23. Mime Workshop

Our troupe will have a mime workshop on October 2, 2007 from 3PM to 4 PM in room B-102. Any MCS student in 6th grade through 12th grade can come. I especially want the troupe members to be there.

The Chapter Director, Harold Easton, will present basics of mime. We hope to have a demonstration from MHS students Tommy Baik and Moon Lee.

This will be a fun time. Be prepared to laugh!

And of course you'll have the chance to ask questions, and possibly try out some moves yourselves.

Edit: Be sure to have your "After School Permission Form" signed by your parent or guardian. If you need one of these, see Mr. G.


A nod and a prayer for Marcel Marceau, the 20th Century's most famous mime, who died September 22, 2007.

22. Points and Pointers

First competition is October 20, 2007 at 1:00 PM at MHS, room D-101.

You need 10 troupe points and a lot of competition points to win a trip to the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska, set for June 2008.


Troupe points: You need 10 troupe points to be inducted into the Thespian troupe. You get these points for activities and service. Come to a meeting, you get 1/2 point. Audition for a play, you earn 1/2 point. Attend a performance, you earn 1 point. Participate in any performance-type activity, you can earn points. If you are doing these things, just let me know. I keep track of the points.

Once you're inducted into the troupe, you're a member for "life," which in the case of middle school means until you graduate from 8th grade.

The Thespian troupe is an honor society, so the recognition is the first benefit of being an inducted member.

And you must be an inducted member to participate in the International Festival at Lincoln, Nebraska.

Competition points: In order to win a free ticket to the International Festival, you need to have the most competition points in your category, or win one of the extra positions as a high-scorer. Competition points are DIFFERENT THAN troupe points. You get competition points by winning at the competitions here in Saipan. For each competition,

first place gets 6 points
second place--5 points
third place--4 points
fourth place--3 points
fifth place--2 points
all other participants--1 point

The total number of competition points earned during the competitions in Saipan determines your competition standing.

The system builds in an incentive for those who participate in every competition. If you compete in every competition, you have a better chance of accumulating more competition points.

Pointers: Read through the blog. Check out the links on the left and others you find on your own. Ask for help from Mr. G.--he's the MCS drama teacher and he knows a lot of tricks that can help you. And most importantly, PRACTICE your competition piece.

(For those doing mime, try it out over and over again in front of your friends and family and see what works. Change it as much and as often as you want to. For everyone else, you need to know the script and stick to the script.)


Meeting dates: I'm looking at Tuesdays for meetings in October, possibly October 2 and October 16. Please watch the blog for news and if you have questions or opinions, feel free to leave a comment.

21. Important Message about Competitions

The Thespian competition schedule is posted at TWPI Competition Schedule. It might be changed, but until it is, we should plan on being ready to compete on the dates shown.

We have a Troupe 88799 meeting set for September 20, 2007 at 12 noon at MCS Room B-102. Please be sure to come to the meeting and bring your suggested competition piece(s) with you. If you're doing mime, write out a short skit ahead of time. Edit, added 9/18/2007. If you want to see a mime skit from the national competitions, you can watch a you-tube video here: Mime of the Carribean. I also hope to have a lesson in mime for you in early October, taught by Hal Easton (Chapter director), with demonstration by Tommy Baik and Moon Lee (Saipan students who earned the highest rating possible, a "superior" in mime at the 2007 Festival).

If you don't have anything prepared for your competition choice--monologue, duet acting, mime, solo musical-- come to the meeting anyway. I'll have some extra materials (on monologue, duet acting and solo musical theatre) that you can select from for your first competition piece. Mime competitors will brainstorm ideas for original composition and performance.

I want to make sure each of you has a good chance at winning a free trip to the summer 2008 International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska.

ANY MCS middle school student can compete. Now is the time to join. Just come to the meeting. It is important to compete in every scheduled competition, because cumulative points determine who wins the trip.

See you there.

20. Meetings

Meeting today, September 6 at noon in the FACULTY LOUNGE. Wow!

Next meeting: September 20, 2007 (time and location to be announced). Save the date.