The Last Blog Post : We are the Magi!

The final project for lit&perf class is done. Even though I do not think that it was as perfect as I wanted it to be, at least, there were no major mistakes and no storage problem. We did our best and I think the outcome turned out to be quite satisfying. However, as we were watching our scene a few times, we discussed whether or not we should redo it. Our scene seemed like it had a lot of problems . This is my little evaluation on our scene.

Our scene was good in terms of volume of the background music and flowing of the scene changes. We actually recorded the Christmas carols so that it could automatically go to the next song and luckily at the actual taking, it was pretty smooth and fitted to the scenes. In addition, I was happy that the tech crew raised the volume at a right time in scene two. Also, even though we did not have a thorough dress rehearsal using all the props, the scene changes were smooth (it just took some time because we only had two people). The biggest and noticeable improvements of ourselves were, I think, line delivery and volume of our voices. Compared to the last time when my tone and pronunciation were somewhat unclear, I was loud enough to beat the volume of background music and I could clearly understand what I said. We successfully used the bell sound, knocking sound, paper snow, and Christmas tree picture. We fully took Ms. Guarino's comments on the first draft into account and improved it such as putting emotional ending and eliminating Jim's appearance on the back. 

Problems were lighting and some line mistakes. I actually do not care that much about the line mistakes because they were not really serious; they were all just a few words missing and some stammering issues. Lighting was very discouraging us. I do not know who did the light, but honestly, I think the person could have done much better job on that. We made the cue sheet very straightforward and there was no reason to turn the light up just to check if we were ready. Although we asked to turn the light off by snapping fingers, we had our light turned on when we were setting the house scene and changing our costumes. In addition, When we saw the video, that part was really weird and was the major reason that made us think if we should redo it. 

Everything was pretty fine. Nothing big happened. I think that is why we are thinking about redoing it. Because the scene could have been perfect and we only need a little more of something to make it perfect, we keep on considering it. However, we decided not to redo it and thus we must be satisfied with this. Anyhow, I am now pleased about the fact that I am "wisely" done like the Magi, and I am kinda melancholy that this course has ended. I do not think I will act again in the next English course.  Thank you Ms. Guarino!



https://youtu.be/_dQy7N1TT7A

Never Ending Journey - Acting

Two days ago, our group has finished the first draft for the final project. I guess we are in a fine shape, but certainly we have a lot of things to improve. I think our scene’s level of completion is pretty high. The aspects that need to be improved are mostly acting parts such as emotions and movements. Throughout the course, we all have improved very much, so for the final one, it will be good to put all our potential out so that we can end the year strong. As Ms. Guarino commented on us, I want to talk about the way to improve our scene. 

First, the most important thing to resolve would be the scene 3, where Della thinks what would be good for Jim’s Christmas gift. Our choice, at first, was that Jim comes out to the stage and stands in diagonal to Della to indicate that they are not in the same place. Followed by my movements, she says lines about the watch. This scene was actually for us to eliminate some boredom that audience might feel because we thought our scene overall was a little depressed and serious. I thought that this could be funny because when Della says “He adore [the watch]”, Jim actually rubs the watch on his cheek. Sadly, a few people said that this was a little confusing. However, we decided not to delete this part as we thought this is a pretty important part . I also think this would be better with the actual watch and more exaggerated motions. Secondly, we might need someone to check our music (I think that is not a problem). Third, for the flashback where Jim and Della went shopping and saw the comb, we should wear different clothes and turn off the music (or different song that is not a Christmas carol) to show it is a different time. 

The other two groups seem interesting for me. Both are doing my favorite pieces; especially Slumdog Millionaire I watched for two times. I may have a little high expectation on them because not only do they have more people but also it is natural that it is harder to adapt something that is already “perfect”. The Little Prince group was interesting as they tried to come up with a different interpretation using songs to be comedic. Also, it was good that they chose three important characters other than the little prince to show the long story as briefly as possible. The Slumdog Millionaire group was also good. It would be very hard to perform in the black box but they somehow did it. I think because the main character figures out the answer using his memory, so I want them to be clearer how the experiences are related to the questions. I think that will help them add a little more drama. I would suggest Ben to put more emotion especially when a person got shot and died. 

Considering this was the first draft, I think, we are not in a bad shape. However, considering that we only have a week left until the final draft, we might not be in a good shape. I want to work on mostly on my emotion, and hopefully, it turns out to be better with actual props and smooth scene changes. 

Comedy Tonight Made By Cheshire Academy

Last night, I watched the opening show of Comedy Tonight by Cheshire Academy. Honestly, I did not expect that this would be this funny. However, it made me laugh for almost three hours. It was a very long show which was about the length of two shows, but I would say it was worth it. All the actors showed their best. I also did not notice any major mistakes! Most of all, I was so impressed with the fact that all the skits were made by Cheshire Academy. Their creativity and sense of humor were so impressive. I think this show showed our Cheshire Academy drama program's potential and talent. We can even make our own scenes!

The basic structure of the show was one skit and one musical piece, and they repeat. After opening monolog, a few actors came out to the stage and started singing a very lively song "Comedy Tonight". It heightened my excitement. Then, the first skit started. It was like modified spelling bee. It  reminded of my memory of last winter. My favorite part of it was Jack's dressed up as a woman and John's Donald Trump act. Jack did not even shave his beard and acted as a woman, and it made me could not stop laughing. Also, John's loud voice fitted to Trump so much and they overlapped somehow. Musical pieces were funny too. I liked when singers changed their lyrics to make it funnier. For example, putting Ms. Guarino for "Whatever Happened to My Part?" was hilarious. I tried to look at Ms. Guarino upon the soundboard to check her face.

My favorite skit was definitely the "Morning Meeting Gone Wrong". This was, in my opinion, only understandable for Cheshire Academy faculty members and students as I found that parents were a little confused and do not find it hilarious. Anyhow, students did very well on mocking and catching unique motions for each individual and even for the appearance, they copied so similarly. #msminahan. Also, the "John Jiang, the Latte Boy".... It made John Jiang a star!

Unlike Once On This Island, this show required very frequent costume changes and complex movements. I could not only enjoy watching but also feel how hard they worked for this long show and thought about the script. I want to really thank them for making this possible. Great Job!

Prop, costume, sound and light effects lists

Prop list

• Two chairs
• One table
• Wine cups and some wine bottles
• A table cover
• A watch and two chains (one for old one and the other for new one)
  A comb with a small and ribboned box
• Money and coins
• A couch

Costume list

• A blue-sky color long skirt
• A White blouse
  A hat
• A scarf
• A winter coat
• Navy blazer
• White shirt for Jim
• Dark colored pants
• Shoes for both Jim and Della

Sound effect

• Opening a door
• Opening a door that has a bell
  Footstep sound
• Knocking
• Christmas carols
• Carol of the Bells - 1904
• Do You Hear What I Hear? - 1962
• The Little Drummer Boy - 1957
• O Christmas Tree
• Santa Claus is comin to town
• Have yourself a merry little Christmas
• Let it snow
• Christmas time is here
• Holly Jolly Christmas
• It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas
• Baby it’s cold outside
• Happy Village

Light effect

• Just lights on and off; no spotlight or anything needed
• Only for the scene 3, spotlight for each character needed
  
  

How are we doing?

My project called "Christmas in May" is going well so far. Our story "The Gift of The Magi" by O Henry is about a poor couple Della and Jim on a Christmas eve. They bought a gift for each other by selling their valuable things. In this project, Julie is going to act Della and I am going to act Jim. 

This week, my group worked on the script. Mostly, we tried to emphasize on a cute love between Della and Jim. Firstly, because this story has a third person view and tells the story of Della all the time, there was no scene for Jim himself. Thus, we had to make one for him. When we were making the scene, we realized that it was very important to dramatize it to connect with the ending. The ending of this story is somewhat twisting, so we had to make the audience not notice what is going to happen and make the scene very sneaky. We used flashback to show it. We knew if we show that Jim buys a comb by selling his watch, the twisting ending would be no use. Therefore, we only show that Jim gets an idea what to buy for Della's gift. Then, at last, after they know what happened to each other's gift, we use flashback to show what has happened to Jim.

Also, we thought that the cold weather, snow, and the atmosphere of Christmas helped develop characters' cute love. Therefore, we decided to add some Christmas carols throughout the scene (quiet but noticeable). In addition, in the beginning, we may use some extra people just to make them walk around the street; they may act a family, a couple, or friends. Then, only Della left and she starts the scene.

The lesson of this story is the pleasure of giving. As mentioned at the last of this story, the Magi is a wise man who shows up on a Christmas day and gives a gift. In this story, Della and Jim were very wise to give a gift to each other and did not expect to receive a gift. They know what the happiness is that comes from giving. We added that at the last of our script too. Because it was our purpose to give a lesson to the audience rather than just giving them an entertainment.

A group of two, in my opinion, works very efficiently. We did not have that many conflicts while we were making the script. I am looking forward to actually staging our scene. 

The Final Scene Proposal : One of the Greatest Short Stories of All

After the IB exam, we faced another fun challenge; it is the free topic project. We can choose any novel or short story and have to stage it, just like what we have done for this year. Because there are too many choices, it was so hard to pick only one that will be not only fun to do but also creative. After a while, I heard that an author O Henry is quite well-known as a short story writer, and I began to search more about him. Then, I found a short story called The Gift of the Magi, which is about a married couple Della and Jim in a Christmas time. It was called as many people's favorite and there was even a song about it by Squirrel Nut Zippers (music credit : Ms. Guarino). All the resources were enough for me to provoke my curiosity, and thus I found the original piece and read it.
It was good. While I was reading, I could imagine how the scenes could be adapted. I do not know whether or not this story have already been adapted, but I thought this story is well-qualified for my final project.

The story is set in New York in the early 1900s. In Christmas Eve, Della and Jim want to buy a present for each other but they are short of money. Especially Della, who is mainly described in the story, has only $1.87. She decides to sell her hair and eventually could afford the present for Jim which is a new watch wire. However at night, she realized that Jim has bought a comb set for her by selling his watch. This is the basic plot and it seems a little tragic as no one's present meets one's need. However, at the same time, it is cute and lovely that they decided to buy a present by selling their most precious things, which shows how much they love and care each other.

First, I thought it would be important to set up the unique atmosphere of Christmas. It could be shown perhaps using a bell jingling sound, fireplace, winter costumes, snow, some Christmas carol songs or a Chrismas tree (If possible). Second, I think two actors for Della and Jim will be enough even though there are some other characters such as Madame Sofronie; I think they do not necessarily have to appear in the scene. Instead, actors could act and talk looking at the audience as if they are looking at the mirror. Third, most importantly, there is no scene for Jim himself. This book is focused on Della's story. Therefore, I would have to make a scene for Jim buying a present for Della, so that two actors can have an equal amount. In the stage, I would like to employ each character act their own scene. For example, when Della buys her present, I want Della to come up to the stage alone and act, and same for Jim (like there are two stories going on). They will have to act back and forth because otherwise it will be boring. After that, they come back to their home and act together.
Props and costumes that I need will be an old watch with an old wire, a set of combs (better if they look fancy), an old but neat winter coat, a table, chairs, and a wig.

This story will be really fun and cool if we work hard as it requires a good emotion and interpretation. Also, it will be fun to act Christmas in June.

The First IB Exam I've Ever Done

The toughest time has passed. Now I feel a little relaxed. One of my biggest challenge in May is done so I have one less thing to care. For now, I do not really want to think about how the exam went. The exam was not realllly hard as I worried. Questions were pretty much like we have prepared for this entire year so we knew how to write and to format it. The only problem was the time. As Ms. Guarino had been telling us, I thought I would have more than enough time to outline and to write in a full structure. However, it was not really sufficient, although I somehow finished it on time. I think it was because of a nervousness due to the somewhat overwhelming fact that this is the actual test. I had a hard time to organize my thoughts and put them in a right order. I felt like I answered questions in an unorganized way that my ideas were scattered around. Other people's stories made me feel worried too. I only wrote three and four pages with drawing, but they said that they wrote six or even more. This makes me feel very uncomfortable and nervous. Nonetheless, I am satisfied with the fact that I tried my best to answer the questions.
It was a good experience before upcoming AP test and a good preparation for next year's IB test. As a junior, I think this experience will help me when I become a senior and take another IB test. I can remind me of this experience as I have already gone through this and thus I am familiar with the atmosphere. The first time can never be perfect. If I could learn from this, it is good enough in my opinion. Fortunately, I learned from this and got the sense of IB exam. 

Note for the practice essay

5. Patterns, aimed at the mind, the heart or the ear of the reader, are used by poets to 
achieve their purposes. In the work of at least two poets you have studied, examine various 
patterns and their effects.

Hope is the thing with feathers - the second and third stanza have the exactly same syllables
mood - bright, hopeful,optimistic, awe / after "yet" - becomes serious, dark, a little depressed 
analysis of pattern -  enjambment - continues the idea - hope is still there 
rhyme - emphasizes 
repeating - emphasizes 
dashes - connects the metaphor (hope and bird) 

My father and the fig tree - 
chronological - at age six -> years passed -> the last time he moved 
repeating "fig tree" - emphasizes the meaning - father's relationship with his country (symbolizes)
largest, fattest, sweetest figs (rhyme?) - father wants universe's gift - perfection 
enjambment - continues describing the importance of figs to father 
listing words - lima beans, zucchini, parsley, beets / ripe tokens, emblems, assurance 
once , or , or - alliteration 

Practice Essay

“Poets often withhold certitude, which can at the same time empower readers to think creatively.”Consider a poem you have studied in which ambiguity has enabled readers to reach their own conclusions about meaning and implications. Explain.

“Hope” is the thing with feathers - 

That perches in the soul - 

And sings the tune without the words - 

And never stops - at all - 

And sweetest - in the Gale - is heard - 

And sore must be the storm - 

That could abash the little Bird 

That kept so many warm - 

I’ve heard it in the chillest land - 

And on the strangest Sea - 

Yet - never - in Extremity, 

It asked a crumb - of me.

A poet Emily Dickinson often does not provide "certitude" of what she meant by this and that. Most of the time, she leaves ambiguity in the poem on purpose and let her readers reach their own conclusion, provoking to use their creativity and interpretation. All she does to her poem are not putting titles, randomly capitalizing words which somehow shows the importance of the words, and ending lines with dashes which make a resting point and a rhythm. Dickinson provides some hints what could be significant when interpreting her poem and the minimum amount of implications of the meaning. One of her well-known poems "Hope is the thing with feathers" shows the feature too.  

In the first line of the poem, a word "Hope" has quotation marks, implying that it might be a keyword in this poem. The narrator's tone seems to be very hopeful and lively. Furthermore, "hope" is described as if it is a bird. It is with feathers, perches, and sings the tune without the words. It has exactly same features as a bird. Just like the bird, the narrator draws "hope" as a free and unrestricted thing because it never stops to sing at all. However, the author never speaks directly what "hope" actually is. All we can do is just to assume it as a positive thing. Then, in the second stanza, there is a word "Bird", saying "the storm that could abash the little Bird". It means that there must be the storm that will destroy or harm the "hope", which has so many warm (beneficial heritage), whose true meaning is up to one's interpretation. From here, the tone of narrator changes into depressed and hopeless. It was once very sweet with the existence of "hope", but as the gale has come, it changed. Eventually, in the last stanza, when the narrator is in such extremity, "Yet never ... It asked a crumb of me". This line particularly depends on readers creativity because this can mean two things : hope gives everything without asking in return or hope is untouchable that can not be reached. 

In the poem, Dickinson provides clues by using end rhymes. In the first stanza, it has ABAB structure where "feathers" and "words" make a rhyme, and "soul" and "all" make a rhyme. Same for the second stanza, it has ABAB structure where "heard" and "bird" make a rhyme, and "sea" and "me" make a rhyme. However, for the third stanza, it has ABBB structure. The changed rhyme structure implies the atmosphere of the poem is somewhat changed. Such word choices as an extremity, the chillest and the strangest make the atmosphere more heavy and serious. They are not easily read compared to the first two stanzas, and especially, the tone in the first stanza is very hopeful. For this poem, Dickinson only provides a few implications and hints of the meaning of "hope". The rest of the meaning of this poem and interpretation are all up to readers. 

Writing about "Nature is what we see"

"Nature" is what we see—
The Hill—the Afternoon—
Squirrel—Eclipse— the Bumble bee—
Nay—Nature is Heaven—/
Nature is what we hear—
The Bobolink—the Sea—
Thunder—the Cricket—
Nay—Nature is Harmony—/
Nature is what we know—
Yet have no art to say—/
So impotent Our Wisdom is
To her Simplicity. /

In this poem called "Nature is what we see" by Emily Dickinson, the narrator speaks about wonderous factors of nature. It has only one stanza and the stanza consists of 12 lines. It is always ambiguous to divide Dickinson's poem into sentences, but I think this one has four sentences, even though it has only one period (I marked with a slash). She used verbs like see, hear, know, and say. These verbs are mostly used for us, human. By listing verbs, she made uniformity in the format. After each verb, she listed things in nature such as the hill, afternoon, squirrel, eclipse, bumble bee, bobolink, and cricket. Then, she added, "Nay - Nature is Heaven/Harmony". It is her admiration onto the nature she sees or hears. She meant whatever we see or hear from nature, it is not just an object or a sound, but heaven and harmony. As one of her characterized skills, she referred nature to as "she" and made abstract concepts such as afternoon observable. There are some rhymes too. ABABCA structure for the first 6 lines (See-bee-sea / afternoon-heaven) and ABACA for the last 5 lines (nay-harmony-say-simplicity). 

In my opinion, the one thing that the poem is saying is the comparison between our wisdom, which is weak, and nature's simplicity. The author changed the order of words which had to be "Our wisdom is so impotent to her simplicity" into "So impotent our wisdom is to her simplicity". Perhaps the poet wanted to emphasize this sentence. Nature's simplicity, which literally could mean simple, but actually is very strong and could be overwhelming. As the narrator spoke above, because nature is actually heaven, and nature is actually harmony, nature is always something more than what we think, and what we think is our wisdom. This poem ultimately shows we are merely a small piece of a huge puzzle called nature. 

The Curious Incident feat. Broadway Technology

It was yesterday when our entire English class went field trip to New York. The day before, I was already excited thinking that we are going to have a field trip! And I got on the bus with that mind and waited for the arrival. Unfortunately, we arrived a little late due to the infamous traffic of NYC. Intro part of the scene was already passed. However, as I had read the book, it did not matter much.

The play that we watched was The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time originally written by Mark Haddon. The first thing I notice was a very strong British accent. It gave me the basic sense of background which is the United Kingdom. Obviously, the one thing that caught my eyes was the stage. I had watched the trailer for the play version, so it was even more interesting to watch and find what I had seen on the trailer. The stage looked like a cube that consisted of a number of square tiles. On each point of tiles, a dotted light came out and created a cool effect. Firstly, I was surprised at light effects. It was so bright and moved in a hectic way that I almost got a headache but they were really good. Combined with the sound effects, they helped show Christopher's perplexed inside and thus helped audience view plot from his side. Especially when he was in London Train Station, he was confused by a lot of people and unusual signs, and they were drawn by all the light and sound effects. Furthermore, their use of motion was very effective. There was no useless motion. Even if the motion seemed not important and very subtle, they were all connected in the end. For example, when Christopher connects railroads, it seemed very random. However, when suddenly all lights turned off, and toy train started moving, we can know that train actually shows the solving of his confusion.
People who were there have been saying that the best part of the show was the puppy at last. It was really cute and I did not expect that a real dog would appear so it was a pleasant surprise for everyone.

As a person who was expecting a pure act, this was a little surprising. A lot of modern technologies were used. This made me realized that a digital projector can be used in play in this way. The actor who acted Christopher did really well in my opinion. Also, the math question Christopher solved was interesting too.

In Class Poem Writing

Religious Belief 

- It is directly written that Allah is their god, which shows that they are Arabians. 

- i'm talking about a big straight from the Earth - a gift from Allah! (My Father and A Fig Tree)

Homesick

- A figtree represents father's hometown. So he adores a figtree and even when he moved to Texas, he plants it and thinks about his hometown.

- For other fruits, my father was indifferent .... They always involved a figtree.

Love of Family

- Grandma is somewhere far but the narrator belives the star they are watching is the same and the memory will tie them together. It shows the narrator's love to Grandma (family)

- It is possible we will not meet again / and only memory making us rich 

Diorama of the Whale Rider

I set up my stage as our black box. My stage is mainly focused on the atmosphere. So I drew the background first. Stage left is ocean and stage right is ground. Also, on the rightmost side, there is a wall that has a whale miniature, a mini light, and a dream catcher. Stage right is used not only as outside but also as inside (Kahu's house) too, so there is a carpet that has very traditional patterns. On the top, there are five lights and two speakers on each end. Five lights will function to light each character usually. Two speakers will make sound effect such as wind sound with bird singing sound and wave sound to show the beauty of New Zealand nature. Five characters are a storyteller, Nani Flower, Kahu, Koro, and Pourorangi. Men are basically wearing T-shirts with shorts and women are wearing dresses. Especially, Pourorangi is wearing "Vineyard Vines" T-shirts since the brand's logo is a whale. Their simple, cheap, but somewhat modern costumes show the time period as well as the tribe culture.

The Nature And The Legend : The Whale Rider

The Whale Rider, written by Witi Ihimaera, is "the triumphant novel that inspired the award-winning movie". Its movie version actually received audience award at 2003 Sundance Film Festival, people's choice award at 2002 Toronto International Film Festival, and Canal Plus audience award at 2003 Rotterdam International Film Festival. (pretty impressive!) It is about an eight-year-old girl Kahu who is to be the next generation's heir. However, because she is a girl, her great-grandfather Koro Apirana does not approve her as he is blinded by traditions. So this story is about Kahu's struggle to prove her as the sacred gift, the chosen one and to earn her great-grandfather's attention. This story, interestingly, was created when the author was inspired by his daughters and a shocking news. When one of his daughters said "Why are the boys always heroes?" and the news about which a whale swam up the Hudson River to Pier 86 announced, he decided to write the novel. As if it was destined to be written, this novel was created. If I was going to adapt this novel to the stage, I would choose to highlight the beauty of nature and the conflict between the role of gender and tradition. 

Firstly, when I was reading, I liked the atmosphere of the Maori tribe. It gave me such feeling as nature-friendliness, freshness, and indigenousness. Their language, their tradition, all that kind of things made me think like that. Therefore, when I stage it, I want to have a really beautiful background. Assuming I am setting at black box studio, I want the background picture to contain green plain, hills, and field as well as beach and ocean. Maybe beach and ocean on the stage left and greens on the stage right. And I would like to have some sound effects like wave sound of an ocean and light wind sound. It will also be really good if I could compose a song of the tribe using Maori's custom language. As whales are their legend and are related to whale-rider (Paikea) heroic story, I want to have a whale sculpture made with stone somewhere on the stage. 

Second, there is a major conflict about a girl being a new leader of the tribe. It is a similar theme to the author's daughter's point which was "Why are the boys always heroes while the girls yell out, 'Save me, save me, I'm so helpless'?" So I want to focus on that theme as I think it will be really interesting to show how hard to make a decision : tradition or renovation. Koro's standpoint is understandable because he, as a chief of Maori, has a duty to maintain the tribe's future. And Kahu's situation is also understandable as she, obviously, is the chosen one and there has to be an update in tradition if it is in need. Therefore, I want to stage it mainly focusing on that aspect. As a result, I think I may have to delete some characters who are not directly involved in the main conflict such as Raiwiri, who is a narrator of the novel, Jeff, and Rehua, but give more stress on Kahu and Koro. Also, I would like to add a storyteller (just like in Peter Pan) to tell the whales and gods stories.

Third, the props will be tricky part because it is in modern days but at the same time, they are a tribe who are somewhat apart from the contemporary culture. I would like all of them to wear a little old but not bad clothes. Just normal casual look, for example, T-shirts and shorts for boys and a simple dress for a girl (Kahu) to show that she is a girl. Even for the adults, I would like them to wear similar looking clothes to children's. I don't think I will use a digital projector. (I don't know when I will need it honestly). 
It will be really interesting but difficult to adapt this into a scene. I think this novel also has as many  features as other books we have read.


Ihimaera, Witi. The Whale Rider. Orlando: Harcourt, 2003. Print.

Two Different Worlds! Never Meant To Meet! (Clap)

Over the past three months, we all have worked for one goal: the musical production. It was a great experience for me to participate in this awesome musical and get to interact with others. I learned a lot such as a little bit of dancing along with singing, and emotion expressing (I am still not really good though). I also got to put some old person makeup which I don't think I will ever do it again. Compared to the last year's 25th Annual Spelling Bee, my role got much bigger and honestly it was a big pressure at first. However, with the support of other casts and teachers, I could manage it well and I think the show was truly successful and fantastic. I felt so good after the show was done and I heard some compliments from the audience in the hallway. Now I really like my character Tonton Julian and I already miss the costume I wore even though it was really worn out and bad looking.
The musical Once on this Island is a combination of The Little Mermaid and Romeo and Juliet that draws the love between a peasant and a grand homme. The character I played Tonton Julian is the father of Ti Moune, a peasant girl who seeks for her love. He loves his daughter so much and is willing to sacrifice himself that he goes on the journey to find the father of Daniel, a rich boy whom Ti Moune fell in love with. Sam (Mama Euralie) and I were an old couple and had Ti Moune (Julia) from the tree sent by the gods. Sam and I had to be like a real old couple, but I was very shy and felt awkward. I think it was a shame that I could not get into really much. If I had another chance, then perhaps I would make a change.
My favorite song in the musical is #8 Ti Moune which is trio song sung by Ti Moune, Mama Euralie, and Tonton Julian. Not because I sang the song but it actually sounded so beautiful, and many other casts chose that song as their favorite (also pit and stage crews). It shows the conflict within Ti Moune's family and I felt like I was really into the music while I was singing the song. Sam and I had to look each other to decide whether or not we were going to let Ti Moune go. At last, we decided to let her go and sing "Go and find your love. Go and swim the sea. You know where will be, Ti Moune." In addition, #5 Pray has always the best. It is dynamic, spectacle, and imposing: Movements are really big, and loud singing, and the fast-paced plot development. When everything is in one, it sounds really powerful and overwhelming.

Because I was one of the casts, I had to stay in the backstage for the majority of running time, which kept me from watching what was going on the stage especially Act 2. So I do not really know much about the Act 2 which is mostly about Daniel and Ti Moune. I will watch as soon as when the recording is available and I am really excited to watch how amazing we were. 

Oral Presentation : The Contrast Between a Peasant and a Grand Homme FIRST DRAFT

My Love My Love the peasant girl has many distinct features which can be transformed into various versions. One of its features I chose to show was the contrast between the rich and the poor. It is the major theme and the key factor that brought up all the conflicts in the book. Showing the contrast would show the corruption of the rich and the weakness of the poor. The difference in class level created the uncrossable love between a peasant girl Desiree and the rich boy Daniel. Just like Romeo and Juliet, the love is discouraged by both parents because of the blatant disparity. However, unlike Romeo and Juliet, the love between them does not last any longer as Daniel already had a fiancee who is also rich. I felt like this somehow tells the rich used the poor as their toy for a temporary tool. Thus, I tried to highlight on the contrast the most on my group assessment.
My group had four people. It was obvious not enough number of people to make scenes. So we decided to choose four crucial characters who are needed to show our main theme. As a result, Ti Moune and Daniel, obviously, and Tonton Julian and Gabriel Beauxhomme who are father of them were chosen. Our adaptation was more like the summary of whole plot than re-making. However, because my group was focusing on the contrast between the rich and the poor, we used several devices to exhibit it.
The most noticeable factor of our scene is the use of light. I had painted background which is divided by half. One half is the poor side which has huts and more trees, and the other half is the rich side which has hotel and modern building. We used light to spot on the place where the event is taking place, and used black-out to show there is nothing going on in that side. Also, we featured some musical devices which will help us effectively depict the class difference. On the poor side, characters play ukulele, while on the rich side, characters play piano and talk about the classical composers.
My role in the scene was Tonton Julian. He loves his daughter so much so he does not want to let her fall in such hopeless and dangerous love. He tries to be optimistic for the entire act not because he is actually a happy person but because he does not want his daughter to be depressed and he wants to guide her to the benign way. Even though he guides her, he does not force her to follow him. He respects his daughter's opinion with giving thoughtful advice. On the top of it, he trusts her and loves her. He dedicates himself to go on a long journey to the rich side to find Daniel's father, for he has to protect his daughter from potential threats. Getting into warm-hearted and loving father role was not an easy task for me since I have had no similar experience.
Once we had our scenes and role gotten down, the actual staging proceeded smoothly....
Through the scene making process, I grew up a lot as an actor. Firstly, I had to act father which was very unusual for me. I learned to put myself into the thing which I never experienced before. It is always really different when I actually act it out than when I just read on the book.

What I feel about my project

First of all, our group project is almost done. We only have the scene proposal without looking at the script tomorrow. We are expected to record it with all the props included after we thoroughly get this thing done. From the beginning to now, we have been working hard on our stagings such as script mostly and some other blockings. We gathered together in the library during the study hall several times and over the weekend, we worked on our script through google docs when we were in our rooms. 


As our topic is the contrast between the rich and the poor, we tried to focus on it as creative as possible. All the members of our group are musicians, so we took advantage of it by adding the scenes in which we play instruments. Ben who is on the rich side plays piano and I myself who is on the poor side play ukulele. They sound very different; piano sounds luxury and ukulele sounds a little bit indigenous. Thus, we hoped that playing piano and playing ukulele would show the contrasting background between the rich and the poor. Also, when the rich character talks to the poor character, he talks in a rude and disdainful manner which makes the poor be looked as victims. It shows how corrupt the rich in this book is and directly shows the difference in class. Lastly, by setting the tragic ending where Desiree dies by getting hit by a car and Daniel does not even give an attention to her, we tried to, again, show how corrupt the rich is and how weak the poor is in this book. 


We thought this interpretation would make audience view the novel in a new way because the original plot simply shows one naive girl's first love which ends sadly with the girl's death whereas our scene tries to depict the main cause of the tragic as the rich and to reveal the immorality of the rich rather than to show the love story. To do that, we had to focus on the contrast between two levels, and as a result, we are expecting the audience to see what we wanted to show. 

Personally, I feel something great because it is so far the longest scene I have ever done in class which is around 20 minutes. Therefore, I would say I succeeded in just by finishing making the short-film length movie.  Although it gave me a load of memorization along with the winter musical, I am actually having fun memorizing lines and directions, and also acting out the character I read in the book is very interesting too. However, it is challenging for me to get into the character for whole scene including when I am out of the stage. Also, I still feel a little awkward to stand middle of the stage and act. I am constantly being conscious of others, which I never have to do when I am on the stage as an actor. 

How Our Scenes are Going

Our group’s main analysis point is the contrast between the rich and poor on the island. Also, based on what our group felt about the story, we have been trying to depict the rich as an antagonist who are just taking advantage of the poor, and the poor as a protagonist who are used by the rich. So far, we have worked pretty much and I think the whole plot and settings are pretty solid. We set the ending as a tragic so that we can show that the tyranny of the rich ruined the whole poor’s happy and pure life. Furthermore, we had many great ideas such as lighting, which effectively shows the uncrossable boundary between the rich and poor, and instrument playing, which somehow shows their different educational background and living standards (also our group’s talent). 

Our group has four people, which will require longer and more complete output, so it would be harder to practice and communicate than a group with fewer people. Fortunately, after we did the script reading, we found that at least the length of the scene will not be a problem since we could run for about 20 minutes which is the exact length IB ideally requires. Nonetheless, the hardship we faced is the memorization of lines and blocking. Memorizing them is essential for actors as it helps a lot to express their emotion. For us, it is even more important because the rich and poor will have completely different emotions as well as situations. For example, while Desiree and Tonton (the poor side) were suffering from a drought and hunger, Daniel and Gabriel were enjoying classical music, sitting down and discussing Daniel’s engagement. Also, what Desiree felt to Daniel was actually not the same as what Daniel felt to Desiree. However, ironically, even though our group created a whole script and we realize that it is important to memorize them, it is still so hard to absorb completely. 

Unfortunately, I could not get to watch my classmates’ scenes, so I could not get to compare our and their scenes. In my opinion, as we are using lighting for all of our scenes, we need to work on going in and going out. When we were rehearsing our scenes roughly at the black box, I felt a total confusion. Every single member did not come in and go out at a right moment; for instance, Ben did not go to the backstage after his narration was done, so we could see him standing there when we should not be able to see him. If it happened in a real take, it would have been really awkward. However, I believe because all four members of our group are in parts of drama or music program (or both), our group would have a better understanding about the story and thus, eventually make this assessment perfect.

Overall, I think our scenes are clearly showing our main theme despite our not perfect acting skill. We tried to make it as obvious as possible, so audiences can grasp what is going on even if they do not listen to us. We still have some room to fill up. It might be a lot of work but it will be one more great footstep as a learner and an actor. 

Script

Conflict

Poor vs. Rich

Good men vs. Villains

Desiree - an innocent, pure, beautiful girl

Tonton - desiree’s father

Daniel -

Gabriel -

• Costumes

• Personalities

• Actings

• Language

• Colors - black and white

My group proposed to build a focus on the contrast between rich and poor.The idea was discussed during class in various ways and I think it shows the main conflict of My Love My Love the Peasant Girl. The whole story is based on a fact that different civilians are separated by social divisions. Villagers including Desiree are pure and innocent while rich people are mean and manipulating the poors.

From her journey to her death, one thing that my group noticed was the rich’s ignorance. While the main character Desiree is a pure, innocent, and naive girl, the rich people, Daniel and his father, misled her and pushed her off the cliff. Desiree had really pure thoughts and the upper-class people destroyed that piece of pureness. Among the aristocratic world, Desiree is never a part of it. She made effort to fit in but her destiny rejected her. People looked down on her and thought she did not deserve to love Daniel. In addition, Daniel's father made Tonton go back to his town which was in far away by foot instead of providing a helicopter. Daniel fooled Desiree, who was willing to give her everything for him, even her life. Therefore, we want to make a scene that focuses on the contrast of rich and poor. According to what We felt, the upper-class people will be drawn as bad guys and peasants will be drawn as victims of rich's bossing.

Because there are four people in this group, the video should be at least 20 minutes long. Nothing is sure yet, but it seems like Ryan is going to be Daniel, Ben is going to be Daniel's father, James is going to be Tonton, and Julie is going to be Desiree. We are thinking about doing about six scenes from the book. To highlight the conflict between the rich and poor, we will use costumes, languages, music, and body languages.

Script

First scene: Desiree and Tonton’s life - the poor’s life

Second scene: Daniel and Gabriel’s life - the rich

Third scene: Daniel crashes and Desiree finds him & Desiree takes care & romantic mood

Fourth scene: Tonton and Gabriel meet in the village

Fifth scene: They separate (show their thoughts - monologue and dialogue with their fathers)

Sixth scene: Daniel and Desiree meet (Daniel is a jerk)

Sevenths scene: Desiree talks to Tonton; Desiree gets hit by a car; Tonton becomes crazy

Eighths scene: Gabriel asks Daniel about Desiree’s story and Daniel does not even care

Staging

• Left side - the poor

• Right side - the rich

• Lighting effect

• Black out

• Fade to black

• Lights rise on character

• Sound effect (freesound.org)

• Car crash

• Honk

• Knocking sound

• Music

• Ben is playing piano in the second scene

• James is playing ukulele in the second scene

• Romantic music in the third scene

• Dramatic & extreme & minor music in the seventh scene

• Classical music in the last scene

• Costumes

• Daniel - casual dress

• Desiree - a long skirts

• Tonton - Ryan’s summer pajama

• Gabriel - black suit with a black coat

• Props

• Piano

• Ukulele

• Chairs

• Tables

• Hoe

First scene

Lights rise on James and Julie

James and Julie are working on a field

Narrator (Ben): “On this island of mountains, forests, hills, and valleys is a lovely peasant village. As in most of the poor villages of the island, each hut stands in its own field on a plot of forested land deeded to the peasants at an earlier time. There is a small peasant girl named Desiree and her father, Tonton.”

Desiree: “Dad!”

Tonton: “Yes, my dear?”

Desiree: “Oh I’m so thirsty, dad, do you have water?”

Tonton: “Sorry my dear, I don’t. I know we are all thirsty.”

Desiree: “Papa I hate the weather! We are waiting for the rain for three months! The crops are not going to grow now. They need water! But we are all drying out. I have not eaten for a day and you have not eaten for three days! All of us are starving.”

Tonton: “It’s okay my lovely daughter, it is going to be all fine if we keep hoping for the rain, Let’s sing a song and let this song save us from this sadness!”

They sing a happy happy song

Tonton plays ukulele and starts to sing

Oh Agwe! Please send us rain. We are all thirsty.

Oh Asaka! Let the land be wet.

Desiree: but Dad… still our village is suffering from the drought…

Tonton: uhh... (ton mu rook - sad face)

Second scene

Ben is playing piano (Raindrop - Chopin) and Ryan stands outside of the room

Daniel: (Knock knock)

Gabriel: Come in

Daniel: Since when have you started touching those old antiques.

Chopin has always been your favorite, Prelude no. 15 op 29, “Raindrop” right?

Gabriel: A bright young man wouldn't make such mistakes. These legacies were created during 1835-1839, you were right with the title but this one is op 28.

Daniel: Those well-payed music teachers never really illustrate well.

Gabriel: Never blame on others when your father has such expectations on you. So, what’s the business?

Daniel: I heard that you have something to say.

Gabriel: Indeed. Come, sit down here. (Pointing a chair)

Daniel: (sits on the chair)

Gabriel: Can you recall the French gentleman Monsieur Galimar?

Daniel: Yes father. I do remember him. He has a beautiful daughter who I used to hang out with when I was a child.

Gabriel: The lady will be back in few week from France. She is almost finished her college with full scholarship. Monsieur Galimar and I were talking about your engagement.

Daniel: It would be my pleasure. What’s the date?

Gabriel: We are discussing about it.

Daniel: Sounds like a plan. See you later, I will be taking a ride outside, I heard that Monsieur wants to see me.

Gabriel: Good. But do not forget to drive carefully when pass the poor village. The roads are tough.

Daniel: Sure.

Third scene

Ryan is driving in a car

Ryan: I wonder why Monsieur Galimar wants to meet me.

(Sound effect - car crash with honking)

Ryan unconsciously lays down on the car, bleeding

Desiree finds him

Desiree: Bon Dieu! A car is en panne. A man is in pain! Come on! Did no one appear? How, with so terrible a crash! Did no one hear?

She goes to Tonton

Desiree: Papa! There is a man who is injured! Take him to our hut!

Tonton: To our hut? Where is there the room?

Desiree: He can sleep on my mat please?

Tonton: And you?

Desiree: I am fine. He is in emergency. We should take care of him!

Tonton carries him without answering her.

In the hut - Desiree takes care of Daniel - she puts a wet towel on Daniel’s forehead - she looks at Daniel

Tonton: But Dear, who is he? We don’t know his name, or where to find his father at this time of night. He is a complete stranger.

Desiree: I believe that he is from the city.

Tonton: Ahh… Looks quite rich. Rich men’s sons must go to the big hospital for care. They must have soft beds on which to sleep, white sheets to cover them. Then should I go to find his family? It is so dangerous if this rich boy dies here.

Desiree: (taking care of Daniel without responding him)

Tonton gets ready to leave the house

Tonton: I will go to the city in the direction the young man had been coming from. To meet his father.

Tonton leaves the house

Desiree: He must not die. I shall not let him die. I’ll protect you. I’ll do battle, if battle need be done, with the gods, to keep you alive.

Desiree prays

Daniel opens his eyes

Daniel: Where am I? What happened to me?

Desiree: The God responded!

Daniel: I have dreams. Terrible dreams. Dreams that plague me. Dreams of hands reaching out for me, of dungeons opening up to me… Then I feel that touch, hear that voice, that song… Your hands hold me back. Bon Dieu! I cannot stand those other hands reaching out to me. I am not so brave. I am not brave.

Desiree: “I’m here. I’m here to keep you safe.”

Daniel: Who are you? Have i known you in another time? In another world? Your face… Your voice… Haunts me.

Desiree: I’m of this world.

Daniel: What is your name, beautiful lady?

Desiree: Please call me Desiree.

Daniel: Oh Desiree, please come to me and hold my hands.

Desiree sits with him on the bed and holds his hands

Daniel: Now I feel much better. Would you stay with me until I go to sleep?

Desiree:(says nothing but nods and holds hands)

Daniel falls asleep

Fourth scene

Gabriel plays the piano

Tonton knocks on Gabriel’s house

No answer.

Tonton shouts loud. Again and again.

Tonton: Hello??? Is no one there? I am here to meet Monsieur Gabriele. I just want to tell him that his son is in our village.

(Gabriel smashes his piano.)

Gabriel : Ahhhhh too loud! Who is this poor guy? Guard! Guard!

Tonton : I hear you inside Monseiur! Please open the door!

(Door opens)

Gabriel : What do you want peasant pig!

Tonton: Excuse me sir? I have very important thing to tell you!!

Gabriel: I do not listen nor believe what poor guy says. Get away from our village. This is not a place for people like you.

Tonton : Your son! He is in our village!

Gabriel : Say that again?

Tonton: Your son had an accident. He is in our village.

Gabriel does not answer him and go to his helicopter.

Gabriel takes the helicopter to the village

Tonton: Umm excuse me sir? How do I get back to my home?

Helicopter flies away.

Helicopter arrives at the village

Gabriel: Where’s my son? Take him to me!! I don’t want my son to stay this kitsch place!

Gabriel: My lord! What are these people doing to my dear son!

Gabriel dispels the crowd and picks up his son

Gabriel: What have they done to you, the poor peasants are smelly and they have no manner.

Lets get out of this place.

They left

Tonton is walking home

Tonton: That horrible man left me there even though I told him where his son is. I would never talk to him again!

Fifth scene

Tonton comes back to the village.

Tonton talks about what happened in the village and desiree tells that gabriel took daniel with his helicopter

Daniel’s condition gets much better and show his real life

In Gabriel’s mansion

Gabriel: Are you awake my son?

Daniel: Yes, it was such a nightmare.

Gabriel: I told you to be careful while driving, didn't I?

Daniel: Yes, but it was an accident that couldn't be prevented.

Gabriel: Fine, but stop driving by those peasants villages from now on.

Daniel: I hope so, but I think I discovered something from that village.

Gabriel: Nothing from those villages can impress my son.

Daniel: It's that peasant girl who saved me from the accident, she was such a gem, her eyes are like white marbles.

Gabriel: Don't forget who you are my son, those peasants are not reliable.

Daniel: I do realize that, I'm just appreciating her beauty. Andrea is just so much better, I don't really care about those peasants.

Gabriel: I want this conversation to end here, don't forget to meet Monsieur Galimar, he will come visit us.

Daniel: Yes dad. I just need to have some rest.

In the village

Tonton got back to the village from the rich town

Desiree: Dad! I was waiting for you so much!

(She runs to Tonton and hugs him)

Tonton: Yes I’m back. My dear daughter, is everything alright? You seem so sad.

Desiree: Not really, not one moment in my life can be more depressed than now.

Tonton: Oh lord, what happened to you, is it because of that young man you saved?

Desiree: Indeed, Monsieur Galimer came here few days ago and took his son from me…

Tonton: Don’t be sad my daughter, he will be well cared by his own family.

Desiree: He was just too attractive to me and I really can't forget about him. Even though he left, I can't forget about everything.

Tonton: I think you are in love, I'm not able to pull you out from this, just follow your heart.

Desiree: It hurts.

Tonton left the stage

Desiree: I must go see him again, no matter what.

Sixth scene

Desiree starts a journey to rich town to meet Daniel

She is wearing a huge backpack.

Desiree: I can’t wait to see Daniel, He will be so proud and happy when I get there.

(She walks to the backstage and lights off)

One day passed.

(She shows up by walking from the back stage)

Desiree: It feels like this forest is endless... How long is this journey going to be?

Two days passed.

(She takes bread out from her backpack and starts to eat )

Desiree: It’s freezing out here… I want some warm food. But it will be worth later when I finally get to Daniel’s house.

Few days later, she gets to the rich town.

Desiree: I have never been to wealthy town like this. I believe that hotel upon the village is

where my love lives.

Desiree walks up to the hill

Desiree: Hello, Hello? Is anyone there? I'm here to see Monsieur Daniel!

Daniel: Oh lord where is that noise coming from. Is this the peasant girl again? Sounds like her.

Desiree: Hello, Hello?

Opens the door.

Daniel : Oh I think I know you. Have we met before?

Desiree: (shocked) Sorry?

Daniel: Ahh.. You are the girl who saved me. okay come in.

Desiree: (Smiles) Thank you.

Daniel: So.. Why did you come here? Do you want me to pay you because you saved my life?  

Desiree: No.. I am here just because...

Daniel: (Laughs) Oh don’t tell me that you like me or something because that will never happen hahaha

Desiree: Sorry Monsieur…

Daniel: I don't care, now, leave if you don't mind. Or unless you are going to ask me for money.

Desiree: No, I'm not the person that you are thinking about. But I will leave since you said it, I hope I can see you again.

Desiree left

Daniel: She is such an annoying peasant, ruined my day.

Seventh Scene

Desiree comes back to her village

She is depressed, her clothes are dirty

Tonton sees her. So Surprised. Runs to her.

Tonton: Oh no… my dear… What have they done to you?

Desiree: Papa… I just… I thought I found the true love I have ever dreamed.

Tonton: and…

Desiree: Sorry papa...

Tonton: No Dear, don’t be so sad. It is going to be all fine… No more cry but only happiness will be here with your true families. Let’s stay with us.

Desiree: But he is my happiness. He is a part of me…

Tonton: My lovely daughter, I understand it is going to be a hard, I understand you lost him and want to go back somehow. My dear. We are so glad that you are back here safely. And we are so proud of you. We can sing together, we can dance together, and we can make you smile as before. That’s what we want to see not this sad Desiree.

Desiree cries.

Tonton: Feeling better?

Desiree: Yes papa thank you…

Tonton: Thank you my lovely dear.

Night comes. Tonton and Desiree are sleeping.

And Desiree wakes up.

Desiree: I wish this was all dream…

She Goes closer to the road. Car lights from rich side get brighter.

Loud Crashing Sounds

That wakes Tonton up.

Tonton: Oh… Please no… This is not going to happen…

Only the corpse of the girl remained on the road.

Tonton cries and shouts his sadness.

Eighth Scene

Daniel is listening to one of Richard Wagner’s music

Gabriel: (Knock Knock)

Daniel: Who is this?

Gabriel: It’s me, son.

Daniel: Oh, come in please.

Daniel turns off the music

Gabriel: Isn’t that Richard Wagner’s music?

Daniel: Yes. As you know, he is my favorite.

Gabriel: Oh really? Then did you know he is a German?

Daniel: Of course I know everything about him.

Gabriel: Didn’t he have quite a few affairs with many different girls?

Daniel: Yes he did. Even after he married with his wife, he flirts with other gentlemen’s wives. Ironically, Wagner is the one who composed the “Wedding March”.

Gabriel: Hmmm interesting. WHy do you like him?

Daniel: I admire him. He is like my role model. He is smart and brilliant. He deserves to be a playboy. By the way, are you here to tell me something, dad?

Gabriel: No, I was just wondering what you were doing. Ah, did you hear that the peasant girl from the poor village died few days ago?

Daniel: Who died?

Gabriel: The peasant girl! I think her name was Desiree. People are saying that she was hit by a car.

Daniel: Dad, I do not think we have to take care of that peasant girl.. she is out of our business.

Gabriel: You are right.

Daniel: Do you remember the macarons that we ate in France? I really miss that. I asked the cook to bake the best macarons for me, but they were not the same.

Gabriel: Oh, the macarons in France was the best. Maybe we can visit France next weekend. I will tell my secretary to book a plane ticket.

Daniel: Thank you dad. I even dreamed about the macarons yesterday.

Daniel and Gabriel: Hahahahaha (laugh)