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Darlo Drama in Vietnam ~ Mission Koto A letter from drama teacher Maurie Barlin in Hanoi... Yesterday I began with Class 8 who are about to graduate after 18 months of training. Even though I was very well prepared and seemingly realistic, I found myself way out of my depth. After about 15 minutes I began to think that perhaps I had suffered from delusions of grandeur. I stood there shocked, overwhelmed and a wee bit scared. But I was here in the room now and had nothing to lose. They all looked at me like I was a comedian waiting for a laugh so…I thought just slow it down and don’t expect to get through much at all. Still, I had no idea if I was teaching them anything worthwhile or valid. And even less of an idea if what I had thought would be great for them, was simply a waste of time.
The students were very responsive despite being a little shy when asked to do certain drama games. They had bouts of uncontrollable laughter, which was great but very time consuming. Even though they were confronted, most dived in but suffered fits of laughter during each activity. I checked with Ms Hahn (the English teacher who acted as translator) but she assured me that it was great that they were having so much fun. She felt they were surprisingly motivated and were very interested in the drama games I had played with them. Most stayed in the room during the break to ask her questions about the activities I was doing. Once I relaxed into it then we really flew. Luckily, I had planned plenty of material, not that we got through much of it, but because I had to change tack every step of the way. And of course the cultural differences are not as obvious as I thought, not to mention the time it takes to translate simple concepts.
Then it occurred to me that it was about fear of mistakes, being too scared to try. What was going to really help them was in fact more simple and closer to what I do in my classes at Darlo Drama than I realised……It’s about being brave. So I stopped and wrote on the white board:
“TRY” ~ “BRAVE” & “MISTAKES = FUN” This is when we really took off. When it comes to learning English, like many Asian cultures, the Vietnamese are scared of making mistakes and often will resist trying. The fear of failure, which is also about not wanting to be rude by getting the language wrong, is too much for most. This is particularly true of young people from homeless or disadvantaged backgrounds from any culture. Some of these students here at KOTO have had pretty harsh lives and suffer from feelings of unworthiness.
At the end of the class I sat on the floor and said that each one of them was chosen to be part of KOTO. Each one of them was very special. It was my honour to be here with them as they are Vietnamese, one of the bravest people in the world who had kicked out every country that has tried to invade them. Remember, you are Vietnamese and you are at your best when you are brave. I also said that this was a drama class not an English lesson.
Their homework was to think about why I would travel from Sydney to come and tach an acting class......
My class today was with Class 9 who have been here a mere 6 months.
It went much better after the experience yesterday with the more senior Class 8. It was a more concise class from my lesson plan but probably more moving than the class the day before. I would like to say more but my belly is calling me so….Thanks you to everyone who helped get me here to More soon…….Maurie ~ x x x
For more information on the KOTO PROJECT, go to http://www.koto.com.au/ Maurie needs to raise $150 US dollars to qualify for the KOTO Bikeride, a fundraising event to be held on 25 Nov. If you are interested in helping him reach tis goal, log onto the Koto Bikeride website at http://www.kotobikeride.com/
The Milk Crate Theatre Project Stories delivered straight from the street and performed on stage Milk Crate Dates for 2007 - COMING SOON! Where: Edward Eagar Lodge 348a Bourke St.
Surry Hills
FREE! ALL WELCOME
WORKSHOPS
(For clients and community of Edward Eagar Lodge)
When: Wednesdays
3 workshops are held in the weeks before each show
Time: 1:30pm - 3:30pm
Also at Edward Eagar Lodge
Milk Crate Theatre creates staged dramas from the stories and experiences of Sydney’s homeless and disadvantaged people. Professional actors work with homeless people to create a unique and very enjoyable night of theatre. The main event of the evening is a rehearsed drama which is played out for the audience. This drama comes from writing workshops held at Edward Eagar Lodge for disadvantaged people. The exact same drama is played out again but on the second time through, the audience can take control of the story. The audience can throw suggestions that twist, turn and shake the plot. Audience members can also join the actors on stage and play out their own suggestion. Initiated by South Sydney Council, partial support and funding of Milk Crate Theatre is provided by The Grosvenor Club (AKA The Taxi Club) and The Sydney Aussie Rules Club and the City of Sydney Council. The Milk Crate Theatre Project runs on a year to year basis and is highly dependent on funding. Support and donations from individuals, corporate bodies etc., are very welcome. For all Milk Crate Theatre enquiries, please email theatre@darlinghursttheatre.com
Drew Fairley Eliza Logan Craig Menaud Chris Murphy Bernie Regan Graeme Rhodes Beck Ronkson Milk Crate Theatre gratefully acknowledges the support of The Australia Council through Community Partnerships.
Milk Crate Theatre also very gratefully acknowledges the support of the City of Sydney, The Grosvenor Club and the Sydney Aussie Rules Club.
Darlinghurst Theatre Company is launching a new and very exciting project entitled Critical Stages which is designed to tour outstanding Australian independent theatre, both regionally and nationally. The aim of Critical Stages is to facilitate greater exposure for some of the best of Australia's independent theatre productions, and assist presenters in accessing these great theatre productions. A lot of hard work has gone into the development of Critical Stages thus far, and it is already generating a lot of interest within the Australian Arts marketplace. For more information, please click on the link below: Critical Stages
is supported by Arts NSW
and the Theatre Board of the Australia Council
The Theatre's Rennovation in the year 2000 was supported by: Benfactors Kings Security The Rex Hotel PV Solar Tiles (click to see web site) Blue Spinach Recycled Designer Clothing Spring Espresso Bar Sponsors: Hullabaloo Many thanks to our generous donors: Producers Sydney Aussie Rules Club The Grosvenor Club Peter Vassallo Design and Management Grant Terry Plastering Stars Dr Rodney Seaborn, Greg Eccleston, Mark Gable, John Mullins, City of Sydney RSL, Darlo Bar, Mackenzie Deane, Lennox Australia, Bernard & Lisa Harper, John Mullins. Directors Chris Forrest, Daniel Gerathy, David Ronalds, Iva Vrljic, Jack & Sally Mackenzie, Martin Armstrong, Natasha Gordon, Peter Erling, Cesar Esterman, Greg Kennedy. Designers Amelia Shan, Janet Taylor, Peter Marsden and Judy Roth, Steve Sheppard, Ross Henderson, Fiona Mackenzie, Jason Graham-Nye, Margaret Bell. Benefactors Performers Sponsors Bettina Holmes, Alex Lycon, Belinda Bennet, Bill Tucker, Cathleen Dannsey, Eva Sitta, Fiona Press, Georgia Haege, Kylie Lawrence, Madeline Shaw, Pauline Gardener, Raphael Cohen, Rob Floyd, Robert King, Shirley Larkin, Sue Mason Cox, Susan Ward, Tonje Akerholt, Yasmin Barr, Alistar Gerard, Bremner Advertising, C M Regan, Cressida Mort, David Malek, Deanne Murphy, Eva Sitta, Jacqueline Bryant, , Kate Fisher, Ken Dunlop, Leah Wright, Lindsay Moss, Michael Ballard, Pat Turner, Peter Bruce, Sarah Epstein, Sean Finn, Simon Martin, Soty Ivanoski, Annie Grano, Ken Dunlop, Warrick Moss, Debbie Tilley, Janet Martin. Darlinghurst Theatre Company gratefully acknowledges the support of:
Local Theatres: Our prefered bookshop: |
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Milk Crate Theatre performances are interactive and allow the audience to take control of the action. The performance night commences with a series theatre games in which the performers take suggestions from the audience. This allows the audience to feel comfortable interacting with the performers.
The performances are open to the community at large as well as the disadvantaged. The project was created to provide disadvantaged members of our community with a live theatre experience and an opportunity to voice their own stories. 
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