Post 96: A World Awy

Well look at me. Here i am back in New Zealand for a few weeks for my first kiwi xmas in four years.

It's been a crazy ol' time in recent months. Me given the shaft from the job i'd worked at for 14 months. Me calling the cops on them to mediate a few disputes. A few part time gigs to line my pockets with a little extra cash. Me fleeing the country, heading to Thailand to watch scary snake shows and even scarier shows involving razorblades. In somewhere in there a play was born and opens on the 1st of Feb 2007.

There's a bit of work to do admittedly but i think there will be a play of substance beginning its run in a theatre on the grounds of the Hanyang University. It is set for a three week run and hopefully plenty of folk will turn out to be treated to a little slice of western drama in the murky darkness of a Korean winter.

We'll see.

Post 95: A Weekend Behind Us

It’s a Monday night and I sit on the eve of midnight with aching limbs and a nasty cough that gives the impression a lung might come out at any moment. But along with that there is a glow of self-satisfaction. I steal these minutes to recall the weekend. Rehearsals, I dare say, began proper. The actors were split because of the nature of the play and I worked with two at a time, I’ve scheduled an hour overlap as I want all those involved to be well aware of the others, to be acquainted with those whom they will be sharing the stage. I want it to look like a cohesive performance. There is problems with this as the time I give to each pair goes very quickly and I’m sure the actors feel like they are not getting enough but I hope they can find the time outside of the hours I’m with them to rehearse together.

Apart from rehearsals I spent Saturday evening in Seoul in the company of friends both from work and the play. It was the unofficial Halloween night as the official night falls mid week and a little hard to party on. There were parties to be hard on every corner in Iteawon but we stuck to an Irish bar called ‘Wolfhound’ which we find perfect especially after they played ‘Rocky Horror Picture Show’ to which some of the girls danced in their fetching costumes and ‘Psycho’ on the big screen as music bleared from every corner. The beer is fairly cheap and the vodka goes down a treat. I found a cheap hotel to stay in and went to rehearsal the next morning in the same clothes as the day before. Stinky was I and without Ren in sight. By the time I got back to the apartment I was considerably knackered. It was a good weekend and will happily be stored away for future remembrance.

I did take photos of the rehearsals but for now these shots make the blog. Amanda and Krista in costume prior to leaping up on the stage and dancing the 'Time Warp'

Post 94: 251006 After the Weekend

I do hope this is not a trend that continues throughout the rehearsal process. After arriving at the Uni a half hour early on Saturday morning and discovering one of my actors already waiting with coffee in hand I thought stupidly enough that we were up for a good weekend. That was not exactly to be.

Upon getting to the room we discovered that it was over-booked for a weekend of exams. So finding a place in the shade on a cool day we began out adventures. It wasn't long before we were chased off by the biggest cloud of gnats I've ever seen. Saturday little progress was made.

On Sunday with no room, we were forced to rehearse outside on a dismal day that quickly got worse when it started to rain. We found shelter under an outdoor stage that we were forced to share with two other groups, one with guitars and the other with highly strung voices. I felt we did actually make some head-way but it was slight compared to what we could have done.

Here's a quick little snap of the team from Sunday as we were finishing for the day. Note the unusual extra. We are hoping for sponsorship.

Post 93: 191006 The Theatre Booked

After a night on the terps with two of my co-workers, a polished off bottle of Absolute and three hours sleep, I and a miraculously conscious co-worker made our way into Seoul to see about the theatre.

After being told that it was booked by someone else I was expecting a bit of a fight to resolve the issue and being in the state I was in knew I didn’t have the fight in me. We got there half an hour late which was amazingly well done and met Tory and his wife outside the station. We then headed to the office of the administrators of the theatre. It quickly became apparent that there was no booking and after a brief moment of confusion the dates were set and the price was given. We have a booked theatre. This is a great relief.

Our season begins on Thursday the 1st of February and runs for three weeks. For the first week we perform six times and the following two weeks we perform seven times ending on the 18th. We bump in a week before to run techs and dress rehearsals, hopefully giving us enough time to sort out any problems that will no doubt arise.

As each day passes it gets more real. Soon enough I actually believe it’s happening.

Post 92: 181006 The Trepidations

Wouldn’t it be great if things were easy? If I could set a day for rehearsal and all would come. If I could book a theatre and that would be it, no need to worry about where we are going to perform and just get on with the joys of rehearsing. If I could find the money and not have to fret over paying for posters, the theatre, the props.

Nothing is easy, I’ll have to except that at some point but it seems that it is even harder in this country than most. We had showed interest in a theatre and told the price to which we glowed. We were given a yes which we thought was a done deal but that was not to be. The theatre we wanted has now been booked on the weekends of the month we want to perform, this despite a yes and an awareness of our interest or perhaps because of our interest.

I have made the schedule for the next four months running up until the end of our performance but despite getting a confirmation that all actors would be able to give all time required it now seems I have to redo the schedule to accommodate altered desires. Not a biggy but it adds to a day that was already seeing compromises.

As for the first weekend: As of 10am on Saturday morning I had three of the five actors present. The other two had legit reasons that obviously can’t be altered so I don’t begrudge anything. I’m just hoping that this doesn’t bode for the rest of the rehearsal time. I shortened the needs of the day and three of us ended up going into Itaewon for a meal at Buddha’s Belly. This after a read through that took over two hours. It was out in the light of day, beside the smells of a bakery and occasionally swamped by the loud chatter of folk at neighbouring tables but it wasn’t all bad.

Sunday was a bust, expecting more of the same and without a full cast I decided to send the cast off on their own recognizance. A five o’clock meeting was held by the committee to make a few decisions and push things forward. Then we were in a good place, with two theatres to choose from and an enthusiasm for the task at hand. It was agreed that advertising was to take a different approach and as we’d decided on the University theatre I would see about getting a teaser poster up in the next week or so. The mock up is sitting on my computer but whether it will adorn the billboards of the Uni is a matter yet to be decided. I’m heading there tomorrow morning to see if the situation can’t be resolved. After some initial trepidation on my part to have the show performed on campus, I took a liking to the idea and now hope to remedy the booking of the theatre. Ah the joys.

Post 91: 131006 The Cast

The play is cast. After much deliberation and fretting over the rights and wrongs of each decision I came to my final cast list. I was told by some to suck it up and just do it but that's a simple thing and i'm a wimp when it comes to telling people 'No'. But now it's done and as of tomorrow morning we begin our rehearsals.

There are seven characters in total in this play but two of them appear only in film and do not tread the boards as such. I will most likely cast that in New Zealand as I have easier access to the equipment I need to make it.

The five who will be jumping through hoops and busting their hump over the next few months with be-

Matt as Hitch
Amanda as The Blonde
Thomas as Husband
Krista as Jennifer
Gef as Alex

During rehearsals I will bring a camera and will take notes on each days progress so you, like our own little soap opera, you will get to know these characters.

Post 89: 111006 Photos from Sokcho & Seoraksan

Post 90: 111006 Sokcho & Seoraksan

Last week in South Korea was Chusok. I don’t know a lot about Chusok apart from that it’s a national holiday and we get plenty of days off work. They call it the Korean thanksgiving, taking place at harvest time and involves dancing, games and giving thanks to the ancestors.

For me it was a time to get away from the apartment and head to the coast, climb a mountain and check out some distant temples. I went to a town called Sokcho, a kind of beach resort town on the east coast. We were fortunate to be given a room in a swanky hotel with commanding views of the nearby mountains and the ripe yellow rice fields surrounding us.

I’m not overly impressed with Koreans attention to details, like when we get into our room we find food on the balcony from the previous tenants, an air conditioning unit that doesn’t work and no mini bar. Okay so the mini bar I can do without but the details are what make a place, something the local tourist trade is yet to master. Oh and it s good idea to stay away from the taxi’s. They say their prices are Seoul prices after midnight but paying extortionate prices for a ten minute taxi ride in the middle of a weekday afternoon put me in a sour mood.

Sokcho itself boasted an expo a few years back, the site of which can still be visited and a central tower scaled and a great view of the harbor enjoyed. Right next to that is the IMAX theatre which they seldom use apart from the odd booking so a group can watch a DVD. If there’s only a few interested in watching a film then they wont open it so I’m guessing the locals have lost interest.

Right in downtown there is a very impressive market, larger than the one in my current hometown. As you’d imagine for a seaside town, there is plenty of fish in every shape and size and many other sea dwelling edible stuffs lining stalls and flopping in dirty tanks.

The main reason to go to this particular town however is its proximity to the Soraksan National Park. Inside which are a network of walkways, temples, a gigantic Buddha statue, restaurants at every altitude, mountains in their rugged beauty and the mass of sumptuous trees that cover them. Not to mention the squirrels at every turn.

We spent several hours exploring the slightly less than congested walkways and made our goal a temple cave where outside sits a several ton boulder that the locals delight in wobbling with constant shoving. We’d hoped to take a cable car up to another mountain but by the time we went to get out tickets there was a several hour queue and the day was already getting too long.

As a signifier to the pleasure found in our time in Sokcho, I enjoyed the drive back to Uijeongbu just as much as my time there. It was an enjoyable drive.

Post 88: 091006 Final Auditions

The auditions are done. The callbacks are finished. Now comes the hardest part of this process, the decision. Buy tomorrow it must be made.

Post 87: 081006 Auditions Continued

Auditions are never an easy thing for all parties involved.

For the actors there are the nerves, the butterflies, the fear, the desire to succeed.

For the director there is the worry about making the right decisions, for this is where a performance in made. If I choose the wrong configuration then it won’t work from the get go. If there is unbalance, it won’t look right, if there is too much ego or too much rivalry then I have problems from the outset.

Last weekend saw the final day of what turned out to be the first round. All those where showed interest in being in the play had a chance to show me their talents.

Yesterday were the callbacks that ended up including a few late comers. I was hoping to have things decided today so we could begin in earnest next Saturday. That was not to be when I found out one actor whom I was keen to see was in Japan for a few days.

We postponed a few of the readings until today and hopefully by this time tomorrow I will have a clear idea of who the final cast will be.

The worry does not stop there. Being where we are in the world and westerners being of a certain transformed nature I expect the unexpected. I don’t want drop outs but it may happen. I guess I will not stop worrying until the first night is behind us and everything has gone as planned.

Post 86: 250906 Auditions Part 1

The journey from script to stage finds momentum.

This weekend gone was the first of our audition weekends. Saturday saw six people try out for roles and Sunday saw five. To be honest I’ll be happy when this part of the theatre experience is over. I have never found great joy in telling people that there is not a place for them among the cast.

The experience of being is a play is wonderful. There is a sense of camaraderie found in the theatre that is, in my experience, found little elsewhere. Seeing others on such a regular basis and doing things that hastily breaks down the barriers ensures a level of friendship is quickly found. Combine that with regular bouts of drinking and we have the making of life long friends.

My struggle comes when I have to choose between good actors to play limited roles. I realize this is not a bad turn of events but I don’t have the strength to say no. Take the fact of when I first wrote and directed a play. I couldn’t say no to this particular actress so wrote her a role in the play. I’m far too weak. But I understand decisions must be made and made for the right reasons. For now I can put the hard decisions off until after next weekend.

Post 85: 210906 A New Beginning

Since coming to Korean some three and a half years ago I have been involved in several theatre productions a year. Mostly with The Seoul Players. I happen to consider it one of the best moves I’ve made in sending a blind email in the hope of being part of the show.

Earlier this year we staged two short plays, both of which were acted superbly by all. We had limited houses however, despite being in the centre of what is the Seoul theatre district. After what must have been somewhat disappointing result we were all feeling a bit gun shy when looking to the next production.

Krista and I were talking some weeks back and I proposed a play idea that was brought to me by our theatre companies previous producer. From this conversation came the enthusiasm we were both looking for and a meeting was called.

Last Sunday old and new faces gathered in a café in Iteawon to discuss the possibilities of a new show. It’s amazing what happens when like minded individuals come together. As a result jobs were divided, dates were discussed, plans were made. Auditions begin this coming Saturday and end the following Sunday. We hope to begin our run on the 1st of February 2007. The play is called ‘Hitchcock Blonde’ by English write Terry Johnson and I will be the director.

Post 84: 060906 Tantrix Champs Con't

After the first heavy defeat 3 - 1 from my first opponent i am looking to make a better showing against my second opponent. 'shawntstao' is from Taiwan and the day before yesterday we had our first game. I thought I was on the end of a winner but despite my opponents attempts at making a line, managed to make a loop on another part of the board while both of us weren't looking. The final score was 20 - 21, a loss to me by one point.

Today however I took revenge for the loss and won our second game 44 - 16. I managed a fine 22 tile loop with 3 tiles to spare, thankfully my opponent had just the final tile i needed to complete it. A much more flattering score line. Tomorrow will be game three.

Post 83: 040907 Korea Vs Iran

On Saturday afternoon i meet up with a work mate and his partner and headed into Seoul. I'd been excitedly waiting for this day for some time. After watching at a distance the beginning of the 2006-07 Premier League i was filled with the thrills of football fever. So arranging a week back to buy tickets on the internet the three of us were off to watch Korea play Iran.

I'd been to a few games here before but this was my first fully fledged international. And with almost the first string Korean team flying in, i knew it was going to be exciting for everyone concerned.

We turned up a few hours early with the intention of getting a couple of beers in before the game. That was a mission in itself, we ran in circles before finally finding a place that had to turn on the lights for us as they were just opening. It was nearly 6pm by this time. They are late starters in this part of the world.

So we had our beers and went to the ground. With good intentions we pushed our way into the extremely large and extremely overcrowded supermarket under the stadium to buy a few more beers and some snacks. Beers that were, a few moments later, taken from us as we weren't allowed to bring cans in. But our spirits were not dampened.

We qued and finally found our seats with great views of the ptich and settled in to watch a decent game of footy. Hoping for a goalfest we were instead treated to a tight match with the first goal not coming until the end of the first half. Korea went into the break grasping their lead. The second half was a repeat and after ninety minutes thought the game was done when a freak goal from Iran lobbing the keeper saw them level the score and come away with a disappointing draw. The hype we'd seen from the grown throughout the game was blown like last christmas's balloon and all made their slow way home with downward cast eyes and deflated spirits. The draw however did not detract from our own pleasures of seeing a live game of international football and to be a part of the enthusiastic experience.

Post 82: 310806 9th World Tantrix Championships

The 9th World Tantrix Championships is underway and last night I had my first games. This year’s 200 competitors have been divided into groups of four or five for Phase 1. I’m in Group 1 with 3 others and before the 12th of September we must play four games against each other.

My first opponent was ‘Sanabas’ from Australia. We played all four games in one hit. Things started badly and did not improve. In our second game I took some small satisfaction after falling into a trap in the opening tiles, of being able to defend a slender lead of 14. I took the win by 1 point. As for the other three games I lost them all by narrow margins. I have to perform well against the other two if I want to progress to Phase 2.

Follow the link to the summary of Phase 1

Post 81: 300806 Sports

As an avid escapist I try to spend a good deal of time in front of the telly watching sports games. Being where I am it's hard, in fact nearly impossible, to get televised Rugby, so I have to make do with football without English commentators, K-1 and other fight style bouts, occasional tennis tournaments and perhaps gold if I find the patience. There’s always the badminton, table tennis, American basketball, baseball and now beach volleyball but I have never found a passion for watching those games.

My best connection with teams and games from back home is of course the internet but those live play by play snippets really don’t satisfy my enthusiasm. In saying that, I have now added a sports section to the links where you will find teams and players I try to follow.

Post 80: 250806 Solar System Update

Just in case you were worried about the status of our Solar System i have an update for you. It's now official, we only have 8 planets. Pluto no longer qualifies but has been re-termed a 'dwarf planet' along with Ceres and 2003UB 213.

Post 79: 220806 Poetry Contests

Over the past eight months I have made a concerted effort to push my poetry to the next level. The first stage was to enter poetry contests, something I had never done before. With each result posted however I become somewhat deflated in my expectations and skeptical over my own abilities.

For the past 6 weeks I have been awaiting on the results of three competitions, one from New Zealand, one from America and one online. For some reason all results were delayed beyond their stated announcement dates. My waiting ended today when this evening after killing time playing games I realized I hadn't made my usual rounds of the results pages.

As for the New Zealand and American competitions my name was no where in sight but the online competition delivered a surprise. There I was up on top in first place. I have won my first competition. I am the winner of txt2nite.com’s SMS Poetry Contest 8. It may not be as prestigious as bigger comps but I am well chuffed with the result. Not to mention stoked that the first prize of an iPod Shuffle will be winging its way to me.

Check out the results page.

Post 78: 170806 Our Solar System

Without much in the way of personal goings on over the last few days I’ve been looking further a field for something to report on. Being an avid space enthusiast it’s no surprise that my attention was drawn to the current conference of leading and not so leading scientists discussing and refining the nature of our universe.

Yesterday if you had innocently asked how many planets were in our solar system then you would have been given the nonchalant reply of ‘Nine’. Today however, that answer has changed.

It all began with the defining of Pluto, is she qualified to be a planet. If she is then several other bodies floating out there of a larger mass also qualify to be called planets. Well, the answer was ‘Yes!’ Pluto is a planet which then gives us three more of the little suckers to call our own. Not that we didn’t claim them before but now we can puff our chests a little larger and say there are twelve planets in our swinging solar system dancing on the outer arm, looking in on a densely populated spiral galaxy.

Get this, one was given the dubious name ‘Xena’ after the New Zealand grown television show. What this means is that all books and posters proclaiming accurate knowledge of our Solar System are now out of date. A further problem arises when we learn that there are more bodies drifting by out there that are larger than Pluto but for the time being we can’t get a good enough handle on them to define them. More reprints no doubt to ensure school children know just what our neighborhood looks like. But for now here is what our Solar system currently looks like and check out http://www.iau2006.org/ for the facts.

Post 77: 070806 Photos from the picnic