Boobsies

Heh nice one D. My turn:

1. Peck: "Just let me undo you. I'll do you back up." Mimes putting his hands under her blouse and playing with her boobies.

2. Peck: "You can't submit work to Playboy unless you're fifteen..."

3. Peck: "For a thirty year old, you have a body a twenty year old woman would die for."


Okay. Looks like my Forget Bad Memories Program has done its work - I can't remember my other boo-boos.

What I do remember (and remember having a horribly hard time with) is an incident on Saturday matinee during the family dinner scene. It was freezing cold, and Grandpa had a runny nose. On one of his lines, he laughed (the snorting kind) and some snot came out, which was wonderful for character but horrendous for Peck next to him, who had a painful time trying not to laugh.

oopsie

my little moments

1. my first experience with creating thespian spit. watching dem lil missiles launching from my mouth in slow motion was pretty ew. is that why they call it 'projecting'?

2. almost knocking down the wooden stool i was meant to sit back down on after a section of 'Mother's Guide To Social Drinking' monologue. i got a hold of it *just* in the nick of time as it was sent crashing to the floor. Yes, all that practice with flies and chopsticks has finally gone to constructive use.

3. the tableau - maintaining the crouch while the audience streams in for the start of Act 2. it only got really bad when we had that 100-strong audience who took their time resuming their seats. apart from that, it was pretty alright. i discovered that keeping myself occupied with thoughts of doing 'nasty! vulgar! primitive! hot!' things to Amelia helps a lot.

4. during the 'Photoshoot', whilst indulging in one of my stylo-mylo poses, i contracted a severe cramp in my right butt cheek. keeping it there til the next 'click', in that moment i believed that mercy no longer existed. Note to self: never attempt to hyperextend your limbs in an excessively air-conditioned environment.

5. as Aunt Mary, for the line, "My poor sister. She sits every Christmas when i come home to dinner with a new stole or diamonds or tickets to Mauritius". I mixed it up once and it came out as "My poor sister. She comes home every Christmas to dinner... and i JUST SIT THERE with a new stole or diamonds or tickets to Mauritius". Whoa, like, since when was Mary such a stuck-up bitch, right? I don't think anyone from the audience had sympathy for her that night. Also, there was time where i barely cut myself short of saying 'the maldives', it came out as 'tickets to The Mauritius'. The Mauritius what?

bleh.

HILTD: Opening Night

It's here folks! How I Learned to Drive is officially open and heres a sneek peek at what to expect.


The Set


The Stars


The Stellar Cast



The stage is set and the show promises to be nothing short of awesome, so come one come all and help make this a success!

i don't know about you...

...but i feel something scraping against the fragile walls of my rectum right now. but it feels too big to be a brick. i suspect it's a whole house.

leaving the office in 20 minutes.

hope i don't let you guys down.

-davina-

tick, tock.

and so HILTD opens tomorrow.

it seems like yesterday that we had auditions for the show, and now the show's ready for an audience. it's damn fast when you're busy, busy having fun. we've been through a lot in the past two, three months - rehearsal space, set building, shortage of hands, production money, sleep deprivation, putting up with constant indecisiveness from the director i.e. me - all for six performances at the esteemed TASB. vogel is the bomb. the lighting's awesome. the soundtrack's great. the set rocks. the costumes rock harder. the cast will blow you away. the creative crew cannot get any better. the production team is, in one word, amazing.

and we've all had our ups and downs - good runs of the play, not-so-good runs. good days, not-so-good days. the cookbook for a great show, in my opinion.

bloody hell. i can't sleep.

come catch our show, and let me know what you think!

Butterflies: sudah sampai!

Every year, I get involved in a production with The Oral Stage.

It's like an annual pilgrimage, a Haj of sorts if you wish.

It's the eve of The Opening.

And the butterflies have arrived.

*flutter flutter*

Then I remember something from the last production.

It was hours before opening. Someone said butterflies weren't just fluttering by anymore.

They were clawing in our stomachs.

A round of mojitos from La Bodega for the cast before each and every show would be nice.

I think the butterflies will enjoy the mojito.

An Awwwwww Moment

So I got to watch the final round of rehearsals yesterday (I know! Lord only knows why Kel wants my opinion, but hey, it was cool for me! :P) and it was the bomb, really.

Oh, and I will keep this short even though I'm (extremely) bored at work :P

Everyone has come so far from Day 1 and I felt really privileged to be able to watch them grow. Truly, the audience will never know just how much effort these guys have put in; they deserve sell-out crowds and standing ovations just for the sheer energy they've given to this production! Cast, crew and the entire production team - everyone works together amazingly well, with immense professionalism and dedication to this project. I really don't think TOS could've asked for a better bunch of peeps and I'm so happy for my dearest Kel that it's worked out so well.

Whatever happens from the 4th-8th of June, everyone involved in HILTD can pat themselves on the back (and anywhere else they may so desire) because this is most definitely a job well done. I'm really proud to have helped you guys in some teeny tiny way!! :)


Ooh, one last note - L'il Bit's outfit is H.A.W.T!! :D Haha, can I borrow once the show's over? ;)

coz theatre does that to you

I play the Mother to Lil Bit and the wife to Uncle Peck, both of which are very contrasting characters, the only thing they seem to have in common is their own mother.

But somehow as I portray them both, I feel a sort of empathy with them. Sometimes I can relate, and sometimes I can even get... comfortable. Which is wierd and scary and wonderful all at once.

On another note, to the mindblowing little marvel of Malaysian theatre Mark Beau, please come back soon. I'm dying to have a spin on the floor with Greg.

Can't believe there's less than a week to go...

Davina

Just thought I'd share....

This week...or the last really, this video was named the No 7 most viral video on the internet by UK free newspaper, Metro. And guess what? It's home grown.

So for you're viewing pleaseure....Pete Teo's Malaysian Artiste for Unity baby

Here in My Home

seminggu lagi

so we're down to one more week of full-runs before the show opens on the 4th. everything's set in the fifth gear: lighting, sound, set, musical direction (yep, there's gonna be singing!), design, publicity. it's unbelievable how much effort the entire creative and production team's put into this show - and it's gonna be TOS' best show yet. will be uploading notes here every now and then until the showday itself. check us out on radio, tv, newspapers, magazines, blogs, etc. and facebook!

oh, if you don't wanna pay for tickets, try your luck at winning them at kakiseni.com!

Books down

Always a scary time. And for a newbie like myself, I was very much caught with my pants down - heck, with my underwear down too.

The excuse is, all my past experience has not led to any major conclusion about the sheer terror that is "books down". So misled was I that that major milestone was mostly ignored.

Until it happened. And then I realised that I had quite a lot to say. A very sizable collection of chunks of text too, I might add. All very technical, all very important.

Absolute horror. I cursed, I swore; I rebuked myself, I hated, I self-flagellated.


But at the end of it all, it's coming together quite nicely. Mark blew us all away today with his "Greg" and his "High School Senior". Bloody hilarious.

HILTD on NTV7

Hello again :)

Here's the link for Johann and Alfred's segment on The Breakfast Show, last Thursday morning (15/5/08) with JP and Elaine Daly. It's great publicity for our show (and not just cuz those two boys are cho cute and cuddly, either ;p)

http://www.ntv7.com.my/Shows/Episodes.aspx?MasterID=4&ShowID=2&MenuID=2&TemplateID=1&SubMenuID=1&VideoID=7941&EpID=8203#anchorVid

Hope everyone enjoys this and spreads the news even further :)

A (pretty) fly on the wall

Okay, so I'm not exactly a "part" of the cast for HILTD :P but hey, kita semua dari satu familia, kan? ;) Let's just view me as... an outside observer who has some thoughts to share. LOL. Sounds better than saying I'm just being a KPC and giving my 2 cents!

Anyways, I got to sit in on a couple of rehearsals and just thought of sharing my opinions on how things are going. First of all, great bunch of people - very interesting mix and well cast, as well. So kudos to the production team for that. The cast members are by and large a hardworking and committed bunch who are really up for anything, no matter how zany, and that's key to great acting, I think.

There's a great camaraderie here that reminds me of the wonderful Rojak! days, and I'm so happy to see that spirit back in TOS again :) That's an amazing achievement in itself. Congratulations, Kel, and everyone else involved.

Even just from two rehearsals, I could see the growth in each actor and that speaks volumes already. The play is gonna be wonderful because these guys are giving it their all. Heck, they're even willing to go out in public and endure the blazing hot 'n' humid Msian weather, all in the name of art :)

Ooh, and I can't wait to see the costumes! :D

this is the real shit, yo.

i was taking a look at the Yahoo Answers website last week, and i came across a question asked by a woman in her 20s, who was molested by her stepdad in her childhood, and had been told by both him AND her mother to move on and forget about it. It apparently was a 'little mistake', and they still love and take care of her. the woman's question was if she should still respect her parents, and is scared that if she doesn't then it will put her in a bad light in society's eyes, a 'spoiled brat'. that, and also the fact that she is embarrassed to reveal to the world that her stepdad is a pedophile.

it's such a jolt to the senses to read something like that. how we know that it exists but as long as we don't get exposed to it on a personal level, then it's just another hollywood story.

but no matter how much fiction you inject into a play like HILTD, it should not detract audiences from the reality of this conflict happening to someone out there.

my heart bleeds for the silent sufferers. i pray that they will find the strength to overcome, and realize that they are actually more powerful than they could ever imagine themselves to be.

to Damsel In Distress, i am counting the days. :)

How I Learned To Drive Roadshow notes 2

We did our stuff at Sunway Pyramid yesterday. It was initially meant to be at SS15, but we quickly discovered that Saturday lunchtime is a dead time at that area - even Asia Cafe was quiet! The great thing that came out of that was a contact we made, with The English House (website under construction), who's interested in collaborating with TOS on stuff. They also take in part-time teachers, so that'd be an interesting lead to follow up on.We (eventually) ended up at Sunway, at the J.Co entrance. We negotiated 5 minutes with one of the many guards there, and did our stuff - it lasted longer than 5 minutes and we caught the interest of one of the mall management staff, so we scored our biggest point: permission, practically almost an invitation, from them to do our stuff there. Coolness.

Didn't collect too much, but the results were good for a virgin act. Now we have to plan our mall strategies - where we place ourselves based on our target market, based on where they'd go.

Also got to try out our new acts: Mexican wave-based tableaux, and word-/emotion- based tableaux. Not bad, I think it looks great. Hoping Nick/Amelia will come out with the pictures soon.

Ah yes, best part! I was having a good private laugh whilst performing as I saw a bunch of chef-hatted staff of a nearby restaurant ardently watching us. I thought that we even got the attention of some chefs. After we retired for a break and a debrief, lo and behold - they started doing their own tableaux, promoting their restaurant. Blatant and shameless ripping off!

But what can I say. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Lateral Thinking

...is a bitch.

it can make you flip out and curse yourself for not thinking like an immature child.

funny how we strive to excel in thought and raise our consciousness to higher planes, yet we take such pleasure in being baboons at the sanctuary of the mamak table?

i know i do :D

How I Learned To Drive Roadshow notes 1

We planned a roadshow for TOS to raise funds as well as to publicise HILTD today, at Pusat Bandar Damansara (PBD). The intention was to set up an area opposite Menara Millenium (as it had decent office crowds) and put up a show - skits, mimes, physical theatre, tableaux, whatever theatre-/arts-related that could draw interest from a crowd. We'd have some performers doing the show, and some sandwich-board wearing people going around talking about the show and collecting donations.
We started with some difficulty - a couple of performers cancelled 25 minutes before we were to meet for briefing, and we almost gave up for lack of participation. After some brainstorming, we decided to proceed with just the sandwich boards and 1 money-collector - if nothing else, get the word out there about the show. And so we did.

We made 2 rounds around PBD handing out leaflets about TOS and the show, and me banging away at the metal pail with coins. Rhythmically lah. We found that it was really effective at generating interest in the show, while not so conducive for getting money - after all, who wants to be approached randomly or during lunch for donations? We then proceeded to set ourselves up at an open square in the middle of PBD, initially to rest.

We then proceeded to do tableaux to make use of the space and our time there. With our sandwich-board clad people spread around and me with the donation pail, we made poses and stood rather still for interminable amounts of time until we decided to change positions, in synchrony. More or less. And we had Nick Chin (who joined us at some point) go around and explain the situation to random onlookers, many of whom proceeded to pop a donation into the pail. Great job Nick!

We didn't make all too much, but I think we did a good job in getting the image of HILTD into people's minds. And we got the attention of a marketing company based there. And some encouragement from passersby. Lots of valuable experience, too.

So what did we learn?

• sitting still and asking for donations is better than going around demanding it
• putting on a show (even if a very still one, like a tableau) is worth a donation
• sandwich boards are better still than moving
• Malaysians aren't used to impromptu shows, so having someone explain it helps lots
• people enjoy shows and this kind of free entertainment

Some ideas for the next one:

1. Spread out tableaux with a nominated caller (to call out changes or even themes), a money-collector and leaflet / postcard distributors. Some of the performers will wear the sandwich boards. "Explainers" will go around the crowd and tell them that it's okay to take the leaflets and postcards and give donations, and talk about the show.
2. Lined-up mime show with a nominated caller + money-collector - every time someone donates, the caller will call out a word or emotion or a phrase (eg "Thank You!", "Joy!", "Selamat Hari Raya!") and the mimes will change position to reflect it one-by-one, Mexican-wave style. Another option is for the donor to pull up a list of lines from the script (eg "For blue balls") and the caller read it out, for the mimes to perform. We could even do that as a "selective pricing" thing - RM10 donations means a script read, or whatever.
   
3. TO BUILD A CROWD: we have 1 or 2 music-making instruments (ideally percussions) at the central location making some music. We could have some physical theatre going on. Then people with sandwich boards and leaflets/postcards could begin at far ends of the location and slowly make their way to the centre, informing people of a show. We could have a nice climax once all the sandwich-boards are there, culminating in a tableau that segues perfectly into the next show.
4. Physical theatre: we could have fluid sessions of these - nominate a director, who then nominates a musician, and then tells a story. Eg I could go, "Alfred, take the drum; Kelvin in the centre. You are in a jungle... now, Amelia jump in - you're a gorilla wanting to scare Kelvin away." etc etc.

Oookay that was much longer than expected. Anyway interesting day.

(extracted from my blog here)

How I Learned To Drive?

Yeah, a lot of people sitting in the passenger seat have asked me that.

They don't need to know this, but I catch myself wondering if I ever did.

How I Learned To Drive notes 1

Hard to believe that it's not even been a month since we started rehearsing for How I Learned To Drive. To fill you in, it's an amazing Pulitzer Prize-winning script (wiki) by Paula Vogel, and The Oral Stage (go check out the spanking new website!) is producing it in early June at The Actors Studio, Bangsar Shopping Centre.We've been rehearsing like crazy, at multiple venues and I've been told that it's coming along really nicely. That's a welcome relief as it started as a rather daunting project - small company doing really big play kinda thing, but getting into it revealed that the play doesn't have to be all that big. However, the director being the director, he has come up with an ambition plan for the set and the stage which, if we pull it off, will be mind-blowingly amazing.

I'd been involved with the production from early stages, running the auditions for TOS. Of course, it was weird when the director told me to audition at the end of the day - but I must admit that I was flattered when he insisted I play the part. We then worked together to assemble the team and I sincerely hope that the next month will see us getting beautifully aligned and working the play so artfully that the show will be a huge WOW!

Yeah I'm kinda excited about it. The script is fabulous, I rave about it about every twice a week. We've got some really good stuff in there, good talents, good people and good ideas.

COME WATCH IT NEXT MONTH!!!

(extracted from my blog here) (well Mr Director, I'm just being conscientious about this extracting and plagiarism thing you know...)

One Rehearsal Evening

ALF: hmm...but Doreen...i still don't see it...



Jo: I tell you ah..! you better watch it...or else...erm...
i'm gonna attack you with my mustache..!



or send Alfie with his ultimate well trained right leg super combo
which sent Davina flying...



Ame: NO..! i don't believe you Jo...HaiiiiYaaaa now take that..!



Ok guys! back to work and more pondering...

Reason

I was trying to string my sentences together, to form a reason.

A reason as to why I'm doing what I'm doing.

"You think you're superwoman ah? Already complaining that you don't have enough hours in a day, and you still want a hand in everything!" the boyfriend nagged when I first told him about it.

"You have a full-time job in case you forgot!" he went on to say.

Then, when I fell ill..

"Aiyo, no wonder you are falling sick!" said the mother. "Where got time to rest?"

I thank god that we didn't have rehearsals in the last couple of days, and I gladly spent many hours in bed. My neck is not so stiff anymore. My head doesn't hurt that much. My shoulders have loosened up a little.

Then I came across something.

(Nick - pinjam!)

Here.

Well, there you go. This should be enough reason to keep me going. At least for another week or two.

:P

What is 42?

It is the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything.

To the geeks who know what I'm talking about, slap me five.



To those who don't, get a life.

And read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.


:D

(wiki)

Not Human

In so many ways, the bunch of us here aren't.

from being paranoid androids, to making weird purchases like pink camera's, to burping alphabet, to having traumatizing experiences that leave us unable to be slobs in peace.

i met an old 'heng tai' today, not that i've ever met him, but he used to go to the same martial arts school as i did for 2 years when i was in penang. we both shared experiences on how our training has now left us scarred and makes us subliminally torture our bodies for no reason at all...

master Alan Saw, thanks for re-wiring my head :D

heh

you will never see me in this show...

which for your sake.. is a good thing.

as the disembodied voice over in HILTD (which for my personal reasons i will call MMABM atau lebih dikenali sebagai macam mana aku belajar memandu, has such a nicer ring to it, no?) i shall serve as a chapter marker to make sure you kinda understand whats going on..

that and also to provide my bass services under duress of kelvin's slavish methods to the greek chorus's efforts at acapella.

observations? well, here's one.

Mark has wonderfully subconsciously influenced all of us so that right now, the collective favourtie swear word of all the cast members, is without a doubt... KKJ

enjoi :D

Lil' Amy Monster's 1st Post.....

OMG!!! I have never really had to write stuff for production blogs before......eh...no...I lie.....I did for Shape of Things.... but I mostly posted rehearsal pix......but anyways......back to how i learned to drive.....

Kelvin here's been workin us all to the bone.....so y'all had better come see the fruits of our labours!

Coz in the words of my co-star, the ever enigmatic No. 42, "It's gonna be kick ass!"

Inspired marketing phrases

So we were discussing marketing and publicity for HILTD (that's How I Learned To Drive) one day and the topic of another play came up. That chat inspired us of the following phrases to use for marketing purposes:

• Starring the multiple-times Cameronian award-nominated Writer, Mark!
• Starring the multiple cast of the multiple Cameronian award-winning musical, Broken Bridges!
• Starring the multiple cast (2) of the multiple-times Cameronian award-nominated musical, Tunku!
• Produced by the company who produced the play that stars the Cameronian award-nominated Best Supporting Lead (Azmir), The Oral Stage!
• Starring one of the 50 CLEO bachelors of 2008, who almost won a subsidiary award, Johann!
• Come find out what happened to the Eye-Lined One!
• Is "Goonting" a real surname? Step backstage and see for yourself!
• Featuring the future winners of the BAFTAs, Oscars and Golden Globes!
• Highlighting the future winners of the yet-to-be-announced Malaysian Actors Association Awards!

Okay so I made some of them up.

park your cars here

welcome to how i learned to drive's production blog! this is where you, our readers, get a preview on what it's like working on our upcoming show in june at the actors studio bangsar. pictures, rantings, bios, reflections, production updates - all to be up soon. bookmark this space, drop by sometime, and we look forward to seeing you at our show!