Shubbit:

Wow.

I lie here on my bed, overwhelmed by IOC, listening to Michael Jackson and reminiscing about all the thrill and excitement that life had during FOA. Exactly one week back, we were all standing anxiously backstage while Chester uttered the words, “The Thwarting of Baron Bolligrew”, almost drowned out by the cheer of the crowd. I continuously see flashing images of the crowd that night, repeatedly hear Edward successfully delivering his last line, and feel chills running down my spine every time I remember the curtains finally closing for the last time. I recall telling myself over and over again that that was the best, most rewarding day of my life, and I still stand by that claim.
I cannot begin to imagine, if that one day in ACSIS could present experiences so fulfilling, what two whole years have given me. I honestly believe that joining the club late in year 5 has made me cherish my place here so much more. Going through such a struggle to join the club last year has made me savour every moment being in it. Being around such awesome teachers and friends has instilled in me a passion for acting and performing that I could never have attained from anywhere else.

I must thank the teachers Mr Connor, Mr Quek and Mrs Herzog for being such great inspirations to me throughout my time in the club. Without your guidance at every step, I don’t think every member could have developed such astounding talent that was shown during the performances. Of course the fundamentals come from workshops, and I believe that everything you have done so consistently every Wednesday has led to the magnitude of what we are today.

To members of ACSIS: I love you guys more than words can wield the matter (mind the unnecessary reference). You all are hands down the coolest, most talented, most accommodating, most creative, most resourceful, most amazing, most inspiring people I know. A huge part of my life in IB would be incomplete without you guys. For the Year 6s, as we are about to graduate from school and part our ways, and it is my only fear that I may never meet people like you again because you all just make life so much more worth living. Honest!

Of course, to the Year 5s: I hope you understand that you have a huge legacy to carry on. You have to sustain the club’s image as the coolest, most fun and exhilarating CCA in school. Period. Now that the Year 6s leave, I hope you feel a greater sense of responsibility on your shoulders; you are the next seniors. I remember when we had our first workshop without our seniors last year. It was awkward at first but gradually, we developed a stronger sense of ownership towards the club. Now, you have no seniors to shelter or mask you. You are ACSIS. Make the club your own, and take it to where it has never gone before.

At this point, I find that I still cannot move on. I still have the desire to go for workshops every Wednesday, and I still feel like stepping into the shoes of Bolligrew now and then. I actually have this uncontrollable urge to twitch my eyebrows all the time, its scary! Well, there’s nothing left for me to do now but struggle to find ways to live without drama.

Farewell, as I try to come to terms with this loss. Shubhit

Yvonne:

where do i begin. it’s starting to sink in now.
no more:
-330 wednesdays and whining
-pre-foa-week 10pm nights in the drama room slaving away constructing things like sniperly and rocks
-dover market escapades to buy life-essential glue and nippon paint
-thinking of excuses to cover up for exco malfunction
-being lady macbeth michael jackson during intermission
-mass red bull consumption
-indian > chinese
-doing exercises like pretending to be seed and growing into a tree or “curling up like a foetus”
-point circle which always, always failed
-overload of inappropriate jokes
-breaking into small groups and the short performances which permanently involved gays, sex or both. (somehow they were always managed to be weaved in)
-miming exercise. there was only one. painting a box around ourselves and then painting a door and emerging from it.
-sleeping on the drama room couch with the mysterious dirty pillow
-prancing around dance studio
-cleaning drama room
-screaming at people to take their shoes off in the drama room
-stealing drama room key

there is so much more that i am going to miss about acsis. so much i have learnt.
stupid as it sounds, this has honestly been the most exhilerating journey of my life. you have all been such a family. a solace where i am always and completely myself: this space and culture we have moulded into our own. this warmth just made all the stress and late nights and suffering and sacrifice worth it.
to sexco: you are all honestly the greatest people i have met in my life. i don’t know what last year was, but this year you all morphed into godlike beings, unleashing this slew of talent, creativity, commitment, and resourcefulness. i think it’s only a pity the teachers and the rest of the club never get to witness this amazing side of you.
to teachers: thank you for your guidance this one and a half years. i would not have grown so much as a performer without your help and the opportunities you’ve given me. also thank you for the occasional injections of the very-un-teacherly casual sides of you which make rehearsal/workshops all the more hilarious.

i’m so glad our last performance (and night together) turned out so flawless. the independence we had this time really brought us together as an entire club, and it made this play so much our own.
thank you guys. for all the fragments of beautiful, for creating this picture perfection. people always ask me if i made the right decision coming to this school and i never knew what to say. but now, if i had to find a reason, i guess this would be it.

xx
yvonne

Amil:

It is no understatement when I say that my two years in ACSIS were the most exciting of my life. I will long remember the excitement (and last-minute panic) of productions as well as the weekly buzz of workshops. Sacrificing sleep, staying in school late with my friends has all been worth it. There have been difficult times, but I love my stint in the club no less. I owe much of my experiences in ACSIS to our talented teachers Mr Connor, Mr Quek, Mrs Yeo Mrs Herzog, and thank them. I will surely be part of the alumni, and hope to be able to contribute more to the club in the future.

Amil

Eileen: First workshop without the Y6s

Today’s drama session felt a little empty- it was our first session after the end of our Festival of Arts performance, also our first session without the Year 6s. Suddenly, there seemed to be an abundance of space in the Drama Room, which fitted all of us snugly before. Nevertheless, the Year 5s learnt a precious lesion after doing various workshop activities, starting with a facial warm up and ending with a short act.

Everyone had fun at first, having to neigh like a horse and at the same time gallop like one around the room, but still conscious of the space between us and others. We saw each others’ “unglam” sides, laughed at our silliness, and learnt to incorporate the skills we learnt from previous workshops- the ability to sense and perceive distance. Next up was the point circle, which we, regretfully, after five tries, still did not succeed in completing the task. Perhaps it was the nerves, or simply because we were not yet coordinated, but in the end we had surely gained one thing- unity. Everyone thought not just about getting yourself across the circle, but everyone else too.  We learnt to begin with the end in mind.

For me, the most interesting part of the workshop was the mannequin challenge- we were divided into two teams, and each team had to decide on the sale of an item and set up members of the other teams as mannequins to reflect the item that we had in mind. Within a short timeframe of just 5 minutes, my team discussed and came up with the concept, as well as our action plan. Through this, I saw for myself the power of one simple action and the volume it speaks. I had fun arranging my drama mates as mannequins, as well as being arranged. It was hard to keep a straight face, and many of us were trembling with laughter at the ridiculousness of the picture we formed, but a few of us exercised professionalism and self control in this aspect. This, we should all learn from.J

The most challenging part, however, was the act we had to put up after being given 35 minutes to plan and rehearse- THE PRINCESS WHO COULD NOT SMILE. The conditions were that the storyline had to be followed and the entire play had to be done in a language consisting of only one word- Ruba. There was infinite possibilities of the meanings and emotion range we could inject into this word, but this technique, which most of us have not yet mastered fully, has to be worked on. We loved being able to introduce little twists and turns, to add humor and illicit laughter from our audience, and we learnt one very valuable lesson from the teachers in the end- it is more important to tell a story, then to simply get a laugh. Through this, we saw how a few members pushed their acting skills to another level by taking on a very different role than they usually do, as well as to develop their character to the max. Si Yinn took up the role of a disgusting, unhygienic female gangster and acted the part, always staying in character despite the laughs from the audience. Chester used the right stretch of time to develop his character, and even sang the school song in the Ruba language.

At the end of today’s session, everyone became more aware of their strength and weaknesses as an actor, and were armed with two new tasks- one, to successfully complete the point circle activity next week and two, to clean up the drama room.

FOA

IS TOMORROW GUYS ALL THE BEST

quick things to remember!!!!
- high energy
- quick pacing
- take care of your props
- do not touch curtain legs
- believe in what you’re doing
- know lines

see you tomorrow!!!!! im sure we’ll have a great show

SEXCO

hello from your sexco! we so pretty

Exco 09/10 – Ian

 

 

 

 

I am very honoured to be given a chance to be in drama exco, though I’m unsure I cannot guaranty Im gonna be a great one  in this period of time but I’ll do my best in my power and with a sincere heart I’ll do my work whole heartedly.

Before the elections of the ACS independent stage, i was still in a dilemma on whether to run. This is because i was already in the school tennis team and the class council which pretty much take quite a lot of my time. At first, i thought that if i join the drama exco it would take up even more of my time. However, through advises and persuading from of my seniors i found out that ACSIS exco is not as demanding as other CCA’s. I also found out that after my tennis seasons is over, I’ll have more time for other activities and so that what makes me join the ACSIS exco.

Ian

Exco 09/10 – Phi Anh

 

 

 

 

Oh Goodness! It’s weirdly difficult to write a reader-friendly
reflection while my feeling now is so “out of this world”.

For recent years I’ve been a noob, and perhaps fortunately a nerd, and
now I’m somehow voted into the Exco. To me, this is miraculous. ACSIS
has indeed changed me drastically, and I’m glad and honoured, to
discover how good it feels like to work hard, to contribute to the
community that I sincerely love.

To all nominees who are not chosen for Exco, I do believe none of you
feels disheartened, because the fact that we nominate ourselves
already shows our will and enthusiasm to serve ACSIS, and thus, I
honestly think that the selection process is almost nothing but a
matter of fortune. Definitely, it will not stop anyone of us from
continue to be exemplary members of the club.

Once again, thank you, everyone, for having voted me into Exco. I
promise to work hard and try my best to help the other Exco members,
and the rest of the club to bring ACSIS to greater heights.

The experience is truly overwhelming, and I’m very sorry for any
over-the-top stuffs that I might be writing.

ACSIS rocks!

Phi Anh

Exco 09/10 – Jecolia

 

 

 

 

When I received Yvonne’s message informing me that I had been elected into the ACSIS executive committee, I was crying because I was in the middle of the sad part of a movie. However, the message literally turned my frown… Upside down! I was so excited. And I still am.

All my life I have loved the theatre, as my mother had exposed me to musicals and the like from a young age. I had always been deeply fascinated and wanted to do drama. For this simple reason, I am really grateful and honoured to have been given an opportunity to serve on the ACSIS ex co. I am aware that Year 6 would be quite a challenge with the heavy workload and stress, especially so with the extra responsibility of being on the ex co. But I feel that as long as I enjoy what I am doing, it will motivate me to keep up with both my work and extra curricular responsibilities.

I hope that working with Chester, Pravin, Eileen, Ian, and Phi Anh in the coming year would help me to grow as a person, as I learn from each of them and their multiple different strengths. I am absolutely thrilled to be working with them, and I am sure that being on the ex co would be a fulfilling experience.

Jecolia

Exco 09/10 – Chester

 

 

 

 

Getting into ACSIS exco really is a huge honor, and I would like to thank for everyone who voted for me, and promise to do my best bring the club to greater heights, to the best of my ability.

Having not been in drama before, being a part of ACSIS for the past several months really was an eye-opener, and I’ve learnt oh-so much. I’ve thus far been able to experience acting on stage as well as working as part of the backstage crew, and every moment of my time in ACSIS has been wonderful and amazing.

I decided to run for exco because I really feel that I will be able to contribute to the club, from what I hear is expected from Edward and the other exco members, and from the club charter which was read out to us by the existing exco members on our AGM. I do believe that my enthusiasm and interest for the club and its activities will help in my contributions to this amazing drama club, and this will be something that I will remember forever.

I am looking forwards to being able to give back, as much, if not much much more than what I have taken from the club, and also to working with my fellow ACSIS exco members, Jecolia, Pravin, Ian, Eileen and Phi Anh.

My fellow Exco-rians, we will show them synergy. Who’s with me? 

Chester