The Big Brown Mushroom - revisited!
Yes around this time last year - The Academy@ KLPac team was working on The Big Brown Mushroom. We had put up this play specially to provide an op
portunity for the children of the Academy to perform on Stage.
We got our kids from ages 5 onwards till 16 to play this simple story that talks about Freedom, Tolerance and Generosity. The author was Sue Scout and adapted by yours truly. I felt like I did a good job in defining the characters of the Loud and Soft people and had a time lapse of 5 years at the end of the play - whereby the forest is no longer there and there is a skyscape of a city. Basically highlighting to my students that somethinng like that can happen to them. One day they are playing in a park and next it's no longer there all because some greedy business man wanted to make more money.
The kids were simply great - some a little naughty of course - even though i had warned them. The kids had fun most of the time - whenever i was not shouting and screaming at them. But i love them and only wanted them to work hard and make sure that they 'entertain' the people paying to watch the show. They as 'actors' have to transform the words on the script and make them real.
Lawrence (Academy Assistant) was my sound man in charge of selecting the music / sound effects and recording them and operating the sound during the performance.
Deda (Academy Co-ordinator) was the costume designer, mistress, stage manager, make-up person, artist who helped touch up the 'forest', the disciplin person who made sure the kids were quiet back-stage. (She did an excellent job but I'm sure, she'll never want to do it again.) :)
My most memorable moment (only because I haven't forgotten them after so long) 2 incidents with the 5 year olds (by the way - they were developing some kind of love affair during the production. Kids now-days!)
Lauren played the part of the 'little' "soft people" and tended to be off focused and wandering off by herself within the stage area during rehearsals. I told her that she needed to be more focused and work with the group so she is seen a the "soft people". Her reply was - "teacher nala, i'm little just like my brother, so I'll be naughty just like my brother!" I simply had to 'kow-tow' to her as she at that age understood character.
Xin Wei - (his mom was worried as during our class presentation, Xin Wei decided to be an attention seeker by creating his own thing - nothing like the presentation we prepared.) Anyway this kid comes for rehersal a little early and sits at the academy foyer complaining about the amout of biscuit crumbs on the floor.
Later we go for rehearsal and the birds are supposed to say "I'm hungry, I haven't eaten for days" and our smart-alec says that there are crumbs outside at the foyer!
Yes around this time last year - The Academy@ KLPac team was working on The Big Brown Mushroom. We had put up this play specially to provide an op
portunity for the children of the Academy to perform on Stage.We got our kids from ages 5 onwards till 16 to play this simple story that talks about Freedom, Tolerance and Generosity. The author was Sue Scout and adapted by yours truly. I felt like I did a good job in defining the characters of the Loud and Soft people and had a time lapse of 5 years at the end of the play - whereby the forest is no longer there and there is a skyscape of a city. Basically highlighting to my students that somethinng like that can happen to them. One day they are playing in a park and next it's no longer there all because some greedy business man wanted to make more money.
The kids were simply great - some a little naughty of course - even though i had warned them. The kids had fun most of the time - whenever i was not shouting and screaming at them. But i love them and only wanted them to work hard and make sure that they 'entertain' the people paying to watch the show. They as 'actors' have to transform the words on the script and make them real.
Lawrence (Academy Assistant) was my sound man in charge of selecting the music / sound effects and recording them and operating the sound during the performance.
Deda (Academy Co-ordinator) was the costume designer, mistress, stage manager, make-up person, artist who helped touch up the 'forest', the disciplin person who made sure the kids were quiet back-stage. (She did an excellent job but I'm sure, she'll never want to do it again.) :)
My most memorable moment (only because I haven't forgotten them after so long) 2 incidents with the 5 year olds (by the way - they were developing some kind of love affair during the production. Kids now-days!)Lauren played the part of the 'little' "soft people" and tended to be off focused and wandering off by herself within the stage area during rehearsals. I told her that she needed to be more focused and work with the group so she is seen a the "soft people". Her reply was - "teacher nala, i'm little just like my brother, so I'll be naughty just like my brother!" I simply had to 'kow-tow' to her as she at that age understood character.
Xin Wei - (his mom was worried as during our class presentation, Xin Wei decided to be an attention seeker by creating his own thing - nothing like the presentation we prepared.) Anyway this kid comes for rehersal a little early and sits at the academy foyer complaining about the amout of biscuit crumbs on the floor.
Later we go for rehearsal and the birds are supposed to say "I'm hungry, I haven't eaten for days" and our smart-alec says that there are crumbs outside at the foyer!
I miss the kids but will be working with some of them this year and hopefully we have a production. I don't have enough boys in a play called "Girls will be Girls" and some of the girls have to play boy.
The Big Brown Mushroom still lives - this year I'm working with a group of children from Rumah HOPE. Thanks to Prudential and their Chairman's Award project - these children get an opportunity to work on the script and perform. It is frustrating that the kids don't come as scheduled - most of them are missing (out for other activities). Last week I only got 4 children coming and not the 15.
(Pixs by Kelab Fotografi Shashin)Good Part: Guess what - I'm getting 3 children from Kiwanis to play the part of the birds (They don't want to be birds though - they want to be a Tiger, a Snake & a Cat.)
(was supposed to write this in April 07 - instead only managed to get it down to words on 16 Sept 07)
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