FOA Valentine's Show

We're finally on the downside of banana-season. It's been a bumper crop this year! Tangerines are now ripe.
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Friday and Saturday at Charley's PIC. 7 PM Cost is $15/adult and $10 student. (FOA membership discount for adult tickets only.)

Valentine's Day (Monday), same place. 7:30 PM show time. Cost is $33/adult and $28 student. (FOA membership discount for adult tickets only.) The Valentine's Day show starts later and is more expensive than the regular shows because it includes the fabulous Magellan buffet. It also includes a chance in the raffle for a room/night at PIC.

The show is a comedy/musical on the theme of love and relationships. Light-hearted, romantic comedy--perfect for the season!

350. Saipan Theatre News

Saipan Theatre News--As in, live theatre, produced by the Friends of the Arts.

MY FAIR LADY is scheduled for presentation on April 30, May 1, and May 2 at the Multi-Purpose Center.

I've been busy "designing costumes" for the production! Yeah, I know. A bit of a stretch for me. Especially since I'm a lousy artist. But just as a preview, here are my costume renderings for the show--some of which will be used (and some of which will not).

Eliza the flower seller

Maid(s) in the Henry Higgins household.

Eliza's "student" clothes

Ladies at Ascot

Eliza at Ascot

Lady's ball gown

Eliza's ball gown

Mrs. Higgins--ball gown; "tea" dress

Eliza's "leaving" suit

MY FAIR LADY is a costume-heavy show, and this is my small bit. Obviously, there are a lot more costumes that I have nothing to do with... (the men, for example. They will have clothes in the show, honestly.)

I've also helped with hats, hats, and more hats!

We are having a lot of [fill in the adjective] getting ready. Hope you all will come and see it.

Great music. Great story. Great fun.

Please remember, everything on this blog is protected by the Creative Commons License. Click on the icon in the sidebar for more information. Thanks.

224. Theatre in the CNMI

No movie theatres, so come watch live action drama--well, comedy!


That's just $3.00 for students and $5 for everyone else. See you there!

196. A Taste for Theatre

I saw the show--Play Buffet-- Friday night. It was well-attended, although not sold out. Fun. As Sylvia said--"another hit." In my opinion, well worth seeing, especially at just $5, but not quite as good as last year's In Transit. That was an A+. This one is just a fun experience. Don't miss it!

168. NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS

MCS Theatre Club staged an innovative version of THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, the Tim Burton story of Jack Skellington's ambitious attempt to move away from his job as Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, and take over Sandy Claws' duties for Christmas. The MCS version was amusing, entertaining and showcased the diverse and impressive talents of the students.

Some photos (which are not as impressive as the show, sorry).

107. All Hail to the Script Frenziers

In case you're interested in the zany fun and crazy ways of participants in Script Frenzy, let me share these with you.

Trailers from some of the scripts (all awards determined by the Office of Letters and Lights)

Most Hilarious


Best Use of Creepy-Child Voice-Over


Best Use of Cute Photos of Lemmings


Best Forbidden Facial Hair (?!)


And overall winner in the Most Awesome category


I have got to learn how to make You Tube videos. I mean, my script --Photo on the Fridge-- would be even more awesome for a trailer than these. Well, you can imagine, I'm sure!

Script Frenzy is fun. Wish you were here.

And wish this darn post would show up on my blog!

106. Rushing toward the end of the frenzy

June is almost over. I am racing the clock for Script Frenzy. I'm just at 17,000 words, but need 20,000 to win.

Boni let me down by dropping out before we even really got started. She was going to be my writing partner, so we could spur each other on. So I'm going it alone, and I am too crazy to stop.

So I'm writing like mad. And the script is loose and flimsy, and stiff and uneven, and any combination of crummy words you want to use for a play.

But it's also a rush to write, to create characters, put words in their mouths and pull their puppet strings through actions and reactions.

So onward. My script is calling. And later, we can all act it out and laugh out loud at how terribly bad it is. Because we could all use some laughs, right?

P.S. Word verification was Smenita. Maybe I'll name a character after it.

93. REVVING UP for Script Frenzy--Zoom, brzhoom

ScriptFrenzy starts in just about 2 hours. READY, set....


You can find links listed under theatre on the side bar of this blog for some helpful places to start, including, of course, the link to the official FRENZY site.

To stay on track for the goal of 20,000 words by the end of June, the daily target is 677 words. I'll be rounding that up to 700, for easy comparison and to build in a little padding to cover those difficult days.

77. Gearing Up for Script Frenzy

Now is the time to think about that play or script you want to write, because in June the madness begins.

A collective of writerly fanatics are signing up for the first ever ScriptFrenzy . You, too , can get in on the ground floor and join this earth shattering event. The plan--sign up, write a movie, television or stage script during the month of June, pat yourself on the back and return in cognito to your ordinary life.

Don't know anything about writing a script? Well, neither do I. But I plan on learning, and learning by doing is the best and most fun way. Besides, Script Frenzy has a list of resource links and advice columns and, did I mention, a community of writing fanatics who will answer your questions with their wisdom (or best guesses or hilarious estimates) in the forums.

You weren't going to do anything in June, anyway, were you?

And the adventure is open to writers of all ages. For the teens and younger, there is a special program where you can hang out on line with other like-minded, not-old-fogeys, writers.

I'm doing this. Let me know if you're willing to join me in this adventure. Just post a comment here.

55. And Then There Were None

This weekend, Friends of the Arts staged an adaptation of Agatha Christie--the play And Then There Were None. A traditional murder mystery, set on an island, the play featured local talent, a cozy stage set, and special effects of the scary, noisy variety.

Very enjoyable--with a surprise twist at the end.

Here are a few photos:

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The entire theatre experience was delightful. The MultiPurpose Center has sufficient, convenient parking and a raised (proscenium) stage with a formal curtain. The air-conditioning this weekend was turned to a comfortable, not too cold, level. At intermission, FOA provided light refreshments and requested donations for "Crimestoppers," an amusing choice given that the play was about murder. All in all, the entire theatre experience was wonderful.

But I'm never sure why these FOA productions don't attract the audiences they deserve. Saturday night's performance was well-attended, and there was an enthusiastic, if small group on Friday night, but today's curtain opened to a very small audience. True, it was a beautiful day and being inside may not be everyone's first choice, but for a few short hours in exchange for live entertainment, well--really, everyone should take in these shows!

We have a fairly constant stream of theatre productions, between FOA and the Thespians and school productions. And the quality is also consistent. You know that the actors will bring forth talents you didn't know they had, with lines well-rehearsed and gestures and movement perfectly fitting their characters. Behind the scenes, our teens who join the tech crew get training in lighting, sound, stage management and the myriad jobs relating to props, scenery and costuming. The productions come from the range of shows on stage in the U.S. and give laughs, insight into past or contemporary life, or food for thought.

I prefer the musicals, which always have a variety of songs that showcase the natural abilities of the actors and actresses who come from our community. Like Scrooge at Christmas and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum this Spring, we can count on being entertained. Both were wonderful. I missed La Cage, but am still hearing raves about it from a variety of people who saw it.

So kudos once again to Hal Easton and Melody Actouka, who directed and produced this charming play (and many of the others we've seen here in Saipan--as volunteers, no less!).

And here's a small voice recommending that you take in the local theatrical efforts at the next opportunity. The price for tickets is small, compared to theatre tickets any where else in the western world. You might be surprised at what is available in Saipan.

And don't ask why this appears as one block of text! I've added paragraph breaks in the original and in edit mode, and they just disappear when I publish. A question for the next blogger meeting!

28. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

This Saturday, February 24, 2007, the Thespians are staging AFunnyThingHappenedOnTheWayToTheForum. Tickets are just $5. Shows are at 2 PM and 7 PM at the MHS gym.

A 20th century farce based on the Roman tradition, the musical includes songs that have contemporary application, like "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid." Listen to the melody here: Everybody

This is the third Sondheim musical brought to Saipan in recent years. West Side Story and Into the Woods also showcased the multi-talented students of Saipan. Students from the public schools, private schools and home schools cooperate to bring this production to life.

Some of the characters and their actors:
Hero--Tommy Baik
Domina--Jocelyn Lonsdale
Senex--Antonio Tiples
Philia--Tikla Brown
Pseudolus--Ryan Gutierrez
Hysterium--Christian Cruz
Marcus Lycus--Matt Wheat
Miles--Moon Lee

Of course there are Courtesans and Proteans and a few other characters (like Erroneus!)

You can get tickets from any cast member, from me (just comment here or e-mail me), or at the door.

Theatre arts offer our kids a creative outlet, help improve their vocabulary and understanding of literature and life, and have no downside. I hope the community will show up to support these students and to enjoy the show.

13. Sold Out

When you live on a remote island, you get used to limited quantites. When Christmas trees arrive, you buy as soon as you can, because later (usually by 12/10) they'll be gone and no more will be arriving. If you thought that surplus of turkeys at Thanksgiving would mean you'd be able to buy one for Christmas, you'd be wrong. If you buy a desktop printer in the states, don't be surprised if you can't get ink for it in Saipan. And just because you could get (fill in the blank) last week, doesn't mean you'll be able to buy it today.

Goods that are shipped in are limited quantity commodities--and they sell out. I've been here more than 20 years, and I'm used to this aspect of life. But I wasn't prepared for Friday night's news. I, with daughter in tow, planned on watching "In Transit," the live-theatre performance of original monologues hosted by Marianas Voices. We were told that this theatre, drama, live performance--in Saipan--was sold out!

Saipan has changed a lot in the 20 years I've been here. I wasn't aware of any live theatre then. Thanks to Friends of the Arts, we soon had small productions by determined actors and actresses, but few patrons. The crowds have gotten larger, and most productions now draw reasonable crowds. Mount Carmel School's theatre productions also draw a good crowd (but parents and family come to see their children perform, so there's a customary obligation and natural expectation that there will be an audience).

Theatre, written by people living in Saipan, is much more experimental. Who could predict a sell-out crowd? Friday, we couldn't get in, even when they added chairs and had "standing room only." Saturday, we got tickets, but saw others turned away. It's a phenomenon!

What is truly amazing about this event is that the writers-performers included people from a variety of backgrounds--a Chamorro, a couple of Carolinians, a couple of Chinese, a Filippina, some Americans and some exotic folks whose ethnicities weren't immediately ascertainable. Ages ranged over several decades. The audience was similarly mixed.

And the performances were interesting, thought-provoking, humorous, dramatic, scary, sad, poignant and beautiful.

Wow! It's an interesting time to be in Saipan.