Junior Thespians and all Middle Schoolers at MCS--Welcome or welcome back to Mount Carmel School.
The school year began for students on August 9, 2007. And Junior Thespians will be having its first meeting soon. Watch this blog for details.
Every MCS student in 6th, 7th and 8th grade is invited to come to the Troupe #88799 meetings and participate in Thespian activities. Our troupe is not just for actors and actresses. Artists, musicians, mathematicians and muscle are encouraged to join because they are also important in making productions happen.
We'll choose what we're going to do as a troupe this year.
Some possible activities include:
1. participation in the regional Thespian competitions. Winners in each category can win a trip to the International Thespian Festival in Lincoln, Nebraska in June, 2008 (provided PSS has funds for the tickets).
2. actor studio workshops. We can invite some of the talented actors, singers, and mime artists to give presentations and help us develop our (already awesome!) skills.
3. impromptu performances. We can have monthly performances at local venues, like the mini amphitheater on Beach Road by the pathway. This is a perfect place to practice mime, with a hat for passers-by to toss in coins!
4. behind-the-scenes / in-house competitions. Costume design and set design are exciting visual and tactile aspects of dramatic production. The senior Thespians have a regional competition in these areas, but there is no regional junior competition and no preparation (yet!) at the junior level. But we can have workshops and competitions to get our juices flowing and learn some basics early.
5. tech, fundraising, and other support for the MCS productions. We can, as a unified troupe, give special help to Mr. G. in the MCS plays this year.
As you come to meetings, participate in Thespian competitions, join in the MCS drama productions, and perform in your own venues, you can earn points toward full membership in the Junior Thespians troupe. And at the end of the year, we'll have another ceremony inducting new honorees--our new Junior Thespians.
For our seven already-inducted Junior Thespians (yay!), you can add to your point totals if you did any drama activities over the summer. Once you've reached 60 points, you get an honor bar to add to your card. Just let me know what you did, and have an adult (like your mother or father) sign off as additional corroboration.
If you have questions or comments, feel free to post them in the comments section.
Junior Thespians is an opportunity to perform, to learn stage and back-stage skills, to meet and participate with students from all over Saipan, and most importantly to have fun.
I'm looking forward to a fun year.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Monday, July 2, 2007
8. Photos of CNMI Thespians in the States
MCS junior thespian, Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero, took some photos of the trip to the ITS Festival. She says that no photos were permitted during performances or during the individual events, and when they were in workshops, she was too busy to take photos. So all of these are before and after the actual Festival events.
She flew into Wichita, Kansas, to meet with the students from the Forensics competition and travel with those who were also going to Lincoln to the ITS Festival. While there, they saw CLUE, the musical comedy.
Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero, Harold Easton, Mark Anthony Liban, Adelayah Mojica, Rachel Reyes, Richelle Denora, Mrs. Liban, at a theatre in Wichita, Kansas.
Of course, the students took breaks, shopped and ate.
Ryan Gutierrez (Harold Easton and Andrew Golden in background)
Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero, Joan Liwanag
Aisha Joyner, taking a break from shopping at Target.
Tommy Baik
Rachel Reyes, Moon Lee, Adelayah Mojica, all at Target, Lincoln, Nebraska
Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero, Richelle Denora, Jaythan Camacho
Johnna Lubuguin, outside their hotel in Lincoln
Richelle Denora, Johnna Lubuguin, at the hotel in Lincoln
Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero, Johnna Lubuguin
Tori Brown, at a cafeteria at University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Moon Lee, Akieko Dela Cruz, at University of Nebraska
She flew into Wichita, Kansas, to meet with the students from the Forensics competition and travel with those who were also going to Lincoln to the ITS Festival. While there, they saw CLUE, the musical comedy.
Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero, Harold Easton, Mark Anthony Liban, Adelayah Mojica, Rachel Reyes, Richelle Denora, Mrs. Liban, at a theatre in Wichita, Kansas.
Of course, the students took breaks, shopped and ate.
Ryan Gutierrez (Harold Easton and Andrew Golden in background)
Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero, Joan Liwanag
Aisha Joyner, taking a break from shopping at Target.
Tommy Baik
Rachel Reyes, Moon Lee, Adelayah Mojica, all at Target, Lincoln, Nebraska
Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero, Richelle Denora, Jaythan Camacho
Johnna Lubuguin, outside their hotel in Lincoln
Richelle Denora, Johnna Lubuguin, at the hotel in Lincoln
Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero, Johnna Lubuguin
Tori Brown, at a cafeteria at University of Nebraska, Lincoln
Moon Lee, Akieko Dela Cruz, at University of Nebraska
Sunday, July 1, 2007
7. The International Thespian Festival-some news
MCS student Anna Deleon Guerrero participated in the ITS Festival, held in Lincoln, Nebraska from June 25th through the 30th, 2007. She, along with other students from the CNMI and elsewhere, enjoyed a feast of productions.
Here's a short list of plays that Anna saw at the Festival.
THE TAFFETAS, enacted by Norwin Theatre Club, Troupe 35493 (Pennsylvania).
MOON OVER BUFFALO, enacted by Klein Collings High School, (Texas)
ZOMBIE PROM, enacted by Floyd Central High School, Troupe # 1794 (Indiana)
BLACK ELK SPEAKS, enacted by Lincoln Southwest High School (Nebraska).
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, enacted by the ITS national cast.
Besides seeing some great school Thespian productions, the students from Thespians of the Western Pacific Islands staged THE GOOD DOCTOR, by Neil Simon, in the Howell Theatre. Anna was the "Selector" in the audition scene.
CNMI student Thespians who participated:
Tommy Baik
Royce Banados
Victoria Brown
Jaythan Camacho
Akieko Dela Cruz
Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero
Richille Denora
Dayanara Flores
Ryan Gutierrez
Aishi Joyner
Moon Hyo Lee
Joan Liwanag
Johnna Lubuguin
Jomanda Manglona
Adeleyah Mojica
Rachel Reyes
Nevin Salem
Ahjung Sin
Congrats to all.
Look for more reporting and photos tomorrow.
Here's a short list of plays that Anna saw at the Festival.
THE TAFFETAS, enacted by Norwin Theatre Club, Troupe 35493 (Pennsylvania).
MOON OVER BUFFALO, enacted by Klein Collings High School, (Texas)
ZOMBIE PROM, enacted by Floyd Central High School, Troupe # 1794 (Indiana)
BLACK ELK SPEAKS, enacted by Lincoln Southwest High School (Nebraska).
THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, enacted by the ITS national cast.
Besides seeing some great school Thespian productions, the students from Thespians of the Western Pacific Islands staged THE GOOD DOCTOR, by Neil Simon, in the Howell Theatre. Anna was the "Selector" in the audition scene.
CNMI student Thespians who participated:
Tommy Baik
Royce Banados
Victoria Brown
Jaythan Camacho
Akieko Dela Cruz
Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero
Richille Denora
Dayanara Flores
Ryan Gutierrez
Aishi Joyner
Moon Hyo Lee
Joan Liwanag
Johnna Lubuguin
Jomanda Manglona
Adeleyah Mojica
Rachel Reyes
Nevin Salem
Ahjung Sin
Congrats to all.
Look for more reporting and photos tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
6. Amusing Glossary of Stage Terms (a/k/a Theatre for Dummies)
Thanks to Doom Houser over at Script Frenzy for posting this. Enjoy.
Stage Terminology for Dummies.
These Are just amusing stage terms for those of us who actually understand them.
For those of you that don't, this should give you a basic idea of how a play will run, and who does what... Sort of.
Eternity - The time that passes between a dropped cue and the next line.
Prop - A hand-carried object small enough to be lost by an actor 30 seconds before it is needed on stage.
Director - The individual who suffers from the delusion that he or she is responsible for every moment of brilliance cited by the critic in the local review.
Blocking - The art of moving actors on the stage in such a manner as not to collide with the walls, the furniture, the orchestra pit or each other. Similar to playing chess, except that the pawns want to argue with you.
Blocking Rehearsal - A rehearsal taking place early in the production schedule where actors frantically write down movements which will be nowhere in evidence by opening night.
Quality Theater - Any show with which you were directly involved.
Turkey - Every show with which you were not directly involved.
Dress Rehearsal - Rehearsal that becomes a whole new ball game as actors attempt to maneuver among the 49 objects that the set designer added at 7:30 that evening.
Tech Week - The last week of rehearsal when everything that was supposed to be done weeks before finally comes together at the last minute; reaches its grand climax on dress rehearsal night when costumes rip, a dimmer pack catches fire and the director has a nervous breakdown. Also known as "hell" week.
Set - An obstacle course which, throughout the rehearsal period, defies the laws of physics by growing smaller week by week while continuing to occupy the same amount of space.
Monologue - That bright, shining moment when all eyes are focused on a single actor who is desperately aware that if he forgets a line, no one can save him.
Dark Night - The night before opening when no rehearsal is scheduled so the actors and crew can go home and get some well deserved rest, and instead spend the night staring sleeplessly at the ceiling because they're sure they needed one more rehearsal.
Bit Part - An opportunity for the actor with the smallest role to count everybody else's lines and mention repeatedly that he or she has the smallest part in the show.
Green Room - Room shared by nervous actors waiting to go on stage and the precocious children whose actor parents couldn't get a baby-sitter that night, a situation which can result in justifiable homicide.
Dark Spot - An area of the stage which the lighting designer has inexplicably forgotten to light, and which has a magnetic attraction for the first-time actor. A dark spot is never evident before opening night.
Hands - Appendages at the end of the arms used for manipulating one's environment, except on a stage, where they grow six times their normal size and either dangle uselessly, fidget nervously, or try to hide in your pockets.
Stage Manager - Individual responsible for overseeing the crew, supervising the set changes, baby-sitting the actors and putting the director in a hammerlock to keep him from killing the actor who just decided to turn his walk-on part into a major role by doing magic tricks while he serves the tea.
Lighting Director - Individual who, from the only vantage point offering a full view of the stage, gives the stage manager a heart attack by announcing a play-by-play of everything that's going wrong.
Makeup Kit - (1) Among experienced community theater actors, a battered tackle box loaded with at least 10 shades of greasepaint in various stages of desiccation, tubes of lipstick and blush, assorted pencils, bobby pins, braids of crepe hair, liquid latex, old programs, jewelry, break-a-leg greeting cards from past shows, brushes and a handful of half-melted cough drops.
(2) For first-time male actors, a helpless look and anything they can borrow.
The Forebrain - The part of an actors brain which contains lines, blocking and characterization; activated by hot lights.
The Hindbrain - The part of an actors brain that keeps up a running subtext in the background, while the forebrain is trying to act. The hindbrain supplies a constant stream of unwanted information. Such as who is sitting in the second row tonight, a notation to seriously maim the crew member who thought it would be funny to put real Tabasco sauce in the fake Bloody Marys, or the fact that you need to do laundry on Sunday.
Stage Crew - Group of individuals who spend their evenings coping with 50-minute stretches of total boredom interspersed with 30-second bursts of mindless panic.
Message Play - Any play which its director describes as "worthwhile," "a challenge to actors and audience alike," or "designed to make the audiencethink." Critics will be impressed both by the daring material and the roomy accommodations, since they're likely to have the house all to themselves.
Bedroom Farce - Any play which requires various states of undress on stage and whose set sports a lot of doors. The lukewarm reviews, all of which feature the phrase "typical community theater fare" in the opening paragraph, are followed paradoxically by a frantic attempt to schedule more performances to accommodate the overflow crowds.
Assistant Director - Individual willing to undertake special projects that nobody else would take on a bet, such as working one-on one with the brain-dead actor whom the rest of the cast has threatened to take out a contract on.
Set Piece - Any large piece of furniture which actors will resolutely use as a safety shield between themselves and the audience, in an apparent attempt to both anchor themselves to the floor, thereby avoiding floating off into space, and to keep the audience from seeing that they actually have legs.
Strike - The time immediately following the last performance while all cast and crew members are required to stay and dismantle (or watch the two people who own Makita screw drivers) dismantle the set.
Actors (As defined by a set designer) - People who stand between the audience and the set designer's art, blocking the view. That's also the origin of the word "blocking," by the way.
Stage Right, Stage Left - Two simple directions actors pretend not to understand in order to drive directors crazy. ("No, no, your OTHER stage right!")
Stage Terminology for Dummies.
These Are just amusing stage terms for those of us who actually understand them.
For those of you that don't, this should give you a basic idea of how a play will run, and who does what... Sort of.
Eternity - The time that passes between a dropped cue and the next line.
Prop - A hand-carried object small enough to be lost by an actor 30 seconds before it is needed on stage.
Director - The individual who suffers from the delusion that he or she is responsible for every moment of brilliance cited by the critic in the local review.
Blocking - The art of moving actors on the stage in such a manner as not to collide with the walls, the furniture, the orchestra pit or each other. Similar to playing chess, except that the pawns want to argue with you.
Blocking Rehearsal - A rehearsal taking place early in the production schedule where actors frantically write down movements which will be nowhere in evidence by opening night.
Quality Theater - Any show with which you were directly involved.
Turkey - Every show with which you were not directly involved.
Dress Rehearsal - Rehearsal that becomes a whole new ball game as actors attempt to maneuver among the 49 objects that the set designer added at 7:30 that evening.
Tech Week - The last week of rehearsal when everything that was supposed to be done weeks before finally comes together at the last minute; reaches its grand climax on dress rehearsal night when costumes rip, a dimmer pack catches fire and the director has a nervous breakdown. Also known as "hell" week.
Set - An obstacle course which, throughout the rehearsal period, defies the laws of physics by growing smaller week by week while continuing to occupy the same amount of space.
Monologue - That bright, shining moment when all eyes are focused on a single actor who is desperately aware that if he forgets a line, no one can save him.
Dark Night - The night before opening when no rehearsal is scheduled so the actors and crew can go home and get some well deserved rest, and instead spend the night staring sleeplessly at the ceiling because they're sure they needed one more rehearsal.
Bit Part - An opportunity for the actor with the smallest role to count everybody else's lines and mention repeatedly that he or she has the smallest part in the show.
Green Room - Room shared by nervous actors waiting to go on stage and the precocious children whose actor parents couldn't get a baby-sitter that night, a situation which can result in justifiable homicide.
Dark Spot - An area of the stage which the lighting designer has inexplicably forgotten to light, and which has a magnetic attraction for the first-time actor. A dark spot is never evident before opening night.
Hands - Appendages at the end of the arms used for manipulating one's environment, except on a stage, where they grow six times their normal size and either dangle uselessly, fidget nervously, or try to hide in your pockets.
Stage Manager - Individual responsible for overseeing the crew, supervising the set changes, baby-sitting the actors and putting the director in a hammerlock to keep him from killing the actor who just decided to turn his walk-on part into a major role by doing magic tricks while he serves the tea.
Lighting Director - Individual who, from the only vantage point offering a full view of the stage, gives the stage manager a heart attack by announcing a play-by-play of everything that's going wrong.
Makeup Kit - (1) Among experienced community theater actors, a battered tackle box loaded with at least 10 shades of greasepaint in various stages of desiccation, tubes of lipstick and blush, assorted pencils, bobby pins, braids of crepe hair, liquid latex, old programs, jewelry, break-a-leg greeting cards from past shows, brushes and a handful of half-melted cough drops.
(2) For first-time male actors, a helpless look and anything they can borrow.
The Forebrain - The part of an actors brain which contains lines, blocking and characterization; activated by hot lights.
The Hindbrain - The part of an actors brain that keeps up a running subtext in the background, while the forebrain is trying to act. The hindbrain supplies a constant stream of unwanted information. Such as who is sitting in the second row tonight, a notation to seriously maim the crew member who thought it would be funny to put real Tabasco sauce in the fake Bloody Marys, or the fact that you need to do laundry on Sunday.
Stage Crew - Group of individuals who spend their evenings coping with 50-minute stretches of total boredom interspersed with 30-second bursts of mindless panic.
Message Play - Any play which its director describes as "worthwhile," "a challenge to actors and audience alike," or "designed to make the audiencethink." Critics will be impressed both by the daring material and the roomy accommodations, since they're likely to have the house all to themselves.
Bedroom Farce - Any play which requires various states of undress on stage and whose set sports a lot of doors. The lukewarm reviews, all of which feature the phrase "typical community theater fare" in the opening paragraph, are followed paradoxically by a frantic attempt to schedule more performances to accommodate the overflow crowds.
Assistant Director - Individual willing to undertake special projects that nobody else would take on a bet, such as working one-on one with the brain-dead actor whom the rest of the cast has threatened to take out a contract on.
Set Piece - Any large piece of furniture which actors will resolutely use as a safety shield between themselves and the audience, in an apparent attempt to both anchor themselves to the floor, thereby avoiding floating off into space, and to keep the audience from seeing that they actually have legs.
Strike - The time immediately following the last performance while all cast and crew members are required to stay and dismantle (or watch the two people who own Makita screw drivers) dismantle the set.
Actors (As defined by a set designer) - People who stand between the audience and the set designer's art, blocking the view. That's also the origin of the word "blocking," by the way.
Stage Right, Stage Left - Two simple directions actors pretend not to understand in order to drive directors crazy. ("No, no, your OTHER stage right!")
Friday, June 8, 2007
5. ITS Festival--June 25-29
The International Thespian Festival is set for June 25th through the 30th in Lincoln, Nebraska. You can read about it here .
PSS awards the top winners in the local competitions with travel vouchers to the ITS Festival. This year's CNMI winners (high school Thespians and middle school Junior Thespians) include:
Ryan Gutierrez
Johnna Lubuguin
Richelle Denora
Moon Lee
Tommy Baik
Joan Liwanag
Dayanara Flores
Tori Brown
Akiko Dela Cruz
Nevin Salem
J. Camacho
The last two are 6th graders from San Antonio School who won in the Junior Thespian mime competition! You can see the full results here .
None of the SY 2006-2007 winners are from MCS, because our students didn't compete for the full schedule. However, Junior Thespian Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero competed in all but the first competition and won a blue ribbon in the regionals. Her total score was not enough to get a free ticket from PSS, but she will participate in the ITS Festival at her own expense.
One of the goals for Troupe 88799 next year is to compete in the TWPI competitions all year long. We'd like to see MCS represented at the annual ITS Festival, where our students would participate in workshops and presentations in all aspects of theatre, enjoy the fun and meet other Thespian students from around the U.S. and world. The high school students can also audition for colleges.
This is a great opportunity for the new MCS Junior Thespians.
The categories for competition are monologue, duet scene, mime, and solo musical. Junior Thespians--be thinking about what you'd like to do next year. Feel free to use the comments section here for your questions and ideas.
And watch this blog for possible posts from Anna Rose about the ITS Festival.
PSS awards the top winners in the local competitions with travel vouchers to the ITS Festival. This year's CNMI winners (high school Thespians and middle school Junior Thespians) include:
Ryan Gutierrez
Johnna Lubuguin
Richelle Denora
Moon Lee
Tommy Baik
Joan Liwanag
Dayanara Flores
Tori Brown
Akiko Dela Cruz
Nevin Salem
J. Camacho
The last two are 6th graders from San Antonio School who won in the Junior Thespian mime competition! You can see the full results here .
None of the SY 2006-2007 winners are from MCS, because our students didn't compete for the full schedule. However, Junior Thespian Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero competed in all but the first competition and won a blue ribbon in the regionals. Her total score was not enough to get a free ticket from PSS, but she will participate in the ITS Festival at her own expense.
One of the goals for Troupe 88799 next year is to compete in the TWPI competitions all year long. We'd like to see MCS represented at the annual ITS Festival, where our students would participate in workshops and presentations in all aspects of theatre, enjoy the fun and meet other Thespian students from around the U.S. and world. The high school students can also audition for colleges.
This is a great opportunity for the new MCS Junior Thespians.
The categories for competition are monologue, duet scene, mime, and solo musical. Junior Thespians--be thinking about what you'd like to do next year. Feel free to use the comments section here for your questions and ideas.
And watch this blog for possible posts from Anna Rose about the ITS Festival.
Friday, June 1, 2007
4. FIRST MCS JUNIOR THESPIANS
Congratulations to the first MCS students ever to be inducted as Junior Thespians into the International Thespian Society:
Victoria Camacho,
Anna Rose Deleon Guerrero,
Chelsei Encio,
Xandra Peter,
Kassandra Snodgrass,
Frank Villagomez, and
Lee Ann Yarobwemal
Yay! The seven Junior Thespians are in the front row of the photo below.
The induction ceremony also included twelve high school students, who were inducted into MCS's Troupe 5690--Letitia Cabrera, Francine Camacho, Erlyn Dalan, Matthew Deleon Guerrero, Hazel Doctor, Jake Igitol, Patricia Matagolai, Ryan Ortizo, Angela Salas, Cyd Tribiana, Ruby Ann Venus, and Nicolette Villagomez. Pictured above, in the second row (except for Cyd who is in the front), along with MCS Principal, and Troupe 5690 director Galvin Deleon Guerrero.
Also to be inducted, but accidentally omitted in the last-minute rush of preparations, are Mayble Ayuyu and John Babauta, Beauty and the Beast. Sorry for the mistake.
Congratulations on the ITS honor.
Yay for the high school Thespians! You inspire the MCS junior thespians.
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