The Whale Rider

     For my staging of “The Whale Rider,” I would focus on a few characters and their connections to the whales.  I think the whales were a large aspect of the novel and tell the whole story. It shows the magical realism. I would include the characters Uncle Rawiri, Papa Apirana, Kahu,  Nanny Flowers, and the Bull Whales as the main characters. Each of these characters link to important aspects of the novel I would like to highlight. For example, Papa Apriana links to the Bull Whale, Nanny Flowers links to the old mother whale, Kahu represents the whale rider, and Uncle Rawiri is the narrator. For my adaptation I would really like to represent the dualities that exist between the whales and the people.

 

For the costuming of the characters I would make them each individualized, yet also representing their culture. For Kahu, I would have her in a flowered dress with flats on. However, I want to show her differences and her link to the Bull Whale. To do this I would have a gold tatto on her arm, the tattoo would be the same one that is on the Bull Whale in the book. This would represent her coming to be the “savior.” I would have Papa Apriana wear plaid pants and a large shirt that is too big for him. I want him to look old and worn down, this would represent his relationship with the old whale. I would also have Nanny Flowers wear a flower dress, and she too would be older. However, she would have more energy than Papa Aprina, and a sweet voice. I would have Uncle Rawiri wear shorts with a plain t-shirt. He would look young and “hip.” I would want him to look like a cool uncle, which is why Kahu always wants to be with him. The Bull Whale will have the same tattoo as Kahu to represent their link.  

For the staging, I would have a small house in the corner of the stage, but all you would see is the door, which is white and worn down. This door would be the door to Papa Aprina’s house, and where Kahu would mostly exit and enter. In front of the door would be a old worn down porch with a swing. The swing will be where Nanny Flowers and Kahu sit with each other and talk. In the back of the stage I would use the digital projector to project the ocean, and use the sound effects to make the sounds of an ocean. In the other corner of the stage, I would have a classroom set up, more looking like a church.This would represent the meeting place for the men. This is where the audience will learn about their culture and Papa Aprina’s beliefs. During the whale scenes I would use the projector to project the whales coming to shore, and the people would crowd in front of that. At the end of each scene I would use a sound effect saying “Let it be done.” This will give a hint into Kahu’s destiny.  

                              

All of this would help portray the magical realism that exists in the book. It will portray the links between the people, and the two problems that exist at once. I think this staging will help bring together the scenes in the book, and the people.




Citations:
http://whaleriderreligiousstudies.weebly.com/characters.html
https://www.pinterest.com/erwriter21/whale-obsession/
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0298228/

Review on Once on This Island

I really enjoyed watching Once on This Island. It was a great performance and the cast bonded really well together. They seemed like a real family, who has been toghther forever. They really made the whole show magical and amazing. The colors, the set, the actors, and just the feeling the play gave was fantastic.

I really liked how the gods were distinguished by their colors. Agwe's stool was painted blue with the rain drops, Asaka's with the vines, Erzulie' s pink and Papa Ge's was black. They were so carefully decorated and perfectly associated with the character they represented. Also, the designs on their faces made them look godly. Without them, I think they wouldn't have looked different from the rest of the characters without it. It really added the certain touch needed to make gem powerful. Even though it was such a little detail, it was important. The background with the trees and the vines was so beautiful. It looked like a real forest and I felt like I was actually there. Everything looked so realistic and like a fantasy at the same time.  It's exactly how I imagined in the book. The yellows and green really stood out and caught my attention., which is what a background should do.

Also, all of the Gods did an awesome job. I loved Papa Ge's laugh, it was so devious and gave me chills. She looked so scary in all black, and the way she talked was so sly and conniving. I was not expecting her to act like that, but she embodied he character and made it her own. Agwe's voice was amazing, I was not expecting such a loud and beautiful voice to come out. It was almost like opera , but sweet and gentle. She was perfect for the part. I also think Asaka's voice was amazing, she really embodied her character. She had the mother like nature to her, and was very nurturing and caring, but at the same time hilarious. Thea is what distinguished her firm the other gods. Also, Erzulie really embodied the love aspect, and made me believe she was really fighting for Ti Moune. 

Ti Moune's performance gave me chills. She was so good and she really seemed like she was in love with Daniel. I almost cried towards the end of the play, because she just made me believe she would wait forever and love him forever.

Overall, I think the play was the best one so far. The cast did an amazing job, and brought all of the characters to life. They made the musical fun, exciting, and something different. I have never seen something like this before. They connected with the audience and made us feel like we were part of the show. I felt like I was there in the forest with them fighting for Ti Moune and her prince. I felt sad, happy, and mad for her. I would go and watch this again. 

Oral Presentation

    “My Love, My Love of a Peasant Girl,” was narrated by Ti Moune.The book followed her journey to find Daniel. The gods in her story controlled Ti Moune’s destiny and  manipulated the situations. However, the Gods also protected her by putting her in the tree during the storm, providing her shelter on her way to the Beauxhommes house, and giving her items and the help of strangers on her way to meet Daniel. Desiree always looked to the gods for guidance in the beginning of her journey, and though we, the readers, do not see much of them, they are accredited with responsibility for many of the story’s events. The Gods in the book had different roles and personalities. Erzulie was goddess of love, Agwe god of water, Asaka goddess of earth, and Papa Ge god of death. One of the themes of the book portrayed was controlling your destiny, which Ti Moune finally did. She decided to listen to herself and do what she wanted apart from what everyone else said. However, at the end of the book Ti Moune died making the book a tragedy.

      In our adaption of “My Love, My Love,” we decided to make the gods be the main characters of the story. The gods were set in an office and run a company called “GODS,” which is an acronym for “Global Overseer of Decisions Service.” The gods handle their daily tasks of controlling the universe. They do tedious office work, but their decisions will be affecting many lives. The Gods receive mail concerning their “principles.” (Erzulie will deal with love, Agwe with storms, etc.) This is showing a fantasy-reality situation.  They always refer to the people as their “pawns,” meaning they have complete control over them. We wanted the characters- Erzulie, Asaka, Agwe, and Papa Ge to have completely different personalities to mimic the departments they are in. Erzulie is upbeat, Asaka is sad, Agwe is always mad, and Papa Ge is mysterious. We wanted to keep the theme of deciding your fate, but also show how the gods had complete control. So, in the beginning of the play we say “where your fate isn’t up to you,” to indicate power and at the very end after Ti Moune dies we say, “were your fate mostly isn’t up to you.” The death of Ti Moune was tragic, so at the end of our play we added an epilogue announcing all of the things the gods did to change and work on being less controlling.

  When setting up the stage we wanted to make it look like an office, and a mail room. Asaka was set stage left behind Agwe who was back stage left. Erzulie was set stage back stage right and Papa Ge was set right behind her. Erzulie lounged on a chair to make her seem cool. Papa Ge lurked in the corner behind her, because it was hidden and more mysterious, and the purpose of putting Agwe and Asaka near each other, is because they used to love each other and that problem arises later in the script.

      I wanted to make my character, Erzulie, upbeat and fun. I wanted to make her likable, since she is goddess of love. I made her smile all the time and talk with a high voice and always on the top of her toes. I would always say things like “is everyone excited as I am,” to voice how boisterous I was. She was very different from the other characters who were more sullen and mad. I also wore a white shirt, a cardigan, grey pants and a pair of flats. This costuming was similar for everyone, but I made mine different by adding a red bow in my hair and wearing a cardigan instead of boots. To express this excitement, I often moved a lot and didn’t stay in one spot. Whenever I got angry I would stomp

over to Agwe, I wouldn’t just sit and deal with it. I also always walked around the stage and talked to everyone. Something that showed my identity is that I use my phone as a prop to show that I was more techy and girlish compared to everyone else. This helped pull my role together.

The overall project went well, I think my group has done a really good job at making the script original and creative. We each embodied our characters and made them into their own. My major accomplishment in this script is understanding Erzulie’s personality. She is a complicated character, because when she has many different sides of her. However, sometimes when trying to keep up with Erzulie, I talk fast. This could be an improvement from next time. I learned from staging this that the gods play a major role in the story, the control the world that they live in and they can make anything happen at a flick of your fingers. They were not mentioned often in the book, but this made me realize just how powerful they are.

Citations
http://store.storeimages.cdn-apple.com/4662/as-images.apple.com/is/image/AppleInc/aos/published/images/i/ph/iphone6/plus/iphone6-plus-box-silver-2014?wid=478&hei=595&fmt=jpeg&qlt=95&op_sharpen=0&resMode=bicub&op_usm=0.5,0.5,0,0&iccEmbed=0&layer=comp&.v=1453545483214
http://www.marriotttheatre.com/img/shows/OnceOnThisIsland/Large-35-415.jpg

Ups and Downs of GODS

      I think my group has done a really good job at making the script original and creative. We each embodied our characters and made them into their own. It was like the characters were made for us. Michael did a really good job at making Agwe really angry and loud. He really took on the responsibility of making Agwe into his own. Grace makes Asaka sad and understanding, which is what the book portrayed her, when they mentioned Asaka. Taylor made Papa Ge monotone and slow talking. He made him seem devilish compared to the other characters, especially his evil laugh. Lastly, I try to make Erzulie upbeat and happy. The characters have contrasting personalities, but unite well.

         I think the costumes also make the script original. We all wear our formal Friday’s, which makes us look like we are from an office and united. We wanted to add a bit of spark to each of the costumes. For example, I wanted to wear more makeup and a red bow. Grace would wear a flowery white blouse with flowers in her hair. This will make the costumes original and stand out.

    Lastly, the props and the set of the office make it original. It was a way to unite all of the Gods in a fun, different way. The office put a unique spin on the GODS perspectives on Desiree and Daniel, while also making it comical. In the book, the reader followed Desiree’s journey, through her eyes. This time, we can see how the GODS planned every step of the way and what was going on “behind the scenes.”

      All of this gives a different perspective to the novel. The gods were a big part of the book, however it never explained their thoughts. The reader didn’t understand why or how they made certain decisions. However, this interpretation gave reasons to why and what they were doing. Therefore, when reading the book, the reader can understand that the Gods are the ones planning every step of the way. 

         My major accomplishment in this script is understanding Erzulie’s personality. She is a complicated character, because when she is mad, she still has upbeatness to her. On the other hand she can also be sassy and rude. I had to figure out when she was what personality and I think I was able to do this. However, when trying to keep up with Erzulie, I talk extremely fast. This is something really frustrating, because I think I am talking slow. However, when I watched the video, I realized I was going super fast. I am naturally a fast talker, so I think I have to pay more attention to the rate at which I am going. I have to sound ridiculously slow in my head in order for it to come out normal pace. This is something that I want to accomplish for the final draft of my script. By doing this, the audience will better understand what I am saying, and therefore they can interpret the script.

Citations:
http://static1.squarespace.com/static/52d9625ce4b01d93542f0af3/52d98927e4b0eb48bcac91ae/52de9c26e4b0ae6a78550500/1390320679705/_D7A9810_august_morgan_web.jpg?format=500w