Wednesday, November 23, 2005
Wednesday. Story Board and On Your Feet.
OK. So we did the same again with the Wednesday Group. But we had more time to develop each scene and, with better instructions and guidelines from Steve at the beginning and him going round checking on the work as we went along, the story-boards, were, on the whole, clearer earlier.
In the Park Scene, for instance, with the team of Richard, Gemma, Mameyaa and Hayley, the rain was included in their story-board (drawn by Richard as a weather-pattern over proceedings). Thus, when we got to put the scene on its feet, it became an actor in the story. Shen Te used it as a way of coming nearer to Sun. So there are two actions: her asking his permission to shelter under the tree on which he's going to hang himself. And him giving that permission.
We were also able to begin to deal with the extraordinary moment when he tries to dry her tears BUT TURNED AWAY FROM HER.
And to locate the moment when he decides to step down from hanging himself. We hadn't located it yet but we wondered with Gemma whether it was the moment that Sun realised he loved Shen Te. Or the moment he realised she owned a shop...
We also looked at Shen Te's moment of going to get water from Wang to give to Sun. And the timing of it as Sun falls asleep...
Steve also pointed out a nice image of what the Monday Group had found, a kind of Pieta - a Madonna kneeling over the body of a Christ figure...
We did the 'Counter Scene'. This was Ieva, Dan, Drew, Selwa and Nadia. It hadn't been called the Counter scene until Selwa sat herself down at a couple of chairs pulled together, but it does seem to be important...
Counters are where money is transferred for goods. Very central to the play...
We observed the image of Shui Ta reading a paper on one side of the stage while Mrs XXXX sweeps/works on the other.
We showed the moment where Mrs Shin exits and meets Sun outside and Shen Te is so excited that she goes and pretties herself at the mirror before realising that she's Shui Ta and correcting herself.
That when Shui Ta comes in he takes a cigar from the counter and 'Shui Ta' sees him do this. And also sees a side of Sun he's never shown to Shen Te.
Mrs Mi Tsu comes in (Ieva) and asks to be paid for something. But Shui/Shen hasn't got the money...
We then had some kind of business deal take place between Shui Ta and Sun shown as them shaking hands. Then we had a great image of Nadia coming back in as Mrs Shin to tell Shui Ta how much Shen Te was in love with Sun. A dagger in Shen Te's already torn heart. We remarked upon this dialectical complexity. Shen Te's love and infatuation with Sun - and yet seeing him with Shui Ta's eyes too. About the complexity of Brecht's showing of Sun. Was he 'good'? Or 'bad'? Or just fucked up by the world he has to live in?
We looked at the Court Scene. We eventually got some clearer picture of this with Jade, Debra, David, Danai and Sam - actually clearer than Monday's effort - but the group didn't make it particularly easy - either for themselves or us the audience.
But it is a difficult scene. There are a lot of bodies on stage. It needs a good eye to try and see the pattern in it. In the end we found one up to the point at which the policeman clears the court. More detail needs to be put into what it is exactly that the neighbours say about Shui Ta, about how the Policeman tries to discredit each of them with the God/Judges, and what is the attitude of the neighbours to Shui Ta.
We also marked the two faintings of Shui Ta/Shen Te.
Fourthly we worked on the Washing Line scene. Eva, Margory, Francisco and David. What we developed here beyond the discoveries of the Monday Group was the relationship between the Margory's Mrs Shin and Shen Te. Francisco had a nice touch where he wrote the cheque out for Shen Te in front of her, but we established not only the giving of it to Shen Te but Mrs Shin's greater interest in it.
We then looked at Shen Te's faint. And established that Mrs Shin had already had a woman's instinct about her pregnancy before Shen Te knew it herself. That we see her discovery on stage. We also see Mrs Shin taking the washing basket off her - a sign of her 'goodness' as distinct from her earlier 'greed' over the cheque.
We started to look at Shen Te telling her unborn child about the tree and the meaning of the arrival of the drunken Carpenter's child that Wang is just about to bring on.
We conclude talking about children. Margory has two. About one's dreams for one's children. About whether one's dreams can be fulfilled. About whether, sometimes, any parent doesn't wonder if she's done the right thing bring a child into such a world....
Very good finish to the three hours.
OK. So we did the same again with the Wednesday Group. But we had more time to develop each scene and, with better instructions and guidelines from Steve at the beginning and him going round checking on the work as we went along, the story-boards, were, on the whole, clearer earlier.In the Park Scene, for instance, with the team of Richard, Gemma, Mameyaa and Hayley, the rain was included in their story-board (drawn by Richard as a weather-pattern over proceedings). Thus, when we got to put the scene on its feet, it became an actor in the story. Shen Te used it as a way of coming nearer to Sun. So there are two actions: her asking his permission to shelter under the tree on which he's going to hang himself. And him giving that permission.
We were also able to begin to deal with the extraordinary moment when he tries to dry her tears BUT TURNED AWAY FROM HER.
And to locate the moment when he decides to step down from hanging himself. We hadn't located it yet but we wondered with Gemma whether it was the moment that Sun realised he loved Shen Te. Or the moment he realised she owned a shop...
We also looked at Shen Te's moment of going to get water from Wang to give to Sun. And the timing of it as Sun falls asleep...
Steve also pointed out a nice image of what the Monday Group had found, a kind of Pieta - a Madonna kneeling over the body of a Christ figure...
We did the 'Counter Scene'. This was Ieva, Dan, Drew, Selwa and Nadia. It hadn't been called the Counter scene until Selwa sat herself down at a couple of chairs pulled together, but it does seem to be important...
Counters are where money is transferred for goods. Very central to the play...
We observed the image of Shui Ta reading a paper on one side of the stage while Mrs XXXX sweeps/works on the other.
We showed the moment where Mrs Shin exits and meets Sun outside and Shen Te is so excited that she goes and pretties herself at the mirror before realising that she's Shui Ta and correcting herself.
That when Shui Ta comes in he takes a cigar from the counter and 'Shui Ta' sees him do this. And also sees a side of Sun he's never shown to Shen Te.
Mrs Mi Tsu comes in (Ieva) and asks to be paid for something. But Shui/Shen hasn't got the money...
We then had some kind of business deal take place between Shui Ta and Sun shown as them shaking hands. Then we had a great image of Nadia coming back in as Mrs Shin to tell Shui Ta how much Shen Te was in love with Sun. A dagger in Shen Te's already torn heart. We remarked upon this dialectical complexity. Shen Te's love and infatuation with Sun - and yet seeing him with Shui Ta's eyes too. About the complexity of Brecht's showing of Sun. Was he 'good'? Or 'bad'? Or just fucked up by the world he has to live in?
We looked at the Court Scene. We eventually got some clearer picture of this with Jade, Debra, David, Danai and Sam - actually clearer than Monday's effort - but the group didn't make it particularly easy - either for themselves or us the audience.
But it is a difficult scene. There are a lot of bodies on stage. It needs a good eye to try and see the pattern in it. In the end we found one up to the point at which the policeman clears the court. More detail needs to be put into what it is exactly that the neighbours say about Shui Ta, about how the Policeman tries to discredit each of them with the God/Judges, and what is the attitude of the neighbours to Shui Ta.
We also marked the two faintings of Shui Ta/Shen Te.
Fourthly we worked on the Washing Line scene. Eva, Margory, Francisco and David. What we developed here beyond the discoveries of the Monday Group was the relationship between the Margory's Mrs Shin and Shen Te. Francisco had a nice touch where he wrote the cheque out for Shen Te in front of her, but we established not only the giving of it to Shen Te but Mrs Shin's greater interest in it.We then looked at Shen Te's faint. And established that Mrs Shin had already had a woman's instinct about her pregnancy before Shen Te knew it herself. That we see her discovery on stage. We also see Mrs Shin taking the washing basket off her - a sign of her 'goodness' as distinct from her earlier 'greed' over the cheque.
We started to look at Shen Te telling her unborn child about the tree and the meaning of the arrival of the drunken Carpenter's child that Wang is just about to bring on.
We conclude talking about children. Margory has two. About one's dreams for one's children. About whether one's dreams can be fulfilled. About whether, sometimes, any parent doesn't wonder if she's done the right thing bring a child into such a world....
Very good finish to the three hours.
