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.