This is that

Have you ever listened to the CBC radio show called "This is That"?   It is quite funny and really well done.  It is set up like a news program and they explore wacky little fictional stories from all around Canada (like the episode where there was a move to rename Saskatchewan because it is too hard to spell).  They also have these great segments when people supposedly call in to comment on the stories they cover, which are as funny as the segments themselves.

On my way home yesterday, I heard the broadcast of a story about a woman who creates invisible art.  It was hilarious -- they played a bit of when her latest show was being installed in some fancy-dancy gallery in New York and then the commentary from patrons of the gallery who couldn't actually see any of the work.  Some of them, like the little boy in "The Emperor's New Clothes", said that they thought it was a load of hoakum, but others bought into it and looked at the bare walls and spaces and discussed how it made them feel.  And of course, the artist was able to make some sales and one of the buyers was asking, "is it a sculpture then?"   At a climactic point in the piece, she freaks out and says that one of the pieces has been stolen, but then the gallery owner calms her down and tells her that the name plate had just fallen off the wall.

I laughed at it, but it does raise that great topic about what art is.  People will say that it's an art to make a great beer or to build a great car.  Is that an art?  Can you say that a beautiful car is on an equal footing with "Twelfth Night" or "The Nightwatch" or "A Little Night Music"?  (See my little theme there?)  Obviously, there is a sensory component to art, especially to music which appeals to our senses first, I think, but in my opinion, there has to be another component as well and that is that a work of art is attempting to communicate something to you.  It has a message and a great piece of art carries an important or urgent message.  I am interested in what anyone thinks about it.  Do you have to "get" the message?  If you get a different message than the artist thinks he or she is sending, is the art unsuccessful?  What if the message changes over time?  (Like "The Merchant of Venice"?)  What if you think there is a message, but you're not sure what it is?  What about with music, where the sounds create an emotional response, but perhaps not an intellectual one?  Is that superior to something more didactic or inferior?  All interesting questions to ponder, but certainly hard to answer.

I'm reading Free Will by Sam Harris.  He makes the point (with which I agree) that free will is an illusion.  He answers all the naysayers pretty nicely and extends the argument to discuss the inefficacy of a punitive justice system (which Canada appears to be embracing).  If people are the product of their environment and their biology, how can we focus on punishment for crimes they commit?  Much better to focus on rehabilitation than punishment, in my opinion.  He says, if we could, we would probably lock up earthquakes (and cancer, maybe), for the "crimes" they perpetrate and that would have as positive an effect as locking up a thief for stealing, because the thief is just as unable to choose his action as a force of nature is.  He makes a very strong case, I think.

The Ineluctability of Incidents

"I have a theory...with a very exact name: "the ineluctability of incidents," which is applied to the construction of all of my films. To formulate it another way: if something happens, some other thing inevitably flows from it. Like night and day follow each other, events are linked together, and I always develop my story in this way, in a series of incidents, of events which succeed each other and provoke each other. I never really have intrigue."

Leo McCarey was an American film director who directed Cary Grant in a lot of what is called screwball comedies.  "Much Ado About Nothing" is probably the first screwball comedy, because screwball comedies are characterized by that fast repartee between a star-crossed romantic couple just like the conversations that Beatrice and Benedict engage in.  That kind of love hate relationship where the two lovers snipe at each other, but you know it's all going to turn out okay in the end.

"The Awful Truth" was a screwball comedy directed by Leo McCarey.  He liked his actors to improvise scenes and I guess Cary Grant didn't initially like the idea of improvising, but his performance in this movie made him a star, and he's pretty funny in it.  I guess Leo McCarey got his improvisational director's debut in a trial by fire because he directed "Duck Soup" which stars the Marx brothers, whose whole movies seem to be improvised they're so chaotic.   I've tried to watch "The Awful Truth" several times over the last few days.  I've fallen asleep watching it (no reflection on it, but on me) several times and then gone to bed and not been able to sleep at all!  Tonight, I've actually watched the whole thing.  You can see why Cary Grant was such a huge star.  He's really funny and you can't take your eyes off him.  And Irene Dunne is really funny, too.  I've never seen her in a movie before.

God rest ye merry, Gentlemen!

Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it!  This is a special time for most cultures because there is so little daylight.  Lots of the things we associate with Christmas (the tree, mistletoe {did you know that the word "mistletoe" translates into "poo on a stick"?}, the yule log, the giving of gifts, the decorations, especially those that involve light) are actually pagan practices. We have Charles Dickens to thank for lots of the hoopla around Christmas -- that great description of the scene that frames the Ghost of Christmas Present is the Victorian Christmas exemplified.  Here it is.  Read it out loud for the best effect:

It was his own room. There was no doubt about that. But it had undergone a surprising transformation. The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green, that it looked a perfect grove; from every part of which, bright gleaming berries glistened. The crisp leaves of holly, mistletoe, and ivy reflected back the light, as if so many little mirrors had been scattered there; and such a mighty blaze went roaring up the chimney, as that dull petrification of a hearth had never known in Scrooge's time, or Marley's, or for many and many a winter season gone. Heaped up on the floor, to form a kind of throne, were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam. In easy state upon this couch, there sat a jolly Giant, glorious to see, who bore a glowing torch, in shape not unlike Plenty's horn, and held it up, high up, to shed its light on Scrooge, as he came peeping round the door.

`Come in.' exclaimed the Ghost. `Come in, and know me better, man.'

Scrooge entered timidly, and hung his head before this Spirit. He was not the dogged Scrooge he had been; and though the Spirit's eyes were clear and kind, he did not like to meet them.

`I am the Ghost of Christmas Present,' said the Spirit. `Look upon me.'

Scrooge reverently did so. It was clothed in one simple green robe, or mantle, bordered with white fur. This garment hung so loosely on the figure, that its capacious breast was bare, as if disdaining to be warded or concealed by any artifice. Its feet, observable beneath the ample folds of the garment, were also bare; and on its head it wore no other covering than a holly wreath, set here and there with shining icicles. Its dark brown curls were long and free; free as its genial face, its sparkling eye, its open hand, its cheery voice, its unconstrained demeanour, and its joyful air. Girded round its middle was an antique scabbard; but no sword was in it, and the ancient sheath was eaten up with rust.

`You have never seen the like of me before.' exclaimed the Spirit.

Of course, Mr. Allison sent me greetings on the holiday that he and I enjoy -- Frank Costanza's "Festivus" which features an aluminum pole (less distracting than a tree), feats of strength and "the airing of grievances".  Apparently this holiday was kicked off in the sixties by Dan O'Keefe and his family.  Dan O'Keefe later became a writer on my favourite tv show of all time, "Seinfled" and the "festivus" episode is one of the most hilarious of the show, although I'd be hard pressed to limit my "most hilarious" list to ten episodes, since I love the show so much.

My husband remains in the hospital and so it is a rather limping Christmas for us.  I have watched lots of old movies, which can be a huge comfort when things are going awry.  Last night, we watched "It's a Wonderful Life" and you can't beat that for comfort.  I always see it as an expression of determinism, because George Bailey wants to leave Bedford Falls, but he can't.  There's that terrific scene at the train station when his brother, Harry, comes home from college and the brother's new wife tells George about Harry's job offer and you can see the horror in James Stewart's face as he realizes that he is stuck again.  Of course, it being Frank Capra, at the end, George realizes that he is the "richest man in town" because everyone loves him so much, but if George was a real person, he'd always have that awful seed in the back of his mind that would feed his feelings of frustration and failure and helplessness.

As with most holidays, Christmas can be a difficult time for people whose lives don't match the sense of community that the Baileys enjoy in Bedford Falls.  When we started this whole medical odyssey with Mike, one of the nurses asked if we had family here and I said that we had huge crowds of family.  But sometimes your family isn't helpful at all.  Maybe you don't get along with them.  Then it's worse if they're around!   Have you ever felt lonely in a crowd of people?  That's a more terrible kind of loneliness than when you are lonely by yourself.  Everyone has tried to be very helpful in their own way, and we really appreciate all the meals people have offered and also the offers of "whatever we need".  Here are some tips to any of you whose friends might be going through a tough time -- listen and be sympathetic, don't be negative (see the first suggestion - just listen; don't describe the worst case scenario - the person has already thought of that),  don't give advice,  don't expect the person to want "company" -- sometimes people want to be alone and there is nothing wrong with that, just let the person know you're there for them, and then be there.

That's all from me for now.  I wish everyone a very merry Christmas and a wonderful healthy and peaceful 2015!

If it had not rained on a certain May morning, Valancy Stirling's whole life would have been entirely different.

Isn't that a good way to start a book?  It makes you want to know what happened because of the rain (although my sister, the writer, said never start something with the person's whole name -- I'm not sure why but I think she thought it was trite).  The Blue Castle, the book I mentioned that I have read so many times, has a pretty big place in my family.  My mother received it as a gift when she was a young teenager.  (It was hot off the presses then, in 1926!)  When my mom started to read it and found out it was about a 29 year old "old maid", she thought "why would I want to read this?" but she kept at it, books being quite a rare and wonderful gift in a little town in the middle of Saskatchewan in those early days.  And she discovered a wonderful story that would stay with her for the rest of her life.

In 1962, when my sister was 12, my mom wanted her to take part in an oratorical contest (speech-making).  Unlike her little sister, little Rickey didn't like making speeches, but she did it anyway and Mom presented her with a copy of The Blue Castle as a reward.  Now that very copy, with my mom's precise printing in the cover, has ended up with me.  Here's one thing from the book that often pops into my head.  "Fear is the original sin.  Almost all the evil in the world has its origin in the fact that someone is afraid of something.  It is a cold, slimy serpent coiling around you.  It is horrible to live with fear, and it is of all things degrading."

I think that's true.  I am afraid of lots of things but I try not to let fear rule me.  I try to barrel through.  My sons and I were talking about the whole caffuffle with Sony pulling the movie, "The Interview".  What should they have done?  My sons think they were right in their decision not to release it.  I think you can't throw out your belief in free speech because of threats.  Of course, it takes a lot of guts to defy the threat of attacks on theatres and innocent people.  My sons said, "if someone threatened the school and said if you kept teaching drama, they would bomb the school, what would you do?"  I imagine I would give in to the threat because I don't want to die or see my students die.  But a better person than I would go on teaching and that would be the right thing to do.  People on the news last night said we all have a duty to see the movie now, even if you aren't crazy about Seth Rogen or James Franco, because you want to stand up to the forces that would shut us up.  What do you think?

Breakfast with Santa

Well, that was fun, wasn't it?  One of these days, I'm going to have figured out what to do with that silly partridge before the last minute so I can see the other acts for Breakfast with Santa.  I looked at Mr. Akselrod's pictures and everything looks so festive and high-spirited.

When I was in university, I always had a sense for exactly how long it would take me to do any sort of task (like writing papers or learning lines -- I did a drama degree, as most of you know).  I still seem to work that way.  I never seem to be able to get things done way ahead of time, no matter how good my intentions are.  It's as if my mind has to sit on an idea for a certain length of time and I can't rush it, even if I want to.  I have to wait for things to percolate.  Not that the partridge is a particularly big deal -- I don't usually feel the need to prepare a choreographed dance (and I don't believe I could, if I wanted to) like lots of the other teachers do.  That's why I have traditionally chosen the partridge -- because there is only so much you can do with just yourself.  Maybe over the course of this year, I will plan something very elaborate for next year.  But that probably won't happen.

I hope some of you read this over the holiday, because I meant to tell the directing and scriptwriting students to read a short story over the holidays that they would like to adapt into a script.  I wanted to remind the senior actors to think about a subject for their rant.  I wanted to remind Drama 9/10 to practice their monologues.  The day was so chaotic, that all this reminding slipped my mind.  Well, I guess 2015 will bring its own needs!

Now we can relax and take it easy for a couple of weeks.  I plan to watch a bunch of movies I've PVR'd and reread a book that I've read so many times I've lost count.  It is called The Blue Castle and is written by L.M. Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables.  It is not an important book and probably if many of you read it, you would think it was obvious and silly, but I find it a great comfort.  It is funny and romantic and has beautiful descriptions and vivid characters.  I suppose I could spend my time reading something more worthwhile (especially something I haven't read so many times I've practically memorized it) but sometimes, you just need a little comfort food!

Life is a highway, I want to ride it all night long!

That's an old Tom Cochrane song, in case you didn't know.  As most of you know, I've been dealing with some pretty serious medical issues lately and feeling pretty overwhelmed and freaked out.  Everyone's been so great with lots of teachers bringing the family dinner (I haven't cooked in a couple of weeks, and it is quite exciting to look into the staff room fridge and see an aluminum foil plate or tupperware with my name on it!) and everyone trying to help in whatever way they can.  Most people are really good and kind and don't you forget it.  The ones who aren't are missing out and you needn't bother with them.

Mike remains in the hospital and things have been up and down with his surgery and the aftermath and although we are all hopeful and trying to keep things as normal as possible with going to school and all the other responsibilities we have, there are still those dark times when you are trying to read or whatever and you suddenly think what could happen.  Usually I long for down time as I get very little, but these days I don't want to sit and stew and would rather be up and about.

I am hoping for a nice quiet holiday with old movies and Charles Dickens and the Christmas tree all lit up and nice things to eat and Mike at home, but if that doesn't work out and he is still in the hospital, we will make the best of things and make sure we get him home before the New Year.  2014 has been a difficult year with these health challenges and the strike and I hope with all my heart that 2015 will be much happier and more peaceful and much less dramatic.  Who said "please let me not live in exciting times"?  (Or something like that.)

I wish you all the happiest of holidays and all the very best in 2015.  I hope it's "veally 
good"  (a reference to "Fawlty Towers").

"Oh, Doris, it's awful!"

There are lots of great lines in "Fawlty Towers", some that make me laugh every time I hear them.  The above is one and there are so many others.

I just wanted to thank everyone who has come out to the play and laughed and enjoyed it.  It is a lot of hard work to put on a show and it is really gratifying to have such a great response from our audiences.  And of course, a huge and heartfelt thank you to everyone, cast and crew, who worked so hard to bring this thing to life.  You are all stars to me.

We are holding over the show for one last performance on Monday, December 15 at 1, so if you haven't seen it and want to, here is your chance.  We have some seats left so scoot to the theatre before one p.m. and we'll try to squeeze you in.

And now the whirligig of time (a bit of Twelfth Night) brings on his revenge and I must go (to soccer, forsooth!)

No small parts!

Journal for everyone!

There is an old saying in the theatre -- "there is no such thing as a small part, just a small actor!"  That means that no matter how many (or how few) lines an actor speaks, he can still make his performance memorable.  Comment on this idea.  If you saw "Fawlty Towers" (or took part in it), use it as a source of examples.  There are lots of parts in the three episodes that only have a few lines, but the actors have tried to create a back story for their characters to make them fully realized.  It is best to focus on one or two performances or aspects of the show.  If you didn't see it (too bad for you, because it is very entertaining and funny), use another play or movie for examples.

Monologues

Sorry it's taken me so long to post these!

Grade 9/10 Monologues:

Peter from “Goin’ Down the Road”:

Those guys are three dummies.  I don’t get you.  When we were leaving, you couldn’t get out of the place fast enough.  Now you go on about some job in the cannery.  Oh, listen, Joey, it’s gonna be so different.  There you can get all kinds of jobs.  Not just sweat and dirt all the time . . . And the places to go;  we’re gonna hit some night spots, have us some good times!  No sitting in some restaurant all night or cruising up and down main street, looking for something you know damn well isn’t there . . . Joey, there’s going to be so much there, we won’t know where to begin.

Ruthie from “Distended Ear Lobes”:

Well, it isn’t exactly that he doesn’t interest me anymore.  It’s that I’m not quite sure of the chemistry.  Before it was all chemistry, and I didn’t even think about whether he interested me.  Now the chemistry is deluded and I’ve had time to consider whether or not he interests me, I mean as a person, that is.

Anyhow, whether it’s going anywhere or not, I’m having lunch with him because – now promise me not to get hysterical – he’s been looking into the Peace Corps and I’m thinking about joining up with him.  I hate my job in the office and if you’ll pardon the cliché, I want to do something worthwhile.

Senior Drama monologues:

Tom: 

Listen!  You think I’m crazy about the warehouse?  You think I’m in love with the Continental Shoemakers?  You think I want to spend fifty-five years down there in that  -- celotex interior!  with fluorescent – tubes!  Look!  I’d rather somebody picked up a crowbar and battered out my brains – than go back mornings!  I go!  Every time you come in yelling “Rise and shine!”  “Rise and shine!” I say to myself, “How lucky dead  people are!”  But I get up.  I go!  For sixty-five dollars a month I give up all that I dream of doing and being ever!  And you say self – self’s all I ever think of.  Why, listen, if self is what I thought of, Mother, I’d be where he is – GONE!  (HE POINTS TO HIS FATHER’S PICTURE.)  As far as the system of transportation reaches!  Don’t grab at me, Mother!  I’m going to the movies!  I’m going to opium dens!  Yes, opium dens, dens of vice and criminals’ hangouts, Mother.  They call me Killer, Killer Wingfield.

Laura:

I came across his picture a while ago.  It’s in the yearbook.  His name was Jim.  Here he is in “The Pirates of Penzance”.  The operetta the senior class put on.  He had a wonderful voice and we sat across the aisle from each other Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays in the Aud. 

He used to call me – Blue Roses.

When I had that attack of pleurosis – he asked me what was the matter when I came back.  I said pleurosis – he thought I said Blue Roses!  So that’s what he always called me after that.  Whenever he saw me, he’d holler, “Hello, Blue Roses!”  I didn’t care for the girl that he went out with.  Emily Meisenbach.  Emily was the best-dressed girl at Soldan.  She never struck me, though, as being sincere . . . It says in the Personal Section – they’re engaged.  That’s – six years ago.  They must be married by now.

 

Keep up your journals!!

Senior Drama:

Theatre production:  We need to make English money, paint the kitchen, finish the sign and do one other thing I just can't think of at this moment!

Journal:  What techniques in advertising work on you?  (Music, humour, sex appeal, bandwagon approach, economy, appeals to emotion or intellect).  If you were to promote yourself, how would you go about it?

Drama 9/10:  Write about the comedia del'arte project.  What did you like about it?  What didn't you like?  Which play impressed you the most?  If you had to perform it for an audience of outsiders, what would you change?

Drama 8:  What should Ms. Kosar know about you?  Write about any experience you have in Drama, whether you have stage fright, whether you are good at working in groups, what you are expecting to do in this class, anything you would like to share.

Grade 8's, remember you will recite "all the world's a stage" next week.  Please remember to bring $5 for the play on Wednesday!

The Director's Role

The Director's Role: You are the obstetrician. You are not the parent of this child we call the play. You are present at its birth for clinical reasons, like a doctor or midwife. Your job most of the time is simply to do no harm.
When something does go wrong, however, your awareness that something is awry--and your clinical intervention to correct it--can determine whether the child will thrive or suffer, live or die.”
― Frank Hauser, Notes on Directing: 130 Lessons in Leadership from the Director's Chair 

We're all trying to pull together to get "Fawlty Towers" on the stage.  There's not much more I can do.  I've paid for the royalties (so we have a great script), I chose the cast (and you're all more than capable), and Mr. Price has given us a really beautiful place to show off!  Rachel and Noa and many of you have supplied great props and costumes and we've made things and borrowed them and found them.

For those of you who don't know your lines yet, LEARN THEM!  It is so frustrating to see things bouncing along and think "oh, this is going well" and then you skip THREE PAGES so that people who are in the play wouldn't even get on stage!!  You owe it to your castmates to know your part and your cues and to listen to each other on stage!!  If people on stage miss your cue and jump ahead, and you're waiting backstage, come on anyway!  They'll deal with you once you're there!

The baby is almost ready to be delivered.  We need to get his room ready, and make sure he has warm clothes, good food and fun toys to play with when he arrives!  (On Tuesday of next week!!!!!)

"Fawlty Towers"

The school play debuts on Tuesday, December 9 at 7:00 p.m.  Tickets are only $5.  It is about "the rudest hotelier" John Cleese ever met and Mr. Price has designed a gorgeous set and the actors are very inventive and high energy and there is mystery and romance and a wide variety of wacky characters.  It is very funny and I encourage everyone to come and see the show.  We are running on December 10 at 1:30 and 7 p.m. and Thursday, December 11 at 1:30 and then closing on December 12 at 7:00 p.m.

The matinees are full, so unfortunately if your teacher hasn't signed up your class by now, you and they are out of luck.  My grade 8 class (A Block) -- you are expected to attend during your class time.  Please bring your $5 this week.  The money goes to a good cause -- the money we earn by putting on a show goes to pay for the next show and for scholarships for our graduating performers and crew.  But, if you cannot afford to pay, just let me know.  It is important to me that you get to see the show if you want to and so you are welcome to come either way.

Weekend update - good intentions!

Drama Club:  Good work, everyone, on the set!  Mr. Price has done a great job and it looks great.  We still have some things to do, but the focus for the cast needs to be on learning your lines and cues.  You all need to project, project, project.  You can't be softly spoken on stage.  The audience needs to sit back, relax and enjoy it, not strain to hear you.  Any crew members, make sure Rachel has your first and last names for the program.

Senior Drama:  Theatre production -- you guys can really help with the set.  We will need to paint next week, too, so make sure you bring clothes that you aren't worried about getting painty.  Actors:  I was really impressed with your back story plays.  We'll see the rest on Monday.  Directors:  This is an important part of getting a true performance from actors.  You need to think about what went on before the play started, what the subtext is in the scene and the things the actors say.  Actors will do this with any role -- ask themselves what motivates their character.  You don't have to tell them, but you should have an idea.  Remember your theme day is on Monday.

Drama 9/10:  What great comedia plays we saw on Thursday!  I was so impressed.  You have drawn the many components together to create cohesive, interesting and entertaining performances and I was thoroughly captivated by the two performances we saw.  I hope the other groups are as terrific.

Grade 8:  You will start leading the class next week.  I am looking forward to learning some new warmup activities from you.  Remember that you are expected to ask the "question of the day" and explain why your activity is good for drama.  We will be continuing to work on mime next week.

I had to lead an activity on our professional day yesterday.  I decided on the theme of "trust" and we talked about the value of students feeling that they will be treated with care and respect in their classrooms and how a student is more likely to take intellectual risks, if they have confidence that their efforts will be appreciated, and not denigrated.  When people think of trust in a drama classroom, they always think of those physical trust exercises, when someone falls backwards off a table into the arms of their classmates, but I think it is harder to trust that people will not betray your emotional risks.  When you try a wacky or emotional character on stage, your classmates will appreciate your effort and not sneer at your shortcomings.  That is my goal in all our classes -- that you will all learn to appreciate the good intentions of others.

Wecome to Drama!

Welcome to all the new Grade 8 drama students!  It is great to meet you all.  Here is the piece you will be learning for a vocal warmup:

All the world's a stage,
And all the men and women merely player;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts.

We will practice this piece every day and recite individually in a couple of weeks when you feel comfortable with the words.  Practice speaking with a clear strong voice.  You need to take a good breath to support your sound and use your mouth to enunciate the words.  When you recite, I expect to be able to hear every word clearly!  Public speaking is a big component of drama.

Grade 9/10:  If you want Elisha to help you with lighting, be sure you give her a detailed script.  We will perform our comedia del'arte plays starting tomorrow.

Senior Drama:  Today we will see the second director's play.  Actors, you need to memorize your lines for the final presentation in about a week's time.  Theatre production:  you need to be sure you are comfortable with sound and light cues and curtains, set and costumes.  The actors should help you in this regard.

Opening night of "Fawlty Towers" is fast approaching.  Learn your lines.  Bring any costume ideas you have for your characters to the dress rehearsal on Friday.

The end of days

Tomorrow is the last day for Drama for the Grade 8's.  Please remember to look at the blog to see if you've missed any journals.  You may hand them in tomorrow in order to have me add them to your mark.  I will also add your Aesop plays to your mark.  I was very pleased with how well most of you spoke your lines so clearly and with such good diction. 

I will not assign a journal for this week for any of you.  I did not mark last week's journals (except for the grade 8's) because I was working on your report cards.  Last week's journals will be included in the next report period.

Grade 8's -- I would like to thank you all for your hard work, enthusiasm and creativity over the last nine weeks.  It has gone very quickly and I hope you all had as much fun as I did.  Best of luck to all of you in Art!  I hope to see many of you next year in Drama 9!

Last minute advice

Everyone!  Report card time is fast approaching!  Make sure you've handed in all your journals.  Check with the blog to see if you've done all of them.

Grade 8's: 

Learn your lines for tomorrow.  You have a responsibility to the others in your group to do the best job you can.

Make sure you wear something that fits with your group's plan.  If you don't have anything suitable, look in the prop room for something that might work.

Tomorrow -- speak loudly and clearly and cheat to the audience.  Remember to stage your performance at centre stage as close to the audience as you can be.

Check to make sure you've done all your journals!

Drama Club:

Check the list to see if you have any of the things we need for the play.  If you do, bring them in and check them off the list in the prop room!  Crew, if you have spare time, come into the prop room and check out the list.

Learn your lines and write down your cues!  At this point, we shouldn't have to read the script to you and we shouldn't have to tell you when to come in and where to go.  We should be able to start working out comic bits that you've thought of and enjoying the little things you're doing on stage to create a character.

Prop list for "Fawlty Towers"

Someone in my grade 9/10 class suggested I post this list of things we need for the play and so I am doing it.  If you have any of the following, please let me know.

Four white tablecloths (small)
Plastic flowers
Ladies' purses
Suitcases
A box that looks like a coin collection
Glasses
A set of dishes
Fake food
Hospital gear (a gurney, especially)
Wheelchair
Men's slippers
the novel, Never Love a Stranger
Keys
Police officer outfit (including hat)
Billy club (for officer)
Empty chocolate box
Thermometer
Walker for an elderly person
Cutlery
Fake fire extinguisher (that can spray in someone's face, but not hurt them!)

Time is the longest distance between two places. (Tennessee Williams)

Senior Drama:

Everyone:  Tennessee Williams says that "Time is the longest distance between two places" and he says that "The Glass Menagerie" is a memory play.  What do you think he means by this? 

Directors:  Whose monologue impressed you the most?  Explain why.  Provide details.

Actors:  In your monologues, both Tom and Laura are speaking to their mother.  How does the person to whom your characters speak influence what you do in your monologue?  Would you ever speak the way Tom and Laura speak to your own mother?   Is there anything in Tom's or Laura's situation with which you can identify?   Why do Tom and Laura tell their mother what they tell her?  How do they expect their mother to react?

Theatre production:  The playwright of "The Glass Menagerie" says the play is not expected to be realistic.  He suggests that, in some scenes, the lighting should focus on a character who is not talking rather than one who is.  Why would he want the lighting designer to do this?  What could you do as a set designer to create the impression that the play is set in "memory" rather than reality?

The character, Laura, collects glass animals and her collection appears on stage.  What might the glass animals represent?  Her favourite animal is a unicorn.  What does that tell us about Laura?

Drama 9/10:  Read the rubric about the rehearsal process.  Where do you fit in?  Describe yourself.

Drama 8:  How did your group decide on your framework idea?  How did you choose which stories you are performing?  How would you rate your first performances?  How can you improve for the final presentation?

Some Desperate Glory

DULCE ET DECORUM EST

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,
Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,
Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs
And towards our distant rest began to trudge.
Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots
But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;
Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots 
Of tired, outstripped Five-Nines that dropped behind.
Gas! Gas! Quick, boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling,
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time;
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling,
And flound'ring like a man in fire or lime . . .
Dim, through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.
In all my dreams, before my helpless sight,
He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.
If in some smothering dreams you too could pace
Behind the wagon that we flung him in,
And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,
His hanging face, like a devil's sick of sin;
If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood
Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,
Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud 
Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest 
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.

This is a wonderful war poem by the First World War poet, Wilfred Owen, who died right at the end of the war.  Apparently, just as his mother opened the door to hear the church bells ringing joyfully to announce the Armistice, she received the telegram which brought the news of his death.   It gives such magnificent and shocking images of the weariness of the men and the horror of the gas attack. Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori means "it is sweet and right to die for your country" but Wilfred Owen tells us that is an "old lie".  In The Catcher in the Rye, Mr. Antolini tells Holden "the mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, but the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one."

We had a very nice Remembrance Day ceremony today at school and I would like to thank everyone who helped make it meaningful and put so much thought and effort into it.  All the speeches were powerful and I enjoyed the music and the visual images as well.  Tomorrow many of us will go to our local cenotaph to pay our respects to the people in the community who have risked everything in armed conflicts.  I wonder if people will ever figure out how to solve their differences without trying to kill each other.   We appear to have made some progress with elections and courts and the legal system, but it is shocking how quickly those institutions can be lost when we aren't vigilant.  It is interesting that we are embroiled in an election right now in our cities and towns.  The turnout for municipal elections is shamefully small and, when you think of it, our civic government is really the one that has the most influence on our day to day lives, so any of you who are 18 should find out about the issues and vote and if you aren't old enough, encourage your parents to do the same.  I have been poring over the newspaper and the candidates' webpages trying to figure out who would be the best mayor, councillors and school board trustees for Port Moody.  It is a big responsibility to be a voter, but also a big opportunity and no one should take it lightly. 

Things to remember for Monday, November 10!

Remember your donation for the poppy fund!  Any little bit helps.

Grade 8's:  Choose an Aesop fable to perform on Monday.  You should know your lines!

Watching ourselves

I think I've mentioned to all of you on multiple occasions that it is important for you to be a good audience.  Our Remembrance Day observation will take place on Monday (and some of you will take part in the official Remembrance Day ceremony at the cenotaph on Tuesday, November 11 at 11 a.m.).  Obviously, there are different expectations of you as a member of the audience for a solemn ceremony like Remembrance Day and for a comic performance by your classmates or for a performance of a play like "Macbeth" or "Fawlty Towers", but the basic philosophy of the audience is the same.  The word "audience" comes from the Latin word "audire", to hear, so obviously listening plays a big part of being a good member of the audience.  It isn't time for you to talk or goof around or look at your ipod or get up and go to the washroom.  It is time for you to pay attention to what is happening on stage.

Paying attention requires more of you than just listening, of course.  You have to actively listen, which means you keep your eyes on the performance.  You have to be completely present and be willing to respond to the intentions of the people on stage.  In class, if we're doing scenes from comedia del'arte, you should be ready and willing to laugh.  Don't be satisfied with a snicker either.  If you have ever performed in a comedy, you know how gratifying it is to hear people laughing when you're performing.  If you laugh out loud, it can inspire the performers on stage to heights of comic creativity!  In contrast, if you are attending the Remembrance Day ceremony, you need to focus your attention on the solemnity of the event.  It is a time to think about the past, about the young people who have risked everything to protect our way of life.  It is a time to reflect on the nature of human beings, how brave we can be, how selfless we can be, how some of us are willing to risk our lives for others.  We all understand that the people who are involved in the ceremony have the best intentions and we know it is serious and we must approach the ceremony with the intention of being serious and listening and responding in the way the presenters expect.  Other people in the audience expect you to be on your very best behavior.  We will have guests from outside the school at the assembly and they want to know that young people appreciate the sacrifices our veterans have made.  As I told you, my father served in the Canadian army during World War II.  I always think of him on Remembrance Day.  He was a young, innocent prairie boy when he fought in France and my uncle told us that when my dad came home from the war, he was a changed man.  He hardly spoke and would wake up screaming in the night.  He was able to come through those terrible days, but I always wonder what it was like for him.  When I am thinking about him and his companions, I don't want to see any of you giggling or plugged into your smart phones or chatting to your neighbour.   

The journal this week is the same for all of you.  I want you to think about your own behavior as an audience member.  How would you rate yourself?  (Look at the rubric on the bulletin board if you want a detailed description of the scale.)  Describe yourself as an audience member.  Think of your best audience behavior.  What about your worst?  As you know, I evaluate your audience behavior.  This is a chance for you to advocate for yourself.

Nobody looks stupid when they are having fun. - Amy Poehler

Amy Poehler is an actor and a comedian and writer who performed on "Saturday Night Live" and then on her own sitcom, "Parks and Recreation".  She and Tina Fey have performed together a lot (and she calls Tina Fey her comic wife) and now Amy Poehler has a book out called Yes, Please and it is apparently quite funny and insightful.  I read Tina Fey's book, Bossypants a few years ago and really enjoyed it.  There is a certain suggestion (one of you pointed this out to me, as you know -- I just don't like to name you, because perhaps you don't want me to blurt out your name to the world on my blog) that women can't be funny and of course, just because two women (or ten or one hundred) are funny doesn't actually give the lie to the suggestion, because perhaps they are the "exceptions that prove the rule".  The theory is that women have not evolved to entertain men in this vein and that men have developed their ability to be funny in order to attract women.  I'm not sure if I can buy that.  Women certainly have to use all the tools in their basket in order to attract an appropriate mate!  Anyway, I thought the above quote was good simple philosophy that we could learn from.  It is so important to get past this idea that other people will sneer at you if you show enthusiasm or if you try something new or wear something outlandish or take a risk or do anything even slightly out of the ordinary.  You'll never accomplish anything if you let fear lead you.

We had lots of fun at school on Hallowe'en and there were lots of good creative ideas in costumes.  The Fine and Performing Arts department went as the Village People (the people who wrote and performed the song "YMCA" among others.)  I went as the leather man, and I was quite pleased with my costume.  (I wish I could remember how to post a picture of it because it really transformed me and I think I looked quite a lot like the guy I was portraying.)  The other people in the department were the construction worker, the cop, the cowboy and the Indian (we decided it wasn't cultural appropriation, since the Village People themselves said they wanted to explode stereotypes).  I think we really caught the spirit of the group and it is always fun to dress up.  Good for everyone who dressed up!  It was really great to see the two Czechoslovakian brothers (characters from the old Saturday Night Live played by Dan Ackroyd and Steve Martin).  They are great characters and are so funny and I hadn't thought of them for such a long time -- it's nice to think that characters like them can live on long past their brief time on television.

Happy Hallowe'en!

I hope all of you have a happy, fun and safe Hallowe'en.  My dog and I hate fireworks and firecrackers (especially) so we're hoping for a very quiet night!  But I love to dress up in a costume, so watch for me and my cohorts in the Fine Arts/Performing Arts department!  We are coming as the Village People!  My oldest son is dressing up as a Doctor Who character (the kid in the gas mask, whoever that is) and my youngest son is going to be Jason Voorhees from "Friday the 13th", although he has never seen the movie.  (Nor have I -- I don't like slasher movies.)

Journals today:

Grade 8:  What lesson could you afford to learn?  Write a story about how you know you need to learn this lesson and what might teach it to you.

Grade 9:  What's the scariest movie you've ever seen?  Why did it scare you?  Do you like to be scared or not?

Senior Drama:

Actors:  Who are you playing in the directors' plays?  Name your character and describe it.

Directors:  Give me a report on how things are going with your plays.  Please provide details!

Theatre Production:  Give me a sketch for your set for the directors' plays.  Remember, the plays are being performed here, not on film or on Broadway, so create a set accordingly.

The Fat Lady Has Sung!

I hope everyone had a great time at camp and now, things can get back to a semblance of normal at school.  Mr. Allison wrote a report on our schoolwide email that said that the camp went very well and that the Camp Stillwood people were impressed by our students, both young and old. 

Don't forget that it is spirit week at school this coming week.  Monday is Colour Wars (teachers are supposed to wear black, but I'm not sure about the other grades).  Tuesday is Twin Day, so find a friend or a group of friends and dress the same!  Wednesday is "Fandom Day" which I think means you should wear a jersey from a team you like or a concert t-shirt or something that shows that you admire or enjoy a particular artist's work.  Thursday is "Bright and Tight" -- anything bright and/or tight, I guess.  Friday is Hallowe'en, so wear a costume.  The teachers are having a contest among us so we will be trying to dress up ourselves.

Drama Club:  Make sure you try to make every rehearsal!  We have six weeks before we perform so we need to put our noses to the grindstone now that camp is over!

My show closed last night.  Thanks to the students and teachers that made the long trip out to the Tri-Cities to see it.  I really appreciate it enormously.  People in the cast last night asked if some of my students were in the audience (their experience is that you guys are especially good audience members, which makes my heart fill with pride!) and I said I didn't think so, because I didn't know you were there.  But at the curtain call, I spotted you and I was so happy to see you and hear your comments after the show.  It was a lot of fun to do, but for those of you who have performed in comedies, you know it is a lot of hard work, too.  There were some scenes that defeated me no matter how hard I tried to think of how to squeeze laughs out of the audience, some lines that I thought were sure fire that never got a laugh and then, of course, things that I didn't think were funny that consistently garnered a good response.  It's a mystery to me, but one that I will continue to grapple with as long as I continue to perform.  (Which, I hope to do for a long, long time!)  And now, as they say, the fat lady has sung and the party is over!  I am sad, because it's fun to go to the theatre and get dressed in your costume and have someone do your hair (I got more compliments on my hair than I ever have before thanks to Gail, the remarkable hair and makeup woman) and make your eyebrows look absolutely perfect, but it will also be nice to be able to relax on the couch in the evening and read a book.  I have a couple of books I'm really looking forward to delving into -- an Aurelio Zen mystery called Dead Lagoon and Naomi Klein's The Shock Doctrine, quite different in content, but both promising to be very interesting.

Off to Camp

The grade 8's and many of the grade 12's have gone off to camp.  Hopefully, everyone will come back rejuvenated and "bonded" and ready to dive into their schoolwork.  It is a great experience and I know lots of kids who remember their time at Grade 8 camp as one of the highlights of their time at high school. 

Grade 8's -- if you are going to redo your "show and tell" speech, review the instructions that I gave earlier here.  I don't want to see the same thing again -- your second attempt should show an improvement.

Grade 9's and 10's -- work on the "stock characters" scenes continues.  You need to be ready to perform on Thursday.  The show must go on no matter what state it's in!

Senior Drama:  We will be reading the scriptwriters' scripts.  Remember, they are works in progress and be positive about the drafts that you're reading -- the writers expect the actors and stagecraft people to help make their plays better with their expertise.

Find a passion?

We had an interesting discussion at the facilitators' meeting yesterday about "passion".  I wonder if that's a bit of a buzz word these days.  People say they have a "passion" for something and then, as Mr. Stewart said, it's as if you have to treat them with kid gloves.  I think a lot of people think that when artists demonstrate a "passion" for their work, it means that it comes easily to them, but it's vital to realize that no matter how much you love something, it requires a lot of hard work to become skilled.  Students often say they want to be actors, but then when they find out that there are countless hours spent in rehearsal, working out blocking, learning lines, trying out different ways of delivering the material, coming up with stage business and comic "bits" and working on them until you feel like you've arrived at something -- then they're not so "passionate" any more.

It's like this in the other performing arts -- music and dance -- the hard work and drudgery and pain that dancers and musicians endure makes the apparent effortlessness of the performance all that more remarkable.  But if you're not willing to practice scales or steps over and over, you will never achieve the skill to make the music or the dance seem effortless.

My sister is reading a book about Charlie Chaplin right now.  He was the great silent film actor and director who created the "little tramp" character that most of us know and love.  His movies are timeless -- they are hilarious and moving and entertaining from beginning to end.  He was endlessly inventive and brilliant at so many things (he wrote and directed and performed in his movies and wrote the music as well), but apparently as a director and performer, he was a tireless tyrant, expecting the same kind of dedication to detail and artistry from those who worked with him as he demonstrated himself.  The results were wonderful,  but the process was very difficult.

I read Ken Dryden's book about hockey, called  The Game.  (He was the great goaltender for the Montreal Canadians in their heyday.)  He wrote about great players like Guy LaFleur who seemed to play an effortless game.  But LaFleur would arrive at the rink hours before anyone else and skate and shoot the puck at different points on the boards to see what would happen and try different moves and just generally get down to business long before his teammates even thought of suiting up.

In school, we have so many opportunities to find things that interest us, things that might become "passions".  But it's not enough to say you're interested or to dip your toe in and then wait for inspiration.  In order to become skilled enough to bring your ideas to fruition, you need to be able to devote yourself to the drudgery that provides the solid foundation that makes a flight of fancy appear so easy.

Mama Flew!

Well, opening night went okay.  We got Haylee (the bride to be) into the truck without much trouble (although I dropped my purse which contains all my props for the show when I was climbing out of the truck and then the lights went out and I had to get down on my hands and knees (in a nun costume, I might add) and scramble around to find it and then dash across the theatre backstage to get to my next entrance). Colleen (my daughter in the play) and Sarien (my daughter-in-law to be) and I are running throughout most of the show.  I have four costume changes and entrances from everywhere in the theatre.

So now we know we can do it, so the rest will be more manageable.  You never know on opening night if you can actually get through a performance.  Not until you try it.  It's been fun.  We've worked well together for the most part and I like my character.  She's got spunk and I like that -- she doesn't let anyone discourage her!

And oh, what heights we'll hit!

Tonight is opening night for "Mama Won't Fly".  I'm a bit nervous because we've had a number of technical problems.  Our director originally planned to do a "minimalist" set, but it is quite huge with an 18-wheeler and a lot of other big things that need to be rolled in and out.  In one scene, my daughter and I have to carry my future daughter-in-law and put her in the truck and it is really tough.  The daughter-in-law is a small woman but she is very hard to carry and stuff in the truck, especially since we don't want to hurt her.  But I am still looking forward to performing!  (After tonight, it will be easier.  You just never know how it's going to go.)

Our journals for this week:

Grade 8's:  How do you think the world was created?  Could you make a play about it?  What about the myth we're performing makes it easy to present?  What makes it difficult?

Grade 9's:  Which stock character are you playing?  What are you going to do with the character?  (Think of voice, body language, reactions, and costume, hair, props and anything else that will help create a character.)

Senior Drama:  Actors:  Which character did you play in the movie scenes?  What does the character want?  What obstacles does he/she face?  Choose one line the character says.  Write about the subtext for that line.

Directors:  Who will you cast in the characters in your play?  Choose one character.  Why did you choose the actor that you did?

Theatre production:  What effect does lighting have on a scene?  What is most essential when lighting a scene?  What are some problems you might face when lighting a scene like the one from "Rebecca"?

Thanks for the memories . . .

That's Bob Hope's theme song.  He was a comedian and actor long ago and he was HUGE.  It's funny (funny, strange) that someone so famous and popular and talented has been almost forgotten now.  "Time's winged chariot" leaves all of us behind, I guess.

I have my turkey in and yesterday I spent the day at the theatre, loading in all the stuff for "Mama Won't Fly".  As always all the little pieces look great.  Dale Kelly, our director, said it was going to be a minimalist show, because Stage 43 has lost its rehearsal space (budget constraints) and had to get rid a lot of its cool stuff.  But we have an 18 wheeler truck, and a mini-Cooper car and a Buick (thanks for the memories of my old Buick, which is in pieces, now -- I donated it to the Kidney Foundation for parts), and a set for a Las Vegas wedding and a roadhouse bar and all sorts of wacky stuff.

In addition to getting my turkey into the oven, I am trying to put a cast together for "Fawlty Towers".  I confess I hate casting.  I wish you could all play the part you want, but of course, it doesn't work that way.  Some of you will be disappointed, but just remember that there are a lot of things for me to consider -- not just how well you auditioned, but also the idea that you need to suit the role and how busy you are and what grade you're in and all sorts of things.  If you get a smaller part, make the most of it.  Some of the people in the drama club have experienced this -- making the most of one line or even no lines!  There really is no such thing as a small part, just small actors!

And remember, there are always people who decide for whatever reason that they can't continue in the play and if you happen to be there, you might just slide into their role.  That's happened to lots of people.

Think, when we talk of horses . . .

Think, when we talk of horses, that you see them
Printing their proud hooves i' th' receiving earth;
For 'tis your thoughts that now must deck our kings,
Carry them here and there, jumping o'er times,
Turning the accomplishment of many years
Into an hourglass; for the which supply,
Admit me chorus to this history,
Who, prologue-like, your humble patience pray
Gently to hear, kindly to judge our play.

Grade 9/10 class:  Be prepared to recite this selection in a dramatic way on Tuesday when we come back to school  Say it to your friends and family.  Everyone is impressed when someone knows a little Shakespeare!

Senior Drama:  Actors:  You should be working on your movie scenes.   Writers:  Finish your first draft of your short (less than ten pages or so, if possible)  script.  Theatre Production:  Finish your sketches of the "Fawlty Towers" script.  Use colour and give as much detail as possible.

What a rainy night!  I love an evening with nothing in it (no practices, no sports for my children, no social obligations for me) -- I am going to watch an episode of "The Nature of Things" about Stonehenge.  Then I am going to reread the Fawlty Towers scripts and figure out how to cast it.  We have so many talented actors, it will be hard to choose who gets to play what.
 

Show and tell!

On October 20, the grade eights will be presenting their show and tell speeches.  Your speech should be two minutes long (one minute is too short, and three minutes is too long!)  You should bring something from home about which you can speak in an interesting way for two minutes.  (It could be a souvenir you acquired on holiday, or something you won, or a piece of art you created, or a special gift you received, or a toy you like when you were little or anything!  Whatever would make an interesting story.)  Prepare your speech - it might help to write it down and then practice saying it.  I expect that when you deliver it, you will speak clearly and project your voice.  You will stand comfortably at center stage and not fidget or pace.

Your speech should take this form.

1.  Tell us what the item is.  You could describe it briefly.  (For example, these are the Mickey Mouse ears I got at Disneyland.  When my parents told me we were going to California, I dreamed that I would be able to come home with this hat!)

2.  Tell how you acquired the item.  (For example, you could describe the experience of training and preparing to play a certain sport, and then give us a description of the "big game" and how you played and the circumstances that resulted in you receiving the medal or the item you are showing.)

3.  You can conclude with what you learned from the experience or what the rest of us could take away from your speech (perhaps that you should listen to your parents and then you won't get lost at Disneyland or that if you keep trying, you will succeed).

If you want to ask me any questions about this, please feel free to do so!

We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures. (Thornton Wilder)

Thornton Wilder was an American playwright who wrote the great play, "Our Town", with which you might be familiar.  It will be important for all of us to try to become "conscious of our treasure" over this weekend, which is dedicated to being thankful for the bounty of autumn and all the silver linings in our clouds. My mother has instilled in me the idea that no matter how dark things look, you can always think about what wonders are around you and how lucky you are to be alive in such a beautiful and remarkable world.

I have been SO BUSY these last few weeks, that I have neglected my blog.  Next week the play I'm acting in will open and so we are in a mad rush to get things ready.  If you haven't read about it here before, it is called "Momma Won't Fly" and it is coming together, although the theatre company lost its rehearsal space and we have all been hauling our props and costumes around in our cars (very cumbersome).  This Sunday, we get to move into the theatre which will be a great relief.  I am looking forward to opening night (next Thursday) and I hope the show will be a great success.   Our director is endlessly inventive and all of the backstage people are very well organized and we actors are doing our best to keep plugging away at our characters.  I like "Norleen Sprunt".  She's got lots of spunk and energy and she never gives up, no matter how terrible things look.  (We could all learn from her.)

We have been auditioning for "Fawlty Towers" here at school with today and tomorrow as the last chance for anyone who wants to perform.  It will be hard to choose who gets to play what.  We have so many talented people and there have been some very impressive auditions from a couple of grade 8's (always a hopeful sign!)

Here are your journals for the week (some of you are saying "at last" -- Ms. Kosar sure likes to write! {I do}).

Grade 8's:  Write about the process in which you engaged to produce your fairy tale mime.  Who emerged as a leader?  What difficulties did your group encounter as you worked?  How did you solve the difficulties?  Did anyone present particular problems for the group?  Please be specific and provide details.

Grade 9/10:  Write about a comic performance you've enjoyed.  (My example could be Jim Parsons as "Sheldon Cooper" in "The Big Bang Theory".)  What about the performance do you think makes it funny?  Describe the character portrayed.  Is it inherently funny?  What can you learn from the actor?
(I believe the character of Sheldon is written really well, although if you described the character, you might not think it was inherently funny -- a socially awkward theoretical physicist who is highly intelligent.  I think Jim Parsons does bring a lot to the role, although I have wondered what it would be like if Johnny Galecki (who plays Leonard) and he switched roles.  Could they do it?  I think the voice Jim Parsons uses helps a lot -- it has a robotic quality that makes the material funnier.  He is quite precise physically -- he stands very straight and uses his hands and his face and his whole body in a small rather detailed way that brings to mind someone who is "too much in his head".  Apparently, the producers of the show thought that he was too similar to Sheldon to cast, but ultimately they realized he would be the best actor in the part.  He has done a lot of Shakespeare (that would be fun to see) and I think one thing I can learn from him is to invest myself fully in the character -- body and soul, so to speak.

Senior Drama: 

Actors:  What emotion did you portray in the "emotional memory" scenes?  What memory of your own did you invoke?  What emotion do you find difficult to play?  Why do you find it difficult?  What memory could you use to make that emotion easier to find?

Directors/Scriptwriters:  Whose emotional memory scene was most memorable?  Which performance did you like the best?  Explain why.

Theatre production:  Read through "A Touch of Class" again.  Make a list of props (things the actors use or carry) you need for the scene.  How might you acquire these props?  (Think of at least three ways, and keep in mind that, in the theatre, we are always searching for the cheapest way!)  Think about Lord Melbury -- what prop might he bring with him that would help him create a character?

The new phonebook's here!

We're talking about comedy and that's one of my favourite lines from a really funny movie called "The Jerk" with Steve Martin.  Since we were talking about comedy and how it can tackle difficult subjects, I looked up a list of people's choices for the 100 greatest comedies of all time.  It is surprising how many are about subjects that you might not think were good sources for laughs.   Here are some that stood out for me:

Bananas (about a revolution in a South American country)
Shaun of the Dead (zombies)
Dr. Strangelove (the atomic bomb)
Monty Python and the Holy Grail (about King Arthur and his knights)
The Life of Brian (about a prophet in the time of Jesus)
Mean Girls (bullying)
The Great Dictator (Adolf Hitler)
Arthur (alcoholism)
Young Frankenstein (based on Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, sort of)
Start the Revolution without Me (about the French Revolution)

I haven't seen a few of these movies, but they were chosen by vote, so the list is a bit skewed for more modern films, but a lot of people find the violence in movies with "The Three Stooges" to be hilarious as well.  It just goes to show that creative people can find comedy in all sorts of difficult and challenging places.  I think that is a testament to human nature, that we try to survive in even the most impossible situations and that comedy can help us do just that.

Journals this week:

Senior Drama:  Comment on your "Top of the Form" performance (your own group).  Was it funny?  Why or why not?  What went well about your performance?  What could have been improved?  How could you improve it?

Drama 9/10:  Write about the news story you chose to perform.  What do you know about it?  (If you know nothing, find out some details.)  How can you make it funny?  If your first performance was funny, why did it turn out that way?  (It shouldn't have been.)

Drama 8:  What fairy tale did you choose?  Tell the plot in five sentences.  Who are you playing?  How will you create a character (think of facial expressions, body language, plot points, reactions to others)? What is the climax of the story?

Journals are due on Tuesday.

Don't forget it's "Meet the Teacher" night tonight.  I'd love to meet you and your family.

First Journals!

Grade 8:  What should Ms. Kosar know about you?  You could include past performance experience, drama classes you've taken, whether you have stage fright, what you are expecting to learn in Drama and anything else you think might help me teach you!

Grades 9/10:  What are five things you can keep in mind when you work in a group?  When we looked at the poster about "Learning Together", what did you think of the five rules?  Comment on at least one rule in detail.

Make sure you bring a pen and paper tomorrow for journals!  Write complete answers and make sure you respond to all the questions, if there are more than one.

Top of the Form!

Senior Drama:

As we discussed in class, we have a chance to go to the Vancouver International Film Festival to see a Canadian/Japanese film called "The Vancouver Asahi" about a baseball team in the 1930's.  We would go on October 10 and miss D Block.  (We would leave during our class in C Block.)  We would take a school bus to downtown Vancouver and then return by public transit.  The tickets for the film would be $7.00 and there would be a small charge for the bus as well, but as I said, if you cannot afford it, please just let me know and we will make sure you can attend.

Please let me know if this is something you would be able to attend.  I would like to be able to book a.s.a.p. so try to let me know by tomorrow!

Journals for Senior Drama:

Actors:  How can an actor create a character who only has two lines?  Think of what you can do to make a character like that memorable and funny.

Stagecraft:  Draw a sketch of what the set for "Top of the Form" would look like.  What music would work for the theme of the show?  (Try to bring an example for Monday.)  How will you accomplish the end of the play?  (It doesn't have to be exactly what is described in the script.)

Directors/Writers:  How would you cast this sketch if you had the power (from the actors in our class)?  What makes something a comedy?  Our question of the day was about our most embarrassing moments.  Embarrassment can be a source of comedy -- think about a comedy sketch you could write based on one of the embarrassing moments someone other than yourself described.

Journals are due on Tuesday.

comedy isn't easy

When you watch a comedian doing a standup routine, or watch actors performing in comedies, a lot of times it looks very natural and unrehearsed, but that is part of the trick.  Comedy is really challenging and lots of actors take it very seriously (ironically enough).  Look at the "Talking Funny" discussion with Jerry Seinfled, Chris Rock, Ricky Gervais and Louis CK (you can find it on Youtube).  They discuss how much practice it takes to seem as if you're just casually talking to an audience. 

Michael Richards, the actor who played Kramer on "Seinfeld", was a "method" actor.  (The "method" is an acting technique developed by directors and acting teachers, like Konstantin Stanislavsky and Lee Strasberg, in which an actor tries to get inside the head of the character he plays and grapple with the real emotion that the character is experiencing.  It can help an actor create an astonishingly real performance, but it can lead to excess as well, like Robert de Niro gaining sixty pounds to perform in the movie, "Raging Bull" or actors taking hours to "get into character" and even taking their performances home with them).  Michael Richards would spend long hours developing comic bits for Kramer to do and then when the other actors didn't do what he expected or wanted them to do, he would become quite angry.  He found if they weren't able to stay in character, that it was a terrible distraction to him and very unprofessional.  (He was right, in this respect.)  "Kramer" is a timeless character which Michael Richards created with a great deal of thought.  He didn't just show up on the set and hope that something would happen.  It is interesting to listen to him talk about his thought process when creating the aspects of Kramer we might take for granted:  the crazy hair, the little sounds, the vintage clothes, his entrances into Jerry's apartment.

We can learn from actors and comedians like this.  I am preparing to perform in a play called "Momma Won't Fly" and there are a lot of parts of the play that I know are supposed to be comic bits and I am really thinking about how I can get laughs out of them.  I am not inventive like Michael Richards is, and it is a daunting prospect to know that in three weeks you'll be going out on stage and the audience will be wanting to laugh, but if you don't deliver, they won't.  I keep going over this one part of the play and wondering how Michael Richards (or Lucille Ball or someone like that -- one of these really amazing comic performers) would do it.  I know they'd be funny but I can't guarantee the same will be true of me.  I'll let you know if I come up with something.

Here we go!

Welcome to another hopefully fun-filled year of school with lots of success and curiosity and discovery!  It was great to meet all of you today and I hope we'll be able to do lots of good work in Drama together.

Grade 8's:  Here is the Shakespeare recitation: 

All the world's a stage
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances
And one man in his time plays many parts.

(Make note that, in the second line, the plural of "woman" is "women" (pronounced wimmen) and the second last word is "merely", not nearly. )

Grade 9's:  We will see your tableaus tomorrow!

Senior Drama:  Make sure you know when you and your partner are to present your warmup activities.

There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so

We voted 86% to accept the deal and so we will be back in school on Monday.  We talked about it on the picket line and found out more about what was in the fine print of the deal, and although it is not what we had hoped for, it isn't as bad as it could have been either.  The courts have decided that we teachers have the right to bargain over class size and composition, and so after the government's appeal is heard (which argues that we do not have that right) and hopefully lost, we will be able to re-enter negotiations and deal with that issue, which is very important to us.

And we will get back to our jobs and our classrooms and figuring out what we will do day to day and kids will fill the halls and soon it'll feel like we've never been gone!  Right now, it's like I've forgotten everything and I wonder how I will manage, but I've done it for many years and I think I'll figure it out.

I must say I was very proud of the teachers at my school.  They were very committed and determined on the picket line and for the most part, they were positive and did their best to keep a good attitude in what was a very difficult and scary time.  I appreciated everyone's contribution to our efforts and I hope we can keep the feeling of being engaged together in good work when we return to class.  Sometimes it feels good to go through these terrible times with other people who share your goals and your struggles.  At least, if you come out relatively unscathed at the end.

We've been watching this series on the Roosevelts on PBS.  It is fascinating.  I didn't realize that Teddy Roosevelt was such a thoughtful and forward-looking president -- I always remember the guy in "Arsenic and Old Lace"  who imagined he was Teddy Roosevelt and think of him, instead of the actual person, and then I remember how Teddy was a big hunter, which I don't like.  Of course, Franklin and Eleanor were an extraordinary couple and I know their politics are closer to mine, and it is inspiring to see how they tried to bring the United States out of the Depression with public works and social security and progressive labour laws.  It's one of those Ken Burns films which are strangely compelling, with the camera panning over still pictures and actors reading the speeches of the people.  Meryl Streep is playing Eleanor. 

If this is disjointed, it's no wonder.  William is talking non-stop about five feet away and although I've shushed him several times, he can't seem to shush!

Not with a bang, but a whimper

It appears that we have a tentative agreement which our union is recommending.  I just came home from an information meeting at the Bethany Church in Richmond.  I wanted to hear some wisdom from the pulpit, but our local union leaders are still unsure about a lot of what is in the offer.  There were a lot of passionate people there urging people to vote no and I understand why.  We appear to have paid for any gains we made through the money we lost on the picket line.  A lot of people made the point that we were out to get improvements to the school system and we have not achieved that.  I left the meeting feeling pretty defeated.  As always, there are no easy decisions and of course, lots of teachers have strained their finances to the limit and can't imagine one more week with no income (or two or however many).  Lots of us really want to get back to school.  I want my kids back in school.  But can we say "yes" to something that we think is bad?  Or do we say "yes" and live to fight again?

Some people asked what things would look like if we did vote no.  But no one seemed to have a plan for that eventuality.  I expect we would continue to picket but with much less support from the public (even though many online posts are already vitriolic, I think most people understand what we're doing and support us).  Then the government could apply to the LRB to force us back to school, but we would probably return under similar conditions to the ones we faced in June -- rotating strikes, the lockout before, after and at breaks during school, no extracurricular activities (because of the lockout), and our pay being docked by 10%.  The government could legislate us back to work and impose a contract, possibly much worse than what we face with this offer.  Then, it would probably be much of the same thing.  At a time when I would hope to feel optimistic, I feel demoralized.  We have fought the good fight, but perhaps the struggle continues. 

I don't know how I'll vote tomorrow.  This is an unusual situation for me.  I usually make up my mind and have a strong idea of what is right and what I will do.  This time I just feel sad and disappointed and uncertain.  I hope that I and my colleagues can find the wisdom to do what will be best in the long run.  I hope to see all of you very soon.

"Anatolia Speaks"

As I said, my creativity group and I went to the Fringe Festival on Sunday.  We saw some entertaining shows and one was terrific.  It was called "Anatolia Speaks" and was about a woman who had come to Canada as a refugee from Bosnia.  The actor, Candace Fiorentino, was really great, using slides to show photos of where she works in Canada -- The Real Canadian Superstore (a nice little metaphor, I think) and the people she knows and her family back in Srebrenica and the Canadian soldier she met when she was fleeing her home.  It was very moving and also funny and it made me think about a lot of important things, which is what you want theatre to do.

I remember when I had never heard of Bosnia.  It was part of the former Yugoslavia and after the second world war, Yugoslavia was a country which included Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Slovenia and Montenegro (and Macedonia, I think).  It existed under the iron fist of Joseph Tito.  People who lived in other Soviet block countries saw it as very prosperous, but I remember a Croatian woman I worked with at Taxation (before the country split apart) said that you were not able to go anywhere without your ID and that she had felt like she wanted to emigrate to Canada for a different life.  Once Tito died, the ethnic tensions between the different sections of the country erupted into a horrible war with neighbours against neighbours and entire beautiful cities destroyed in battle.  I have trouble really understanding how it could happen, how civilized people could somehow see guns and killing as a way to proceed in a modern world, especially in a place that was so beautiful and seemingly successful and sophisticated and cultured.  I remember my co-worker did say that the Serbians were "animals" and that shocked me because, in Canada, you don't often hear other people characterized in that way.  She felt no compunction in saying it and all the Canadians who were there felt decidedly uncomfortable and someone quickly changed the subject, because we really didn't know what to say.  She was a lovely woman in many ways, but certainly the ethnic animosities that caused the war were imbedded in her world view.  I remember the horror we felt here when the war was unfolding and the helplessness of the West to make the horror stop.  Westerners have so many conflicting points of view -- the idea that we know best, that democracy is the way to go, that countries have a right to self determination, that we don't want to interfere in other countries' internal affairs, that people need to find ways to compromise, that ethnic hatred is dangerous (some of our points of view are right, I think, but some -- do we know best?  These things never have simple answers -- like in eastern Ukraine -- do we really understand what is going on there?  Can we, when we are so far away in place and time?)  Anyway, Anatolia's personal story helped us focus on these bigger issues, while at the same time providing us with a window into her heart and soul.  I really found it to be excellent theatre.

The Fringe continues until September 14, so why not trek down to Granville Island and see a show?  I usually make an effort to pick shows that I think will be edifying in some way, by studying the program and looking at reviews and that sort of thing, but I think next year, I'll just choose randomly and see what we get.  Go in to a show blind and let it just happen around me!  That'll be a bit of a theatrical adventure!

The strike continues.  I'm having some dark nights of the soul worrying and wondering if we will ever be back inside the school doing what we should be doing, but we soldier on and try to keep a positive attitude on the picket line.  The ball is in the government's court now, so we are waiting to see if they can meet us halfway (at the net?  maybe we can shake hands and get a deal that satisfies both sides?  I know, it doesn't look good, but the darkest hour is just before dawn, they say.)

Wake me up, when September ends

Well, we should have a week's worth of school in, but we are still walking the picket line.  We went to a big rally at Canada Place yesterday and it was quite encouraging to see all the other unions there with their banners and their signs.  There were lots of good speeches -- there is a real skill in making a speech that can rouse a crowd, like Marc Antony does in "Julius Caesar".  Some politicians have it, like Tommy Douglas did.  It isn't being loud, or overly dramatic.  In a way, it's an intangible thing, but it does include a bit of humour and a bit of passion and a sense for where to stop and wait for people to clap.  The head of the BC Federation of Labour, Jim Sinclair, has it.  He was making quite a rousing speech and suddenly a young-ish woman came up to the mike on the stage and started babbling about something -- it sounded like a confused wedding proposal or something.  Everyone in the crowd was thinking, "what is this?  is this some performance piece or something?"  Of course, I wondered if it was a metaphor!  But some of the people on the stage helped the woman off, and then Jim Sinclair got back to it without a skipped beat.  I hope with every fibre of my being that this thing can get settled next week.  We all want to get back to our classrooms and I hope we can get back to normal, too.  I don't want to go back to rotating strikes and that awful lockout, I want to go back to real school, and do all the things we normally do.  I want to start rehearsals and worry about the show instead of not being gainfully employed!

Tomorrow, my creativity group and I are going to the Fringe Festival which has become a bit of a tradition for us.  If you're looking for something to do, the Festival runs till September 14, with shows all over Granville Island, and extending to the Cultch (Vancouver East Cultural Centre).  It can be hit and miss, because they don't vet the works -- you apply to present your play and it's first come first served, so some of them are vanity projects and some of them are not polished and all passion, but it's very inexpensive ($14 per show) and even bad shows can be entertaining if you come with the right attitude.  We're going to see "Anatolia Speaks", "Deranged Dating" and "Eye Candy".  You can get a Fringe program at community centres and coffee shops and can access it on line as well, so check it out.  Since we're not in school, it's a good productive way to spend some of your time.

While we're waiting for school to start, don't just sit in your house and stare at your computer all day.  Go to the library and get a book to read and find a project for yourself.  I'm writing up a storm -- it's productive (I hope) and it gets my mind off my troubles.  Keep the faith.  Write to your MLA and ask when you're going to get back to school.  And then let me know . . .

The longer the picket line, the shorter the strike!

In honour of Labour Day, I have used this old labour saying, although I must confess this morning I feel as pessimistic and defeated as it is possible for a glass half full person like myself to feel.  No matter what I have thought and hoped for all along, the news has been unrelentingly worse and worse and it certainly doesn't help to have the premier trashing us on Facebook and Twitter.   I am not going to fight that battle here, but I will say that many teachers feel like Christy Clark has it "in" for us and the nasty attacks I've read from her in the news make that idea seem less like paranoia and more like reality.

I went for a nice outing to the Nitobe Garden at UBC yesterday.  It is considered to be one of the most authentic Japanese gardens in North America and it is lovely and peaceful and really helped my frame of mind.  There is thick green moss everywhere and you could imagine yourself lying under the stars and sleeping with your backpack and your walking stick as you made your Basho pilgrimage through medieval Japan.  There is running water and still water and lots of little benches in different sunny and shady spots.  We watched the dragonflies dipping in for bugs on the water and then the carp splashing up trying to catch the dragonflies.  The natural world can provide us with a different perspective that is comforting and calming, even though I guess the poor dragonflies don't feel that way when a huge carp leaps out of the water and snaps at them.  I guess I'm the dragonfly and Christy Clark is the carp!

Unions, the people who brought you weekends!

Here is a copy of the letter I wrote to Christy Clark, Peter Fassbinder and my MLA, Linda Reimer:

All right, this is ridiculous.  You and your government have had over a year to reach some sort of labour peace with the teachers and you seem to have no idea how to get past the impasse that you have created.  Teachers have been willing to change their salary demands and have made a number of proposals to solve the problems your government created with regard to class size and composition and you have done nothing.

It appears that public schools will not open as they should on September 2.  Of course, that doesn't concern you, Ms. Clark, since your son will still be able to attend his private school without interruption.  Aren't you ashamed?  If you aren't, you should be.  One of the most important roles of government is to provide services to its citizenry.  In this respect, you have clearly dropped the ball.  If you can't do your jobs, perhaps you should all consider standing aside and letting a more capable group take over.

I am a teacher and a parent.  You have offered to provide me with forty dollars a day to deal with my 12 year old son's needs while you stand helplessly by and let his school remain closed.  I also have a 15 year old son, but you appear to be unconcerned about his educational needs.  You have offered me nothing as a teacher to demonstrate that you value and understand the important work I do in my classroom, my school and my community.  Shame on you all.

*********************
 As you can imagine, I'm feeling very apprehensive and defeated by the lack of progress at the bargaining table.  It feels like this situation will never get solved.  Obviously, something will eventually happen and schools will open again and we will be back in our classrooms, but when and what will that look like?

If you want to observe Labour Day in an appropriate way, perhaps a letter to your MLA might inspire him or her to see what can be done to find a solution to this nightmarish situation.