Hidden faces

Today the 9th grade were putting the finishing touches to their Mask work. This week is the last for some of them. They may never have a drama class again. In 10th grade it is an option at IGCSE. Anyway, these four calm girls are quietly getting on with it. And it is looking impressive. They begin with the mask under their chair. They put it on but we do not see a lot. We are left to wonder. Then they pull out a sketch book and look at a church? One of them does not. She seems to be furiously finishing her drawing. What does it all mean? It is simple, harmonious, still and mysterious. I like it.

From the Tanner

These are the five IB students who keep me going on Monday and Wednesday. They had been out in the park and on the roof assessing the potential for Promenade theatre. They came up with some good plans and locations. But when I suggested a real performance they remembered something about Chatroom [http://www.nationaltheatre.org.uk/?lid=12951] which I do not think is a vehicle for promenading. And then I talked about a performance of Roger Salmon Cornish Detective; Site - Specific, Geevor Tin Mine by Kneehigh Theatre [www.kneehigh.co.uk] that I saw in 2001. All this of course prevents me from progressing from the last entry about my Malaysian play.

Remain Standing

Before I came to live in Japan I lived in Malaysia. It allowed me to do a lot of theatre. The main product of this was a Trilogy of plays which I called, 'Bending towards the East'. The photo shows four of the women in the first play, 'Remain Standing'. It was a great success and sold out for three weeks. Last week I read parts of it to a Japanese audience and it lived again. I will say more about its origins and outcomes in the next entry.