Die Droomdief Rehearsals...

I am so impressed with these kids! Its the first time they are engaged with a rehearsal process and for the first time I can direct without having to get frustrated with actors attitudes and ego's. (Actually, that's unfair... Some of the actors I have had the pleasure of directing were actually a joy to work with during rehearsals - some not all mind you!)

The script is just about finalized and on Saturday they will be working from their individual scripts for the first time. No more flip charts pasted on the wall! There are a couple of these kids who really have the potential and the passion to go far and it freaks me out when I think that I am still trying to get someone to take over the arts project once I leave at the end of September! Walking away after 'doing what you can do' is not as easy as people make it out to be and even though I have learned and applied the lessons of 'closure' a long time ago, this time it is going to be heart breaking... I take comfort in the fact that my life has been touched and that I have touched lives - even briefly in a small way.

Stop-hands

Sometimes I wonder whether we realize what kids see when they look at us adults; whether we truly care about the example we set.

Daar is baie dinge wat nie reg is nie,
Dinge wat vir ons in die verleentheid stel

Dinge wat ek wil hê moet end kry

Dinge wat moet stop!

Daar is baie wat moet stop
Soos die drinkery en hongerly
Enas jy klipgooi sal die polisie vir jou wegry.
Stop die rookery
Dit maak jou deurmekaar en sommer baklei
Stp die onregverdigheid, armoede, vloek en styery!

Story Writing Workshop - Een dag was daar....

DIE VERKANSIE

Vroeg een oggend het Sarie vir Anna gekuier.

“Goeie more” sê Sarie en soen haar vriend op die wang terwyl sy haar ‘n stywe drukkie gee: “Hoe gaan dit met jou?”

“Dit gaan goed met my” sê Anna met ‘n groot glimlag.

“Ek het gedroom dat jy seer gekry het” Sarie lyk skielik bekommerd maar Anna lag.

“Daar is niks met my fout nie, jy het my net gemis!”

“Dit is waar” stem Sarie saam: “Dit is amper drie weke wat ons nie mekaar sien nie.”

“En hoe was jou vakansie by die plaas?” vra Anna.

“Ek kon nie wag om weer dorp toe te kom nie, sodat one saam na die Baai kan gaan.

Ons het net die naweek kans want die skool begin weer volgende week” sug Sarie.

“Moenie vir jou kommer nie my vriend. Ons sal Saterdag lekker gaan braai in die Baai.”

“Ek sal die vleis bring” sê Anna: “En dan bring jy die speserye en die brood.”

“Ek sal my pa se rooster ook bring” voeg Sarie opgewonde by.

“Dit sal die perfekte einde vir die vakansie wees.”

SLIM-JAKS SE TROUE

Een dag was daar ‘n jakkals en sy naam was Slim-Jaks. Vroeg een namiddag kom kuier wolf by Slim-Jaks.

“Goeie middag my ou vriend, hoe gaan dit met jou?” sê Wolf vir Slim-Jaks met ‘n glimlag.

“Ek kan regtig nie klaar nie” antwoord Slim-Jaks: “Wat kom kuier jy vir my so uit die bloute uit?”

“Ek het gedroom” sê Wolf met groot oë: “Dat jy met die mooiste jakkals wuifie getrou het.

Slim-Jaks sug hartseer.

“Ek droom ook daarvan my vriend, maar ek het haar nog nie ontmoet nie en ek weet nie waar om vir haar te soek nie.”

Wolf sien die verlange in sy vriend se oë en skielik onthou hy iets!

“Ek weet!” sê hy opgewonde: “Laat een nag toe ek nog deur die bos geloop het op soek na kos, toe hoor ek stemme in die verte en wat ek naby genoeg is toe sien ek ‘n groot skuur waar die moosite jackals wuifies partytjie gehou het.”

“Wat sort partytjie was dit?” vra Slim-Jaks opgewonde.

“Ek weet nie want ek was te bang om nadir te gaan. Ek was nie vir ‘n partytjie aangetrek nie…”

“Jy moet my sê waar die skuur is sodat ek myself aan hulle kan gaan voorstel!”

“Dit was naby ‘n revier” wolf krap sy kop soos hy probeer onthou: “Die skuur is wit en rooi gewerf en daar was baie bome…”

“Ek weet van daardie skuur!” skree Slim-Jaks en hy gryp sy kam en begin sy hare ‘n mooi paaidjie maak.”

“Dit is waar jy jou vrou gaan ontmoet!” lag wolf terwyl sy vriend opgewonde in die skemerte in hardloop.

‘N SOENTJIE BY DIE SEE

Een dag was daar ‘n meisie wie se naam Biebie was en haar outjie se naam was Kalla. Vroeg een middag kom kuier Kalla vir Biebie.

“Biebie” sê hy: “Ek het gedink dat ek en jy ‘n bietjie see toe moet gaan soda tons ‘n bietjie alleen kan wees.”

Biebie glimlag breed: “Ek het presies dieselfde ding gedink!” en Kalla lag met verligting.

“Ek werk nie saterdag nie.”

“Ek sal vir ons toebroodjies inpak” glimlag Biebie en neem sy hand: “En jy kan ‘n koeldrank koop en ‘n kombers saam bring.”

Kalla is sommer verlig: “Ek sal vir jou nege uur by die huis kom haal.”

Biebie soen hom op die wang tow haar mammie roep.

“Ek moet gaan” sê sy.

“Ek sien vir jou Saterdag” glimlag Kalla.

Rehearsal Time...

This past Saturday saw the kids working with a script for the first time. Until now I have been work-shopping the story and dialogue with them thinking that I didn't want to burden them too much with the traditional learning of endless lines. For the broad strokes this worked well but I recently realized that in order to start knuckling down the meat and bones would actually require a script which I decided to write on sheets of flip-chart. This allows for everyone to follow the story while also saving on paper and printing costs. The kids are beginning to 'get into character' and it is really inspiring to see how quickly some of them are in fact memorizing lines. What is even more encouraging is the mentoring roles which some of the faster learners naturally fall into to help and encourage their classmates and the rest of the cast.

I have written for children before, but mostly those plays were performed by adults for kids. This time it is different and I am as excited as the kids with whom I am working who are so eager and dedicated. This time its for the kids and by the kids and it certainly makes me feel like a kid again! Again...

DIE DROOMDIEF!

Die Droom Dief is a story about a young girl Sussie whose dream is stolen during the night.

The play starts with a group of friends playing clapping songs and skipping-rope when a distraught Sussie joins them. Initially she doesn’t want to tell them what is wrong because she knows that they won’t believe her and eventually when she does they laugh and tease her saying that she is being silly and that dreams cannot be stolen.

After a while her best friend Meisie, realizes that she is serious and suggests that they search for the thief together but Sussie is scared and reasons that even if her dream was stolen at least she was not harmed and she goes home to check whether she might have just misplaced the dream. Meisie is not willing to give up so easily though and she reminds their friends how Sussie has always helped them and she eventually manages to convince them that their friend needs their help.

They all go to Sussie together and after they apologise for teasing her they start making plans about how to go about finding out who the thief could be, but once again Sussie tells them that she is not interested in catching the thief because she just wants her dream back.

Eventually they devise a plan and set off to tell the police, but the policeman just laughs at them and tells them not to waste his time; they then go to the pastor who tells Sussie that it is all in her imagination because dreams cannot be stolen and that she should pray; they go to a teacher who tells them that they should be studying and to wasting their time hunting for lost dreams; the go to the local gossip, the shop owner, the owner of the tavern, but no-one is of any help and each one send them off with another bit of bad advice.

Eventually they are despondent when they meet up with the local gardener who tells them that he overheard someone sitting in the bush and speaking about some or other stolen item which he was trying to sell.

They go looking for the bush but can’t find it and they just as they are about to give up, when they hear a voice coming their way. They quickly hide and when the thief appears they surround the little girl who breaks down and confesses. She is remorseful though and tells Sussie that she only took it because she’s never had a dream of her own. She wants to give it back and Sussie tells her that she can keep it, but the little girl says that it’s okay because now that she knows what dreams are she’s going to find one for herself.

Thank you to the UP Outreach program from Lettie de Klerk kids!

19 Julie 2011

Die rede hoekom ek die brief skryf is om dankie te sê vir die juffrouens en menere. Dit was baie lekker. Ek sê vir Juffrou Raine en Juffrou Yvette baie dankie omdat ons lekker saam gewerk het.

-         Berenice Borins

Liewe Juffrou Smit

Dit was baie lekker met juffrou om Engels en Afrikaans to skryf en dit was lekker met die ander juffrouens. Ek het gelike om my hande by die muur te plak en vrot eiertjie te speel en die sop was ook lekker. Die meneer wat die sop gemaak het ws baie, baie lekker en die ander juffrou het baie mooi geverf. Die biblioteek was mooi geplak en mooi geverf en die kaste ook. Juffrou Sam he tons die alfabet geleer, ons moet woorde skryf van dit, dit was ook lekker gewees en ons het by ‘n meneer uile geleer. Dit was baie lekker gewees en die juffrou wat die mense geleer he tom kameelperde to werk, dit was ook baie mooi en die ander juffrou wat vir ons laat prente teken en wiskunde leer, dit was vir my baie lekker. Ek was trots op dit en leer die ander kinders leer lees en plak papiere op die muur. Stuur groete aan almal. Ek is baie baie life vir almal.

-         Van Androlien

Die rede hoekom ek die brief skryf is om te sê baie, baie dankie vir Juffrou Raine and juffrou Yvette en Mnr Driaan. Ek het dit saam met julle geniet. Waneer kom julle weer vir ons kuier? Ons verlang vir julle. A.S.B. kom kuier weer vir ons. Skryf terug vir my. Ek het die Engels geniet. Die Engels was baie lekker en ek he took gehou van die verf en daai Engelse genid was baie lekker gewees en alles was baie lekker.

-         Van Caitlin

Project update.

I must apologise for not keeping you up to date over the past few weeks, but even though there was nothing happening here on the blog, the school was abuzz with activity. The holiday programme was not as well attended as I had anticipated but it went ahead nevertheless with an average group of eight kids although there was a Tuesday morning that was well below freezing where just three hardy little budding artists pitched. From the first workshop it was obvious that I needed to give the kids some sort of refreshment and thanks to David Muir I was able to supply sandwiches, fruit and some luxuries. During the last week of the school holidays a group of 22 students from the University of Pretoria arrived under the guidance of Kay Potts and the turn-out for their sessions was amazing. What was even more amazing though is the fact that with the additional manpower, the school's storeroom was attacked and I was blown away at what was found: suffice to say that no longer will the Lettie De Klerk Primary School need supplies for an arts programme! On behalf of the kids, the school and myself, I once again thank the UP Outreach for their efforts and dedication. If only I could now get some of the adults in the village and township interested and involved!

The past week I started with the regular art workshop and will soon be posting some of the letters and pictures that the kids wrote and drew by way of thank you. Saturday also saw the first rehearsal for the play 'Die Droomdief' which will be performed by the kids at the Fugard Festival in September. The auditions went well and roles were allocated with understudies to ensure that there are no unforeseen 'stay-aways' due to nerves. The next few weeks will be dedicated to rehearsals so that the kids thoroughly enjoy this opportunity.