Drama critics on 'The Love Life of Ophelia'

In my SKBS 2103, Performance Studies Course, me and my course mates have been brought by my Associate Lecturer Dr. Noraini to watch a play of the title ‘The Secret Love Life of Ophelia’. After watching the play, we have been asked to write a criticism essay by pointing out the qualities of the production of the play ‘The Secret Love Life of Ophelia’ by bearing in mind on the acting, directing, set design, and other special effects such as lighting as well as costumes. We have watched the ‘The Secret Love Life of Ophelia’ play at ‘The Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPac)’ building which is located at Jalan Strachan (Off Jalan Ipoh), Sentul Park, Kuala Lumpur. We went to watch the play on Thursday, 26th of February 2009 and entrance fee is RM 15.00 per person. This play is attempt with images of love, sexual desires and indication of future tragedy. This ‘Secret Love Life of Ophelia’ play is full of imaginative and exciting sexual desires between the two couples who are Hamlet and Ophelia. Ophelia’s buried desires and love for her love Hamlet have been spread out through the exchange of passionate, letters and e-mails. In this play we can see that a fresh picture emerges when both of the couples, Hamlet and Ophelia disappointed as their contact is brought to a head.

First of all, when I’m watching this play ‘The Secret Love Life of Ophelia’, I have taken note on the acting of the performers in the production of the play. This play has only involves two performers towards the whole play who are Hamlet and Ophelia. They are the main characters in this play. When comes to me, I can’t say that I only like one performer because I really like and loves the acting of both of the performers who are Hamlet and Ophelia because both of them act really good and superb. The actors can act naturally by using the symbolic things that we can’t see in the play. For example, the actors are communicating with each other only via telephone, e-mails, letters and chatting only. But in the stage, there is no laptop for them to chat with each other but by their realistic acting, we can identify that they are using the laptop. I think that they were good in their acting because they act realistically without nervous and panic. Other than that, I also think that they have change their mind set that they are the original people of the acting and that’s why they can act fluently without making any mistakes. I like Hamlet in the way which he acts realistic and makes me to think either he is really acting. This I really realize through the scene where Hamlet shows his sexual desires to his love Ophelia through rubbing his sexual parts in his body without shy of the audiences are watching his action. He acts naturally as it is part of his acting. This scene of the play provoked me as an audience to laugh nervously or giggle towards the acting of Hamlet because I’m nervous of his next or following action. I like both of the performers well because their voices, movements in the play and their non-spoken acting which have interpret their role in the play. The performers’ voices are really louder and clear enough for the audiences to hear what they are saying even though the audiences are sitting at the last row. There are some of their movements in the play which makes the audiences to have better understanding and idea on what is happening, if there’s any lines that they says are not clear enough. Both of the performers, Hamlet and Ophelia relate to each other via communication skill through letters, chatting, telephone and e-mails. They listen to each other carefully and they respond naturally and fluently towards the whole play and we can’t identify either they are acting or not. I really appreciate the play towards the acting of the actors which are natural and real.

While watching this play, ‘The Secret Love Life of Ophelia’, I also have taken note of the directing in the production of the play. The director of this play is Christopher Ling. For me, I feel that the director has helped the actors well to perform this play convincingly. I felt that I am totally connected to the characters when the characters in the play communicating with the audiences through some of the scenes in the play. I say this because when the characters communicate to the audience by telling some information, it really will make the audience to listen and think. Both of the performers, Hamlet and Ophelia, play together their roles in the play as an ensemble such as a group of musicians playing or singing together because we can see that there are no any interruption of forgetting their lines and so on. The interaction between the characters seems as natural and it reveal, expose and bring out the characters out of their real characters. I feel really great and good to be an observer of the interaction between the two characters in the play as it really touched my feelings and makes me to feel as I’m one of the characters in the play. The director has directs this play in a good way as the audiences will be easy to see and hear what is going on through the voices of the performers which are loud and clear, as well as the movements of the performers acting which is realistic and natural. The director also has planned well on the entrances and exits which the performers should use while acting. This makes me as an audience clear and knows the changing of the scenes as the performers didn’t confuse on which entrance or exits should be used while acting. So, it is clear that the entrances and exits have been used smoothly. The director also has used the space in the stage well and he didn’t ignored or overused any areas in the stage. For me, as the audience, I really seems that the pace especially while the characters walking and the rhythm that they have use while speaking, are right and it moves smoothly and did not drag in between. Overall of the play, I would say that the performance has makes me surprise because I have seen a scene which I had never seen before presented in a stage being performed in this play. The scene that I’m saying is when Hamlet shows his sexual desires to his love, Ophelia.

Another aspect that I have not missed is the set design of the production of the play. The scenery of the stage performance looks very simple as there is only a sofa set with small rack beside the sofa. This kind of scenery really helpful to the play as well as the performers. This kind of stage design will not be a burden for the performers to perform because they will not have many difficulties in their movements from one place to another. They can move swiftly without any doubt. But, if the stage has many props then it will make difficulties for the performers to move from one place and another. For me, this kind of simple scenery will not distract the performers and the audiences mind because we can identify what is happening through the acting of the performers. There are some purpose of the director has planned for this kind of simple set design. Although the scenery seems to be simple, but it still contribute audience mood because not the stage only important but the most important thing in producing a play is the performance. If the performance is very well done, then for sure the set design also has contributes well. I will definitely say that the set design is appropriate for the style of production. In this play, ‘The Secret Love Life of Ophelia’, we can see many usages of the symbolic elements such as kitchen, bedroom, TV rack, laptop, and so on in the scenery. I can realize on the usage of symbols such as the kitchen, laptop, and bedroom towards the acting of the performers in the stage. Even though there is no kitchen, I can realize the usage of the kitchen as a symbolic element in the play towards the acting of Hamlet, when he went to the kitchen and he makes a cup of coffee himself (movements). This kind of scenery makes me to feel the play is realistic even though without the props. The design of the stage aesthetically pleasing and it is done some purpose which is it will not make the acting be so messy with the usage of lots of props. I think the director will not spend too much of budget because there are only a few props being used. This play is an extraordinary set built with little funding. I appreciate the set design as it is worth it toward the whole play.

I also have observed another aspect of the production of the play while watching it which are lighting. Lighting also plays an important role in the production of the play, if there’s any mistakes have been done on lighting, it will change the mood and meaning of the play. Here, while watching this play, I feel that the lighting that has been used seems like realistic. The lighting in the play has creates mood in the audience mind. There are different lighting has been used for different kind of situations. The moods that can be evoking from the audience are such as calm, happy and nervous. Example from the play which we can see that it has set with the atmosphere is blue light has been used for the monolog conversations in the play. In this play, all the actors, Hamlet and Ophelia are properly lit together and the audience can see the faces of the actors very well without blur. In this play, there are certain times when we can’t see the actors’ faces. I think that the director done it with a purpose. For example, when Hamlet is going to open the door to receive a letter from Ophelia, we can’t see Hamlet’s face because the director wants to show to the audience that the actor is not in the living room anymore and he has go out of the living room. This kind of scene affects my experience of watching the play because of the acting is smooth and I can understand the situation very well. The lighting of the play comes from above and side. There are also different lighting color has been used to show different meaning such as red, blue, white, and yellow light. The lighting manager of this play has used the lighting very well towards the whole play because he has made the light changes slowly and quickly depends on the situation very well. If I have given a chance to give my suggestion for lighting, I will suggest to turn on bright light, only on the person who are speaking monolog and deem light to the person who are not speaking to give clear picture on what is happening. Light also has affect my appreciation of the play because I can imagine what is going to be happen next although the actors are using monolog.

The last aspect which I did not miss to consider is the costumes that have been used by the actors towards the whole play. I think that the costume manager has chosen the right costumes for the both actors, Hamlet and Ophelia in period and style. The costumes are suitable with the theme of the play which is love. The costume manager has chosen a plain and simple white gown with scarf for Ophelia, and coat with long pants for Hamlet. The costume manager has chosen this kind of simple costumes for the actors from the beginning until the end because it seems to be the right choice for the individual characters in personality, station in life and occupation. For me, I think that the choices of the costumes are well done choose. But, I think that it will be much better if the actors change their costumes in the middle of the play so that it will be much better. The costume design is aesthetically pleasing and the colors of the costumes that the costume manager has chosen are good. There are only two characters involved in this play from the beginning until the end of this play and they are the major characters in this play as well. So, there are no any differences between costumes for the actors in this play who are Hamlet and Ophelia. The costume manager feels that he did not want to change the actors’ costumes in this play and that’s why they didn’t change their costumes. For me, I think that the reason for the costume manager planned like this is because he did not want to waste the time on changing their costumes and feels that the costume will be suitable for the play from the beginning until the end. The costumes that has been chosen affects my appreciation of the play because the costumes really suits for both of the characters as it is also suitable to the whole play.

In conclusion, I would say that the success of the production of the play, ‘The Secret Love Life of Ophelia’ does not only depends on the director of the play but the whole team of the play such as set designers, lighting and sound manager as well as the actors in this play who are Alfred Loh as ‘Hamlet’ and Sharon Lam as ‘Ophelia’. I will rate this play by using the time-honored method of giving FOUR stars as the second highest rate. The play has shows the relationship between the people in the world and the nature as well. I have learned how to direct a play on my own by having a team of friends to help me to put up a play by our own efforts by the theatre from the production of this play. Now, I have some ideas on how to put up a play. The overall of the play is entertaining because the play that the director has choose and directed can influence the audiences mind. If I have given a chance, for sure I will recommend this production to my family members and friends because maybe before this they did not know that there also some of the play which can be consist of only two characters from the beginning until the end of the play and by watching this kind of play they also can know better.

The Importance of Exposing Students with Gender Perception in Literature

In my Literature in ESL situation course, we have discussed of gender based approaches to teaching literature with special focus on feminism. Based on our discussion in lecture and tutorial, I strongly agree that it is important and necessary to expose students to gender perception in literature. There are some reasons why I agree with this statement.

A great number of teachers tend to employ picture books, chapter books, and fairy tales because they think these teaching materials can help students build a collection of narratives and create a world of their own while improving their literacy. However, many researchers point out that gender bias is still prevalent in contemporary children's and young adult literature and continues to stimulate hot debate. In my opinion, I think that the purpose of the including gender perception in literature is to provide a review of children's literature in view of gender stereotypes, which will help teachers better understand the issue and problem of stereotyped female roles in their teaching sources. What follows are suggestions that teachers can consider as their teaching principles or strategies to be implemented in the context or reading practices in ESL/EFL classrooms. It is hoped that the discussion of such a controversial issue can stimulate teachers to rethink what and how they should teach in the 21st century classroom. Ultimately, the topic of gender issues can help students’ promote critical thinking and literacy and empower them with a further understanding of gender thinking in their lives.

It should be noted that many of these books are still popular and commonly used in the contemporary classroom. More importantly, after three decades of research studies since the 1970s, such an insensitive mentality toward sexual imbalance is still present in contemporary children's literature. Under such circumstances, many writers have become more aware of the gender issues in their books. There are writers who attempt to increase the number of female characters in their books, and points out that many of their books are intentionally "dominated by main characters who are girls, female animals, or dynamic elderly women". Other than that, authors or writers also clearly indicates that the purposeful treatment and balance of female or male characters in a story, while admirable, are not a realistic standard for all children's literature, and in fact, is impossible to maintain given to the volume and variety of books in the trade book market every year. Nevertheless, some authors have suggests that some gender perception books can be used and considered in the classroom to offer teachers and students to have different perspectives on gender issues and help them enrich their reading materials and discussions. In my viewpoint, I think that, it would be more realistic and especially important to come up with "more books with strong female characters who are active, inventive, and in charge of their own destinies", thus placing more emphasis on the quality of female roles.

It is important to expose students with gender penception in literature. As we can know, the persistent imbalance of gender representation in children's literature highlights the importance of children's literature in greatly shaping many children's minds and consistently influencing different cultures in the world. For example, numerous children in many countries grow up exposed to American culture, which, to many children, is mostly composed of various fairy tales, such as Snow White, Cinderella, The Little Mermaid, and Sleeping Beauty, none of which is American in ultimate origin. These fairy tales are also the main source of the animated movies that have been present in our lives for so many decades. Therefore, if we accept that fairy tales are one of the major categories in children's literature, we will agree that children's literature is probably the most influential genre read among students of different levels. Children's literature has become part of our culture that frames, or even dictates, the consciousness of our children and young people because they hear the stories and watch the movies again and again. In sum, children and young people receive a “secret education”, in which children's literature and popular culture share power in society and work to undermine the possibilities for greater democracy and equality in the classroom.

The stereotypes and worldview embedded in children's books have become accepted knowledge, and such deep socialized thinking has created barriers that prevent authors or teachers from implementing their democratic and classless beliefs, whether it be writing or teaching. According to some authors, coping with persistent gender stereotyping requires increasing awareness of gender issues on the part of authors and teachers. Authors should devote their attention to the representation of female and male roles in their writing process, while teachers should attempt to empower their students with critical thinking and alternative reading.

In a democratic and anti-bias classroom, teachers need to be extremely aware of the fact that dominant reading practices will make students familiar to ordinary texts and as a result students will passively identify themselves with the characters in many stories. Female protagonists in such stories have merely become the obstacles or prizes which the male characters encounter in the narratives. While men are always elevated as the characters that matter, women are reduced to being tokens of male status. Teachers should help students develop critical thinking through learning processes such as reading against the grain, in which teachers equip students with a certain attitude that deliberately challenges the text and helps students uncover the gender inequalities present in the text. In brief, teachers should adopt resistant reading practices rather than dominant or conventional reading practices.

To implement the notion of resistant reading practices, teachers should encourage students to approach a text critically by making sense of the text without applying traditional gender concepts. One useful strategy is to read and discuss the text through feminist perspectives that are based on women's positions in patriarchal society and discourse. Three of these relevant perspectives are the history of subordination and marginalization of women, women's absence from mainstream discourse and the objectification of women, which usually places women in one of the following four positions or categories which are nurturing mothers or caregivers, dutiful daughters, sexual or passionate women and mad or bad women. These four categories represent different female positions in Western cultures. The first two categories are symbolic of legitimate positions in a male dominated society. The third position can be a projection of male desire or need, while the last status is a nonconforming position. In most cases, these different female roles are defined according to what men want from them. Often in the course of a story female roles move from one category to another, or they can portray different identities simultaneously such as being a dutiful daughter and a passionate girl (e.g. Cinderella). Through the conceptual perspectives mentioned above, teachers can stimulate students to analyze different books and construct new meanings out of them.

By exposing students with the gender perception in literature, students might have a better understanding of the gender biasness in most of the country.

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Keep Yourself Slim

We went to the real weight loss experts -- folks who've been there, done that to get their tips for taking it off and keeping it off. We wanted to know what really worked for folks who'd not only lost big kgs (more than 12), but who'd kept it off for more than a year.

Not surprisingly, they changed their eating habits and increased their activity levels. But haven't we all tried that? Why did it work for them and not others? What follows are their inspirational, sensible, tough -- yet doable -- tips. We suggest printing out each page and hanging them on your fridge, desk or other prominent place. next Get moving

The tough part with exercise, of course, is getting out there and doing it. Here's how the successful get going:

1. Prioritize
The beds might not get made, but Reema, 36, still makes time for exercise. That's how she's kept off more than 32 kgs for 13 years. "I have to schedule it in and let go of other things -- like a perfectly clean house," she says.

2. Find a passion
"I have a dance background and when I found Aerobics, I said, 'Thank God.' If somebody told me I had to go out and run five days a week, I'd still weigh 74 kgs," says Madhu, 41, who lost 22 kgs and has kept it off for 13 years.

3. Keep an exercise log
It makes you more accountable.Tina from Delhi, who hangs hers on the refrigerator, checks off six workouts a week dutifully. "If I miss one day, I make that my day off for the week."

4. Set a goal
"Try to improve your times.Earlier when i started, i used to be exhausted in 5 minutes doing Aerobics. But gradually, i could do 20 minutes and was getting fitter and losing more weight" says Neeta 34, who lost 22 kgs and now easily does a 45 minutes hectic Aerobics non-stop."

5. Get pumped
"It wasn't until I put on more muscle through resistance training that I was able to keep the weight off -- almost effortlessly," says Madhumati, 37, who went from a size 18 to an 8. The reason? Muscle burns more calories around the clock.

6. Make changes you can live with
"Before I'd go to bed I'd ask myself, 'Is what I did today something I could do for the rest of my life?' If I felt deprived, I'd do it differently tomorrow. If I thought, 'Yeah, I could do this tomorrow,' then I was on the right track.

7. Quiz yourself
Determine if you're really hungry or eating for other reasons. "I'll ask myself 'Do you really want this, or is it something else, like boredom or depression?' About 80% of the time it's not hungry.

8. Get spiritual
If religion isn't for you, try yoga, meditation, or relaxation exercises. These are especially helpful if you tend to eat when you're stressed.

9. "You can do it"
Repeat this to yourself. Many people post affirmations around their homes or offices as constant reminders. One dieter even programmed her computer screen to keep her on the right track.

10. Enlist professional help
Many of the people we talked to used dietitians, personal trainers, and even psychologists to help them deal with problems that were hindering their efforts. If you feel like you can't do it on your own, seek help.

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Secret of Beautiful Skin...

It is the dream of every woman to have a beautiful, fresh and youthful skin. The first step in looking younger begins with what you decide to put into your mouth. Your diet and lifestyle plays a major part in deciding the beauty of your skin. Most people think of a diet as being appropriate only for getting a beautiful figure, however eating the right kind of foods and following a proper diet will put you on the fast track to a healthy body and healthy and glowing skin. The secret to a beautiful, healthy and glowing skin is FRUITS. Include plenty of fruits in your diet and you will see the difference within a week. Fruit is essential for both inner and outer beauty since it enhances the beauty of your skin and hair.

What makes fruit so wonderful is that it is rich in skin and hair enhancing vitamins, acids, and enzymes. Fruit can be used in just about every beauty product to cleanse, freshen, tone, and condition our bodies.

Find out the characteristics of the following fruits and what wonders they can do to your skin:

Apples:
Apples can used as great conditioner and toner. They have been used for centuries for their skin-healing powers. Add a cup of apple juice to your bath to cleanse and soften your skin. The juice of apple can be used as breathe freshener. Apple juice when applied to your hair scalp can prevent dandruff. Use as a final rinse after shampooing your hair.

Lemons:
A classic home beauty ingredient, lemons are used to cleanse and freshen the skin and hair. Use lemon slices to soften rough skin spots such as elbows and heels. Lemon slices also help deodorize and mix a few teaspoons of lemon juice in your bath and you will feel fresh the whole day. Lemon juice can be added to your favourite cleanser or shampoo to refresh and tone your scalp. It also helps prevent dandruff.

Strawberry:
Strawberry can be used for conditioning and skin toning treatment. They are rich in salicylic acid an ingredient found in many commercial acne creams and thus are the best treatment for troubled or teenage skin. Mix 1/2-cup fresh strawberries with a tablespoon of sour cream for a weekly facial mask. Eating fresh berries will also help whiten your teeth and keep your breath fresh.

Banana:
Banana can be used for moisturising and soothing your skin and hair. They are rich in protein and natural fats and can be used by all skin types. An easy facemask that will make your skin smooth is to apply mashed banana over your skin and keep it for 15 minutes, rinse off with warm water and moisturize well. Mashed banana also makes a wonderful hair conditioner mixed with a teaspoon or two of honey.

Pineapple:
Like papaya pineapples are also good skin softeners, which cleanse and rejuvenate dull and dry skin, especially for classic rough skin spots like knees, elbows, and heels. Use a slice of pineapple as you would a sponge or loofah to scrub your body in the bath or shower.

Papaya:
Papaya is rich in natural enzymes and is the best treatment for cleansing your skin. For having a fresh and glowing skin apply the oaste of mashed papaya and 3 teaspoons of aloe vera gel and massage all over your body monthly. Leave on your skin for no more than five minutes and rinse thoroughly. Do not use on your face and avoid sensitive skin areas.

Peaches:
Peaches are best for soothing and cleansing dry skin. Mash a fresh peach and combine with a tablespoon of plain yogurt to make a smooth paste. Apply on the skin and keep it for 15 mins and then wash off with cold water.