A musical number is a narrative interruption.

A writer is never bored even when waiting. All he/she has to do is pick up a pen and write.

Open a blog and document your life and your works in a diary. Even if no one reads it, it will pay off in the long run. As a matter of fact you may even set it so that only you can read it.

Writing is neither a hobby nor a career. It is a lifestyle, because only then does it truly engulf one's mind, heart, and soul.

Dramaturgy for Shen, Isaac, and Ahmad (March 20, 2015)

Photos by theater management intern Atiqah Majid

Dramaturgy for Shen was done via a long-distance call, since she was in Melbourne en route to Tasmania on an adventure.

Isaac

Ahmad

A writer who shares nothing is an unsuccessful writer because, unbeknownst to him, he also shares nothing with himself.

Workshop for Singaporean Children (Ages 7 - 14) for South East PSG Family Camp at Changkat Primary School, Bedok (March 21, 2015)

During this workshop I used the publication Inang Bayan's New Clothes, easily adapting its messages to the Singaporean setting, especially on the occasion of the country's year-round celebration of its independence. 

The story book and exercise sheets imparted to the participants:

--The importance of a written story

--The possibility of adapting a story set in another country to one's own country

--The symbolism of color

--Historical and cultural influences on costume

--Combining pieces of apparel to create different appearances

--Imagining a symbolic dress for one's mother, grandmother, or sister

--Imagining a symbolic dress for one's mother country

--Appreciating a story while engaging visual-motor skills

--Appreciating not only one's own work but the work of others as well

--Working in groups, or teamwork

Workshop for Singaporean Senior Citizens, Seniors' Learning Camp Alumni, at Lifelong Learning Institute (March 19, 2015)

A director must know his playwright before staging his/her play. Otherwise that would be like curating an art exhibit without knowing anything about the artist.

Theater is a necessary art. It can never be replaced by any other medium or any other form of art.

You are defined not only by what you choose to read but by what you do not choose to read as well.

The perception of literature changes as one's mind matures.

That is why it is a bad idea to:

--Be a "tabloid" writer, i.e. a writer whose works revolve around current issues that eventually become passe.

--Be a "cool" juvenile writer, because all audiences, and the writer himself/herself, eventually grow up.

Dramaturging JR's Screenplay

"Isla del Fuego"

Hi JR!

First of all, are you sure you want to use this title? This is the title of Eve Mascunana's book, and people might expect your film to be a version of it. Moreover, your film is not about the entire island but about one particular young woman on the island.

The entirety of your screenplay, however, and the story are very interesting. Your film promises to be several notches above the works of everyone else who owns a video camera.

Your main problem is dialogue. Your characters talk when they do not have to, and when mere close-ups would suffice. And, when they talk, they don't talk the way people do. For example, no one really uses the word "ngunit".

In the beginning of the screenplay, the mother says, "Anak, gising na. Baka tanghaliin na tayo sa pagpunta sa Dumaguete." In real life the mother would simply say, "Gising na!"

The girl's response is equally unrealistic: "Pasensya na po, Inay, napasarap lang po ng tulog. Mag-aayos na po ako." In reality the girl would simply rise, say nothing, and go to the bathroom.

In Seq 20 the cashier confesses that she really knew nothing when she applied for her job. No personnel manager would ever hire someone with no background for a cashiering position.

You have many dream sequences but you describe only the ones toward the end of the film.

Seq 31-B is your real point of attack. It is when your story begins. Nothing has been happening so far except to provide a backdrop for the story.

Try to avoid contrived situations that are mere tricks to push your story forward: the mother's sprained ankle, missed boats, etc.

If the grandmother is truly an effective healer, why couldn't she have healed the mother's sprained ankle immediately?

Be aware that Siquijor is an herb-and oil locale. The magic practitioners there never use talismans or medallions.

The ending is not optimistic. You should show what Dada proactively decides to be. Following your story, she should embrace her future as a sorceress. As it is you leave her in a psychologically comatose condition.

Give closure to the other characters as well: Bea and Pao especially.

I see your passion in your screenplay. Although this is about a turning point in a young woman's life, it is really about your discovery of Siquijor and Dumaguete and the marvelous things you found there. Go for it, and I wish you the best of luck!