Q. Select a passage from a novel you have chosen to study which deals with despair and euphoria. How might staging, design and acting combine to register one of these experiences for an audience?
A passage from the novel that deals with despair is: “[Koro says] ‘Distinguished guests, members of the audience, my speech is a speech of love for my grandfather, Koro Apirana’” (p.86). This is when Kahu has a performance with Maori traditional dance and music with other children. She prepares a speech for her grandfather in her own culture's language to make him proud, but he never shows up. She must be disappointed and depressed because she was excited to show how she can speak Maori language better than other boys and break the grandfather’s conservative ideas.
To show Kahu’s despair, she should cry while she is giving a speech like in the film to make the audience feel sympathetic to Kahu. The actress who acts Kahu should also make a pause between lines during the speech to show that she is kind of nervous and waiting for the grandfather. Because she is giving a performance that is about Maori culture, her costumes would be traditional style clothes like Native American with feathers. She should also have some decorations on her face or hands like henna. But since the setting is in 21st century, the actors who act audiences in this scene should wear suits and dresses to represent modernism. In addition, the place where Kahu performs should be like a modern setting like Black Box or an auditorium. Kahu will be singing and dancing with other children.
Kahu is giving a speech to the audience on a raised platform but the actors who act the audience on the stage will be behind her. The well visible spot will be empty to indicate that is the empty reserved seat for the grandfather. While she is giving a speech, she will look back and check that the seat is still empty and look front to the audience and continue the speech with a depressed face.
Q. Select a passage from a novel you have chosen to study which deals with loss. Discuss how you
would stage this in order to convey to the audience the meaning of that loss.
A passage from a novel that deals with loss is:”The old man understood. He raised his arms as if to claw down the sky upon him” (p.133). After Kahu rides the bull whale and disappears, Nanny Flowers gives the stone, which Koro has thrown away in the ocean and tells boys to get it, and tells him that Kahu is the one who brought the stone. He then realizes that Kahu has special ability to communicate with animals like Maori people’s ancestor and that he was wrong. He was only looking a male leader who can lead the Maori tribe after him, so his attitude towards Kahu was cold, but he realizes the gender does not matter. We think this passage is associated with three different types of loss. It can be loss of great-granddaughter, loss of leader of Maori people, and loss of Maori culture.
To indicate the loss of Kahu in general, Nanny Flowers cries after she leaves with the whales. After Nanny gives the stone with shaking hands to the grandfather, she should leave him alone and leaves the stage so the audience can only focus on Koro. After she leaves, Koro looks at the ocean that Kahu disappears and stares at it for a few seconds and drops his knees on the floor to show his confusion with his feeling of loss. Without saying anything, he will raise his arm as if he wants to catch Kahu.
The digital project will be used to show that the ocean and the whale are special and mysterious. The whale and Kahu will be shown as shadows and on the stage left up corner as if they are flying away from Koro. Koro and Nanny Flowers are standing on stage right to show the hugeness of ocean. Bluish and yellowish colors will be presented through digital projection to produce
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