Category: Theatre

#PlayIn19Days

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I’m 8 days into my self-proclaimed #PlayIn19Days challenge and… I’m doing okay. In terms of my own guidelines, I’m actually a little behind. But I have a great idea/approach that I’ve never done before so I think that earns me a little leeway. Anyway, I wanted to blog a little bit about what I’m writing, to document my process and articulate the story. So here you go:

The play I’m writing is entitled Waiting for Villa. It’s about a Nicaraguan community that is uprooted by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Specifically (as I have written so far), it follows a man and a woman facing employment and relationship issues all while the storm rages Central America.

My idea is to tell the story through several short scenes (1-3 pages long) and this is how I’m approaching the 19 days part. Each day, my goal is to write at least 1 scene that moves the story forward. I think it’s neat and somewhat easy. This approach also lends to the fact that I did not live this experience, living in Nicaragua, escaping a hurricane. The short scenes allow me to write very little, while also opening a window to the truth.

This story is inspired by the small village of Villa Catalina, in Chinandega, Nicaragua. I was privileged to have visited the village through Teatro Catalina and Amigos for Christ last March. I got to see this poor community and meet some of the families and play with a lot of the children. We got to learn about the history of Villa, from before Hurricane Mitch all the way to the present. Many people don’t realize that the effects of a hurricane can be detrimental and life-changing. What’s worse is that some governments ignore the state of living of their people, making it difficult for families to prosper and children to get an education. Teatro Catalina is a company that advocates for theatre education for kids in Villa Catalina. A lot of people in the states (and everywhere) underestimate the power of theatre, but for a kid in Nicaragua, it can mean confidence and leadership and hope for the future. So I’m using my theatre education and my privilege to write a play, to enlighten the world on the horrific hurricane and the hope that followed.

I hope to finish in 19 days mostly to just finish it but also to give me time to edit it. I will reach out and do some more research to make sure that the story is realistic and factual. And I may want to submit it to some contests because why not? I really want this story to be shared, one way or another. If you have any insights, please share. 🙂 

On another note, writing every day is helping me, emotionally. I knew that it would help me feel more whole, more purposeful. Creating is good for my soul!

To follow my writing and life on a more daily/140-character basis, you can follow me on Twitter @marissamaym .

Tips From a First Time Stage Manager

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Over the Winter Quarter 2016, I was lucky to have stage managed SCU’s production of The Good Doctor. This was the first time I had stage managed since… high school. I was really nervous, but even though there were some bumps, everything smoothed out in the end. Here are some things I learned over the last 9 weeks:

In order to stage manage a theatrical production, there are three essential things that you need: patience, patience, and more patience. (A sense of humor is also helpful). In complete seriousness, you need a lot of things to stage manage, but patience is a huge component of it all. Here are some things I learned over the course of rehearsal and performance of The Good Doctor:

  1. Organization – At any given point during a rehearsal or performance, there could be at least three or four things happening at the same time. You have to know when to call Go for the lights, sound, set, and curtain and being organized REALLY helps. Pencils, erasers, highlighters help. But setting up your workspace thirty minutes before call/go time is probably the biggest hand you could ever give yourself. Stay on top of your stuff.
  2. Flexibility – Someone in your cast and/or crew will be late one day. And on another day, someone else will be late. Or someone will be sick and will have to leave early. You gotta be flexible! Additionally, sometimes you don’t know how things are gonna go, so you just gotta go with the flow and facilitate as best as you can.
  3. Confidence – This is so important. Even if you don’t know what you’re doing–fake it til you make it. Or, alternatively, ask questions. Stick to your word and know that one or another, it will work out.

It was an absolute joy to have worked on such a fun and funny show with such amazing, talented individuals. I learned a lot about being a stage manager, but I also learned a lot about theatre and story and listening. As a creative writer and playwright, this experience was invaluable. I loved witnessing discoveries within the script and looking at it from different perspective. The possibilities are endless with theatre and a great group of people. 🙂

I staged my play and now I’m a third of the way done with the school year: a fall quarter recap

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Holy cow. My first quarter of my last year of college is over. Holy cow.

It’s weird saying those types of things now. Like, it’s my last year of college. I was here last year… and the year before that… and the year before that. Three years ago, I finished my first quarter of my first year in college. TIME. TIME is a strange phenomenon. I never thought I’d actually ever get to this point, but here we are. About 7 months away from graduation.

…

But I’m going to try to not think about that. For now.

For now, I will be content. Content and happy and pleased and relieved with what the past 10 weeks have given me. From moving into a new apartment to taking a Communications class I didn’t need to take to finishing my play to staging my play to rallying for social and racial justice to taking naps – it was a jammed quarter to say the least. That’s the way I like it. Or maybe I’ve just trained myself to like it after three years of busying myself. Or maybe I’m in denial.

Whatever way you spin it, I’m not sure I’ve been more grateful in my entire four years at SCU. Or maybe even my life. Never have I been so grateful, reflective, and proud. It’s one thing to write something and it’s one thing for people to read it and it’s a completely other thing for people to see it and connect with it. Some people might not understand this, but – writers are really self-conscious. We write what’s in our heads… and then get really nervous when people read it or hear it and it’s like the be all end all. That’s what it feels like for me.

Hapa Cup of Sugar was a piece of me. And I have the honor and privilege to share that with hundreds (hundreds) of people. I still can’t believe it. It’s so hard to put my thoughts and feelings about the entire project into words. (I’ll have to because I’ve got about three final reports to do on it, oh geez.)
Aside from that lil thing, this quarter treated me just about the same as any other quarter. I took a class in the COMM department called Media and Social Movements. We learned about the Anti-Nike campaign, the revolution in Egypt, and consumer citizenship. It was nice to take a class purely because I was interested in it. My favorite class this quarter.

I also got heated about student apathy and diversity at SCU, but that seems like a norm now. Which is awful. We’re working on it. By “we,” I mean a small group of students. Sigh.

That’s pretty much it for a recap of the quarter. I’ll write a 2016 goals (fears??) post soon, too.
In the meantime, I hope you also reflect on your quarter. I hope it treated you well – or that you dominated finals, at least!

Staging Hapa

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I want to share a quick update about a big project I have embarked on.

Last school year, I wrote a play, Hapa Cup of Sugar. Hapa follows 22-year-old fresh-out-of-college Leila. Leila works in her parents’ laundromat with her younger sister and brother. She moves through the world as a hapa, someone who is bi-racial. As she learns how others perceive her, Leila tries to figure out what happens next in her life.

I had the privilege of putting on a staged reading of Hapa through SCU’s “New Playwrights’ Festival.” It was an awesome experience working with a director and a cast! I loved seeing my words come to life right before my eyes (it was super surreal).

That was just the first part, though.

Now, I have been privileged to receive the Hackworth Grant from my school’s ethics center to stage my play for real. That means with a cast, with a set, with costumes, with lights… in front of my classmates and peers! THIS IS HUGE!

The whole reason I started even thinking about writing this play back in Spring 2014 was to tell a story about someone who was different and to tell that story to my school. I feel so blessed to have been given this opportunity, to share my words with the SCU community.

But I also feel empowered and responsible. The point of my project Staging Hapa Cup of Sugar is to combat racism. It’s to tell a story about a girl who has not only graduated college, but who was also the first to graduate from college in her family, who grew up bi-racial in the Bay Area and was thrown into a school populated primarily by white people, who takes care of her siblings in a low-income home. I believe that this story needs to be shared with the community in order to create more understanding of race and diversity at SCU.

For those of you that know me, you know that I have been heavily involved with the Multicultural Center at school. I spent my first year at SCU on the Japanese Student Association board (I am not Japanese, just curious about the culture!) and I dedicated the past two years on MCC Staff. As a senior, I will continue to dedicate my time to diversity and inclusion through Staging Hapa.

Part of Staging Hapa is producing the play and another part is socially engaging with SCU students. We are starting a dialogue around diversity on social media, tabling in front of Benson, and conducting a talk-back discussion after the performances. Stay tuned for more information!

You will definitely see more of Staging Hapa without a doubt! Check us out on social media starting next week and check out the play on November 18 and 19 in the Fess Parker Studio.

TLDR; I wrote a play and now it’s really happening!!! Thanks for reading! Ask for details!