Saturday, December 29, 2018
NEEDY MUCH?
Originally posted at the start of a new chapter of universitying, elsewhere, on
Everyone wants and needs companionship. This is especially true in a whole new world like university.
The problem comes in knowing when have overstepped the companionship boundary into the clingy –needy person arena.
Sometimes you get really close with someone and start having some counterfeit oneness thing going on. This can happen between both same sex and cross-sex relationships. You start doing everything together and people may even tease that you look more and more like a couple, even though that kind of intention does not exist between you.
You start separating from the group the greater group of friends.
This really should be avoided as you will be closing yourself off to finding someone really special for your own life, as people will be thinking that you are already... taken… .. .
What is worse, you may feel pangs and tinges of jealousy when you see your “not-significant-other-but- buddy” with others and even having a party without you!
It is often difficult to stay out of this kind of situation as it is every human’s basic need to be wanted, to be accepted and appreciated... to feel... .. . loved.
In the long run, it is important and good for you to take time for yourself, self-reflection and have your moments of introspective personal one-on-self time.
That said, don’t isolate yourself, we all need that someone to share your qualms with.
You really shouldn't bottle it all up, otherwise, you are just going to pop like a bottle of champagne after the grand prix….
without all the excitement though.
Go ahead find someone to talk to, if you aint gots nobody go invent an imaginery friend why dontcha or speak to a psychologist. I say the imaginary friend is cheaper…
Hollaback... J3tsetter out.
TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 2009
The problem comes in knowing when have overstepped the companionship boundary into the clingy –needy person arena.
Sometimes you get really close with someone and start having some counterfeit oneness thing going on. This can happen between both same sex and cross-sex relationships. You start doing everything together and people may even tease that you look more and more like a couple, even though that kind of intention does not exist between you.
You start separating from the group the greater group of friends.
This really should be avoided as you will be closing yourself off to finding someone really special for your own life, as people will be thinking that you are already... taken… .. .
What is worse, you may feel pangs and tinges of jealousy when you see your “not-significant-other-but- buddy” with others and even having a party without you!
It is often difficult to stay out of this kind of situation as it is every human’s basic need to be wanted, to be accepted and appreciated... to feel... .. . loved.
In the long run, it is important and good for you to take time for yourself, self-reflection and have your moments of introspective personal one-on-self time.
That said, don’t isolate yourself, we all need that someone to share your qualms with.
You really shouldn't bottle it all up, otherwise, you are just going to pop like a bottle of champagne after the grand prix….
without all the excitement though.
Go ahead find someone to talk to, if you aint gots nobody go invent an imaginery friend why dontcha or speak to a psychologist. I say the imaginary friend is cheaper…
Hollaback... J3tsetter out.
Apathetic in response...
Hate me or love me, just don’t be apathetic towards me. That is what is killing our world, apathy.
Just not caring...
letting it slide… .. .
FEEL SOMETHING!
With the above mentioned in mind, I am not very proud of my actions.
After spending a day with friends at a birthday, and after the libations had taken effect, one of the friends found themselves in tears with emotions starting to roll as the tears started to fall.
Now I comforted the friend that had been crying and she felt much better which in turns mades me feel good too.
Problem is, when speaking to one of the other friends she was all like: “Why you worried about her? Leave here to cry, she steals other women’s men; and gets drunk and expects people to feel sorry for her. How about not!”
I had three occasions to say something about this, perhaps: “please don’t speak like that about her, she is still my friend and everyone has there weak points as well as break downs.” Or at least: “no matter what a person's flaws you have no right to add to there hurt unnecessarily. If you don’t like her, that is cool, just keep the snide remarks to yourself.
No person has the actual right to speak evil over another, you would also want to be comforted in your hour of need.”
Instead, I just stood there with a mouth full of teeth.
No matter what another person's deeds, no one has the right to make themselves feel better by putting another person down, instead just don’t speak to that person and keep your words away from that person too!
The least though is feeling something. Don’t be a wish-washy fence sitter, or worse, two-face. Be nice to those you like but don’t be fake, don’t pretend to be nice you feel nothing for, rather just stay away then.
In the mean-time, go feel something! Go love your lover- go hate the broken coffee machine!
J3tsetter-rant done. I'm out and away.
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
A Library like a Box of Chocolates
By Jason Joseph
“Life is like a box of chocolates,” said Forest Gump’s mummy. But my library to me is a box of chocolates. Allsorts of confectionaries line my tray-shelves. One day I hope it becomes a burgeoning, multi-layered box of treats.
As a tiny tot, I couldn’t wait to go to the library on a Saturday morning to see what the next three treats to devour were (since you were only allowed three treats at a time...). I would wait for my mum to finish Generations’ omnibus then go to the library. But as I grew older, cravings for my next fix of triple decadence reading was too strong. Saturday mornings I missioned to the library on foot as soon as my body awoke.
Walking into the library of literary confectionaries, there was an army of Willie Wonka’s ready to help me choose my next lucky packet of books. Sometimes, browsing the shelves, the most unexpected delicacy would find me. To experiment with a powdered treat never before tried, and to find out, “Actually, this might be my new favourite delight!”
The Willie Wonka army all knew my name; we always made small talk. Sometimes they directed me to a whiskey chocolate in the grown up’s section while I was still in transition from the milk chocolate section...
My confectionary obsession started way before then though. We always had delicious Biblical candies with the prettiest wrappings illustrating the stories at home (Thank you Kenneth N. Taylor for My First Bible *in pictures*). And learning the ABC’s with Brown Watson’s Children’s Picture Dictionary taught me the ingredients that go into making delicious literary confectionaries. Eventually I learnt to make delicious Chocolate-Truffle-like stories, that one day will, hopefully, find its way into someone’s favourites’ tray. I want to have my creations in people’s minds, on the tips of their tongues, in their libraries to share...
My passion for devouring grew into a passion for devouring then redevouring, sharing and displaying (sometimes nicking from others’ selection of treats...). My passion grew so much; I sought out whole collections, whole series of different kinds of treats. Some I devoured one-by-one by loaning them from Libraries – like Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl – others I procured to my own library tray by putting them on Christmas and Birthday wish lists – like J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter.
These days the trays of confectionaries come in FAMILY SIZE (or rather student village size). Also, it’s so much more difficult choosing a confectionary of choice now. All sorts of scholarly nougat’s or strange marshmallowwy-type literatures that leave you wondering have exactly ‘what?’ to do with the confectionaries you are looking for?
In the meanwhile, my own personal box grows steadily, thanks to University Drama, Journalism, English, Afrikaans setworks and life and it’s acquaintances too...
Either way, I think Forest’s mama is right: a library (or life) is like box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get. But either way, you’re still going to have a taste adventure for the mind.
By Jason Joseph
“Life is like a box of chocolates,” said Forest Gump’s mummy. But my library to me is a box of chocolates. Allsorts of confectionaries line my tray-shelves. One day I hope it becomes a burgeoning, multi-layered box of treats.
As a tiny tot, I couldn’t wait to go to the library on a Saturday morning to see what the next three treats to devour were (since you were only allowed three treats at a time...). I would wait for my mum to finish Generations’ omnibus then go to the library. But as I grew older, cravings for my next fix of triple decadence reading was too strong. Saturday mornings I missioned to the library on foot as soon as my body awoke.
Walking into the library of literary confectionaries, there was an army of Willie Wonka’s ready to help me choose my next lucky packet of books. Sometimes, browsing the shelves, the most unexpected delicacy would find me. To experiment with a powdered treat never before tried, and to find out, “Actually, this might be my new favourite delight!”
The Willie Wonka army all knew my name; we always made small talk. Sometimes they directed me to a whiskey chocolate in the grown up’s section while I was still in transition from the milk chocolate section...
My confectionary obsession started way before then though. We always had delicious Biblical candies with the prettiest wrappings illustrating the stories at home (Thank you Kenneth N. Taylor for My First Bible *in pictures*). And learning the ABC’s with Brown Watson’s Children’s Picture Dictionary taught me the ingredients that go into making delicious literary confectionaries. Eventually I learnt to make delicious Chocolate-Truffle-like stories, that one day will, hopefully, find its way into someone’s favourites’ tray. I want to have my creations in people’s minds, on the tips of their tongues, in their libraries to share...
My passion for devouring grew into a passion for devouring then redevouring, sharing and displaying (sometimes nicking from others’ selection of treats...). My passion grew so much; I sought out whole collections, whole series of different kinds of treats. Some I devoured one-by-one by loaning them from Libraries – like Eoin Colfer’s Artemis Fowl – others I procured to my own library tray by putting them on Christmas and Birthday wish lists – like J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter.
These days the trays of confectionaries come in FAMILY SIZE (or rather student village size). Also, it’s so much more difficult choosing a confectionary of choice now. All sorts of scholarly nougat’s or strange marshmallowwy-type literatures that leave you wondering have exactly ‘what?’ to do with the confectionaries you are looking for?
In the meanwhile, my own personal box grows steadily, thanks to University Drama, Journalism, English, Afrikaans setworks and life and it’s acquaintances too...
Either way, I think Forest’s mama is right: a library (or life) is like box of chocolates. You never know what you’re going to get. But either way, you’re still going to have a taste adventure for the mind.
Jason Jonathan Joseph – an autobiography
I am a character, to say the least, a character in the story that is my life. Ever since my little hands were dexterous enough to grip and pull things apart, that is what I have done. And pretty soon my brain followed suite and thought overtime about how things work and why they work the way they did.
On my seventh or eighth Christmas I received a remote controlled car, I remember. The car did not stay in tact for too long though. By the time the sun was casting a warm amber glow on the earth I was sitting with all the various pieces of my gift carefully placed around me. I sought the person who was in my car and driving it when I pushed on the lever on my remote control.
Then I started discovering worlds in other worlds in other worlds that exist in books. My mind sought the stories behind the stories I read. Whenever I finished a book I kept wondering what ever did happened to the whole world of people I had met and discovered. I started creating stories for them outside the text. Eventually the stories got too much for my head alone to contain and I started writing them down.
There was also this insidious curiosity that gnawed at my grandmother’s memories that would hopefully enlighten me about who, what exactly I was and where I originated frim. Then my curiosity of myself and especially of others’ etymology started to bud. I would want to know everything I could possibly know about others to better understand them and, I realise now with age and wisdom, to understand myself too. I really am because we are. And sharing what I have learnt about you, from you and others around you with you and others also brings me joy.
When I hit my teen-years and my pop-culture fixation bloomed I became obsessed with trying to understand what makes famous persons and personalities who have impacted my life tick. What is it inside of them that made me relate to them on this merely mediated interaction through music, magazines and television?
Soon I found a new playground, the biggest playground I could ever imagine: the internet. I could spend hours just whiling time away searching for picture and exciting new bits of information about all my favourite personalities. Then to my delight I was introduced to the sandbox that was MySpace, and as if that was not enough I found the jungle-gym of Facebook. Now if I met someone new and really wanted know what made them tick I would scour their profiles on MySpace, Facebook and now the little playroom of Twitter too! It amazes me what people reveal about them so unknowingly by what they say in the big playground of the World Wide Web, and what social masks they choose to wear on the playground. What people choose to share on their profiles sometimes tells you so much more than what they often say to you face to face interaction.
Anyway, Curious soul that I am, I cannot ever just leave any old magazine alone without at least paging through it and perusing the pictures and headlines. One day I picked up a Glamour Magazine and encounter a Gwen Stefani article. Now you see, Gwen Stefani is one of my most favourite artists. I just ravished that article and read it from start to finish. Truly I do not believe I have ever been that excited for a piece of writing before. A new, different, deeper excavation into the life of one of the personalities I have a deep (mediated) intimacy with. That article and the joy I felt in reading it and gaining another gem into the life of one of my favourite personalities stays with me and glints in my mind’s treasure chest when I think of articles that appear in glossy paged magazines.
One day when I excavated from the World Wide Playground’s mines a diamond that was the Rolling Stones Magazine’s 8 page feature article on Lady Gaga (another of my most favourite artists and personalities) I knew what I wanted to do with my life. The excitement I got from increasing the (mediated) intimacy I felt with another of my favourite artists brought me great joy. And I starting thinking to myself I would like others to feel the excitement and joy I felt by learning more and delving deeper into the ordinary person and well-known personality’s life. That was when I realised I wanted to be a writer, a teller of people’s stories, a keeper of the treasure that is people’s interesting experiences, because everyone actually does have an interesting story.
It came to me that I not only like spelunking deeper into the lives and life-stories of glittering (famous) personalities, but also of the person walking down the corridor. The thing is that you don’t only find greatness on the world’s stages, sometimes there are diamonds who are waiting to shine by having their stories made to glisten as they walk by you in the corridors.
Eventually I want to write for those glossy publications like the Rolling Stones, Glamour and the sort, but first I want to know the stories and histories that make the diamond I walk by in the corridors everyday shine. I want to write and tell people’s stories, and everyone has a story, it is all about buffering through all the dust until you get to the lustre of it.
The best ways to share people’s stories, and know a person, is to ‘show not tell’. This has been illustrated to me on MySpace, Facebook, and also the slightly more conventional method of reading feature articles in a Glamour-, or Rolling Stones Magazine. I believe that the three specialisations I have chosen could burgeon in me the necessary skills to be able to find out and share people’s treasures of experience.
The Writing and Editing specialisation course will help me in the most obvious way by improving my story telling skills when it comes to the world of print. I am also hoping that writing will help distil my story-telling skills to ensure I keep my audience captivated and coming back for more.
The Television specialisation course could hopefully instil in me the ability to show and not tell in the visual medium, which course prove more of a challenge than merely painting a picture with one’s word.
I have always believed that a picture speaks a thousand words; the Photojournalism course I believe could give me the lexicon photos speak in order to use those thousand words to tell a most beautiful and interesting stories.
I believe I have a raw talent in finding and telling stories. I wish to develop that and make it the best it can be under the guidance of the Rhodes School of Journalism and Media Studies. To be able to live my dream of being able find the treasure and share the treasure that lies in people’s lives and experiences would bring me great joy. After all, the Persian origin of my name is ‘Keeper of the treasure’.
I am a character, to say the least, a character in the story that is my life. Ever since my little hands were dexterous enough to grip and pull things apart, that is what I have done. And pretty soon my brain followed suite and thought overtime about how things work and why they work the way they did.
On my seventh or eighth Christmas I received a remote controlled car, I remember. The car did not stay in tact for too long though. By the time the sun was casting a warm amber glow on the earth I was sitting with all the various pieces of my gift carefully placed around me. I sought the person who was in my car and driving it when I pushed on the lever on my remote control.
Then I started discovering worlds in other worlds in other worlds that exist in books. My mind sought the stories behind the stories I read. Whenever I finished a book I kept wondering what ever did happened to the whole world of people I had met and discovered. I started creating stories for them outside the text. Eventually the stories got too much for my head alone to contain and I started writing them down.
There was also this insidious curiosity that gnawed at my grandmother’s memories that would hopefully enlighten me about who, what exactly I was and where I originated frim. Then my curiosity of myself and especially of others’ etymology started to bud. I would want to know everything I could possibly know about others to better understand them and, I realise now with age and wisdom, to understand myself too. I really am because we are. And sharing what I have learnt about you, from you and others around you with you and others also brings me joy.
When I hit my teen-years and my pop-culture fixation bloomed I became obsessed with trying to understand what makes famous persons and personalities who have impacted my life tick. What is it inside of them that made me relate to them on this merely mediated interaction through music, magazines and television?
Soon I found a new playground, the biggest playground I could ever imagine: the internet. I could spend hours just whiling time away searching for picture and exciting new bits of information about all my favourite personalities. Then to my delight I was introduced to the sandbox that was MySpace, and as if that was not enough I found the jungle-gym of Facebook. Now if I met someone new and really wanted know what made them tick I would scour their profiles on MySpace, Facebook and now the little playroom of Twitter too! It amazes me what people reveal about them so unknowingly by what they say in the big playground of the World Wide Web, and what social masks they choose to wear on the playground. What people choose to share on their profiles sometimes tells you so much more than what they often say to you face to face interaction.
Anyway, Curious soul that I am, I cannot ever just leave any old magazine alone without at least paging through it and perusing the pictures and headlines. One day I picked up a Glamour Magazine and encounter a Gwen Stefani article. Now you see, Gwen Stefani is one of my most favourite artists. I just ravished that article and read it from start to finish. Truly I do not believe I have ever been that excited for a piece of writing before. A new, different, deeper excavation into the life of one of the personalities I have a deep (mediated) intimacy with. That article and the joy I felt in reading it and gaining another gem into the life of one of my favourite personalities stays with me and glints in my mind’s treasure chest when I think of articles that appear in glossy paged magazines.
One day when I excavated from the World Wide Playground’s mines a diamond that was the Rolling Stones Magazine’s 8 page feature article on Lady Gaga (another of my most favourite artists and personalities) I knew what I wanted to do with my life. The excitement I got from increasing the (mediated) intimacy I felt with another of my favourite artists brought me great joy. And I starting thinking to myself I would like others to feel the excitement and joy I felt by learning more and delving deeper into the ordinary person and well-known personality’s life. That was when I realised I wanted to be a writer, a teller of people’s stories, a keeper of the treasure that is people’s interesting experiences, because everyone actually does have an interesting story.
It came to me that I not only like spelunking deeper into the lives and life-stories of glittering (famous) personalities, but also of the person walking down the corridor. The thing is that you don’t only find greatness on the world’s stages, sometimes there are diamonds who are waiting to shine by having their stories made to glisten as they walk by you in the corridors.
Eventually I want to write for those glossy publications like the Rolling Stones, Glamour and the sort, but first I want to know the stories and histories that make the diamond I walk by in the corridors everyday shine. I want to write and tell people’s stories, and everyone has a story, it is all about buffering through all the dust until you get to the lustre of it.
The best ways to share people’s stories, and know a person, is to ‘show not tell’. This has been illustrated to me on MySpace, Facebook, and also the slightly more conventional method of reading feature articles in a Glamour-, or Rolling Stones Magazine. I believe that the three specialisations I have chosen could burgeon in me the necessary skills to be able to find out and share people’s treasures of experience.
The Writing and Editing specialisation course will help me in the most obvious way by improving my story telling skills when it comes to the world of print. I am also hoping that writing will help distil my story-telling skills to ensure I keep my audience captivated and coming back for more.
The Television specialisation course could hopefully instil in me the ability to show and not tell in the visual medium, which course prove more of a challenge than merely painting a picture with one’s word.
I have always believed that a picture speaks a thousand words; the Photojournalism course I believe could give me the lexicon photos speak in order to use those thousand words to tell a most beautiful and interesting stories.
I believe I have a raw talent in finding and telling stories. I wish to develop that and make it the best it can be under the guidance of the Rhodes School of Journalism and Media Studies. To be able to live my dream of being able find the treasure and share the treasure that lies in people’s lives and experiences would bring me great joy. After all, the Persian origin of my name is ‘Keeper of the treasure’.
Founder's Hall Fun day (Feature)
by Jason Joseph
You’re told your hall will have some money to do with whatever they please by the SRC. You could buy the dining hall a new clock or something... or your hall can host Founder’s Hall Fun day. Held on 15 October, Founder’s Hall with the kids from Samuel Ntsiko Primary school, had a day of sporting games and a braai.
Grant Bisset – Founder’s Hall SRC hall rep and member of the Founder’s Hall Community Engagement committee – shares that from his experience in Founders hall, he “feels as a hall we were lacking in community engagement”. So, instead of buying something for the hall, they chose to “do something to help the community,” says Bisset. So the gentlemen of Founder’s decided “to play to our strengths... sports”.
“An event like this had never taken place before (in Founder’s Hall),” says Bisset, “so there was no blueprint.” In true community engagement fashion, “we collaborated and got support and advice from Sports Admin and the Community Engagement Office.”
The day consisted of activities like soccer, touch rugby and relay games with 3 trophies for each game. 30 boys and girls from Samuel Ntisko Primary School made up 6 teams of 5 each. 25 plus Founder’s boys were present; “some teams had two coaches and some of the guys just supported ... left and came back or stayed the whole day, but there was always at least 20 Founder’s guys present,” says Bisset. “Girls from neighbouring halls also showed up – some of the guys must have spread the word –” says Bisset, “next year, when we have a plan and a blueprint, I think a collaboration should be suggested.”
With this event “we hope to establish something to last ... create an event that will happen year after year,” says Bisset, “maybe even more frequently.” At least now there is also a relationship built with Samuel Ntsiko, “we just need to follow up now,” says Bisset. “The guys really enjoyed themselves – I didn’t think they guys would let loose as they did –” says Bisset. “Maybe those who came down realised that it was actually a lot of fun,” says Bisset, “maybe next time they other guys will see that and get involved.”
This event worked on two levels according to Bisset: “Establishing a [sustainable community engagement] event, and showing that community engagement is enjoyable.”
by Jason Joseph
You’re told your hall will have some money to do with whatever they please by the SRC. You could buy the dining hall a new clock or something... or your hall can host Founder’s Hall Fun day. Held on 15 October, Founder’s Hall with the kids from Samuel Ntsiko Primary school, had a day of sporting games and a braai.
Grant Bisset – Founder’s Hall SRC hall rep and member of the Founder’s Hall Community Engagement committee – shares that from his experience in Founders hall, he “feels as a hall we were lacking in community engagement”. So, instead of buying something for the hall, they chose to “do something to help the community,” says Bisset. So the gentlemen of Founder’s decided “to play to our strengths... sports”.
“An event like this had never taken place before (in Founder’s Hall),” says Bisset, “so there was no blueprint.” In true community engagement fashion, “we collaborated and got support and advice from Sports Admin and the Community Engagement Office.”
The day consisted of activities like soccer, touch rugby and relay games with 3 trophies for each game. 30 boys and girls from Samuel Ntisko Primary School made up 6 teams of 5 each. 25 plus Founder’s boys were present; “some teams had two coaches and some of the guys just supported ... left and came back or stayed the whole day, but there was always at least 20 Founder’s guys present,” says Bisset. “Girls from neighbouring halls also showed up – some of the guys must have spread the word –” says Bisset, “next year, when we have a plan and a blueprint, I think a collaboration should be suggested.”
With this event “we hope to establish something to last ... create an event that will happen year after year,” says Bisset, “maybe even more frequently.” At least now there is also a relationship built with Samuel Ntsiko, “we just need to follow up now,” says Bisset. “The guys really enjoyed themselves – I didn’t think they guys would let loose as they did –” says Bisset. “Maybe those who came down realised that it was actually a lot of fun,” says Bisset, “maybe next time they other guys will see that and get involved.”
This event worked on two levels according to Bisset: “Establishing a [sustainable community engagement] event, and showing that community engagement is enjoyable.”
Creating a Schmooze
By Jason Jonathan Joseph
First they played, then they created, then they put it down on paper, then some of the material got chucked out, then there were more additions, polishing and hours of sweat, fatigue and homicidal thoughts. Finally, it’s 23 March 2011 – “5 minutes to curtain!” – it’s lights, set, props, make-up, set, cast and crew, ACTION!
ACTION! The action on the night is all the audience sees. The magic that made Schmooze happen, however, started just barely over a month before.
A young cast of 12 talented first and second year students were chosen to make up the cast of Schmooze that created, refined and rehearsed everyday. Daniel Hutchinson, the musical director for the show actually said to Ford that “the best decision was for you to say there is rehearsal every night, from the very beginning.” The cast literally breathed, ate, and pooped Schmooze.
The process of creating a piece of theatre from scratch, devising a theatrical thunderstorm that will make everyone in the audience wet from all the excitement and amazement is not an easy task. But Ford set out to do just that with Schmooze. Ford spent endless hours and sleepless nights thinking about the show and writing up pieces of the script to hand to the cast that might not end up in the final-cut of the production anyway.
There were often many moans and groans from the cast because of the many cuts, edits and additions to the script, well that which could be called as a script – seeing as they were constantly working off of a concept or idea that they kept building upon, or changing completely. Ford believes: “If it doesn't work, just call it, leave it, and tomorrow come back to it... the beauty of rehearsal is that it is everyday,” but in same vein, “if it (still) doesn’t work: Can it!” And indeed if something did not work for script or Ford’s vision, it got cut.
“I hope that you guys realise, acting is everything,” Ford said to the cast, “I don’t need motivation; acting is everything. I can just do it and see what happens, you know? You’re not hung up, your free, you’re free with that.” And Ford gave his cast that freedom to explore where this play could go, but he also knew when to rein them in.
Often the cast did not know where Ford was going or why they were doing some of the things they were doing. Mathabo Tlali, the actress who played the talk-show host G in the production, said: “Sometimes I didn’t know what Mr Ford was doing, or how this was going to help towards the end of the formation of the final product of the play, but now in hindsight I am glad. It all really helped in finding the character and the story and everything.”
The creation of Schmooze was a very long journey that would often have Ford saying “I don’t know where we are going, but we are going there together.”
Truly, Schmooze is the fruit of so many people’s labours, sweat, tears and late evenings at the Drama Department. The set alone had to be especially made for Schmooze. With about three and a half weeks to the opening week of Schmooze, Willie Coombs, the man responsible to most of the set construction of the Drama Department productions, was given the task of creating the two-metre high platform that needed to support all 12 actors at once at one point in the play. Then there is the props team that had to be constantly getting little bits and bobs for the play, and the lighting crew who spent hours creating, refining and fixing lighting cues, and the sound and audio-visuals teams that constantly needed to be on point when it came to their cues in order to make sure the magic of Schmooze happened seamlessly.
When one thinks about it, Schmooze was really a very elaborate show. There was live music, recorded tracks, audio-visuals, numerous lighting changes (67 lighting-cues to be exact) and of course the acting, dancing and choreographed physical the actors performed on the stage.
Ford commended his actors and crew on how they tolerated the process it took to create Schmooze: “The aggression, spirit and courage with which you guys went after this, even after I continually changed the weather everyday is amazing,” said Ford. He noted that they worked “from the outside in, which is hard. It’s hard!” Speaking to his actors, Ford reminded them that “acting is anything ... that stuff that you guys went for, I was just really astounded by your courage, and the way you stuck with it, everyday. And you were there. I mean, cheers to you.”
Schmooze – created from nothing by the aggression, spirit and courage of Ford, cast and crew.
By Jason Jonathan Joseph
First they played, then they created, then they put it down on paper, then some of the material got chucked out, then there were more additions, polishing and hours of sweat, fatigue and homicidal thoughts. Finally, it’s 23 March 2011 – “5 minutes to curtain!” – it’s lights, set, props, make-up, set, cast and crew, ACTION!
ACTION! The action on the night is all the audience sees. The magic that made Schmooze happen, however, started just barely over a month before.
A young cast of 12 talented first and second year students were chosen to make up the cast of Schmooze that created, refined and rehearsed everyday. Daniel Hutchinson, the musical director for the show actually said to Ford that “the best decision was for you to say there is rehearsal every night, from the very beginning.” The cast literally breathed, ate, and pooped Schmooze.
The process of creating a piece of theatre from scratch, devising a theatrical thunderstorm that will make everyone in the audience wet from all the excitement and amazement is not an easy task. But Ford set out to do just that with Schmooze. Ford spent endless hours and sleepless nights thinking about the show and writing up pieces of the script to hand to the cast that might not end up in the final-cut of the production anyway.
There were often many moans and groans from the cast because of the many cuts, edits and additions to the script, well that which could be called as a script – seeing as they were constantly working off of a concept or idea that they kept building upon, or changing completely. Ford believes: “If it doesn't work, just call it, leave it, and tomorrow come back to it... the beauty of rehearsal is that it is everyday,” but in same vein, “if it (still) doesn’t work: Can it!” And indeed if something did not work for script or Ford’s vision, it got cut.
“I hope that you guys realise, acting is everything,” Ford said to the cast, “I don’t need motivation; acting is everything. I can just do it and see what happens, you know? You’re not hung up, your free, you’re free with that.” And Ford gave his cast that freedom to explore where this play could go, but he also knew when to rein them in.
Often the cast did not know where Ford was going or why they were doing some of the things they were doing. Mathabo Tlali, the actress who played the talk-show host G in the production, said: “Sometimes I didn’t know what Mr Ford was doing, or how this was going to help towards the end of the formation of the final product of the play, but now in hindsight I am glad. It all really helped in finding the character and the story and everything.”
The creation of Schmooze was a very long journey that would often have Ford saying “I don’t know where we are going, but we are going there together.”
Truly, Schmooze is the fruit of so many people’s labours, sweat, tears and late evenings at the Drama Department. The set alone had to be especially made for Schmooze. With about three and a half weeks to the opening week of Schmooze, Willie Coombs, the man responsible to most of the set construction of the Drama Department productions, was given the task of creating the two-metre high platform that needed to support all 12 actors at once at one point in the play. Then there is the props team that had to be constantly getting little bits and bobs for the play, and the lighting crew who spent hours creating, refining and fixing lighting cues, and the sound and audio-visuals teams that constantly needed to be on point when it came to their cues in order to make sure the magic of Schmooze happened seamlessly.
When one thinks about it, Schmooze was really a very elaborate show. There was live music, recorded tracks, audio-visuals, numerous lighting changes (67 lighting-cues to be exact) and of course the acting, dancing and choreographed physical the actors performed on the stage.
Ford commended his actors and crew on how they tolerated the process it took to create Schmooze: “The aggression, spirit and courage with which you guys went after this, even after I continually changed the weather everyday is amazing,” said Ford. He noted that they worked “from the outside in, which is hard. It’s hard!” Speaking to his actors, Ford reminded them that “acting is anything ... that stuff that you guys went for, I was just really astounded by your courage, and the way you stuck with it, everyday. And you were there. I mean, cheers to you.”
Schmooze – created from nothing by the aggression, spirit and courage of Ford, cast and crew.
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