It was a dark Christmas night and a young boy was anxiously ripping open his present when, to his surprise, a large black spider jumped out and crawled on his face. He screamed and ran out of his bedroom.
The entire ensemble of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" at Beijing City International School.This is what happens when Jack Skellington, the King of Halloween, steals Christmas and takes over Santa's job.
The Nightmare Before Christmas, one of the most beloved fables, was staged three times last weekend at the Beijing City International School (BCIS), drawing high acclaim from audiences.
The pumpkin king, Jack Skellington, painted his face with black eyes and wore a black cloak and sharp fingernails. He looked like a darker version of Harry Potter.
The story begins when Jack becomes bored and tired with the same routine every year. He takes a walk into the woods where he finds a door that leads to a Christmas scene. He realizes that Christmas time is amazing.
Not satisfied with the pedestrian hoopla that surrounds him, Jack sets out to conquer Christmas and finds out that the grass is not always greener on the other side.
Students at the junior high school offered a feast of sound and visual wonder, with expressive body language, confident narration and colorful costumes.
Inside the classroom, after the first of the three shows wrapped up, Maher Kader, who played Jack, drowned in the excitement.
"It is a lot of fun," Kader said. Analyzing his role, he said "Jack as a King of Halloween tried to do good but wasn't able to do good."
Months of rehearsal was important, he said. "After a while, I understood more of the character. I felt for it."
Sally, Jack's loyal friend and the love of his life, dressed like a white spirit with blond hair and in a white silk gown. Arielle Fearn, who played Sally, talked about her "love" to Jack. "In the play, Sally loves Jack. She is very smart and sensitive," she said.
All the practice since September, three times a week, during lunch or at drama classes, made it fun.
The three clowns, with colorful fake hair and tailor-made costumes, got the most laughter from the audience.
Another interesting performance came when Oogie Boogie, played by Adam Falvey and Michael Langley, a giant and sinister opponent of Jack's who has kidnapped Santa and has captured Sally as well, used his giant hands to slap over the Santa and Jack to the ground.
"We know his lines pretty well," said Falvey's mother, Amanda Falvey. "He likes to be a comedian at home. It is great to help their confidence."
She was impressed by the round stage that brought the audience closer. "I felt part of it," she said.
The stage, like a runway, allowed the audience to sit closely on both sides. The actors and actresses emerged from two directions.
Phil Clarke, director of the play, said the stage shortens the distance between the audience and the actors.
"The round stage is like a community circle or a dinner table. You can see the reaction of the other audience during the play. It is very communal. It is like a group of people sharing experiences," he said.
The story depicts confrontational forces, depicting a "world full of priorities, of good or evil."
Many cultures have a way of expressing the dark side of nature and "those things can be released," he said.
For young students, the chance to express the "evil side" on stage was thrilling.
"These kids love getting dressed as horrible things," Clarke said. "They are delightful young people."
He said the young voices in the play were interesting.
"You want them to be expressive. So it is nice to put them close to be heard better. Also the style of acting is more intimate this way. It is like keeping your friends in the pocket."
Listening to the children's feelings and their analysis of the performance, the director felt like he watched them grow up.
Performing Arts of Drama is a part and parcel of activities provided by BCIS to its students to develop an awareness and appreciation of the performing arts through understanding performance in its historical and cultural context.
Students learn to apply skills in performance and practice. They reflect on, and critique their own work and the work of other performers.
"Some of our students in the play have never been in a play before," he said. "It is exciting to see how they are growing in their use of language as many are new to English speaking."
He added: "You see they make big breakthroughs with their language acquisition and with body and voices of expressing themselves.
Clarke, a drama teacher, said the play was more about letting "kids have fun."
Source: China Daily
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