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. 

Brainstorming! Children of the Sea adaptation Marinda/James

  I am in a group with James using my original idea and theme on the adaptation of Children of the Sea. First of all, we decided to make a sad ending with the father's death on his way to meet his wife---me, the mother of their daughter that left to go to South Korea. After discussion, we changed my original plot to where the daughter escaped because she's tired of the suppressing situation in North Korea into the daughter having good grades, therefore is being brought safely to South Korea for school. However, me acting as the mother will have a conversation with the father saying that how we would want to leave North Korea, too to live with our daughter. On their journey, the father will die because of gun's shot and the mother will be waiting in the location where they promised to meet in South Korea as the ending. I am a little bit worry for not sticking close with the original stroy from Krik Krak, so we decided that one of us will be escaping on a boat just like the event in Children of The Sea so that one of us could bring up the idea of Krik Krak and stroytelling while writing his/her letter down to each other. In addition, we will not be sending out the letters just like Children of The Sea, it would only be written for ourselves to keep. 

Top 5 choices

1. Marinda (myself's): changes to a different location that sounds interesting? with a theme of mother daughter's love that is related to krik krak combining this similiar event to children of the sea.

2. Sarah: It is interesting that she choose to fill up gaps that are missing from the story.

3. Dilyara: Sounded really powerful with monologues.

4. Yichen: the idea of combining two characters from diferenr stroy is creative.

5. Gianna: She has two ideas and we can have more space to choose from them. 

Endgame

      To be honest, this play is the weirdest play I have seen so far, but this property made it interesting at the same time. The main character---Hamm, blind and mean, has a special relationship with Clov that makes the audience question a lot. Does Hamm really love or even cares about Clov? Or does Clov really wanted to leave him and why didn't he left if he have been wanting to leave as he said in his conversation with Hamm? However, I remember that one of the audience said that it is a different way of loving, which I agree. It is like how I have been wanting to reach 18 as an adult so that I could go wherever I want with a driver license and go back home whenever I want without my parents' restrictions; But doesn't that meant more responsibility I will have to shoulder on my own? The will wanting to leave and wanting to stay is always pulling between each other when we feel like we're under control, but under control of people we are thankful of and who we love or who we are familiar with to the moment we're born.
    Another interesting, yet warming and cute part is the interactions between the old man and wife living inside the trash can. Many interepretations could be made on this performance; however, I think that it shows love in a simple way. Giving what you have, sharing what you have and trying the best to reach out to each other. It is not how much you give, but how much you give out of everything you have. I might only give you a piece of bread, but that's all I got. Moving on to the trash can, I think it could be representing the old man and wife's situation closing to death. Because whenever something is no longer functioning, people throw it in the trash  can; Both of them are old and sick, they could barely move, so to show their position close to death and to the end, is simply placing them inside and beside the trashes. But even then, they are still beside each other with love and support.
     Overall, this play gave me a weird mood, too. Not total sadness nor happiness, I did not know what to think about the play immidiately; it took me time to think carefully in details what is the play trying to show and give to the audience. Basically questions doubting human existence and whether how their way of living is worthy or meaningful. It brought out a common question between teenagers and even older people. I doubt if studying hard would help me in the future, I doubt if I  could be successful and I doubt the moments when I'm in school if it is meaningful. People older might also doubt their jobs, and their entire life whether it is colorful and rich enough that it does not feel like it is wasted.