The Silly Little Girl and The Funny Old TreE
Story
The Silly Little Girl and The Funny Old Tree is a theatrical play written by a Singaporean theatre practitioner, Kuo Pao Kun. It is a story about a strange attachment the little girl has with a funny old tree. However, the bond between the girl and the tree is threatened due to the construction plans.
THEME & IDEAS
The play revolves around the theme of loss - loss of culture, language, tradition and connection. However, the theme of the play will be focusing more on the loss of our native/Mother Tongue language. As the worlds start to evolve and change with technology, the younger generation will start to drift away or forget the importance of our native language. Based on the script, we realised that the girl, a latchkey child, and the funny old tree are both seen as “different” in the eyes of society which is why they are described as, “Silly Little Girl” and “The Funny Old Tree”. The meaning behind “Trees never move. Humans never stop” can possibly mean that humans are constantly moving and changing the world while the trees(native language) are stagnant which is why as the world evolves, the younger generation is slowly forgetting the importance of our native language.
CONCEPT
The concept of this play will still be following the original play in 1980s Singapore where the government was still developing housing for people. The set, costumes, language used has to be from the 1980s. The role of the tree will serve as a representation of our forgotten native language that is not wanted. ‘The People’ will represent the younger generation who does not regard the tree as important. However, the role of the girl represents the bridge between the tree(native language) and The People(younger generation/technology). The girl would remind the younger generation of the importance of our native language. This concept will be portrayed through the bond between the girl and the tree(native language) that is threatened by the construction plans(technology).
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There will be quite a lot of pocket spaces in the Black Box to show the sense of loss and emptiness. The set will look quite dull since it is from the 1980s. Props used will be made from wood or cardboard.
ELEMENTS OF DESIGN & PRINCIPLES
Space & Emphasis
The set will be quite minimal with only the tree in the centre of Blackbox. The use of empty spaces in the theatre to represent the feeling of loss and emptiness with only 1 tree in the centre. Having the tree in the centre will emphasise the importance of the tree(native language) to the audience.
Texture & Lines
The texture of the tree will be rough and flaking since it is old. The use of lines for the branches is straight, long, sharp and jagged to represent how tall the branches of the tree is. For costumes, most of the costumes for the actors are all in straight lines since the costumes are rather simple and neat.
CONTRAST & COLOURS
The colours used will be dull in the play since it is set in the 1980s. A warm tone of pale yellow during the play will be representing the peacefulness/calmness of the play. However, a cool tone of dark blue and grey can represent the darker mood in the play. Colours used can also represent the time of the day. As for costumes, the actors will have a darker/dull theme since it is in the 1980s. For example, brown, black, grey etc. However, there will be colours like white that contrast the colour of the costume and the personality of the actors.
MOOD & PROJECTIONS
Projections like the sky in the background will make the set look more interesting to show a calm mood/environment. However, Gobos can be used to project harsh textures during the darker/suspenseful part of the play to create a harsh environment or to highlight the danger when the bulldozers are approaching. Projections will also be used during the storytelling of ‘Island of abandoned trees’ and ‘Young men with slippers’.
conclusion
This whole concept idea will be portrayed through the story of The Silly Little Girl and The Funny Old Tree with the theme of loss of native language due to technology in today’s world which will be highlighted by the girl, tree and the people.