Project: making Daniel a s** ** a *****

 Our group worked on writing script and blocking this week. First of all, our interpretation of the text which is the contrast between peasant and rich is well described in the script. Our interpretation is emphasizing the realistic part which the original text didn't. The book is more focusing on Desiree's desire which is freedom but doesn't describe Daniel and rich people as a hellkite murderer who killed the main character of the story. So, it doesn't really sound like a tragedy at the end even though Desiree dies all because of Daniel. Thus, our group decided to describe Daniel and Armand as villains and Desiree and Tonton as pure and innocent existence.

 To show the contrast between the poor and rich on the stage, we divided the scenes that show peasant life and scenes that show rich life evenly and inserted them in between each other. Also, we separated the stage into half and are going to use the light to emphasize the huge gap between the worlds they live. So, the lights will only focus on the left side of the stage when the peasants, James and Julie, act, and lights will be out and focus only on the right side when the riches, Ben and Ryan, act. 

 Our performance starts with the narrator introducing the peasant village to tell audiences that peasant's life is the main point of our performance. After the narrating, most of our scenes are composed with dialogues. In the first scene, Tonton and Desiree show their hard life by talking about their farming and worrying about the weather, but also show their pureness and innocence by singing songs that contain their hope and happiness. And the song selection is the part that we are still working on. We are considering between making our own melody and using the words that are in the text book or choosing one specific song that is already made. But, I would like to compose our own melody and use the original word from the story, because it will represent the mood of the original text. 

 There are three scenes that we need to put a lot of effort for the sound effect and lightening. The most important thing in the third scene is the teamwork between actors and the crew who controls the light and sound effect. Daniel needs to do laying down and moving spots for few times keeping in tune with light and sound effect which is going to be controlled by Ms. Guarino. Another scene that we need the same work with the third scene is the seventh scene, when Desiree dies by car accident. But, it won't be complicated as the third scene because she doesn't have to move her spot. The last scene that we need sound effect is fourth scene, when Gabriel takes a helicopter to go to peasant village. Also, we need to find adequate prop that can express helicopter.

 The last work that I still need to work on is the dialogue between Daniel and Desiree in the Third scene. I'm comfortable and good at serious and mad acting, but romantic acting is my weakest part which I need to practice for this project and our winter musical. I will practice my lines with keeping what Ms. Guarino said: be softer and more gentle, in my mind. Also, I think watching romantic movies that have attractive male main character can be helpful for my acting. Additionally, I'm really proud of our last scene's script. We made riches as mean as they can be and that ending perfectly emphasizes the interpretation that our group meant.