DAY TWO REFLECTION

REFLECTION
DAY 2.

So the day started out with a very simple exercise.

How the game is played- Tim moves his hands, pointing to the front, upwards, side wards or under armpits. We, have to follow his movement.

Objective- To prove how brainless this exercise is and to show us that if a pattern is repeated, the brain merely follows the same pattern with no thinking. When the pattern is suddenly changed, we sometimes tend to miss the change, our brain still hooked onto the previous pattern.

In a way, it is like the world and how things work. Our lives are in this certain pattern that our brain is so used to, tat it stops thinking sometimes. Art, on the other hand has to be out of this pattern, it needs creations that break the pattern, if one even exists.

One step further- He asked us to follow him 1 and then 2 steps behind his actions. This was tougher obviously, and required our brains to store in pictures of the previous actions. This was done just to prove that brain power was needed.

NEXT GAME-

Objective- We all sat in chairs that were spread out. One person was picked, and asked to stand at the edge of the group of chairs that was furthest from his/her original chair. The main aim of the game was for that person to get to the chair. To try and stop them, the other members sitting in the chairs had to rotate, and switch seats. The restriction on the person though was that they could only walk, moving their legs from knee downwards.

Aim- The exercises really demanded understand and co-operation from the group which honestly I think we lacked severely. Attributes like taking the initiative and using common sense were other things that were tested. The ‘Chosen One’ was also told not to finish the game off so fast. It was not a mater of winning or loosing, but a matter of enjoying the game.

We went on to more serious stuff. We had previously been asked to bring one object and an item of clothing that we though symbolized Malvolio. Ill try and include everything that I remember. Thara brought a scroll with a seal, which was meant to represent the letter that Malvolio found, stating Olivia’s love for him. Her item of clothing I think was a black shirt?

Well then it was my turn. I had printed out a picture of a peacock feather. I had done some research and found out that in many of the pictures of Malvolio, it showed him with feathers in this hat. Peacock feathers in particular added an emphasis on just how proud and self obsessed he was. My item of clothing was what I imagined to be a long black (dark coloured) velvet coat. Why? Long because I think it looked more official and dignified in those days (Elizabethan Era), black because it signified, importance, seriousness, dignity again, and the texture velvet because when thinking bout it, I felt kind of ‘Royal’. It was soft, seemed expensive and gave a higher status feel to those who wear it.

Carol brought a capsule that when submerged in hot water would open up and a sponge animal would start to form. I found that fascinating! WOW, such a toy actually existed, and what in the world was she doing with that set? Well anyways, what she was trying to say was that Malvolio kind of had two personalities. He was prim, proper, strict and very on task when he was around people. But, what about when he was alone? Did he break down and cry? Is he really confused about what he really is and to hide that vulnerability he puts on a façade of strength and stringent nature? In the play, we do see his vulnerable side sometimes, times when he dreams and imagines what his life could be and might be in the future.

Some one brought a watch, as it showed how systematic and on task he was. Perhaps, she said, He would check the time and according to it tally the work of the servants in the house to see if they are behind schedule, etc. This brings out the meticulous and perfectionist side of him.

A mirror was another item that was brought by Jonathan (I think). This showed Malvolio’s arrogant side. The part of him that always had to be dressed immaculately, every hair in its place. Once again, this could be seen as a cover that he creates, maybe he wants people to look at him this way to cover and hide the inner turmoil that he is going through. A tie was another object that could symbolized his need for outward presentation.

A tight fitting 2nd piece of a 3 piece suit was the next item. This was a sort of imitation of what Malvolio would have worn, since it made his posture to a more upright on, making him look proud, bigger than the rest, commanding respect.

An orange is used to signify the fact that he is a misunderstood person (one never says, I love oranges the way one can say I love apples). An orange can be both sweet and sour, or either. Likewise, we don’t know if Malvolio is to be hated because of his arrogance and pride or pitied because of his pathetic situation and the fact that he is being bullied. Similar to the pill- they both try to bring out the fact that the Malvolio that people see and the Malvolio he really is are two totally diff people.

Can’t remember the rest, or they were kind of similar in one way or that other or I’m just too lazy and tired to type.

After that, we had a writing exercise. We had already listed out some adjectives that described Malvolio like annoying, anal, irritating, arrogant, self obsessed, etc.
Using those expressions and adjectives, we were asked to come up with daily encounters and situations in Singapore that we think would cause Malvolio to react in anger and displeasure. We then penned them down into a letter to the higher authority in charge. Most of the letters, if not all were written in elaborate, formal yet angry and demanding style. It was always as if the writer thought that he was right and the other party was wrong. It did have a proud tone to it in a way.

To,
The Head of the Tourism Board,
Singapore.
Dear Sir/ Madam,
I recently visited your country on a holiday. I was told that your public transport was one of the best, most systematic and cleanest in the worlds. However, when I did take a rise on the MRT, I was shocked to see that there was a huge, disgusting, puddle of pink liquid right in the middle of the train, it was running and had been splashed all over the seats causing the passengers, especially me great inconvenience! How can one be so slacked on rules dealing with food and drinks on trains? I see your BIG RED signs saying “NO FOOD ALLOWED!”, and the fine that you threaten the public with. What’s more, you even write it in four languages! But yet, it gets you nowhere. I believe that you and your board are not strict enough. So what if the rule exists? What us the use if it is not implemented?! I hope that this will be a wake up call and that you and your staff well get off your ass and do something about the pathetic state of your transport system!

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the bus which I traveled on broke down! Right in the MIDDLE of the highway! I mean how does that even happen?! How utterly atrocious! Don’t the bus drivers do a routine check on those machines of theirs? Are your buses that old? How can one leave the passengers stranded in the middle of a highway! What’s more, no spare bus was sent to the rescue to transport the passengers to their destinations! All we were given was a ticket that we could use on the next bus. How in the world is that enough compensation for precious time wasted? Or is our time not precious enough for you?! I demand you to come up with a more efficient method of dealing with a situation. Because if the kind person that I am, I will suggest something’s to you, and I hope you do treasure these golden suggestions. You could have called a bus to rescue the passengers and make sure that they reached their destinations, the money for their trip should also be returned, and an apology for delay and loss of time should be issued to the people involved, or even to the general public if you think that it is too much work to take down names and addresses. I fell that bus drivers should be more prepared to deal with situations such as this. The bus driver was totally unprepared, and was sweating like crazy when dealing wit the situation. How can you explain that! He was more nervous and anxious than all the passengers put together! Cowardly fool!

My experience with the Singapore’s public transport was unpleasant, horrid and caused me great distress, annoyance, inconvenience and anger. I feel that you definitely do not deserve to be rated one of the cities with the best transport in the world, and I promise that if nothing is done about it, then my name is not Malvolio. I will take this up with your superiors and even the government. I am not afraid to voice out my opinions and contempt, so please do the necessary if you want to avoid getting into deeper trouble. Watching and Waiting.
- Malvolio.


After reading all our letters out aloud, we had to squeeze the letter into a sonnet, following the pattern ababcdcdefefgg. I had HELL I tell you!! I don’t like poetry, I’m not good at rhyming words and I don’t like poetry. So yeah, it was tough. After reading them out, BREAK!!!:D:D:D

After the break, we started on a more performance based exercises.

We were all asked to sit on chairs, in a straight line. One of us was asked to sit opposite, in the middle and just do NOTHING. The rest of us, the ‘audience’ were then asked to look at the ‘performer’ and try to figure out whether he was in the past or present, sad or happy, and answer the question where could he possibly be.

It was amazing that when the performer looked at different points, his expression changed. For example, when looking down, he looked sad and pensive, thinking about the future. Yet, when he looked up and sideways, he had a more inquisitive present look on his face. Looking straight up gave him a far off look with a more ‘stoned’ expression. All this time however, the performer did not DO anything. He just sat there and stared at the point.

What was the lesson learnt? You do not have to DO anything for the audiences’ attention. An actor does not have to be constantly in motion to be a good actor. A good actor is in fact someone who allows his audience to THINK and to really be involved with the play and top play an active role in trying to determine what is going on. For the audience, it gave them a certain power, the power to be able to derive and determine the meaning/message that the actor was trying to bring out. There is no right or wrong, there are just opinions.

Next, the performer was asked to look straight ahead at his audience. And the audience was asked to study what it felt like to be the audience. To me, being the audience felt very relaxed, and we had the freedom to do what we wanted and a sort of fascinating ability to try and translate the performers’ expression to words, emotion, action, situation, etc.

We were then asked to one by one pick up our chairs and bring them over to the other side to add to the performance, until there was only one from the audience which was left. That person would become the performer. We were asked to study the transition from being the audience, to being the performer. When I became the performer, I felt a little stressed out, one could really feel the eyes upon you, judging your every move. There was a lot more tension and a sort of queasy feeling. You were more aware of yourself and had to make sure that every single part of your body was positioned in the right way.

This exercise really told us about the misconception by some people, that actors have to move about and try not to keep silent, or else the audience will loose interest.

Next, we had a sort of competition, two volunteers were asked to step out and act, they were competing for the audience attention. The audience in the meanwhile was tasked to point to the actor that they were interested in.

The lesson that we learnt from this was that in order to keep the audiences attention, ones action need not be elaborate and eyes catching. Those actions die off and become boring. What the actor should do is to make the audience question what they are seeing. We have to make them want to know what is going to happen or ask why we are the way we are. We have to make them think, and do something that has a sort of mysterious sense to it as well. The action can be mysterious, unexpected, sudden, dark, or whatever, as long as it intrigues the audience.

The next work was more brainy. We were asked to voice out a list of things that we think Malvolio tries to do to other people when talking. Eg- manipulate, put down, move, baby sit, dominate, persuade, etc. We were then given one or two lines that Malvolio spoke during the play, and asked to create a new way of presenting/performing it using one of the characteristic that we had come up with and also an action to accompany it.

I got the lines “ I tell thee that I am as well as any man in Illyria” This phrase had initially been said in what I imagine as a pleading, moving tone since he is after all locked up and trying to prove his sanity. I chose to add a more proud, dismissive, determined and show off tone to it. I also repeated and stressed on more words. My end product- “ I tell thee, I, I Malvolio tell thee that I am as much in my senses than any man in Illyria (palm to audience), any man (finger pointing), any man (dismissive wave of hand)!!” The others were really fascinating as well. Mr Choy’s action was using a mirror, with Malvoli practicing his lines while shaving and putting on lipstick. Others were done in a recording format, with a video camera as if it was a digital library/ journal. Yet another’s action was done on a voodoo doll, with an evil tone to it. Someone even turned a harsh insulting piece into a seductive scene, where the character was writing it on a letter while lying on the floor.

After a break, we watched “I peasblossom”.
It was another play that he had created. It’s from the Shakespearen play Midnight Summers Dream, and is told from the perspective of the fairy Peasblossom. The pklay was divided into scenes, and the end and beginning of each scene was signified by Tim PB (Peasblossom falling asleep on the table on stage. The story was told in the form of PB’s dream, each scene was a change in his dream. The audience for this play were kids , and as such, simple language and actions that were entertaining had to be used. The language was a little ‘Chim’, to put it in Singlish, as Tim likes to keep the language used in his plays that way. In order to retain his audiences attention, Tim used Bertolt’s method of stepping out of the play as the narrator, instead of PB. This was done on occasions where he involved the audience in his play. He handed out name cards with characters from the play written on them, and told the person in the audience holding it a little about the character, like their characteristics, etc. He then used them to represent those characters throughout the play. Sometimes, he even asked them to read of cards that he had in his pocket. This allowed the audience to get involved, and laugh along as well.

He even had a little intermission during the show, where he called upon volunteers to help him show off his ‘magic skills’. (I’m sure were all old enough to know that they aren’t really all that magical).

So yeah, I though it was way way way more interesting than ‘I B…” which we had watched the previous day. I stayed awake through this one!:O..:D