Take A Bow

2 May 2012. Hence, the final performance day hath arrived!

Everybody did so well, I almost cried, both by being touched as well as tears of laughter. All of us put on a magnificent show tonight.Me and Eric were given the honour of curtain rising. So we kicked off the show with a little zest of McDonalds and some chick-checkinout attitude.

All our rehearsals, me and Eric, they finally paid off. We may have our ups and downs during the journey towards the final performances, but hey look where it brought us? I can never have a better theatre partner other than Eric himself. We bonded so well with the characters resulting in what I believe was a massively successful performance based on the audiences' reactions. I don't care I'm grabbing that A grade from Mr Rey today!

This has been both mentally and physically exhausting journey, I'm not gonna lie about that. And I thought it was worse in THTR101. But I enjoyed every single bit of the journey. I still find it hard to believe that its over. We, the pioneers of THTR102 offered in Taylors' Lakeside University, have finally completed the first semester of it with a bang!

I gotta say I'm gonna miss all the awesome people in THTR102. It opened my eyes to so many different individual characteristics as well as getting to know the class better. Theatre doesn't bring the experience to you, we are the ones that brings the experience to theatre, and that's what we do. We create our unique acts and performances to be enjoyed by audiences around any possible places. Thank you all once again, and to Mr Rey, for guiding me through THTR102 and adding to my book of Awesome Adventures.

"You know what I REALLY like Ty? BREASTS!!!!"

Yours truly,

- Josh ~

Sunday's rehearsal.

30th April 2012.

Met up and got close to the THTR101 students. They were quite friendly. I had a good talk with them about how their performance was and what needed to be improved. Reminds of my THTR101 experience myself.

Ideas developed more for my scene. Apparently Mr Rey suggess we interact with the audience. By interact, he meant asking them to turn off their handphones, and no flash photography, as well as many pointing of the fingers to indicate some of our scripts unto the audience.

Did the bump and tack today. Everybody was working hard. I never had seen a theatre preparation so formal and 'ready' for a performance before in my life, not even in theatre 101.

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A fun experience I had today. SOMEBODY locked one of the changing rooms, and in it were everybody's belongings eg, makeup, handbags, water bottles and you name it. We walked around campus for 1 hour trying to find the keys to open the door. After asking security, they came and tried the door, but to no avail. Apparently they can't find the right keys to open the door. Many of us became frantic as some were leaving home already. So I offered to climb up the roof through the panels from the other changing room, With Adam and Eric helping to pile up blocks and holding them steady, i climbed over.

I had to thread lightly, the panels were so weak that it couldn't support my whole weight. Nevertheless I pulled through, suffering a few scratches and cuts, but the experience was fun. I enjoyed.

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Just a highlight of the night I guess :)

Beatsheet.

Beatsheet for Guys - Robb Badlam

Duff: Me (Joshua Wong)
Ty: Eric Tan

Duff: You know what i really like Ty?


Ty: Whats that duff ?   (disinterested)


Duff: Breasts


Ty: Sure


Duff: No I'm serious, I'm really fond of them (gotta get him interested)


Ty: Okay


Duff: (So I elaborate more) Not too big not too small just a good round breast


Ty: Roundness is key  (thinks about breasts)

Duff: And firmness, somewhere between a water balloon and a nerf ball


Ty: Its important

Duff: Hey Ty, you suppose major Mc Cheese has much of the hot sex


Ty: Hmm? ( clueless)

Duff: Mayor Mc Cheese


Ty: Yeah (very sure)

Duff: How'd you figure


Ty: He's the mayor !

Duff: But he's got this big freakish head full of soggy meat


Ty: Never underestimate the allure of celebrity

Duff: The Allure of celebrity?


Ty: Dude, people have sex with Steve Buscemi (trying to convince duff)

Duff: But you ever suppose anybody just takes a big bite out of his head?


Ty: Steve Buscemi (shocked)

Duff: Mayor Mc Cheese , i mean he's got a big head full of soggy meat you wouldn't suppose anybody just goes up to him and bites him


Ty: No (irritated)

Duff: Why not?


Ty: He's the mayor

Duff: What are you reading?


Ty: Crossword

Duff: You're reading the crossword?


Ty: I'm doing the crossword (even more irritated)

Duff: But you're not writing anything down


Ty: I'm doing it in my head

Duff: in your head?


Ty: Yeah, its pretty hard (subtly drops hint to ask duff to leave him alone)

Duff: why are you doing it in your head?


Ty: I lost my pen

Duff: You could use another pen


Ty: I don't have another pen (pissed off)

Duff: You could borrow someone elses pen


Ty: I liked my pen


Duff: you could go buy a new pen


Ty: That's a lot of trouble to go through just for a crossword.

Duff: So you lost your pen, and now your going to go through the whole rest of your life, without writing anything down


Ty: Its not much of a plan, but it'll do for now


Duff: You know what we really need Ty


Ty: Girlfriends Duff? (sudden realization of how sad his life is without female accompaniment)

Duff: Yeah

Duff: Dude five o'clock


Ty:Yours or mine (confused)

Duff: Yours

Duff: Not Yet


Ty: Whats the recon? (curious)


Duff: No visible rings, no apparent male accompaniment


Ty: and for lunch?

Duff: I believed she's selected the McNuggets


Ty: Solid Menu choice

Duff: Ok she's not looking


Ty: (Tosses chip) Zoiks (overwhelmed)

Duff: That is not an unattractive young lady


Ty: Hear Hear (agrees)

Duff: If women could just spend half and hour inside the male brain they would never talk to us again


Ty: They don't talk to us now (confused)


Duff: No no i mean all guys , MEN. When they finally figured out that fully one half of the male brain is constantly masturbating, and we can't help it its nature.


Ty: Yeah, Like photosynthesis (making sense)

Duff: completely independent of our higher brain activity, and its not just your leering construction 
workers its all, its all Guys


Ty: Yeah its everybody.

Duff: You're damn skippy


Ty:You know my dad once told me he wanted to come back in the next life as a women's bicycle seat (makes a joke about dad)

Duff: Your dad has some issues he needs to work out dude.
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Duff: TY! TY, she has a pen .


Ty: My pen? (happy)

Duff: No..

Duff: Ask her if she can borrow it


Ty: But its not my pen

Duff: Dude work with me here. (Trying to get him to understand the point)

Ty: and if it was my pen i couldn't borrow it , you can't borrow something that doesn't belong to you (stuck in his own thought)


Duff: Dude! This is not about the Pen!.

Ty: Oh! , an In (realizing the implication and opportunity)

Duff: Bingo (Mission accomplished, he understands)


Ty: That's a high difficulty maneuver dude.

Duff: Opportunity is knocking my friend, she has a pen you have a pen, this can't be more perfect


Ty: Why don't you ask her? (convinces duff to ask her instead)

Duff: I don't need a pen........... (looks for another method) take off your watch

Ty: What?


Duff: Take off your watch

Ty: Why? (confused)


Duff: so you can ask her what time it is

Ty: Why don't you ( asks duff to go do it )


Duff: I'm not wearing a watch

Ty: ......Eh Duff ( tries to make sense of what he just heard)

Duff: Shut up Ty. (trying to cut him off in case of more embarressment)

Ty: if you are the one that really wants to talk to her, why do you want me to go over there and do it?


Duff: You'll be my facilitator. (trying to justify why i 


Ty: Your facilitator?


Duff: Yeah you know break the ice a little small talk , you go ask her about pens like a warm up band


Ty: a Warm up band?


Duff: Yeah!


Ty: No (shoots him down)


Ty: Just go


Duff: What?


Ty: Just over there and introduce yourself.


Duff: You're pretty damn brave with somebody else's neck on the line.


Ty: Neck? what neck , this a neck free situation whats the worst she can do? Say no


Duff: I can't


Ty: fifty bucks


Duff: what ?


Ty: fifty bucks you go over there and say "hello", and if she says "no thanks i have a boyfriend eat 
mace and die freak boy" there's fifty bucks in it for you, to soften the blow (offering a deal)


Duff: and where are you gonna get fifty bucks ?


Ty: I'll sell a kidney , dude fifty bucks


Duff: and what if she says yes?


Ty: You win a cookie , dammit man the real victory is going over there (convincing him)


Duff: okay .


Duff: I can't


Ty: Why? (questions him)


Duff : Because


Ty: FIFTY AMERICAN DOLLARS (pushing the victory condition)


Duff: NO no , i can't do it.


Ty: (chicken noises) (mocking him)


Duff: That's not fair


Ty: Fifty bucks


Duff: Not enough! (extremely angry)


Ty: how about fifty bucks and whatever is left of your dignity


Duff: What?


Ty: Didn't think so (dissapointed)


Duff: You don't believe i can bring myself over there and introduce myself to a woman? (feeling that Ty didnt believe his skills 


Ty: No


Duff: I'll have you know i have talked to many many women in my life.


Ty: Waitresses, Checkout clerks, the occasional telemarketer ,,, (shoots Duff (insult)) MOM.


Duff: Oh that's it i will not be mocked i'm going over there! I'm there already ....(stunned, trying to locate the girl)


Ty: Gone isn't she?


Duff: You know what i really like Ty?


Ty: Breasts?


Duff: *Mumbles Yeah (slams fist on table because of missing a chance to hookup with the girl)

20 April 2012

Me and Eric woke up at 5 to get our props ready to bring to class today. We were the first there, so Mr Rey worked with us first.

Honestly, I was shocked at his criticism. I didn't know how much detail we were lacking in our play. He started from A - Z about what was needed to be improved, as well as mentioning about space and things that outstage us.

Here are the details to keep me posted.

- Never use the Mcdonald's dinner set box. It outstages the actors because it's too big.

- Do not wear specs on stage. I have seriously forgotten why, but its in my favor since I don't like wearing it.

- Needs music. Ambiance needed.

- SPEAK LOUDER.. I mumble too much, I still haven't got a habit for projecting my voice.

- Need to move around. All of our practices involved only sitting.

Hey listen! A symphony of Destruction!

BOOM and FINALLY our scene for Finals!

- GUYS by Robb Badlam. -

That was our title entitled to us as characters. Here is the object exercise.

"Guys by robb Badlam"
Who am i ?
I am Lud Van Duffman, a sophomore from the University of San Diego. 

Where am i?
At Mcdonalds , having lunch Ty, my best friend since pre-school.

What time is it?
Its in the middle of the day, we just finished our classes and we are going to McDonalds for lunch

What surrounds me?
A hot girl who comes in whilst we are eating
A burger. 
Ty. 
Other people in Mcdonalds.

What are my relationships?
Hot girl - stranger that is very hot, i tried to check her out
Ty - Trying to get him interested in my interests - Breasts. But he keeps shutting me off. Trying to enjoy my burger and checking out girls at the same time.

What are the given circumstances?
I am relatively good looking and unkempt.

What do i want?
I want to get hooked up to any girl, because I'm in dire need of a girlfriend.

What is in my way?
Ty, because he isn't going to help me get a girl.

What do i do to get what i want?
Muster enough courage to get myself to ask that hot girl stranger out for a date.

THE MASKS.

This morning we have a small little nice meeting, long time since we had one that's nice. In my terms at least.

So again and again, every action has to be justified. I have to keep reminding myself this point because it reminds me of why I'm doing it. Can't be on stage for no reason. And it is said that everything on stage is a Verb. An action. I'll be interested to get that book Rey showed us. Damn I forgot most of the important details today. Ill be sure to take a notebook with me next class.

Today we finally did Characterization. Most of us including me have been waiting for this for a very long time. I learnt the essences about masks. One should not touch the face of the mask, or lie the mask face-down on the table. Each mask has different personalities compared to white masks, called the neutral masks. I also learnt that when the mask is put on, you are now known as, the mask itself. Let the mask absorb you.

Nonetheless, each of us got to wear the mask and do a series of acts with it, with Rey and the crowd in command. The key to it was, don't think of what the mask can do for you, because you won't have time to think at all. It was fun playing around with the masks. I got to wear the blond wig that David wanted so bad, hahahaha.

Friday up, Neutral Scenes. Another round of beat sheets and scrips coming up..

Object Exercise for Neutral Scene

Who am I?

- I am a brother towards Eric.

Where am I?

- At a funeral.

What time is it?

- Late afternoon.

What surrounds me?

- Rain and dark atmosphere.

What are my relationships?

- Siblings and loved one.

What are the given circumstances?

- Our mother just passed away.