School of Rock Review

  What some people, including myself, often thinks that rock music are only played by people with angry and cynical emotions; However, I did not like this style of music most of the time because of too much screaming and noisy sound it made. Eventually, this show---School of Rock made me see another side of rock music. It is also music, and it can be encouraging, powerful and fun. It is a kind of music that makes people step out of their box. The melody of this line "Stick to the man" was inside my head for the whole night after the show.
     One part I like the most besides the exciting music, is how I felt related to the plot. The last drama theme our school performed, was a little bit hard to fall in and feel the same. As a student, stories that are set in the school is definitely more attracting in the first place. As a junior, getting straight As is what many view as the most important and as a sign of success. My parents were never harsh on me, especially on grades. They never expected me to study for the whole time and thought that there are things that are more important than the points that are showed on the grade book. But stepping into my Junior year, I realized that even they doesn't push on my grades, I have started to understand the importance of grades and it effecting my future, including my college then a job after college. I felt pressure of satisfying and giving back to my parents, how they afford the fees and send me far away to have a better future. I felt responsibility and sometimes as a teenager trying to social, I am pretending to be someone I'm not, just like the principle, who has hidden her true feelings and hobby trying to fit to a high position.
     A very precious and is an evidence of a scene being convulse, is for the audience to have goose bumps. School of Rock did it, I felt goose bumps when the parents started to clap for their children's final performance, it was touching. The only thing that I did not like so much about this script is its distribution for every actors. Lexi did such a great job, but I think it is a pity how many actors did not have a chance to speak over two lines. I realize how the plot is set to only have a few main characters but it was just a little sad to see some of them not having a line through the whole performance.
     Overall, I found myself liking dramas with singing better. Most of the dramas I've seen in our school and outside school, those with singing are what I enjoyed the most comparing to those pure talking dramas. I especially like those Broadway shows. The School of Rock is a classic drama with good songs and it is now my favorite show of the school year.
       

Children of the Sea: Feedback + Progress

    Our adaptation on Children of the Sea went well mostly, we finished the script and decided our settings. The only problem that is bothering us is our movements to make our performance more emotional and active, which is reflected from my peers' feedback. Because our performance made it close like having our own monologues while we're seperated on our journey escaping to South Korea, and also how we're expressing of feelings through letters writting; It is important how we should add more body motions to show some interaction, connection and interesting part to continue attracting the audience. However, in my opinion one of the problem that made our performance confusing today was because of the props not being prepared yet. We will be using lighting showing how we're in different areas, flags showing which country we're at, and paper, pen to show that we're writing down letters to each other. Also, James will be acting dead in his last monologue then when the spotlight comes on me, there will be a South Korea flag in the back showing that I have arrived there without meeting my husband.
       For body movement and tone, I think we should definitely improve our tone and voice to express our feelings more while reading the lines. We would have to discuss and highlight which part would we like to emphasize, show sadness, show anger or show ourselves being tired because of the journey. Also, more interactions should be added in the first scene since it is the only scene where the lover is being together in front of the audience, and to make the latter on situation logical, it is important to show this married couple in love more obvious. Even though we're simply reading our our letters, I am think that we could add some actions in between us writing down letters to show that we're actually escaping in a harsh situation. For example running into the stage and breathe rapidly to show that I was just running away from the soldiers or from danger.
          Since many of our classmates said that our plot is unclear, so I am thinking that we could add in a narrator's voice to tell some presupposition to show where we are and in case some people doesn't recognize North Korea's flag or Kim-Jung Un's picture poster we will be sticking on the wall while performing. We could also add lines in the first scene like :"I will see you in South Korea, be safe." or "Be safe in the sea, I will definitely escape succesfully as well in the woods to meet you and our daughter in South Korea", to show the audience what is our plan and what will be happening in the upcoming scenes.
           Overall, me and my partner will be fixing our script to make it clear and preparing our props for the next performance. Also, discussing where and what emotions should we show together to the audience according to the text. We could build up the emotion as the story slowly steps to the end, and even a nervous feeling using red lights and talking with speed while reading one of the letters.

Script progress

Setting : A family living in North Korea. Their Daughter is a very good student who is protected by South Korean government and studying there. 

Mother and Father talk about they want to escape from N.K to S.K, where they can live with their daughter

Father and Mother left each other

They record how they escape in form of letters, store by themselves

One of them die, the other waits in the place their promise to meet.

Scene 1: In the living room. There will be two chairs, a table, and two triangles for background with poster of Kim Jong-un

(Light on)

F & M: Long live for Great comrade Kim Jong-un

F: There is nothing changes in my life here. As a normal worker in North Korea, my life is colorless.

M: Well, there was something great in our life, our daughter! But you let the South Korean people took her.

F: I did that for her own good. She is a smart girl, she deserves a better study

M: I know, but there are mountains and mountains between we and her. I miss her so much

F: I used to read a lot about South Korea, that’s why I let our daughter study there. 

F: I am sick of the this life! Have you ever think about living in another place. I miss our daughter too, but this country won’t do any good for her.

M: Oh, I miss our lively daughter so much.

(Drinking tea, pause)

F: I miss her too. We can not live a life like this. And since our daughter escaped, the government already expect us. Let’s escape to South Korea too!

M: Yes, I want to live with my daughter! But how can we escape, You already spend all our money for our daughter.and you know how dangerous it is. 

F: Let me think. I will escape from the sea, and you will escape on land. This will be safer for both of us.

M: I hope we can both get into South Korea safely. Let’s meet in the XXX building.

F: I will see you there, be safe.

(Light off, scene changes. Father will stand in the stage right, mother will stand in stage left. They will take turn reading their letters)

Father Letter 1:

Mother Letter 1:

Father Letter 2:

Mother Letter 2:

Father Letter 3:

Mother Letter 3:

Father Letter 4:

(Scene changes. Mother arrive in South Korea, she waits in the XXX building.)

M:

End

My character

   I will be acting as a female character in this adaptation of Children of the Sea. This character is a mother and a wife around age 37. She will not have a strong appearance, instead, she will be having an appearance that seems more weak and conservative to fit the role of women in both Krik Krak and North Korea. The appearance, closely related to the costume, of course will be fitting the location where the story happens---North Korea. Me and my partner are considering using clothes with simple, dark color, also wearing something simliar to each other to make it look like they're restricted and are workers. We might also research to see what North Koreans wear daily and try to find clothes that are alike them. This character will also start off with a worrying mind and showing lots of concern by her small, continuing steps walking around the stage. 

       Her motivation will be her love for her daughter that has escaped from North Korea and away from them; which is similiar to stories in Krik Krak, all the mothers that sacrificed for their daughter without hesitation. The story is also happening because of her and the husband's love towards their children. But moving later into the plot, her motivation for all the journals, letters she wrote down on her way escaping North Korea, is motivated by her love towards her husband who is also on his way to their daughter but seperately. How she realize that she have been leaning and depending on her husband, make her misses her husband more that causes her to write down letters to express her feelings that she haven't told her husband previously in the story.

       What my character and my partner's character both wanted is a reunion with their daughter, with each other, most of all, in a safe and liberal place. Obstacles they will meet are the soldiers around North Korea's border and also their long journey being separated from each other. Therefore, they choose to write down their fear and missing into letters, even though they are not able to being sent out to their lovers.