Anglo Chinese School Independent Stage – Orientation, 12/01/08

Having gotten past a fierce round of auditions, 25 of us blessed drama greenhorns who managed to get into ACSIS were ‘treated’ to ACSIS’s Drama Orientation on Saturday, 12^th January. It was to be our first official meeting as members of the ACSIS. Upon setting foot into the drama room, we got to work filling in our particulars, proudly registering ourselves into the ranks of this club. Following which, the real drama activities began. We started off by doing some warm-up activities, beginning with a walking activity that tested our self- awareness and alertness. The next involved using all parts of our body to try to shake of a piece of chewing gum attached to separate body parts at any one time, effectively preparing our bodies and minds for the cooperative activities that were to follow. In these activities, we all had to emulate the raising of a sail as a group as realistically as possible. Subsequently, we were tasked at having to arrange chairs and tables in a specific manner so as to make an unnamed chair the most powerfully positioned. In doing so, we learnt the importance of coordination and the positioning of an actor on stage, getting into the most powerful position on stage in order to deliver the most successful performance. After a short break, we were then briefed on the activities we were to expect throughout the year, with the executive committee giving us a short introduction of themselves in the process. Now that we roughly knew each other, the ice-breaker games began. Our memory was tested especially in a game that involved screaming the other party’s name the quickest after a piece of cloth veiling the two people was dropped. Not only did it help us get to know each other, but the fun we had as a group in the process was highly memorable.If we thought we were having fun, the team-building activities to follow would prove to be even better. We kicked it off with a game of ‘taboo’, competing between the two groups we were split into. Once again the time of bonding was extremely beneficial.  After yet another toilet break, we were led to the pond for the first of our team-building activities. In this activity, we had to form a ‘monster’ with a specified number of body parts as a group. The twist was that the body parts specified were supposed to be in the water. Amidst all the laughter and the getting wet, we all learnt the importance of cooperation, and to a certain extent, self-sacrifice. A game of ‘dog-and bone’ was to follow, allowing all of us to interact physically and most importantly, have fun, something central to being part of the ACSIS. Following that, we all left for the fountain to play a game of ‘blind whacko’, with this game testing our communication skills, listening ability and the trust we need to have between our peers. Our last game involved passing down a message via acting only. This proved to be most challenging as it involved our acting capabilities in that we had to convey our words solely through our body language, something that all actors need to be able to do on stage.With that, our drama orientation came to a close. Not only did we have a lot of fun, but upon reflection, the basic skills involved in drama were all instilled into us through the various games and activities without us even knowing it. Indeed, the importance of cooperation, communication, body language and self-awareness will be invaluable skills in our life in the ACSIS.

By Victor Chang