Auditions Notice--ZOMBIE PROM!!!

TWPI has set the auditions for this year's musical comedy, ZOMBIE PROM.

This will be an entirely-student production, meaning the directing, technical aspects, and stage performances are all in the hands of the students. Adults are only advisors and back-up help.




Auditions for the Director(s), Assistant Director(s) and Stage Manager are set for September 9, 2010 from 4 to 6 PM at MHS D 101. Open to High School students.

The selected student directors will then hold auditions for Cast on September 14 and 16, 2010 from 4 to 6 PM at MHS D 101. Open to students in grades 6 through 12.

Technical theatre sign-ups--including lighting, set design and construction, costumes, make-up, special effects (there are 2 SFX events in this show), props, and tech crew during performances--are scheduled for September 14 and 16, 2010 from 4 to 6 PM at MHS D 101. Open to students in grades 6 through 12.

Students interested in marketing--including program, poster and ticket design, distribution, advertising, and sales--may sign up on September 14 and 16, 2010 from 4 to 6 PM at MHS D 101. Open to students in grades 6 through 12.

Musician auditions are not yet scheduled. Students interested in performing as part of the rock band for the show must be able to read music and be willing to commit to rehearsals with the cast as needed.

Tentative performance dates are now set for Halloween weekend with alternative dates of November 5, 6, and 7th.

Math Court

Here's the article I submitted to the newspapers, which I hope they print:


First Row (L-R) Vanessa Pritchard, Won Woo Choi, Minchong Kang, Hye Young Oh, Jimie Horath, Soo Jin Choi, Jeremiah Perez
Row 2 - Susan Pajarillaga, Mindy Song, Sung Hoon Ham
Row 3 - Dora Miura, Allen Park, Manatsu Omori, Jessica Lee
Row 4 - Reo Arriola, Joseph Jang, Taek Han Yoon, Hanbert Jeong, Han Byol Yu

For the first time ever, CNMI students participated in the American Regions Mathematics League competitions. The CNMI team, comprised of fourteen students and seven coaches, traveled to the University of Nevada at Las Vegas for the two day event, held June 4-5, 2010. According to the event coordinator, Mrs. Dora B. Miura, the students participated in five events: Power Round, Team Round, Individual Round, Relay Round and the Super Relay Round. Results included a THIRD place in the Super Relay Round. The top scorers on the CNMI 2010 team were Won Woo Choi (7th grader from MBA) and Allen Park (7th grader from CCA).

Coach Vanessa Pritchard said the the competition was very steep, but it provided an opportunity for our students to compete in mathematics against the top students in the nation. “I hope that this competition will encourage our students to strive for the opportunity to compete in future competitions,” she said, “I know it will help the coaches better prepare the students for such challenges.”

The students came from Calvary Christian Academy, Marianas Baptist Academy, Northern Marianas Academy, Saipan International School and Saipan Southern High School. Those who participated were Soo Jin Choi, Won Woo Choi, Sung Hoon Ham, Joseph Jang, Hanbert Jeong, Minchong Kang, Jessica Lee, Hye Young Oh, Manatsu Omori, Allen Park, Jeremiah Perez, Mindy Song, Taek Han Yoon, and Han Byol Yu. The coaches were Reo Arriola, Tony Flores, Jimmie Horath, Dora B. Miura, Paul Miura, Susan Pajarillaga and Vanessa Pritchard.

The students spent most of their time on the competition but also had the opportunity to experience some American scenic icons. “The Hoover Dam was an amazing sight,” said Vanessa Pritchard. “I think we would have enjoyed it more if we did not have record setting heat at 110 degrees Fahrenheit!” Mindy Song found the competition hard, but then took the opportunity to relax by taking in the night in Las Vegas, which she describes as “shiny.” Manatsu Omori said, “The competition rounds made our minds think... a lot , but staying on a college campus was a fun experience. We also heard a lecture from the famous Kevin Wang.”

The students took a tour of the University campus and visited the Freemont Street Experience, a pedestrian mall. “It was a very memorable trip,” Mindy Song said, “and, if I can, I look forward to going again next year.”

Zombie Prom--Getting Ready #1

I am in the midst of all things 1950's, nuclear, and zombie-ish as back-up support for our planned TWPI production of ZOMBIE PROM this year.

This post is just a collection (so I don't lose track) of some information I've come across on hairstyles of the 1950's.


For the Girls
For a simple demonstration and explanation of the classic French Twist (I see Delilah Strict in this hairstyle), watch this video.

You can "browse" through hairstyling magazines at the You Tube video channel for rdb4n, like this one (in two parts) from 1958:




Personally, I think the girls should use pony tails and page boys for school scenes (unless we're lucky enough to have someone with SHORT hair and then we can experiment with pin curls, etc.). French twists and chignons for evening.


For the boys:
I'd like to see the boys in any of the typical men's styles of the 1950's--burr, butch, crew cut, flat-top with or without fenders, pompadours with or without sideburns, and even a duck tail or two.

For Thespian Scenic Designers

I've been researching a bit (to put together a basic power point presentation) and came across this, which might be useful.

There's great stuff on the scenography website, including a bit on MODEL MAKING TECHNIQUES, a glossary of lines used for technical drawing, and a link to their blog. It comes from Great Britain, so also has articles about what's happening in Europe.




Some famous scenic designers include:
Edward Gordon Craig
Jack Notman


There is also an interesting read on architects moving into theatrical stage design from the Washington Post.

For a collection of links--that take you to all types of topics on designing for theatre, see this artslynx site!



And finally, for some basic information on scenic design for "children's theatre" (as opposed to theatre for adults), this article has some tips.

NFL

From Harold Easton--NFL:

Prose - Top 200 - 3
Impromptu - Top 200 - 2
Poetry - Top 170 - 3
Expository - Top 100 - 1
Story Telling - Top 75 - 2

Ryan Ortizo - Quarterfinals - Story Telling
Ryan Ortizo - Qualified for National Qualifier Events 4 years in a Row, 1 of only 23 to do so.

Over all data - Students at Nationals are competing with the Top 1% in the Nation.


Report from Midori Nishida:

"I attend Calvary Christian Academy as a sophomore. This NFL trip was my first time to compete in Nationals, as well as my first trip to the USA. Before this, the longest trip I ever had was a three hour flight to Japan. You could say that the twenty hour flight to Kansas City, Missouri was a LONG one! Luckily, this long flight gave us an opportunity to get close to each other.

The NFL CNMI team consisted of ten girls and four boys from five schools. At first, I felt a bit out of place since everybody else sort of knew each other either from past NFL/NJFL competitions or from school. But I soon found myself getting very close to them, to the point that we could tell each other anything.

When we heard that Nationals were being held in Missouri, we weren't so keen on it. We thought--boring, flat, and cornfields. But let me tell you, some of the places we visited were amazing--especially this dainty little town, which we able to tour while riding on a horse carriage. Probably the only thing we didn't really enjoy was the unpredictable weather. One minute, it would be super sunny and the next, it would be raining cats and dogs.

Since we stayed there longer than previous competitions, we were able to go places such as Worlds of Fun (an amusement park), shopping malls, and restaurants. We were able to get in some fun before the competition started, as well as practice in the motel.

As far as the competition goes, it was TOUGH. Everybody there is the real deal. This was my first time, so I was a bit nervous to compete in Expository. But everybody was so supportive of each other that a lot of us broke to the next round.

Competing in Nationals gave us valuable tools to succeed in NFL Regionals. We met interesting people in the Nationals. We even got to do community service by packing food for Haiti.

This NFL trip was one of the best experiences I've had. I was able to meet great people and get close to them. Probably the best thing about this trip was being around each other. I love everyone on the CNMI team. We had so many laughs! If you're thinking of joining NFL I definitely encourage you. It's a great program that provides plenty of opportunities. I miss everything about the trip, except maybe for the jet lag...and sales tax."

And some photos (courtesy of Heather and Asia).






Sightseeing on a carriage ride









At the competition





Packing food for Haiti relief


CNMI and Guam teams

NJFL

Great reports on NJFL in the Saipan Tribune and the Marianas Variety.





Some additional comments from the participants:
From Esther Manzano—GCA coach. Said they went to Living History Farms-a living museum of 300 years of how early Americans live. “We saw their farms, houses, how they lived, clothes they wore.” Also went to Adventure Land, an amusement park with different rides, gift shop, restaurants, water park; the Iowa State Capitol where they saw the architecture, library, Supreme Court Office, legislative offices, etc.

June 25, 2010 was the first day of the competition, held at Dowling Catholic High School. The students competed in Pattern A events: Dramatic Interpretation (DI), Humorous Interpretation (HI), Duo Interpretation, Prose, Poetry, etc. Students were busy doing three rounds in their events, while the coaches were busy judging other students.

June 26 was the second day of competition. Pattern B events included Original Oratory (OO), Extemporaneous, Impromptu Speech, etc. Students competed in three rounds; coaches judged.

June 27 was the final day of competition. Those who advanced competed in quarterfinals, semifinals and some students in storytelling. This was also Awards day: Kanata Omari-semifinalist in Extemp; Hye Young Oh-quarterfinalist Impromptu; Matthew Lopez-quartefinalist, dramatic Interp; Arianne Narvaez-quarterfinalist-poetry; Darvhan Moses and Devonne Dotts—second places in storytelling.

Esther also said this was her first time to judge in a national competition. “The students are really good performers. Sometimes it is hard to rank them from the best to the last.”


Sang Hyuk Park, 14 year old at MBA. “When I was on the plane, I looked down through the window and it tells me that the world is big.” “I was so nervous before I competed in the NJFL, but after that I got confidence. I want to do better next year. I really had a good experience." Also missed rice at the restaurants!


Kimiko Tenorio, 12, GCA. Had never been to the mainland before and found it exciting, even to ride in the plane. "The competitions were exciting. I got to meet new people and make some new friends. Even though we were kind of nervous to speak in front of faces we haven’t seen, it was exciting and fun!” She said Iowa was cold, windy and there was thunder and lightning. The competitors were tall!


Kanata Omari, 12, MBA “At first I was disappointed when I did not go to the next round on the first day. Then my coach told me that there was tomorrow for more competition.” Also missed rice—“No rice for one week--I almost died.”


Kimberly Camacho, 12, GTC—“The NJFL trip to Des Moines, Iowa was really exciting and fun. It took 24 hours to get there…The places we went to were really cool…The competition day was tough…Overall the trip was awesome!!”


Hye Young Oh, 13, MBA—Commented on how the NJFL team members were supportive to each other.


Darvhan Augustine V. Moses, 13, MCS—“It was my first time to go to the states…We had a long layover in Houston, where the airport is really big. ... When we got to the competition, I felt nervous because of all the tall people. I didn’t know middle school people could be so tall! But when I started, I didn’t feel that nervous anymore.” Also said, “I was happy with a 2nd place finish in storytelling.”


Eron Constante, 14, SCS. “Considering the competition that’s here on Saipan, there’s a chance for anyone who puts in some sort of effort to get a free ticket to the states. All the practices, showcases, and experiences after the CNMI regional competition were helpful. However, once we stepped from the airport, we knew what we were getting ourselves into…On competition day, we knew the next three days were going to be extremely tedious. When I got to the school, I found myself as a small fish thrown into a big pond. Competition here made me feel as if I was stupid, but it taught me what I needed to do when I watched the competitors in the Finals. At least during the Award Ceremony, it was a relief to see four of my teammates had made the break.” “All in all, it was a good trip.”


Matthew Lopez, 14, HJHS. “The NJFL trip was a success. I had a great time in Des Moines, Iowa. I had the opportunity to compete against the best people of the US. It was a great experience.” Says he had jet lag, dizzy and tired a lot. “I was really scared and nervous at the competition. Competition there was tight and difficult. I really didn’t expect them to be that good. “ “We were successful, though, getting into quarterfinals and semifinals. Our team was really supportive and watched the quarterfinalists and semifinalists in their performances.”


Alina Ishikawa, 14, MBA. Her first time going to the mainland USA. She noticed that the daylight hours were longer and it was still bright at 8 PM. And mentioned that the students there “talked professional.”

News & Notes #21-2010 Festival-junior thespians, Rochelle's photos

Dowen, Rochelle, Ann Mariel



Jabbawockies in Lincoln?




Addie




Miki & Dowen

Mrs. Barja, 3 Junior Thespians & Ann Mariel