94. Another interesting costume link.

Amy K costumes for theatre.

93. Another New LInk

Here's another Elizabethan costume link. If you go there, you can dress Cecily, and make mistakes about what actually goes on in what order! Excellent resource.

92. New link

Added this new link: click-a-dress, which is a fun tool for a quick dress design-Elizabethan/Tudor.

91. CNMI Competitions

You can check out news and notices at CNMI Competitions about Thespians, NFL, NJFL, Math Court, PGFC, CCHLS and more, if you're interested.

90. Look for the MCS Junior Thespians at the Activity Fair

Wednesday, August 13, MCS students will be attending an activity fair, checking out various organizations that offer activities and opportunities.

I believe that the MCS Junior Thespians will have a table there, with an informational brochure.

Look for it. Check it out!

89. ITS Festival Makes NYTimes

It's true. A photo from the ITS Festival 2008 made the front page of the Arts & Leisure section of the New York Times (7/13/2008). The article, here, is interesting reading.

The writer, caught up in the glamour of the big shows, though, missed out on Team CNMI.

88. Publicity!

Thespian Team CNMI 2008 made today's Tribune. You can read it here.

Edit. Also in the Marianas Variety on Wednesday here.

87. Video moments.

86. Festival Redux-A few more photos

Imagine! Some thespians hide from the camera!





Rehearsing.




Playing:



Conceptual art on display at UN (Bi-tunes):


The trip is exhausting, and the journey home long...

85. ITS Festival-Photo Redux

These photos were taken by Anna Rose DLG. And these photos are heavily populated by Anna Rose, because she was taking them. If any one else has photos to contribute, please send them to me and I'll post them, too.


Have ukulele. Make friends. Moon and others.


Johnna and Anna, making sure everyone knows they're island girls.


Tommy break-dancing?

BTW, if you notice the dates on the photos...well, they're wrong. Sorry.



Moon and thespians from around the states, hanging out.


Myrene, and Tommy's mouth.





Anna, meeting another Thespian.


Anna & Tommy, practicing faces.


Anna and Reece.


Kay, with new friend.


Matt, in his tux.





The dressing room, before the show, An Evening of Culture.


Anna & Dayanara in costume for An Evening...



Jimmy & Victor, in costume, waiting for An Evening... to start.


Stolen moment, Victor & Reece, backstage before the show.


Anna, before Cinderella...


The Cinderella cast, pre-show.


Dayanara and Royze, at the airport.




Anna & Jimmy, at the airport.


Miki Nadia, Myrene & Anna.


On the way home.

84. 2008-2009 TWPI Season

The TWPI Board of Directors met to discuss what plays to include in the 2008-2009 season. This year, we present a musical, and possibly will again present a junior thespian one act and a senior thespian one act in the Spring.

Although students and teachers are hopefully getting some R & R this summer, the schedule will be tight and busy when school starts. Because of the cost-cutting delay adopted by the PSS this year, school starts after Labor Day instead of in early August as usual. So we're looking at approximately a 6 to 8 week schedule for auditions and rehearsals and then staging!

The play will be THE SECRET GARDEN, a Broadway musical based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The musical won 3 Tony awards and incorporates many elements we've been working on here in the CNMI-a Greek-style chorus, this time of ghosts; a simple set that may use backdrops or flats; and a full orchestral production.

If you want to get an idea of the show, you can watch this student production (from the French Woods Festival). Note the sound/dubbing is off in some of these, but still they give the full flavor! (And you can pick the parts you're auditioning for!):



Part 2


Part 3


Part 4


Part 5


Part 6


Part 7


Part 8


Part 9


Part 10


Part 11


Part 12









We're targeting the weekend of November 14th -16th, 2008.

Everything, of course, is subject to change (even the play selection). But for now, this is what we're thinking will be first up on our 2008-2009 production schedule!

83. IEs Are In!

I don't have all the news, but I do have some.

Kay Park got 2nd PLACE in Costume Design! Oh wow! That is so great!

Miki Nadia Dela Cruz made the top 10 in Solo Musical. That field had about 56 competitors and is always a tough competition. Well done!

Both Kay and Miki Nadia were given special recognition with their names in the program at the IE recognition ceremony and awarded special certificates.

We are so proud of you!!!

The rest of the CNMI team did well, too.

MCS students first (since this the MCS troupe blog!):
Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero: 2 excellent and one good overall ratings. She received a total of 8 excellents and 4 goods. And this, despite forgetting the chair! Nice job!

Jimmy Baik and Victor Sablan: overall good ratings from the judges, who Mr. Easton reports were very tough. And they earned some excellent ratings in individual categories!

Our MCS Junior Thespians went to the ITS Festival, competed against the best HIGH school thespians in the states, and came out with very respectable ratings and evaluations! GREAT JOB!!!

Now for the rest (and I apologize I don't have all the details):
Four other students (besides Kay and Miki Nadia) got overall superior ratings from at least one judge.

2 more received overall excellents.

And 4 more received overall excellents from at least one judge.

(My numbers don't add up. Sorry) Mr. Easton says all but 3 students received at least one overall excellent or better rating. And the students who did not receive any overall excellent ratings received excellent ratings in at least one category on the evaluation sheets.

TEAM CNMI rocked!

Tommy Baik got 8 college auditions.

And ITS Festival coordinators selected Tommy Baik to operate one of the cameras at the Main Stage shows!


Oh, and according to Mr. Easton, the plays went "very, very, very well." The theatres were about 2/3 full (one seats 200, one seats 300), so more than 300 theatre students from around the nation (and the world-Australia and UAE troupes were at Festival) watched our CNMI students perform!


TEAM CNMI--great job all around.

82. A Little More News

Team CNMI staged both AN EVENING OF CULTURE (FAITH COUNTY II) and CINDERELLA WORE COMBAT BOOTS. Anna says the latter got more laughs.

While some of the team were on stage, others went to see SWEENEY TODD! (Sheesh!)

The group has seen more shows, besides HAIRSPRAY, including ANATOMY OF GREY and PROOF.

College auditions happened, successfully (meaning callbacks! Yay!).

And all of the students are still waiting on their I.E. evaluations.

And while I'm posting about bits of info relayed to me (secondhand), there are some blogs and websites reporting directly from the festival, like this one and this one and this one.

81. Festival News & Notes # 15-the early reports

The news is trickling in.

Team CNMI students have settled into their dorm rooms at University of Nebraska. They're paired up into rooms, but because there is an odd number (15) of CNMI students, one is paired with a student from another place: Matt Wheat is rooming with a boy from Michigan.

Monday, they attended the workshop on preparing for Individual Events (IEs). Anna recognized a workshop presenter from Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park (from attending a summer camp there a few years ago).

Matt Wheat is wearing his ITS/CNMI sash (a graduation sash) as a means of promoting his candidacy for ITO officer for region 1. It's attracting attention, which is good promotion for him.

Team CNMI attended the student production of CHICAGO. Some production photos are posted on the EdTA site.

IEs happened today. Anna is disappointed because she forgot to set the stage with a chair before starting, but in true show-biz fashion, she carried on and performed her piece (Forget About the Boy from THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE). She watched Miki Nadia perform her solo musical number (from AIDA) and reports that Miki did well. I'm still waiting to hear about the others. Evaluations from the judges aren't usually distributed until later in the week.

Tonight (well-Tuesday night Nebraska time, which is our Wednesday), CNMI students will be attending HAIRSPRAY, the production by the national cast. Should be starting just about now (noon, local time). Sounds like fun!

80. Festival News & Notes #14-Students Depart for Festival!

Saturday, June 21, 2008, 13 CNMI students left Saipan for the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska. Yay! (Two more are already in the states, attending the NFL competitions first.)

Dora Borja Miura, SSHS math teacher, arrived early to check in and be ready to help with all the traveling students' check-ins. And she was happy and perky!



Students line up at 7 AM to check-in. (Miki Nadia Dela Cruz and Johnna Lubuguin, Royze Banados and Dayanara Flores, Anna Rose Deleon Guerero, Jimmy Baik, and Victor Sablan.)




MCS team members Anna Rose, Jimmy, and Victor.




The arty girls, Kyoung Min Park (costumes) and Myrene Evangelista (set design), juggle extra cargo at check-in.



Shauna Brown, another troupe director chaperone, stands in line with Moon Hyo Lee and Reece Brown.


The last ticket is handed off to Matt Wheat, who arrived on time, but was last because everyone else arrived early!!!


Front row: Johnna Lubuguin, Dayanara Flores, Royze Banados, Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero, and Myrene Evangelista.
Back Row: Sung Woo (Jimmy) Baik, Victor Sablan, Sung Yul (Tommy) Baik, Miki Nadia Dela Cruz.
Absent from photo: Moon Hyo Lee, Kyong Min Park, Matthew Wheat, Reece Brown. They were still waiting their turns at the check-in counter.


EDIT add-on. The press release I sent in made both the Variety and the Tribune.

#79. Festival News & Notes # 13-Break a Leg!

Everyone has been given their costume and props for the Chapter Select and Free-Style shows. Everyone has been given a packet of programs and handbills. By sharing responsibility for transporting these to Lincoln, we save money: we don't have to pay for extra luggage or cargo to take these. Please don't forget to bring these!

Your suitcase may weigh not more than 50 pounds. And only one suitcase per person. One carry-on, too.

DEPARTURE: June 21. Please be at the airport no later than 7 AM, with your passport in hand. This will help avoid making our fearless chaperones worry. And you don't want worried chaperones!

WEATHER: In Lincoln, NE, the current weather ranges from low 60's to high 80's, and they're having and predicting more thunder storms. Bring an umbrella, if possible.

Please gather in front of the counter at the airport for a photo shoot before you leave. I hope to put a short news release in the papers.

Break a leg!

78. Festival News & Notes #12-Festival Schedule

Hurrah! The entire Festival Schedule is now available here. And there's a workshop checklist to help you decide what workshops you want to attend here.

The workshops are arranged by category:

Acting
Auditions
Colleges and Careers
Dance
Directing
General Theatre
Movement
Musical Theatre
Playwriting
Teachers Only
Technical Theatre

I'll be perusing this and will get back with details of what I think is most interesting, but I encourage all of you to check it out, too. After all, I'm just enjoying the Festival vicariously. You all will be going there!

77. Festival News & Notes # 11

EdTA has posted the NIES (National Individual Event Showcase) schedule.


OOH! This is so exciting!

Here's a summary of Team CNMI.

All NIES performances are scheduled for Tuesday June 24, 2008.

Schedule by Time
9:00 AM in Ferguson 113, Myrene Evangelista
9:15 AM in Temple 104, Kay Park
11:52 AM in Temple 104, Matt Wheat
12:37 PM in Temple 304, Moon & Tommy
1:18 PM in Ferguson 113, Richille & Ryan
2:08 PM in Temple 304, Victor & Jimmy
2:15 PM in Ferguson 113 Johnna
2:29 PM in Howell Theatre, Anna Rose
3:26 PM in Temple 304, Dayanara & Royze
4:24 PM in Carson Theatre, Miki Nadia
5:02 PM in Howell Theatre, Reece

And for another way of seeing the schedule:

Schedule by location
Howell Theatre*:
2:29 PM Anna Rose
5:02 PM Reece

Carson Theatre:
4:24 PM Miki Nadia

Temple Room 104:
9: 15 AM Kay
11:52 AM Matt

Temple Room 304:
12:37 PM Moon & Tommy
2:08 PM Victor & Jimmy
3:26 PM Dayanara & Royze

Ferguson Room 113:
9 AM Myrene
1:18 PM Richille & Ryan
2:15 PM Johnna

Also
EdTA is encouraging all NIES participants to attend a special workshop called PREPARING FOR INDIVIDUAL EVENTS AT FESTIVAL, scheduled for Monday, June 23 from 2:30 to 4 PM at the Studio Theatre.







*Shauna Brown is the door guard in the afternoon solo-musical session.

.

76. News! New Troupe Director for 2008-2009.

I am so very pleased to announce that you will have a new Troupe Director for school year 2008-2009. MCS teacher Rommel Calcena has agreed to take on the responsibilities of managing the troupe.



I think this will provide students with better access to information and more encouragement, because Mr. Calcena will be in the school on a daily basis, unlike me, who as a parent volunteer only visits occasionally for meetings and such.

I hope that all of the middle school students will take advantage of the great opportunities the Junior Thespian troupe offers--a chance to compete against students from other schools, a chance to try new dramatic endeavors, and a chance to win a free trip to the International Thespian Festival held each June in Lincoln, Nebraska (at the University of Nebraska).

I'll be posting photos our three winning MCS junior thespians bring back from the ITS Festival this year, and possibly post a few more news & notes, but that will be about it from me!

Hope you all have a wonderful summer.

75. Troupe News-Induction Photos & Caesar "Review"

TROUPE NEWS: Nine MCS middle school students were inducted as junior thespians into Troupe 88799 of the International Thespian Society. The new junior thespians are Sung Woo (Jimmy) Baik, Lourence Camacho, Mariel Ferrer, Hope Gomez, Angeliya Lizama, Andrea Manese, Victor Sablan, Josie Santos, and Ginny Wu.

Troupe president Anna DLG., and troupe secretary Victoria Camacho helped with the ceremony.

Troupe member also came to support the new troupe members.

The ceremony was held before the premiere of CAESAR, the MCS theatre club's feature movie. We had to wait at the AMP visitors' center because of a minor screw-up in their scheduling of events. SIS had its 8th grade graduation ceremony scheduled for essentially the same time as CAESAR was supposed to be screened.

CAESAR: The SIS and MCS administration, teachers, students, parents, and friends worked out an amicable co-use agreement on the spot--with SIS going first, and agreeing to be as quick as possible (and still give due pomp and circumstance to the 8th grade graduates). The film-goers agreed, for the most part, to hang out in the lobby and chat, not too noisily, waiting for their turn.

I was impressed with Galvin Guerrero's easy acceptance and acommodation of the situation. Hal Easton, who came as the Chapter Director of the Thespians of the Western Pacific Islands, said that theatre people know how to roll with the punches, that the motto "the show must go on" is deeply ingrained, so that even students don't lose their cool when the power goes out in the middle of the show (as happened recently at the Multi-Purpose Center when the TWPI were performing their two one-act plays!).

And as for my impression of the MCS movie CAESAR:

Wow! It wasn't Hollywood, but it was good for a student production. The production choices worked well within the context of the movie--choosing a gritty "film noir" tone, using light and dark contrast for drama, using modified, ordinary English for much of the story but putting the words of Shakespeare in the mouths of the actors and actresses who could best pull off that level of powerful drama.

I loved the music used, although the sound was a little sketchy at times (going to loud, or too soft, and occasionally causing the actors' utterances to be inaudible or indiscernable). Some of the transitions (fades to black) seemed slow, but other transitions (cross-fades) were marvelous. I loved the use of different venues in Saipan to dramatic effect.

The story is well-known, of course, being Shakespeare. I liked that Brutus and Mark Antony were recast as women, and there was a slight love-interest aspect between Brutus and Cassius (gee, I hope I got that right. Between Letition Cabrera and John Babauta.)

This version of CAESAR will not win awards, drags a bit in the middle, and is clearly a student production, but it is well worth seeing.

Second show TONIGHT (SATURDAY 5/31) at AMERICAN MEMORIAL PARK, 7 PM.

Come and enjoy the show, and then take in dinner at the last Taste of the Marianas.