Act 2 scene 2

Today was quite special at our Broken Bridges rehearsals. Ming, Leong and Mei Ling (their characters in the musical) made quite an impact, especially the scene between the two boys. Douglas and Soon Yoon acted and sang their way into our hearts. A moving scene, very under-played, just the way Joe likes it. It's less than 2 months to opening night and we have a LOT yet to cover!

Sarahjane Scaife hits KL today, thanks to the Irish Embassy. Tomorrow we meet her and beginning Tuesday till Friday next week she'll be holding workshops on Beckett. This is Beckett's 100th anniversary, and Sarahjane has come all the way to Singapore & KL because she is a Beckett exponent.

I believe we have about 18 who have signed up - how many will survive? I'll let you know at the end of the two weeks.

And how was today's dance class? It was killing but enjoyable!

G'night.

DANCE ANYONE?

It's Sunday. I'm about to go off to my third dance lesson with Pat Chan. Don't know what you think, but I need to work my body and Pat Chan's classes at our KLPac Academy is my latest effort.
Used to take contemporary dance under Judimar with TAS Academy, but that ended with our lack of studio space.
Pat teaches anything you want to learn, I think. But this is 'Jazz'. For now it's a lot of excercise. We started with 16, one dropped out, there's now 15. Most of the students are from Joe's acting classes, and it warms the cockles of my heart to know that young Malaysians want to push their boundaries.
Will let you know if there's a presentation, in case you want to come & see.

ps.

A visitor to my blog said there are no juicy bits! What to do, am not a very good storyteller!

FM

BROKEN BRIDGES

A week into the reading the script and singing the songs and after Joe's edits and minor rewrites, the musical is now enjoying the duration that we feel is just right - 45 mins for the first half and 40 mins for the second half, with a 20 mins intermission will have audiences leaving PENTAS 1 of KLPac smiling with time left for some supper well before midnight!
Come Monday we go full swing into blocking, now that the set has been conceived and presented by our resident production designer - Jia Wei. Posters are at final stages of design. I'm only praying that two quests will be answered-sponsorship and that BROKEN BRIDGES will coincide w2ith the official opening of our beautiful centre (while Purdy my cat tries to delete all I have written with a paw on my computer! - because she wants to be fed and I keep telling her it's too early yet!)
If there are any readers to my blog and know of men or women with a heart for the Arts - please give them my email faridah@klpac.com.

Thank you for supporting Malaysian Theatre!

BROKEN BRIDGES

Joe's very first session after six weeks of working with Fastest Clock began with him reading the riot act! Because at an earlier rehearsal he had to stop 8 times for 8 late comers. Of course not many in the BB cast truly know the real Joe when it comes to rehearsals. He cannot appreciate anyone being late - not even for one minute.
I remember someone telling me about the Odeon Theatre where if you are late for a second time you stay outside and if you are late a third time you can stay away for good. If only this disciplin can be part of our culture.
Goodnight and Goodluck....no what I meant to say was...thank you for supporting Malaysian Theatre - no apology intended!

TAS@PLAZA PUTRA

Today, June 10th 2006, my mind goes to what happened to us at PLAZA PUTRA 3 years ago when the rains came & flooded KL and took along with it our theatre hub then.Memories of the disaster are still very, very fesh in our minds and I'm sure with all those who were involved with clearing up the space staring from a few days after June 10th and went on for at least 7 days, followed with taking the flooded books, equipment & furniture here and there....the memories still make me choke.
Dama Orchestra, Kelab Shashin and all the other tenants who suffered the same fate, let's say a prayer for a better future, with a hope all that's lost can be replaced. With this short note comes an appeal - if anyone has any photos, videos, posters, programmes of anything you have seen produced by anyone from 1989 till 2003, please send me an email.
God Bess!
Today is the final evening show of Fastest Clock, and it's close to full, but there is still the matinee on Sunday.
This has been an exciting journey.
Beginning Monday, Joe & I move into rehearsals for Broken Bridges, come Tuesday we begin Frayn's 'Black & Silver and Chinamen,starring Rashid Salleh, Joanna Bessey, Mary George & Ari Ratos, with Andy Cranshaw directing, come Wednesday Gavin begins rehearsals for Beckett's ENDGAME'starring U-En, Kelvin, Nani & Calvin.
All this is to celebrate our MERDEKA month of August!.

Andrew & Reuben

It was Sunday matinee for FCITU, a show for family and friends.Am, Zaharah, Marina, Samad, Azzat, Molly, Mrs Jay & Husband,and my son Feroz - my very critical son Feroz were all there and their verdit was - excellent. Andrew & Reuben were there too. Andrew & Reuben were with us for LIFE Sdn. Bhd. 2 & 3. This is a series I created in 2004, in February, wondering what to put on after the floods took everything away at Plaza Putra on June 10 2003. LIFE SSDN BHD became quite a hit with all the actors and also the audience. We travelled to the E&O in Penang & Taman Budaya hall in Ipoh.
We had fun! The LIFE oldtimers are Ari, Ben, Gavin, Patrick & Susan. They were joined by Sobri, Mary, Reza, Samantha, Nell,Andrew, Megat, & Dino, our actor from the hearing impaired community.
Come August 2007 we will be recreating LIFE SDN BHD 4, especially dedicated to Malaysia's 50th. Look out for it.

Sherbet aka Toddy

Sherbet gave all of us - or most - at KLPac a fright! She ate rat poison and had to be rushed to hospital by Jia Wei & Paul. Then it was phone calls & more phone calls - something about her internal bleeding and she may not make it etcetc, Jia Wei burst into tears and I was fighting my tears! Just before the rains Marge & I drove to the hospital and saw her. She was quite ok, no internal bleeding yet. So we came back & Sherbet spent the night there.But by the early evening she vomitted out some of her poison. So she could be on the road to recovery. And by noon today Paul went to the hospital to bring her home. She has a little bandage on her front leg where the drip was. She's weak but ok. The vet said an injection a day for the next three weeks!
No peace for the wicked. At least she does not want to miss our opening night! Thanks for your caring, Sherbet!