderella's completed costumes. Headdresses are still in the making...
This is the description that will be put along side the sketches for display outside the BB for all those who watch the show.

MAID COSTUME

Pattern
- The maids in Chinese Opera are dressed in long shirts, pants, an apron as well as a piece of cloth in front.
- A simple design using flowers is used to show her youthfulness. No heavy embroidery is used as she is just a maid.

Colours
- Light blue was used to compliment her passive and gentle nature.
- Red was used as a contrasting colour to show Cinderella’s daring side.

Headdress
- Maids did not wear headdresses in those days. Instead, their hair was styled up with colourful clips.

Makeup
- The basic Chinese Opera style makeup is used.
- The rouge on her cheeks is to emphasize her youthfulness and her eyeliner is not pointy like her stepmothers and sisters which shows us she is on the ‘good’ side.

BALL GOWN

Pattern
- Various types of flowers, butterflies, hearts and other designs are used to show her youthfulness.
- There is a fairly heavy amount of embroidery suggesting she is from a rich family.

Colours
- Blue is used once again to show us her passive, kind nature.
- Red, green, pink and peach are used as she is young. The more number of colours used, the richer the character is.

Headdress
- Comprises of jewels, flowers and tassels, which all point out that she is young, beautiful and rich.

Styles....

2009-07-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

Here is some rresearch that i did about styles- Mainly looking into naturalistic as well as expressionistic styles.

Naturalism is a movement in European drama and theatre that developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It refers to theatre that attempts to create a perfect illusion of reality through a range of dramatic and theatrical strategies: detailed, three-dimensional settings (which bring Darwinian understandings of the determining role of the environment into the staging of human drama); everyday speech forms (prose over poetry); a secular world-view (no ghosts, spirits or gods intervening in the human action); an exclusive focus on subjects that are contemporary and indigenous (no exotic, otherworldly or fantastic locales, nor historical or mythic time-periods); an extension of the social range of characters portrayed (away from the aristocrats of classical drama, towards bourgeois and eventually working-class protagonists); and a style of acting that attempts to recreate the impression of reality (often by seeking complete identification with the role, understood in terms of its 'given circumstances', which, again, transcribe Darwinian motifs into performance, as advocated by Stanislavski).[2]

Expressionistic theatre is different from realism - actors will behave how most people wouldn't in real life, their physical and vocal qualities exaggerating their emotions; sets designs will be exaggerated to emphasise the tone of the setting, etc. In expressionist drama, the speech is heightened, whether expansive and rhapsodic, or clipped and telegraphic.

- The Expressionist stage neither simulated reality nor suggested unreality. It existed in its own right as the platform from which direct statements could be made.
- The characters in Expressionist drama were often impersonal or nameless. Very often they served to illustrate some aspect of the protagonist’s thought or feelings or expressed aspects of the world and society.
- bring the mask back into common usage. Initially, the mask signified typical or depersonalized characters; later, it became a device for distancing the audience from the characters altogether, as it was used by Brecht

Justification for characters stepsister and godfather

2009-07-22T00:26:00.000-07:00

Ok after consulting Mrs Wong, an artistic director and chinese opera actress, we'd come to the conclusion that we were going to take the approach of modern chinese opera, where the need to appeal to the audience was of great importance, and as such decided to go along with an Americanized step sister and a 'Chinaman' type Fairy god father.This is due to the fact that the modern audience needs to have a connection with the characters and be consistently entertained by that 'one' character who does things differently and as such, the godfather became the stereotype of the strict, constantly annoyed chinese man who seems to have a funny side and the stepsister the shallow superficial girl like today's trend-chasing girls.

The above allows the audience to connect with REAL people they may have met throughout their lives. As our target audience is teenagers, they will be able to relate to the Fairy Godfather as a teacher or parent who consistently nags and picks at them yet genuinely cares, while the stepsister is the girl in the class or the one in the street who looks like an airhead but tries to hide it.In terms of MOVEMENT, this will allow a more varied form of movement for each of these characters and give the play a contrast from the ancient norms of opera and fairytales.

The Fairy Godfather for example will have mechanicalish and rigid movement, yet he will have a few playful moments here and there to give him that 'human' connection. The stepsister will have more 'fluttery' and 'wavy' motions which will show her front of trying to be fragile and delicate. She will also have tantrum like behaviour to show her stubborn character which shows that she's a sore loser.

Costume designs... -Priscilla

2009-07-20T08:56:00.000-07:00

THE STEPMOTHER BACK VIEW-
THE STEP MOTHER FRONT VIEW-
(Wig and headress yet to be drawn)

HE STEPSISTER-

NEW DEADLINES

2009-07-20T08:19:00.000-07:00

Script- This Tuesday evening

Masks- This Tuesday Evening.

Costume Sketches- This Wednesday Morning

Set and light design- This Wednesday evening

Sound- Next Wednesday

Costume (Real pieces complete with water sleeves)- Next Monday Morning

Movement- Next Tuesday

FINALLY!!!!!!!!! the script...

2009-07-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

We went to meet the lady at the teahouse today to check on the things in the script.
We asked her a few questions and decided that it would be good if i posted them up.

1) Are there any conventions in Chinese opera that we should keep in our script?
- Chinese Opera is all about the dialogue and the singing as well as the movement. All these are the main components in Chinese Opera.

2) Is Opera more movement or script based?
-Both are equally important and both are used to convey the story line as well as things about each character.

3) Do plays usually have a climax? Where are they usually?
- They do have climaxes, they can be everywhere. But it really depends on the lenght of the Opera being performed.

4) Would adding modern elements and stuff like that be disrespectful to Opera?
- Only people in China are really bothered with keeping the art form pure. Now a days because of the youth and their mentality,Opera has had to take a very modern sdtand inorder to attract the audience. So i think it is alright to modernize it to fit into the requirements to please the audience.

5) We have a fairy Godfather in the play, do you think it would be better if we have a base character from Chinese Opera history to use for the Godfather?
- You can create your own character, he can be funny, serious, whatever you want the Godfather to be. It really depends oin your interpretation of the character.

6) Is there a clear exposition in Opera?
- There used to be very clear expositions whereby the characters came up on stage and told the audience of theuir name, family, occupation, etc. But now a days there seems to be no need to do this as the audience has become 'smarter'. Todays audeince will be able to derive the characteristics o the audience from their actions and dialogue throught the script.

From this question and answer round that we had with her, Isaac edited the script and we now have a finalized (nearly) Script that i can base sound and set on!! YAY!!!!
So GREAT JOB GUYS!!!! kepp up the gOOD.,.. no GREEEEAAAAATTT WORK!!
LOVe ya all..
-Priscilla Jamir

What we are doin and why the heck were doin it tht way...

2009-07-19T07:11:00.000-07:00

Hey.. this is what i put up on my blog.. but i think its important for all of you guys to know this stuff for the question and answer round..:D
Please readup and absorb.... -Priscilla

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 o 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, we are trying a method very much like restoration comedy. We wil not be using old english, but we wil be using the use of underlinging meaning as well as comedy in our script not so that it will be a satire, but so that the audience will be more interested in the dialogue. We decided on this approach through research on motion, as we found that certain characteristci of motion in Chinese Opera correspond to that of Restoration Comedy.

5) As far as movement in concerned, we wil be trying to stay as clodse 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 s 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.

2009-07-17T02:02:00.000-07:00

Videos of xiaosheng, huadan, jing and chou
http://www.english.cciv.cityu.edu.hk/beijingopera/video.php?item=1

Music

2009-07-15T00:04:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NRtReM8Vxw&feature=fvw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL4IGn-p4gI
Saad:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-dPC-srIbs&feature=related
Kid:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VqoEsNw2PGs

Script

2009-07-12T05:15:00.000-07:00

We are following Chinese Operas costume, makeup, movement and the concept of a simple script.

As for the singing, we will not do it. Dialogue will be short one liners and we will drag it a bit so that it seems opera like.

Movement we will still keep and train ourselves.

Here is the script.

Cast Of Characters:
___________________ Narrator ___________________ Evil Stepmother ___________________ Ugly Stepsister #1 ___________________ Ugly Stepsister #2 ___________________ Cinderella
___________________ Fairy Godmother ___________________ Queen ___________________ King ___________________ Prince ___________________ 1
st
Herald ___________________ 2
nd
Herald

Scene #1(5 people)

Narrator : Is 7 a.m. and Cinderella's family has just woken up. They are in the sitting room.

Evil Stepmother: (pauses, looks around) CINDERELLA!!

Cinderella: Yes, Stepmother?

Evil Stepmother: Come here and make us breakfast! And bring me my makeup while you're at it!

Cinderella: Yes, Stepmother.
(Cinderella leaves to get the breakfast)

Ugly Sister #2: Good morning, Mum. Where is my breakfast? I’m hungry.

Ugly Sister #1 Have you heard about the big ball the King is throwing to find Prince Charming a wife? Everyone will be there!

Ugly Sister #2 Can we go, Mum, please, can we?

Evil Stepmother: Of course we are going to the ball. My daughters are the most beautiful girls in the land.

Ugly Sister #1: I hope he picks me to be the princess.

Ugly Sister #2: No, I hope he picks me!

Cinderella:(To stepmother)Here’s your breakfast.
(To sister #1)Here’s your breakfast.
(To sister #2)And here is your breakfast.
(Pauses, in a sheepish tone)
May I go to the ball too?

Ugly Sister #1: You?

Evil Stepmother: (Laughing.) Of course you may go, Cinderella, IF you finish all your chores, and IF you help your sisters get ready, and IF you can find some decent clothes to wear instead of those rags! (Cinderella sighs, puts the tray down in front of the sisters and leaves.)

Ugly Sister #1: The prince will think I am beautiful!

Ugly Sister #2: No, he'll be amazed by my beautiful hair!

Evil Stepmother: Don't be silly; the prince is known for liking older women like me!

Ugly Sister #1 and #2: Mom!!!!

Scene #2
(6 people)

Narrator: Cinderella’s evil stepmother and ugly stepsisters are getting dressed for the ball.

Evil Stepmother: Where is my dress?

Ugly Sister #1: And my shoes?

Ugly Sister #2: And my purse?

Evil Stepmother: (angry, to Cinderella)
Why can’t you find anything when I ask?

Cinderella: Your dress is there, mother
(points). Your dresses are here.
(gives them the dresses)

Evil Stepmother: Be careful, dear. Don’t spoil them with you dirty hands. But where are our fans?

Cinderella: Oh, I can give you the fans, too. (Turns, picks them up, and gives them to the sisters)

Ugly Sister #1: First, you must mend my socks.
(gives Cinderella her socks)

Cinderella: Oh, yes, right away.
(leaves the room)

Ugly Sister #1: Oh, mum, be quick!

Evil Stepmother: Ok, let’s go!! (happily) Bye, Cinderella! Don't forget to sweep the kitchen!

Narrator: Cinderella picks up the broom, but begins crying to herself.

Cinderella: I wish I could go to the ball!

Fairy Godmother: Sh-! (Cinderella looks up.) What was that you just said?

Cinderella:(frightened and surprised) Who are you?!

Fairy Godmother: I'm your fairy godmother! Now, what was that I heard you say?

Cinderella:(still crying a little) Ju..Just that I wanted to go to the ball.

Fairy Godmother: Is that all? I can manage that.

Narrator: The Fairy Godmother waves her wand. Cinderella looks at herself and sees she is wearing a beautiful dress.

Fairy Godmother:(smiling) Goodbye, have a good time.

Cinderella: But I can't go to the ball barefoot!

Fairy Godmother: That’s right!
(waves her wand again) There you are, beautiful glass slippers! Remember that you need to be home by midnight or the magic will stop working!

Narrator: Cinderella leaves for the ball in a beautiful car. But she has to remember not to stay too late or the car will turn back into a pumpkin.

Scene #3 (4 people)
Narrator: At the ball, the Queen and the King invite everyone to enjoy themselves. Everyone begins dancing and having a good time.

Queen: The ball is on, please dance and play! (Couples begin dancing)

Narrator: Suddenly, Cinderella appears and the music stops.

Queen (to the King): Who is that girl?

King: She is so nice and smart . . .

Prince: May I dance with you? Let’s start . . .

Narrator: The music begins again and everyone is dancing. Then they hear the clock strike 12. (Dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong, dong!

Cinderella: It’s midnight and I have to run. Good-bye, I really had a great fun!

Prince: I will miss you! I hope we will meet again.

Narrator: As she is running, she loses one of her shoes. The prince goes, picks it up, and looks at it. He decides to keep it so that he can find this beautiful woman again later.

Scene #4 (7 people)

Narrator: The next day, Cinderella’s ugly sisters and stepmother are talking. Cinderella is sitting to the side.

Ugly Sister #1: A beautiful lady was at the ball. We really don’t know her at all.

Ugly Sister #2:(in a dreamy, wishing voice) The Prince wants to marry her.

Evil Stepmother: Stop!
(listens) Do you hear those men? The king’s messengers?

Narrator: Two heralds (messengers) enter the room.

1st Herald: Please, try on this glass shoe.

2nd Herald: (looking through the long list): We know you were at the ball.

Ugly Sister #1:(trying the shoe on) It’s too small.

Ugly Sister #2: (trying the shoe on) It’s small for me, too.

1st Herald: What about you? (points to Cinderella)

Evil Stepmother: But she didn’t go to the ball. She is Cinderella and that is all!

Cinderella: I want to try it on, Mum.

Narrator: Cinderella tries on the shoe and everyone sees that it fits perfectly. They are very surprised.

Ugly Sister #1: How could you have been the beautiful woman at the ball?

Ugly Sister #2: How could you even have gone to the ball?

Stepmother: What has happened? The king was supposed to choose one of you! I am ruined!

1st Herald: The Prince is waiting for you, as you know.

2nd Herald: Be quick, let’s go!

Cinderella: I am so happy today. I forgive all of you. Good-bye!
(Cinderella leaves the room after the heralds, waving goodbye to her family.)

Narrator: Cinderella and the prince lived happily ever after. She forgot about her ugly sisters and evil stepmother and lived forever in the castle.

The end.

ROLES, DUTIES AND DEADLINES

2009-07-11T08:54:00.000-07:00

Since were doing Chinese Opera, we have had to do a bit of shifting around with the roles-

ROLES

Rachel- Make up and Mask (if were going to use it)

Wen Zhen- Costume

Priscilla- All technical stuff- lights, sounds.

Issac- Scriptwriter

Saad- Movement coach.

TO DO

Wen Zhen- The characters in Chjinse Opera and what about their costume (concentrate on structure) tells the audience of their personality and role.

Boo- All aboiut the makeup. The shade, angels, colours, etc. Please search for the avalability of the makeup required and check out the price so we can see how it can be split. Thankz.

Saad and Issac- All about the movement. How various chracters enter, exit and move about the stge. How does this contribute to helping the audience get to know their character, etc.

Priscilla- Reasearch about fairytales and chinese Opera and link them together, link hostory, present day and the reason as to why we use opera to present a fairy tale.

DEADLINES

Issac- script to be completyed and group briefed and all chnages made by tuesday. Character analysis needed to help costume and make up ppl.

Wen Zhen- By the 15th all research is to be done. By 18th All sketches and costume plan should be completed.

Boo- Research to be done by 15th. Coloured sketches of the make up to be done by 18th.

Saad- All movemnet to be choreographed by 22nd Wednesday. Please work along side costume person as you need to see how restrited the movemnt will be and what about the costume can help with the movement.,

EVERDAY EXERCISES

2009-07-05T08:50:00.000-07:00

10 sit-ups

10 crunches
-left over right
-right over left
-normal ones
TRY TO HOLD THEM,
SHOULDER SHOULDN'T TOUCH E GROUND AT ALL TIMES
TILL 140 ONE FINE DAY

10 normal push-ups

10 hands-wider-apart push-ups

Normal stretching
-Head
-Shoulder
-Hip/Waist
-Leg (upper and lower)
-Ankle

Isolations
-Head
-Shoulder
-Hip

Do slowly~! :)

xoxo,
BOOBOO

TIMELINE.

2009-07-05T01:54:00.000-07:00

Task
You are required to devise a short piece of ‘total theatre’ (i.e. drama which consciously attempts to involve other art forms) based on the theme of ‘Politics of Identity’. The duration of the piece
should be about 20 minutes in total. All members of the group should perform in the final piece; in addition every member should also take on a secondary role such as scriptwriter, director, movement coach, mask designer, puppet designer, costume and makeup designer, sound / lighting designer, etc. Doubling or sharing of roles is allowed, but a fair distribution of responsibilities must be seen.

Individual weblog
Every member should keep a weblog detailing the process of carrying out his or her individual
primary and secondary duties. The following must be considered:

 Inspirations and influences for the storyline and skill(s) chosen
 Performance traditions / theories related to acting and skill(s) chosen
 Explanation of creative choices made
 Significant moments or turning points that contributed to the final product

Weighting

The weighting for this assessment is as follows:
1. Group Mark for the ensemble (10 marks)
2. Individual Mark for each member of the ensemble (10 marks)
3. Individual contribution to Group Presentation – Teacher and Peer-assessed (10 marks)
4. Individual weblog (10 marks)

The tentative assessment date for GP2 is August 13, 2009 (Thursday).

The following is a suggested timeline. There is no extension of deadlines.

Week Event Submission

June hols
Gather creative inspiration; read up on
performance traditions / theories; analyse
suggested readings and texts for structure and
dramatic style
Blog entry 1

Week 1 As above
(Semestral Assessment week)

Week 2 (Prep week for JC2 Practical exam – JC1s
excused from class where needed)
Submit list of roles for each member, and what
this entails;
Blog entry 2

Week 3 Class meeting: all groups to pitch their pieces to the rest of the class; may present 1 scene in which they show how another skill (together with acting) has been incorporated within the piece
Submit Working script and scene synopsis;
Blog entry 3

Week 4 Technical rehearsal Submit set / costume / mask / puppet design;
Blog entry 4

Week 5 Showcase Submit light and sound cuesheets;
Blog entry 5

Week 6 Full dress rehearsal
Blog entry 6

Week 7 Assessment
Final Blog entry 7

MEETING DATES

2009-07-05T01:52:00.000-07:00

6th MONDAY- Before, after and during SWAKK'D rehearsal. Saad will show us what excersise we will need to faithfully follow a home. And we will also discuss about the script and storyline.

10th FRIDAY- After and before SWAKK'D rehearsal (6 -7 pm) By this time we will have a script, so we will finalize it and also work out some of the movements and finalize songs that we will use.

11th Saturday- Whenever we finish clearing the BB (3-4pm) We will all leave together to go toIssac's church. Where we will stay until about 7 to do movements.

12th Sunday- 7pm to whnever needed, to rehearse and what ever needs to be done like costume and set, etc.

13th Monday- After SWAKK'D rehearsal (5-6pm) We will have a group meeting.

15th WEDNESDAY- After scholl till whenever. Costume and set.

18th Saturday- 3to 7pm.

This is all we have got so far. EVERY saturday, we will have meetings from 3 to 7. So keep that time free every week.

18th June 09 meeting

2009-06-18T05:56:00.000-07:00

We came out with an overall draft today (and it's according to a well-made play structure) ! :D

Those colored in red needs confirmation - make a choice!
Skills we are using:
Movement
Sound
Mask (?)

Final identites:
Isaac: Flirt (Work) vs Nerd (Real)
Wenzhen: Suck-up (Work) vs Emo-freak (Real)
Priscilla: Bimbo (Work) vs Workaholic (Real)
Saad: Slacker/Joker (Work) vs Lonely boy (Real)
Rachel: Gangster (Work) vs Professional/Sick of being a gangster (Real)

EXPOSITION:
Everyone DANCING in character's style, wearing masks. One piece of music is playing.
Sudden change in music, others freeze/continue dancing, Spotlight on one character, character speaks and do EXPOSITION - Can communicate with the others.

MASK = the identity they're trying to show ppl/ satisfy ppl.
MUSIC = according to their character.
MOVEMENT = do a short movement piece (dancing) before introducing character.

RISING ACTION:
Starts with the work scene.
We're all sitting in our separate cubicles. Behaving in our real selves.
Eg. Priscilla being hard-working/listening to techno music, Wenzhen being emo-freak...
(how can it be shown? spotlight again on each of us? no words just music or?)
MUSIC = Typing sound, flipping of paper, clock ticking.
MOVEMENT = We all do repeated robotic movements or same actions? Represent us working?
About _(?) mins, bell rings/Saad being joker comes and shout: "It's 12, lunch break!"
Lunch break can show small conflicts!

Small conflicts:
-Isaac flirts with Rachel. Rachel hates it, gets pissed.
-Wenzhen sucks up to Priscilla (knowing she's boss's daughter). Priscilla acts in her bimbo way and pretends not to know.
-Saad pisses Priscilla off as he doesn't do his work (slacker) and Priscilla's a workaholic (real self). Priscilla cannot show anger directly to keep up with bimbo image!

Pulling factor:
Rachel and Saad become buddies. Both realizes that they feel like they're just wearing a mask so to speak. Talk to each other about how they really feel eg, Rachel is sick of being an ahlian, Saad is actually very lonely and pessimistic etc.

CLIMAX:
-Priscilla finally flares up & scolds Saad for always slacking
-Rachel helps Saad cause' of friendship
-Isaac butts in in flirty way
-Being pissed about his flirtatious character, Rachel hits Isaac
-Wenzhen comes in & protects Isaac cuz she has fallen with him (she's an emo-freak = needs love etc. Isaac flirts. So... yea, you get it)
-Rachel pissed and starts hitting Wenzhen too
-Priscilla exposes Wenzhen of sucking up to her dad
-Saad questions Priscilla about her bimbotic nature
* can add in more stuff? *
* switches to falling action QUICK *

FALLING ACTION:
(same scene as exposition)
-Isaac stunned at impact of him flirting and questions his two identities (nerd vs flirt)
-Wenzhen questions her love for Isaac whether it is cause she needs love (characteristic of emo) and whether her sucking up was worth it.
-Priscilla reflects her flaring up moment, realise her fake bimbo cannot pull thru so what to do next?

CONCLUSION:
Rachel and Saad talking?
Speaks about real selves etc and smth abt our DV: identity can never be really defined etc.
leave it as an open-ended thing to question audience on their identity???
*needs to further discuss*

Okay, so that's about it!
To ISAAC:
Please read up about it! And anything you don't get it, you can ask any one of us :D And also, try to do the characterization asap and post on the blog alright? Do according to this plot! :) THANKSSSSSS!
To the rest:
Please refine characters. Can I request for the next meeting/meet-up/anything related to it, WE USE THE NAMES OF THE CHARACTERS already, not our names. Hehe thanks for taking out some of your time to read this bloody long post!

With lots of LOVE and HUGS and KISSES (xoxo),
BOOBOO ! :D:D:D

2009-06-17T22:33:00.000-07:00

DV- To show that ones identity is continually being refined, there is no fixed identity.

Saad Character-
Parent's kicked him out as soon as he finished 'o' levels because they found him unruly and a waste of space. Dad's an alcoholic, mum's into other men. Is currently staying with grandma. Has amazing potential but doesn't give a shit cause there's no expectations from him. Works as a barista with secondary school buddy Isaac. Loves relaxing, women and chocolates.

Plot-
WZ, Isaac, Saad and Priscilla are all from the same JC.
Saad is a retainee so he knows all about Rachel.
Rachel droped out of school before P, WZ and I came in. So we all only heard of her. Tall tales...
Rachel + saad are 19. Rest of us are 18.

Exposition: Everybody is dancing. Then everybody shows different identity with different dance types. Small conflicts between characters.

Basic characterization - Rachel

2009-06-16T02:51:00.001-07:00

Gangster VS Nerd

Background story:
I am Janelle, 18 this year.
Was from noob jc (that's considered damn good for me) taking arts cause' I can't get into science. My dad's chauffeur fetches me to school. Sometimes I drive too. * DROPPED OUT DUE TO TOO MUCH GANGSTER PROBLEMS *
Grew up in a screwed up family: Dad is gang leader. Had many step-mothers. Don't even know who's my real mum. Many step brothers and sisters (I don't know where they came from). I think I'm somewhere in the middle (I have both elder and younger siblings).
My dad's gang is huge. He's filthy rich but I don't know where he got those money from, probably drug-trafficking. He treats me well, only when I treat him as my dad or say, master. He's rarely home (he have many houses) and even if he is, he is back at very late times. He hardly talks about mum. All I know about her is that she was my dad's true love. I wonder if he says that to all his other children.
In my house, I have one maid, my blood brothers and sisters (one younger brother and one younger sister) and a few of his subordinates. I have my own room, so do my brother and sister. Every Sunday, there would be a gang meeting at my house. I had to be present since I'm the eldest. Each eldest from his wives (or mistresses) are to be present. Weird rule but I had to obey, no choice. I had a tattoo on my back and ankle since 15. It was to symbolize I'm part of them. A phoenix at the back and a chinese word on my ankle.

School life:
Even before I officially got into the school (both sec and jc), people knew I was going. They all know me as ''miss mafia'' and most were scared of me. I really don't know how they knew about my background but I don't give a damn. Even though, sometimes, I really wish to lead a peaceful life. People didn't dare to make friends with me, I had to approach them personally. They had this expectation of me to be an all out 'ah lian'. And dad also wanted me to keep his reputation. So I had to put on this gangster front. To be fierce, violent and have a I'm-not-scared-of-you attitude. 'Keeping face' is important. However, I do have close friends in the gang that would stick through anything with me. I'm most dependent on them.

Work:
I want my own life. I want to have the ability to work and earn some money so as not to look so dependent on my dad. And most importantly, I do not want everyone to see me as a gangster that's all. Even though I do admit I love appearing as a gangster at times, I am tired of it. I want to learn new stuff. I want to be seen as intellectual, not someone brainless who loves to fight. I'm not a typical 'ah lian'!
I went to work at an OFFICE. Doing paper work and stuff. ~~No one suspected my real identity. Everyone thought of me as a nerd. A typical girl who loves to surround themselves with learning, reading and writing. I suppose, I succeeded?~~ I still looked like my norm gangster self but the way I do things are totally surprisingly good, like a nerd.
I'm an inner nerd, yeaaaa.

Inner thoughts/things she's confused about:
Must my dad control my life? Can't I have my own life? Why must I be one of his successors? Must I lead the gang in future? Who's my mum? Why did she leave dad? Why is the gang so much more important to dad than me? WHY MUST I FOLLOW DAD'S FOOTSTEPS TO BE A GANGSTER?
Who would I marry in future, a gangster too? Am I capable of doing other jobs? Would anyone care about me? Why is my future so bleak? Would my current friends be my friends in future? Would my 'sisters' stick with me all the way? WHAT CAN I DO IN MY FUTURE?

Okay, so this is just a draft. Please comment on it on thurs at Pris's house!!! :D Researched about them and even watched a movie about them, Gangster 15. Alot of ideas flowing but only typed in some.. Hehe, I forgot some :p

Basic characterization -Priscilla

2009-06-15T05:41:00.000-07:00

Hey,
So i came up with some really really basic characterization for my character...
but facing some problems that i am currently tackling. Here is how it goes...

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!!!!?
____________________

Yeah.. i kinda went off track somewhere... was doing a journal style of characterization.. This is what i have so far... please do give feedback.. the relation with the other characters am waiting to discuss at the group meeting.. Have a basic outline done though..
Hope you guys put yours up soon...

-Priscilla

ROLES

2009-06-12T08:01:00.000-07:00

Director- Isaac

Scriptwriters- Everyone for their individual piece and for the group piece.

Costume- Wen Zhen

Makeup- Rachel

Set- Priscilla

Secretary- Rachel

Lights/Sound- Isaac

(Do you need me to take over? Cause the director has A LOT of stuff to do?)
-Priscilla

Meeting 12th June

2009-06-12T07:18:00.000-07:00

Basic idea of what were thinking of doing..
- An expressionistic piece
- about youth
- a realistic piece
- about the various identity 'crisis's' that the youth are going through today.

Each of us is going to take up a role, and have individual problems. However, we will still have some kind of a relationship with each other. That is in school, however, when we go out to work, we will have different personalities.
We do not necessarily have to meet in school, or be in the same class, or have to know everyone. It can be a social web too.
The problems that we have do not have to revolve the group of friends, it can extend to family, childhood, personal aliments, etc.
The mode through which the individual wants to present their story and inner turmoil is up to them.

CHARACTERS (Some of us are trying to challenge ourselves, hence the weird combinations and contrast to our actual personality)-

Name- Rachel
In school- Gangster
At Work- Nerd

Wen Zhen
Misunderstood
Suck up

Isaac
Nerd
Flirt

Saad
Jock, player
Slacker, clubber

Priscilla
Bimbo
Techo Freak

We don't have to be working in the same places, but we can if you guys think it will help the plot.

Were planning to use mask, movement, maybe multimedia and a lot of other stuff...
But ppl.. we SERIOUSLY need to gave a group meeting ASAP. I don't think that Thur will be fast enough.

1) We need to know what inner turmoil the person is going through. Whether it is too exaggerated.
2) How the characters met, ALL their relationships with each other.
3) How each of us are going to present their inner turmoil. Are you going to act? Need us to mime or play other characters?
4) Do we have specialize in two DS? or can we use whatever in whatever proportion?
There are a lot more questions that need to be ans.. Isaac.. can you plan a group meeting earlier?

-Priscilla

RULES

2009-06-12T05:56:00.000-07:00

RULES
(fixed on 12th June 2009, Friday)
(subject to changes depending on situations)

LATE : Fine of $2.00
ABSENT WITHOUT REASON: Fine of $5.00
The money would be collected by Priscilla and be used thereafter for meals etc.

DO NOT:
Scream/Shout/Yell/Another other word that means being loud.
Throw tantrums
Ignore instructions
Act like you're not a normal being
EAT. (Unless it's very really definitely a must to eat... We'll see.)

(BASICALLY JUST BE A NORMAL HUMAN THAT COOPERATES YEA!)

DO:
Be professional :)
Take initiative!
Keep personal problems out of rehearsals
REPLY SMSES to confirm you've read important stuff :)
Keep to deadlines!!!

THANKS PEOPLE :D
WE ARE GOING TO TURN OUT GREAT RIGHT!!!
WE ARE GONNA BE PROACTIVE MEMBERS RIGHT!!!
WE WILL HAVE A SPLENDID TIME TOGETHER RIGHT!!!
AND WWE WILL PRODUCE AN AMAZING PIECE YEAH!!!
Haha :)

WITH LOTS OF LOVE AND HUGS AND KISSES XOXO,
BOOBOO ;D;D;D

Online review.. VERY INSIGHTFUL!

2009-06-11T19:45:00.000-07:00

WHEN WE DEAD AWAKEN

The following review of Henrik Ibsen's When We Dead Awaken was originally published in The Ideal Review, Jul. 1900. C.H.A. Bjerregaard. pp. 46-8.

If the winter season had been before us, I would not review Ibsen's [last] play, When We Dead Awaken, because the impressions made by it would correspond too well with the dreariness of the cold. But summer is before us and we are full of the rising life and fruitfulness...

"A Stranger Lady" is the main person in the play, though not the one who acts the most. Her name is Irene and presumably this name is chosen for symbolical reasons. Irene means "peace," that peace which comes after war. She symbolizes in this drama that peace which follows "when we dead awaken," but that peace is really only an illusion. Her appearance on the scene produces conditions as treacherous as those of quicksands. What problem is it that Ibsen tries to resolve? Who are "we dead"? In the first place Ibsen presents Rubek, sculptor and brutal egotist, who is the cause of all the misery of the drama, as "dead." He died after finishing his "great masterpiece," "The Resurrection Day," for which Irene stood model, being cast adrift by him after a love affair with her; to him it was "only an episode" but the life of existence to her. His wife, Maia, is also "dead," and seems to have died after four years of wedded life in which she waited for him to take her "up into a high mountain and show her all the glory of the world?" Rubek failed; to him this promise was "only a figure of speech," his object being to lure her "to play" with him. His relations to her being also "only an episode." Irene is also "dead" but being "dead," she is most interesting. She died when he deserted her, but she lived on even in the grave: she could not live without him to whom she had given her soul and her form, and in whose image he had created "their child," "The Resurrection Day." Rubek, Maia and Irene are "the dead" of the drama and it is with regard to them "this epilogue" is written. An inspector at the baths, a landed proprietor and a Sister of Mercy also figure, but they symbolize nothing essential in it; the inspector and the Sister are only convenient "lay figures"; the landed proprietor is a beastly character such as Ibsen commonly introduces. Ulfheim is his name and profession. Ulfheim is the Norse for "Wolf's-home," viz., the incarnation of a wolf. He preys upon unsuspecting women and is the enemy of society. Buffon's description of a wolf fits him to a nicety: "disagreeable in every respect, with mean air, savage look, frightful voice, insupportable odor, perverse nature, ferocious manners, he is odious; noxious while living, useless after death."

But, has Ibsen really understood the problem involved in the sentence "when we dead awaken"? I think not. His dramatis personae move and have their being in love only, and in love, at that, which seems but little above sex-love. As in most of his other plays his men are beasts of desire and his women "play-toys." They know nothing, it seems, of truth and law, and life is to them merely an emotion. To die means to Ibsen to lose sensual love, and to awaken means to discover, as does Rubek, that to be married four or five years is "a trifle long," and, yawning, to tell the wife so. Irene's attitude gives a slightly different interpretation to "to die" and "to awaken" but does not introduce any principle from a higher world. Ibsen's clumsy expedient of making Irene and Rubek disappear in masses of snow while they ascend the mountain is almost to burlesque his own idea and intention.

We are dead when we are tied hand and foot, mind and life in our own illusions, in the conventional, or when we, without freedom and independence, are mere objects of the play of cosmic forces. We awaken when we realize our bondage and take steps to free ourselves to live a self-centered life. The power to awaken must come as it were from "outside," must be a principle from "above," or la grande passion. Rubek cannot represent such a principle to Irene nor can she be it to him with one husband "in a churchyard somewhere or other" and another "far away in the Ural Mountains--among all his gold mines," and the recollections of a model: "I have stood on the turn-table--naked--and made a show of myself to many hundreds of men--after you." Maia's "awakening" is still more mysterious. When she sees Rubek and Irene go off, she is legally, as she sings, free; but how their violence can be an inspiration to a new life for her, is incomprehensible, and how Ulfheim, with whom she spent a night on the mountain, can represent a liberator can be explained only on the principle that he is an enchanted prince; but Ibsen does not tell us so.

When We Dead Awaken is a naturalistic play, though differing somewhat from the ordinary ones, by having some symbolism in it and a few metaphysical points. These latter are perhaps unintentional. Naturalistic as it is, the play touches only indirectly the great problems of the science of life; it is simply descriptive of how four "lovers" change partners. It avoids pointing to any ultimate purpose in existence and describes only features of life well known in divorce-courts. Its psychology is trifling and superficial. It presents such everlasting changes in "the animal soul" as are analogous to the ever-varying shapes of clouds and the instability of water.

What of the vibrations that go through this drama? I liken them in their weakness to the eddies on a bay near a great city. They have neither force nor purity but plenty of flotsam; they do not break on the shore echoing the mysteries of the deep; they only wet the pebbles that lie about for no special purpose. Ibsen's work is not a drama or a soul-reproduction of the breathing universe, the palpitating heart of the greater Man or Nature. At best When We Dead Awaken is a repetition of the ideas of John Gabriel Borkman. Its morals, that is to say the morals unintentionally taught, are as immoral as they well may be. The lovers ignore the fact that they voluntarily bound themselves to perform certain duties before "the awakening" came. Such bonds cannot be broken with impunity. An act of will is Karmic and of profound significance. Ibsen's lovers leave behind them all previously assumed duties. Perhaps he intended to parody that great prophet's words, which were, "Let the dead bury their dead.

HENRIK IBSEN - A DOLL'S HOUSE

2009-06-11T19:41:00.000-07:00

Introduction:
A Doll's House is an 1879 play by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen.
The play was the first of Ibsen's to create a sensation and is now perhaps his most famous play. The play was controversial when first published, as it is sharply critical of 19th century marriage norms. It follows the formula of well-made play up until the final act, when it breaks convention by ending with a discussion, not an unravelling. It is often called the first true feminist play, although Ibsen denied this. The play is also an important work of the naturalist movement, in which real events and situations are depicted on stage in a departure from previous forms such as romanticism.

Plot sypnosis:

A Doll's House opens as Nora Helmer is telling Helene, the maid, to hide the Christmas tree from the children. Nora is treated as a silly, childish woman by her husband, Torvald. Her friend Christine Linde, recently widowed and short of money, has heard about Torvald's recent promotion at the bank and comes to ask Nora for help in persuading Torvald to give her (Christine) a job. Nora promises to ask Torvald to give Christine a position as secretary. Nora confides to Christine that she once secretly borrowed money from Krogstad to save Torvald's life when he was very ill, but she has not told him in order to protect his pride. She then took secret jobs copying papers by hand, which she carried out secretly in her room, and learned to take pride in her ability to earn money "as if she were a man." Torvald's promotion promises to finally liberate her from having to scrimp and save in order to be able to pay off her debt. However, she has continued to play the part of the frivolous, scatter-brained child-wife for the benefit of her husband.

Meanwhile, Dr. Rank, a family friend, flirts with Nora before revealing that he is terminally ill with Tuberculosis of the spine (a contemporary euphemism for congenital syphilis), with only a month to live, and that he has been secretly in love with her. Frightened of being fired by Torvald, Krogstad approaches Nora, declaring he no longer cares about the remaining balance of her loan but will preserve the bond to blackmail Torvald into keeping him employed. Krogstad informs Nora that he has written a letter detailing her crime and puts it in Torvald's mailbox, which is locked.

Nora tells Christine of her predicament. Christine says that she and Krogstad were in love before she married, and promises she will convince him to relent.

Torvald tries to check his mail before he and Nora go to a New Year's party, but Nora distracts him by showing him the dance she has been rehearsing for the party. Torvald declares that he will postpone reading his mail until the evening. Alone, Nora contemplates suicide to save her husband from the shame of the revelation of her crime, and more important to pre-empt any gallant gesture on his part to "save" her.

Christine tells Krogstad that she only married her husband because she had no other means to support her sick mother and young siblings, and that she has returned to offer him her love again. Krogstad is moved and offers to take back his letter to Torvald. However, Christine decides that Torvald should know the truth for the sake of his and Nora's marriage.

Back from the party, Doctor Rank gives his letters of death to the Helmers, and Nora talks to him as if nothing is going to happen. Torvald goes to check the mail; Nora does everything to stop him but fails. Torvald goes to read his letters and Nora prepares to take her life. Before she has the opportunity, Torvald intercepts her, confronting her with Krogstad's letter. In his rage, he declares that he is now completely in Krogstad's power—he must yield to Krogstad's demands and keep quiet about the whole affair. He berates Nora, calling her a dishonest and immoral woman and telling her she is unfit to raise their children. He says that their marriage will be kept only to maintain appearances.

A maid enters, delivering a letter to Nora. Krogstad has returned the incriminating papers, saying that he regrets his actions. Torvald is jubilant, telling Nora he is saved as he burns the papers. He takes back his harsh words to his wife and tells her that he has forgiven her. He also explains to her that her mistake makes her all the more precious to him because it reveals an adorable helplessness, and that when a man has forgiven his wife it makes him love her all the more since she is the recipient of his generosity. (WHAT THE HECK!)

By now Nora has realized that her husband is not the man she thought he was, and that her whole existence has been a lie. Her fantasy of love is just that—a fantasy. Torvald's love is highly conditional. She has been treated like a plaything, first by her father and then by her husband. She decides that she must leave to find out who she is and what to make of her life. (FIGURING OUT HER REAL IDENTITY!) Torvald insists she must fulfill her duty as a wife and mother, but Nora believes she also has duties to herself. From Torvald's reaction to Krogstad's letters, Nora sees that she and Torvald are strangers to each other. When Torvald asks if there is still any chance for them to rebuild their marriage, she replies that it would take "the greatest miracle of all": they would have to change so much that their life together would become a real marriage.

The play ends with Nora leaving, while Torvald hopefully ponders the possibility of "the greatest miracle of all", punctuated by an infamous door slam.

Personal reflection:
"A Doll's House criticises the traditional roles of men and women in 19th-century marriage. Nothing was considered more holy than the covenant of marriage, and to portray it in such a way was completely unacceptable; however, a few more open-minded critics such as George Bernard Shaw in England found Ibsen's willingness to examine society without prejudice exhilarating. " quoted from Internet.

I think that this play is COOL.
It would be more welcomed in this century as we're more open-minded now :)
It is presented in a way that the wife takes control of the marriage at the end.
In the beginning, the wife is totally submissive to her husband and she would do anything that pleases him. Her husband addresses her with tenderness and authority, calling her his “skylark” and his “squirrel.”
In the play's progression, she revealed her secret of helping her husband! It shows that a wife is actually capable of assisting the husband. Feminist :)
She is also seen as a very emotional creature as she is seen as happy, depressed, crazy etc.
COOL PLAY, that guy sucks ):

Priscilla's.... Reviews...2

2009-06-09T03:27:00.000-07:00

Name- Imsurenla Priscilla Jamir
Books read- When we dead awaken by Henrik Ibsen
- The Shagaround by Maggie Nevill

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!

YUP... so thats all i have for now.. i hope that follows some kind of format!!:P:P

LOVe - PrIsCiLlA....