Praecox-blueprint: November 2006

Thursday, November 30

Remembering Beckett

A couple of reviews and articles on this year's Directors' Lab (including my small experiment with "Waiting for Godot") are just posted on Cattle Depot Theatre Newsletter .

Seeing this photo, I have to correct what I wrote in last post about not being on stage for long. (No, I did not wear dress again, see here.)

Labels: project, theatre

Tuesday, November 28

Pretentious Mentor

A long time I have not been "on stage". Here is an image (taken by student) from the very small performance I did with a few SC teachers during the first Open Day / project-week presentation two weeks ago. I reflect now I had indeed made no critical statement in this performance, despite the theme, Paths, which carried a glimsp of our reflection of the teaching/learning experience.

Some comments made me extremely alert these days about what I should/could do as a mentor myself ... and create as an artist. Whatever we do, we are setting a standard.

Tuesday, November 21

Dreams are Heavy

Illustration by Siu Kaho, student of HKSC, for Cattle Depot bookfair

We have just finished the first school term, and preparing some playful ways to document the first 100 days in its history. The presentation of the project week last Saturday was an encouraging moment for both the students and the team, I guess. I was happy to see their sweat and tear because it showed they had a heart towards their works at least. Despite my exhausted body and mind.

Kind of nostalgic today, perhaps for the sudden heavy rain which isolates me with the (sound of) the outside world. And that's why I have left the accumulated works for this themeless blog entry... No, now I remember, we have just played "Dead Poets' Society"! Parts of it still haunt me deeply, the father and the son probably - that's the reality, while education depicts dreams, only.

The way Student K entered the staff room in a familiar gesture and waved goodbye this evening is fixed on my mind. I am proud of him, though others always tease about the funny side of his character. And emotionally I got involved with P today, about the hurdles he has to pass, which come too early for his age... Anyway. A day is too full. Dreams are heavy and sleeps are light.

Sunday, November 19

Silent, not Lazy

One of the reasons/excuses for my scarce entries at praecox-blueprint is that I had started contributing to a column on Singpao since August with six other writers on different disciplines. The title of the column "Full Sentiment on Face (七情上面)" was suggested by Tung Kai Cheung. The copyright was not cleared in the beginning so I did not put them on the webpage I used to post my theatre criticisms. Lately I have resumed using the space at inmedia again. The recent articles include:

2 Nov: Mu Guiying's New Clothes (穆桂英的新裝)

26 Oct: On Maywa Denki: The Delicate Meaninglessness (設計精緻的無聊創作)

12 Oct: Buying Dreams and Paying Cost (買夢與代價)

N.B. Sorry they are all in Chinese.

Art may be more about freedom of mind where beauty, criticism, fun, sensation... are the keys. Reflections, of oneself, of people and things around, however temporary of a nature, compose a map.