Again, I am requested to write and direct Chinese New Year drama played by teenagers. It will be my third year of writing and directing a Chinese New Year drama beginning from 2010. The first year was very easy, it was a fresh start and the first time in our church history to present a drama on Chinese New Year Day. I only spent an hour to complete the script. The second year was more difficult as more teenagers wanted to take part in the drama, in order to accommodate everyone in the drama, eventually I lengthen the story. And now, the third year, what should I do? BLANK - running out of idea.
In 2010, my story focused on a family that was preparing for Chinese New Year portraying the old grandpa who love to say "Ciak kue, Ciak kue" and "ciak kam" (inviting people to eat cookies and oranges). The most unforgettable part was when Herphin acted as a pretty lady. He really looked so beautiful that even his own grandpa did not recognize him. After the drama was over, his grandpa asked him, "Why didn't you show up in the drama while you often went to church for practice?" His own grandpa did not even realized that the lady was him. So funny!
The drama in 2011 did not have any central focus as I tried to make the whole dialog funny. As I have mentioned earlier, many teens wanted to take part in the drama. Consequently, the story was edited a few times in order to accommodate everyone. I did introduce fresh idea in this drama - Chinese god of fortune (William) and a fairy (Ellen) fighting one another with action and words. As I was in Tanjungpinang when the two dramas were presented so I could not evaluate the acting.
All right, now what? I am thinking of incorporating more music and dancing into the drama and make the drama as funny as possible. Does anyone has any inspirational suggestion?
