Korean Job Discussion Forums

[eljuero]

I can�t imagine what people are thinking but I�m stuck with a rather bizarre summer camp concept. Somehow, and god knows what process this comes from, the principal and a head teacher here have dreamed up the idea of doing a play for the entire summer camp. The idea itself isn�t so weird but the parameters��

Initially, the head teacher showed me one of his horribly translated and unknown Greek plays he�s proudly used in an undecipherable textbook for his students (page from one of those publishing deals school teachers are sometimes in).

I dodged that bullet and suggested a semi-serious play from the US which could have been adapted or rewritten (12 Angry Men). There are some issues � one is that this is a public school for boys and they want 20 kids enrolled. Hence the idea for starting with 12 roles from 12 Angry Men. Word came around that the head teacher didn�t like the concept of a play about a jury � he wants a comedy.

Reasoning: The audience (apparently teachers who will watch the �production�) won�t be able to understand a serious play in English � they will, magically, understand a comedy in English.
So, any ideas from the wise and wonderful who haunt these boards (or at least an ex-Theatre major) would be greatly appreciated!!

Any plays that are simple, a comedy (the whole things is likely to look funny), understandable in English to marginally-able-to-speak Korean English teachers, requires little in the way of stage stuff and is suitable for a group of about 20 Korean high school Students?
The only that comes to mind is a medieval adaptation of something by Money Python? I�m thinkin� maybe South Korean High school students could dress in medieval English garb, pull a Trojan horse up to the DMZ and go into a full charge into N. Korean territory � but I�m open to suggestions.
A few other things to probably keep in mind:
One: I have no experience with doing a play but I�ll have a Korean co-teacher to help
Two: 20 boys � (no female roles?)
Time frame is to complete this in 3 weeks about 2 hours a day/5 days a week.
Thanks for any help.

[Steve_Rogers2008]

sounds like a high school set... but given it's a foreign language, and camp play, you could go with "Really Rosie."

bit of a musical aimed at younger kids, but there's plenty of roles for the boys.... includeing their king, "Pierre, the boy who did not care."

and what better way to embarrass one as the love interest for Rosie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOBsMssUg8M

[moosehead]

how old and what grade are the students? you didn't say.

I agree a comedy is better - the students will have more fun with it.

at least you have plenty of time for the production - most students tend to be pretty hip on current films and trends - why not go for something they are familiar with already? I had students do a scene from Transformers a couple of years ago. they had great fun, and their E was very very low.

maybe they could all be zombies and do a remake of M. Jackson's Thriller video - don't worry about the girl - you should have no problem finding one of the boys to dress up like a girl - there's one in every class

[Steve_Rogers2008]

if they're older, highschoolers, you could have them perform Deathtrap. they can watch the movie for inspiration:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083806/

Of course, they'll be stuck on Superman and Alfred from Batman being gay lovers... a mindblowing experience no doubt....

could be fun, 'til it comes time for the kiss.... see what dedicated thespians they are, really.

[eljuero]

[Juregen]

Just let the kids write on out themselves.

[The Goalie]

Perhaps it's not an option but I think a kind of variety show with a series of smaller skits would be easier to pull off than one big show with so many different parts. You could also use up a couple of the kids by making them MC's and maybe a couple have some talent (singing, magic, etc.) they could show off on their own. Just a thought...

[oldfatfarang]

If I was roped into that nonsense in 'vacation', I'd retaliate by getting them to do a production of Milan Rouge (sp).

Making every boy perform as a can can dancer would be sweet revengeee..

[eljuero]

I appreciate all of the good ideas. I really do. Unfortunately, I think I'm running into what I now consider the familiar Great Wall of Korean thinking.

My Korean "co-worker", "helper" just returned after having an apparent meeting with the head teacher (without me). Now she says he wants three "plays".

She "explained" further - "well, if we have three plays then we can give three prizes, then we can say that the students competed for a prize in an English play and this looks good for universities later".

Then she follows up with the now familiar line of "were just concerned about you"...........

F me.

What a load.

I'll try not to segue into venting about communication here.

I wish I could count the number of times I've run into weird communication problems only to find it has little to do with educating kids. It's the school nurse, who mysteriously needs to be consulted about the unused English classroom because she's next door to it, the unusable textbook used mainly because a group of teachers published it on the side outside of school etc..

One irony for me and maybe I'm overestimating students is that I think the bright ones are actually starved for something serious, something to learn with some meat on it and the system prefers giving them cotton candy versions of things. Possibly I'm just projecting on this issue.

Again, I appreciate the ideas and I'll definitely check them out for future reference (maybe this round who knows). I see there are some really interesting ideas out there about using plays for education............those may have to wait for future countries.

[re:cursive]

You mentioned modifying Monty Python in your initial post. Rather than rewriting, you could select several of the Monty Python sketches, group your students into teams and have them present their sketch or sketches at the end for judging or whatever your school wants to do.

The sketches are funny and vary in length and difficulty so you could match scripts to the levels of your various students. You could easily find videos of the original versions to show the students and help them understand the sketch.

This site has scripts for hundreds of Monty Python sketches:
http://orangecow.org/pythonet/sketches/index.htm

[eljuero]

[NYC_Gal]

Thanks for the sketch script links!

[Senior]

Tell us how it goes.

Korean students can be spectacularly unenthusiastic when it come to this stuff. I'm rooting for you, but this has melt down, horror story written all over it. Especially if you are going to be performing it for an audience. Good luck!

[NYC_Gal]

You could also try the Grover-as-waiter sketches from Sesame Street, or a play on them.

[eljuero]