Oral Presentation

Intro:
  1. Story:
    1. Background: “Children of the Sea,” “The Wall of Fire Rising,” “Night Women.”
    2. Use the background and other clues in the book to construct our story of Guy’s family
  2. Reason:
    1. I saw the interconnections between Edwight Danticat’s stories.
    2. Try to pull the connection together and make a full story.
    3. To make my vision of characters relationships 3 dimensional.
    4. To stitch the shattered pieces together.
  3. Dramatic potential:
    1. There are many open spaces for interpretation
      1. Who is the night woman?
      2. Who is the boy in the Children of the Sea?
      3. Why did Guy jump?
      4. Did the boy make it to America?
    2. By manipulating these open spaces, we can construct a surprising and dramatic story.
    3. To fit the theme, I planned to export it as a musical production
Body:
  1. Literary analysis / Performance
    1. Plot:
      1. Guy wants to fly on an air balloon but was restricted by Lili. He then sneaks to the balloon. He is afraid and then kills himself. Lili finds out Guy dies and lives with Little Guy only as a single mother. 10 years after, Little Guy decides to go to America, leaving his mother alone. He also leave his girlfriend. When he sails on a boat, the boat is sinking and he kills himself just as his father.
    2. To collaborate our story, I answer the questions I previously asked.
      1. Night woman: Lili.
        1. Right after the wall of fire rising
        2. Has to raise a child
        3. Lili has limited ability if Guy died
        4. Night woman needs to take the job to support the family
      2. Boy in the Children of the Sea: Little Guy
        1. Both of them are patriotic
        2. The boy is well educated just as Lili wishes Little Guy would be
        3. Guy dies under the era of white terror, which is the preface of the massacre that the boy’s story happens. If Little Guy grew up, the time fits.
        4. Lili kills herself after her son goes to America. So Little Guy also goes to America
      3. Guy jump of seeing no future
        1. Pure interpretation
      4. Little Guy did not make it to America.
        1. To fit our plot and theme
    3. Theme:
      1. Fate Versus Choice
        1. Guy and Little Guy both die on the way of pursuing their dream
        2. The similarity is indicated in the script. (examples...)
        3. But Guy is short sighted, because he is not well educated. Little Guy has broader eyesight. But freedom makes him a more selfish man.
        4. The differences is indicated in the script. (examples...)
      2. Performance:
        1. Same emotion when they are desperate (examples from the balloon and the boat)
        2. Different movements
          1. Guy is energized, many fidgetings, more hand movements
          2. Little Guy is more subtle. Hands in the pocket. Self absorbed. Controlling, but still young and full of regret. Thus he is smaller, with less movement
    4. Conflict:
      1. Guy and Lili:
        1. Lili is controlling, Guy wants a better life under the theme of freedom. As Lili emphasizes safety a lot, Guy focused too much on freedom rather than the quality of life.
        2. Thus Guy sneaks out without thinking.
        3. There is a moment of realization that Guy actually wants quality of life but not just freedom.
        4. Looking up and faint. Different from optimistic expression.
      2. Little Guy and Lili:
        1. Lili is more controlling because of Guy’s death
        2. But she also knows too much pressure result to worse consequent: death.
        3. Little Guy (I) thus was pissed when Lili was harsh
        4. Turned soft and felt regret with torted face after Lili was soft.
      3. Little Guy and the Girl:
        1. The girl restricts Little Guy by love, different from Lili and Guy
        2. Guy regrets his decision, but he is also controlling like his mother
        3. Insist and dominant movements.
  2. Adaptation:
    1. Fate Versus Choice
      1. Use of Music
        1. Music is repetitive with variations
        2. Thus same melody for both Guy and Little Guy: same fate
        3. Different orchestrations and chord progressions for them: different choices and background
      2. Light:
        1. Abstract.
        2. More emotional lighting:
          1. Red: death
          2. Blue: sadness/sky/sea
          3. Side light: emotional, personal memory
      3. Props:
        1. Black Box Theater with the black face of periactoids
        2. Periactoids: movable by pieces
    2. Intention:
      1. Want the audience to enjoy the artistic and ideological phrase of the story
      2. Turn the story away from life, but focus on the characters, their relationships.
  3. Performance:
    1. Use of Pauses
      1. Examples: balloon and boat
    2. Uses of Positions:
      1. Example: turnings in the duet by the sea
    3. Uses of Facial Expressions:
      1. Frustration: Guy and Lili
      2. Sadness: Little Guy and the Girl
Conclusion:

  1. Evaluation of your role and performance
    1. Director
      1. Constructed the idea and the theme
      2. Designed the lighting
      3. Designed most of the blocking
    2. Lyricist
      1. Created the lyrics with my partner
      2. Created most of the script
    3. Editor
      1. Edited parts of songs
  2. Limitations:
    1. The hair
    2. Scene change
      1. The periactoids are hard to move to designated area
    3. Need to explore more lighting possibilities
    4. Indicate Lili’s death
  3. Learned:
    1. Different aspects of theater:
      1. Making a musical from nothing
    2. Music can really facilitate the emotion

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