Reflection on everyone's performances

            In my personal opinion, I think everyone in our Banjar did a fantastic job on their mid-term performances this week. I found it interesting to see all the different directions everyone took their performances in when we all had the same assignment and previous experience in the medium. It really served as a testimony to the individuality and creativity of each member of our class as well as the wide possibilities of the Asian Theatre genre.

            I appreciated the fact that about half of the class performed pieces which were more traditional; using classical Asian storylines; while the other half used more modern day scripts. The groups that did the classic tales all had interesting interpretations upon them and really did their best to make the piece their own. For instance, three of the stories employed the character of Sita, yet each time she was portrayed in a way that stayed true to her description while still allowing the performer to put their own spin on their re-telling. I particularly enjoyed the use of the Banjar Stephanie and Lizzie as the ground under which Sita was buried; that was an innovative use of resources that I would not have even considered! In terms of the groups who did more modern day presentations, I think each of them, my group included, was able to successfully apply the past to the present without losing any of the artistry associated with Asian performance. For instance Daniela and Tyler pulled this off in their “How to Love” dance by sticking to the stereotypical male and female dance styles to convey the characters.

            Another example of the different interpretations which our class applied to this assignment was in the fact that though a number of presentations portrayed a stereotypical “monkey” character, each of their versions possessed unique elements. For instance, Spence employed great facial expressions when characterizing the monkey; it really helped develop his character beyond his monkey-like movements. Jasmine used a mask when portraying her monkey character which, much like Spence’s version, allowed a better conception of her character. Each of the incarnations of the monkey character also employed a different aspect of that stereotype’s personality. Spence was curious of Dorthey, then violent, while Jasmine was more curious and playful, and Abhay portrayed the traditional monkey god