Today's Muse: Everyone Else Has Had More Sex Than Me

New toy - A first gen Creative Zen Neeon. A steal, too - 6GB for just $149. Finally, the transition from disc player to mp3 has been made. Even the bundled earphones that came with the player are miles above my old ones.

This video makes me happy. Trying to get me filthy mitts on the Ergo Proxy OST.

More work pouring in. There's the Chingay parade, which promises to be great fun. Assessment projects are taking shape, and expectations are definitely a notch higher than last year. Dance; presentation on Jacques Lecoq for Movement; Legend of The Curse piece for Play Analysis; duologue for Acting... And the Youth Company schedule! Woo.

Everything's going pretty smoothly, methinks. Legend of The Curse, for example, is a self-directed presentation for mid-semester assessment. It's a chorus piece from Berkoff's Agamemnon, and we've got the largest group. But it's surprising how much we've choreographed already, despite our size. In fact, rehearsal processes are a dream - everyone's giving ideas AND listening and considering. We all seem to be on the same wave-length, with movements coming very naturally.

Oh, oh!

Hungry.

We presented about half-an-hour's worth in Scene Prep, and we pulled it off. We had shown various scenes here and there in class this semester, but this was the first time we were running it through for an audience; complete with transitions, something we had been wrestling with since the beginning. And it went well. That's the truth. It is amazing what even a small audience will do - besides our classmates, the Tech Theatre Level 1's sat in. We do have to clean up some of the transitions; get rid of dead time, which I think ate into our half-hour limit.

Teach Matt commented how the surreal nature of the script allowed us to explore; more breathing space around performances - and I think that sums up why Hungry was chosen for this project. Something different, something new, something to play with. And it paid off, playing with character choices and movement - despite the quirky and sometimes extreme performances, they were all balanced.

A shout-out to Jac, our baby-in-a-jar - she's been working really hard on this, despite the difficulty and weird positions the character entails - but during that presentation it really paid off. "Excellent performance developing", were the exact words, and I know those mean a lot to you. I grin at you.

I think we should slow down now, before the final presentation, before we burn out. Just tweaking bits here and there. Hell, yesterday while watching Smoking Incense at the Substation, Laura came up with a brill idea to circumvent the lighting and transition problem.

I get to work with the terrific-est people. Eee hee hee.


First Young Company meet today. It was a working session, involving rolling around and much hopping. Eight weeks of body conditioning for the May extravaganza at Fort Canning. And mooooore shows! On stage! With them bright lights and ev'rything!


I'm so hyped up on how this year is shaping up. And I hope yours is, too. Sweet Amy-girl's all the way in Canada-land, and from her letters and pictures is very happy. Hullo, Amy-girl. I wave at you, here in technologically-primitive Singapore.

And so, I leave you with this:
Bruce Osborn's Oyako Photo Exhibit

Today's Muse: Head. Pillow. Boom.

Got my semester one results in the mail. Honours all round. Whee.

I've steered clear of Friendster, MySpace and what-not. But I have, I'm glad to say, jumped onto the ComicSpace bandwagon. And like Chris of Ghouly Boys writes, I just want to add everyone to the friend horde - they're there because they like comics, just as I do.

At any rate, I'm here. Nothing fancy up yet, though.

GBM ends its run tomorrow night, then it's bump-out immediately, because another show has it's bump-in Monday morning at 6am. Closing party Monday night. Eeeeexcellent.

Then it's a week of scuttling between Yio Chu Kang to help out with Iris' children's camp and school for Hungry rehearsals, as well as finishing up homework.

Then, after all that, I can finally keel over and die.

Today's Muse: Nibble Nibble - The High Point Of Work-a-Day

The more interesting things get, the less I have to say.

Here, that is. If I run into you on the street, I'd talk your ear off. There are just some stories best told in person.

But I want to tell you. I want to share everything that's been going on - the rude jokes I've heard, the people I've met, the accidents I keep getting into. I want to hear you laugh at some of these stories, because I know you'll love them. I want to see you roll your eyes when you hear about how I manage to get hit in the eye with fucking confetti. I want to show you the script I've got here for school; talk to you about the ideas we've got for transitions, and if we're in the dance studio how we're completely screwed. I want to show you the books I found in the bargain bin.

I'm seeing a pattern with the last couple of posts; are you?



I'm working on The Little Company's The Gingerbread Man, for free. I like to think of it as experience gathering. Ma calls it exploitation.

It's ridiculously fun, whether it's watching the cast work, or repairing props, or listening to the tech team chatter over cans while waiting for the house to fill. The past week had me falling into bed still dressed in stage blacks, but now the show has more or less fallen into some sort of rhythm. Some of the people involved - both cast and crew - are already moving on to other projects while GBM is still playing, with people dashing off after the performances to attend readings or auditions or what-not.

It's been a hoot. They're a vivacious, open lot. Even though I'm not getting paid or extra credit for this, I'm definately getting more out of this than I did from the Mediacorp thing. It helps that I actually know why I'm here, what I can do, and what I can't do I can learn. It's... fwoosh bish-bosh-whee!

There is no wing space at the DBS Arts Centre. Throw in the set with the high platform, the poky mousehole and whatnot - ppfft. You practically have to press yourself against the walls, and hope you don't trip any cables or buttons.

They throw a lot of stuff offstage. Eee-hee.

And the kids! They're pretty much part of the show. Oh, some of the answers they yell back. Today's audience was especially sweet - shushing Cuckoo during his song because the other characters were napping.

And there's no subsitute for that moment in the wings, in the dark, the house holding its collective breath, just before lights go up and tick-tick-tick starts the show...


Hungry rehearsals go slowly. The more we delve into the play the more complex things seem to get. Are we in over our heads? Sometimes it feels like that. Are we going about preparing for this show in the right way?

Are the stakes high enough?

Sometimes it feels like a solid "No."


This house ought to have more cake. That would make everything loads better.

Today's Muse: Can you slap a copyright on an internet meme?

My God. It's nice being busy.

It does seem like I've more to do now that school's out. Just today: Hungry rehearsals in school in the morning, looking for a gift for Laura (the loveliest I've known) whilst navigating the shopping district in the rain, then a bus ride up to Tampines for dinner at Fazri's, an insane bus-train-bus trip back to town for GBM rehearsals (where Joyce nearly got crushed by the MRT doors), then some weird shit at Clark Quay into the wee hours.

Now home to read and write essay-like things. And look at Hungry designs. Just look.

It's fantastic having so much going on. So much to do, to say, to see.

There's something to be said for running screaming after a bus with like-minded people. For painting silly titchy flowers on a purple teapot while they sing and dance in the next room. For pulling off one's sweater in the middle of the store in the name of finding a present. For sneaking around looking for empty studios to practice in. For walking out of a library with eight books and that silly, materalistic vibe one gets with an armful of books. For Freudian slips. For pretending to beat the shit out of each other and getting graded for it. For putting your name down first on a brand-new sign-up sheet for performance practice. For cinema antics. For Doctor Who discussions. For making lists that couldn't possibly convey how wonderful and stressful and gnaw-worthy the past couple of months have been.

D'aww, I'm all sappy noooow.

Today's Muse: Distraction.

Hungry cast. Group issues look sorted. Blocking begins tomorrow.

Exceeeellent.


It'd be perfect if I wasn't so distracted. I don't think I've ever wanted to kill someone so badly before. Gnash.

Today's Muse: "Oh Mother help me I'm looking for..."

We've been divided into groups, to put up a short play of our choosing. Understandable friction. No fear. Passion for script settled on overrides everything.

Local theatre does tend to be very symbolic. So, despite reservations voiced after our initial reading, I still believe this will work. The dialogue is meandering; the short scenes, like MTV clips, often hinge on a single, arresting image or idea. Which reflects the setting of the play; all the characters are trapped in limbo, and seek only food to fill non-existent bellies.

I admit, I am more excited about the look of the play than actually performing. We have full control over direction, design and so on, and we've plunged into it with the glee of Tubby leaping into a tub o' ghee. Much of this, I think, will hinge on visual cues - the dead god's startled, jerky movements; the skeleton puppet-person (if all goes well); the planned lighting...

I'm very vague, no? For some reason I'm hesitant to put up the actual title of the play. I'm afraid of, of what? Of judgement? Of losing my enthusiasm?

Very drowsy. Damnable cough syrup. Better way. Must be a better way.


I don't know if you can tell, but I'm really quite happy.