Reflection Journal 12 (20/11/12)

Performances on 4/11/12

1st performance - The Spirits Play (KPK) (Absurdism)

- 5 spirits recalling their lives in the war. KPK wrote in the Japanese perspective instead of the victims' perspectives because he felt that the Japanese also are victims of the war.

- As much as they say is an absurd play, I feel strongly the elements of theatre of cruelty (artaud) because of the violence, pain and turmoil used and also symbolism because of the colours and props used. Absurdism is more of meaningless talk, therefore a communication breakdown. But the message in the play was well communicated to the audience because the sentences flow well and there was not much break down. The audience know what KPK is trying to portray here. I also felt it should be nationalism because it talks a lot about the war and politics.

- Show different perspectives of each character through monologues of the different characters. The audience get an understanding of each characters' emotions, feelings and persepectives. Without monologues, we can only understand the characters on the surface. Monologues gives a direct and frontal exposure of the different characters.

- Monologue - togetherness - monologue. We could see the links between monologues and the story itself.

- Symbolic because of the Japan flag and Noh music. Cranes - 1000 cranes to make a wish come true. Colours that are cyclical. I like the colours that they use because colours add meaning and flavour.


2nd performace - Sure thing (Modernist/Minimalist)

- I like the staging and the way they bring out the essence of the play. They used two couples instead of one couple only plus a playwright who is actually writing a script/play. It gave the understanding that the playwright is attempting to write her play. The sound of the bell becomes more meaningful.

- More prominence of playwright on stage. It shows how the writer progress through her writing her play. It shows the different possibilities that she is thinking and how she progresses from one possibility to another. How one idea forms another idea. It was interesting to see how David Ives portray a playwright doing his/her play, encountering the troubles of doing a play and the different possibilities while writing.

- 2 couples so that the play is more fluent. However, the audience attention has to be spilt into two. Requires alot of focus between the two.

- I like how they introduce the idea of a Singaporean context in their play because it relates very well to the audience and they get the Singaporean jokes.

3rd Performance - Crimes of the Heart (Feminism)

- Feminist play, Naturalistic play. The play sees three womens' struggles in society. They play describes how society portray them and their realities beneath the surface. Altered beauty of women. How women are stereotyped. It has darker meaning to it because the monologues revealed their inner struggles and realities in their lives. These issues are very real.

- It makes my heart wrench and I feel my stomach twist because these women suffered bitterness in their lives that are ignored by the men in life. I feel sorry for these women and also for myself. But that's what feminist plays are, to tell the world that women have their own struggles as well and we should not be stereotype by men. They don't know about us and what we are going through.

What is our view on dreams?

Theatre then becomes a dream or a realm where imagination, spontaneity and improvisation flow freely. I remember one of the lessons we did with Charlene based on Haresh Sharma play, Off center, where there was a scene of dreams. We then improvise our stories in class base on a dream. There were no limitations because it is a dream or a fantasy. It is not real and because it is not real that we can come up with anything.

The unexpected or unforeseen happpen. We are in a dream while doing theatre, where revelations come and surprise us. It is a place where the logical and rationale brain cannot fathom. Dream act as a bridge to another realm of the world where we can explore and sometimes find truth, at times ridiculous things and keeps us pondering. We sometimes find it end abruptly and have the feeling of wanting to know more than that. We may even imagine what happens after that and this is what 20th century playwrights wanted to portray.

In reality, the stage is the imaginary world or a 'dream' where the audience is the reality and the stage is the 'dream'. Many dramatists sought to activate the unconscious mind and internal state and psychic of human beings through various means. They try the weirdest things to activate the unconscious parts of the human mind. They did not conform to the traditions of depending on texts and Shakespearean techniques.

Conclusion of AAU 201

Study of isms:
The different isms are thought-provoking and emotional. It is an era of experimenting and liberation from regiments and traditions. An era of trying out new things that induce social reforms and transformation. As far as the Avant Garde is concerned, where are we now in Singapore? I think we are still at the beginning of looking into Avant Garde because censorship is slowly deteriorating in Singapore and more people are experimenting the Avant Garde movement. Theatre moved on to touch the sensory and critical thinking aspects rather than totally base on visual and aural aspects. They challenge, feel, bring desires, present hard truths and provoke thoughts. Many of the isms overlap each other or they may influence one another. For example, the movement of surrealism erupted from dadaism in the world war.

I personally like symbolism because it has a deeper meaning than just looking on the surface. It can be interpreted in many different meanings. It allows critical thinking, where the mind is used to analyse and do investigation, just like a crime investigator or a coroner.

Overall, throughout the module, I learnt alot of techniques, ideas, perceptions and styles of the different isms. I like the way where we are allowed to explore and study on the different isms and give a presentation about the isms. One thing that really hinders our learning might be the amount of time each of us has for our presentations. Because we wanted to learn so much more and we could not cover our ism within the 10 min. However, the module has given me alot of knowledge on the isms in the 20th century theatre and in the Singapore scene. I enjoyed it very very much.

Reflection journal 11 (18th Nov 2012)

Our performance

INTRUDER BY MAURICE MAETERLINCK
SYMBOLISM

UNCLE - SHEHANA
FATHER - ERNST
GRANDFATHER - YAN YAN
DAUGHTER - JASMINE
SISTER OF MERCY - LLOYD

Intruder has many hidden meanings which are represented symbols in it. Maurice uses many elements in the play to symbolise fear, death, silence, secrecy, etc. Four characters were waiting for the sister and the doctor to arrive. As they wait, two invalids (mother and child) were in the room. Death slowly make its entrance to the house. We have to portray that slow entrance of death into the house using the elements such as lighting, sounds, props, etc. As we wait, the father and uncle did not want to face the truth or refused to believe the truth to the grandfather, who is blind and knows the truth. There were alot of questions exchanged between the grandfather and the rest because of insecurities and fear. The daughter believed what the grandfather 'sees' and anticipated death in a terrorized manner.

Lighting is in a dark room where four people (Uncle, Father, Grandfather and daughter) sit around a table waiting for the sister to arrive to visit the invalid. We decided to dim the lights each time the clock strikes to signify the next hour. It also signify that the darkest moment/hour is coming where death (Darkness) slowly enters until only the lamp is lighted.  The last part where the red lighting comes on is to signify the death of the invalid and the sister of mercy coming in. Red to symbolise blood, therefore death in the house.

Sounds - We input the sounds as mentioned in the script. But we also added our own sounds such as the wind in the garden, clasping of daughter's hands, etc. The only constant sound is the ticking of the clock. The clock is significant because it indicates the silence and stillness of the room while the four of them are waiting. In the midst of the silence and as time ticks away, death and fear slowly creeps into the room.

Stage setting - We set up blocks to make it compact because initially we thought our room to be small because the house will be a safe and small place for them to feel comfortable (but not for long). It is also better for me (daughter) so that I would not take too many steps to get to the window and door.

Stage props - Teacups and pots for us on the table so that we have something to fiddle with because uncle, father and grandfather are very stagnant. They dont walk much so it would be good if they have something to fiddle so that they won't look so bored or empty. The way we hold a prop can also signify fear, anxiety, angry, etc. For eg, playing with the teacups may mean nervous.


Rehearsals
Rehearsals and meetings were rather late and lacking because of our timetable clashes and other
appointments. I would prefer to work with our people who have the same majors as mine because then there will be more rehearsals and we can communicate better. However, this experience has also made me be more acquainted with the people from other majors. I get to know how they work, how they behave, their views and perceptions, attitudes and beliefs. It was a great time with the Lloyd, Yan Yan, Annie, Shehana and Ernst because our friendship bonds grew and developed. We learn how to communicate and collaborate throughout the devising process.

At some points in time, we could not come into agreements regarding timings and schedules because some have to meet up with friends, some have classes, but we worked out by meeting online on Google Docs to discuss. It is a frustrating process but I learn how to deal with it with patience and understanding. I have to deal with it patiently and in a mature way because I do not want to hurt anyone and strain our friendship ties. It all comes down to empathy and understanding for each other, willing to sacrifice or compromise without complaining. In any ways, I learn much more when I give my time. A sacrifice that is worth it.

We watched a performance online and was inspired by their ideas.

http://vimeo.com/21261354

"The Intruder" (L'intruse, by Maurice Maeterlinck - 1890).
The clip from the play belongs to Comparsaria Teatro's staging in 2006 in São Paulo.
dir: Fernando Faria
venue: Casarão do Belvedere
cast: Cristina Lázaro, Márcio Santos, Edson Rosa, Rogério Rodrigues.


Performance Day
I am surprised that our performance on that day was great compared to all our rehearsals. We were able to create the atmosphere because I feel that the creating that eerie, dark, terrifying atmosphere is most important in our play. The elements that I mentioned above contributed in creating this atmosphere.

All the time we are improvising despite rehearsals. No one rehearsal is exactly the same. It is different and there is something in each rehearsal that we can analyse, examine, explore and experiment other possibiities. We may find that one try not satisfying because of something, therefore, we rehearse and re-act in another way to find the breakthrough to successful acting. During the play, some of the things that needs to happen did not happen. For example, I am to react to the chair which suppose to move when the grandfather said 'someone is there in the midst of us', but it did not move. So I had to improvise and continue on the play as if there is no fault.

If the chair is suppose to move but it didn't, do we then consider it as a mistake? If something does not happen according to plan, do we see it as a mistake or something that is a challenge to us? This is where we improvise according to our intuition base on our acting skills and knowledge. We have to be sensitive and spontaneous on stage. It is this mentality that we have to embrace and be prepared for unforeseen happenings on stage. It goes the same for music performances. It only becomes a mistake when we react and respond in a confusing and unprepared way.

It was a successful performance where we were satisfied with our play. I was happy that we accomplished what we did and every member's contribution was not wasted. It was the combined efforts of each and every one of us that made this play successful. We all have different roles in the play (Actors, lighting technicians, effects manager, leader, time-keeper etc.). It doesn't matter how big or small the roles are but how committed we are in doing our roles. It is the amount of effort we put in that matters and not how significant the things we do matters.

My Presentation (23/10/12)

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/16X6zTeN7XlA181MZ3fqmnKNBDgTZ84WMCkUs3Bj7DNs/edit#slide=id.g3929d750_2_122

Expression of Fear

How the warrior expresses fear through facial expressions, dance movements and make up.

Bali Dance Kebyar Terompong

Music as an integral part in their dance movement, not an accompaniment. They see it as an important element in Bali dances.


Kabuki theatre

Kabuki theatre is a Japanese play where pitch intonation varies very much (two octaves) compared to western plays (one octave). Dramatic makeup, costumes and actions. Has stoic characters.


Artaud