Two months over the year. How was that New Year Resolution(s)?
Life progressed through a cycle. As Malaysians, many of us celebrated the Chinese New Year (CNY). It was not one day, but 15 days of celebrations! That New Year Resolution will restart again, tomorrow. No worries. But there is this tingling uneasiness.
There was a goal of fitness. It stopped for the CNY cookies.
There was a goal of clean food. It stopped for the Yee Sang and all the goodies.
There was a goal of financial discipline. It stopped among the shopping, red packets, and other social events.
What can you do about it? The worse thing to do: ignore the struggles and beat yourself up in victim language—I am so lazy, I lack discipline, and I am broke. Maybe you can overcome that by being positive, but there is this resistance. Ughh. Then, there are still more distractions after CNY—leftover cookies perhaps?
The same challenges apply to our Eagles too.
Changes are never easy because of these three traps (distraction, resistance, and victimhood—read more here & here). But with supportive families, friends, and a safe environment, there is a good chance of Eagles working their way out. This Sprint, the Eagles will express their challenges and problem solve their way through the Drama & Play Quest!
Yes, it is about all that. But there is more. It is the discovery of expression that comes from deep within our souls. It is the journey of Learning to Be.
How? Read more to find out as I share the story of this week: Sprint 4 Week 1, Drama & Play Quest!
- All Journeys Start with a Fresh First Step
- Start with Renewed Commitments
- Acknowledge the Occasion: Celebrating Chinese New Year
- Then, Pump the Energy by Dancing to the Beat
- Getting the Concepts Together
- Express Yourself!
- Express Yourself. Yes, seriously, in Show Time!
- After Expression—Feedback!
- >A Note on Cross-Studio Activities
- >Other Highlights
- So What’s Drama & Play Really About?
All Journeys Start with a Fresh First Step
Each new Sprint brings new excitement: new quest, new spirits, and new studio experiences. This Sprint is also the final Sprint in our maiden location in this beautiful neighborhood of TTDI. We will be moving to a new, exciting and spacious home in Taman Paramount.
Who is not excited about a house upgrade?
“We are going to make our play really good so we can raise money for the new school.”
This Sprint takes a different arrangement. We coordinated with Auntie Chitrah of Soul Arist. We needed expertise in drama & play, and she brings a wealth of experience and activities for our Eagles.
Start with Renewed Commitments
A new beginning that has a fresh tone usually means renewed commitment.
The first commitment, besides coming on-time, is wearing red in the spirit of Chinese New Year!
There were also other new commitments between the two studios.
The Middle School (MS) Eagles had practiced Rules of Engagement on and off. On the first day of the Sprint (Monday), they committed by signing an actual contract. It was a continuous realization of the need for respectful and purposeful conversations during discussion time.
By end of the week (Friday), the MS Eagles also agreed to work on a simpler “4-steps to ROE” process to help the Elementary School (ES) Eagles in the various joint activities.
The ES Studios run on simpler systems, introduced slowly over time. One of the tools that have been kept in the hood is the 360 review. This tool can sometimes harsh, especially when Eagles use hurtful words. Feedback takes skill to give and it can be hard to swallow for some.
This week, the ES Eagles did 360 reviews for the first time! It’s still in the baby steps via a guided Circle Time exchange (the MS Eagles use anonymous 360 reviews through an online tool). The messages of inclusive and respectful speech were repeated and practiced. 360 as in a circle, 360 as a whole community, 360 as a feedback system to help each other grow.
And growth is always worth celebrating :))
Acknowledge the Occasion: Celebrating Chinese New Year
The ActonKL community celebrated by giving mandarin oranges to the Eagles and blessed one another with prosperous wishes.
“Gong Xi Fa Cai. Have a good year!”
“May you have many Shopkins.”
The Guides reflected CNY traditions, relevant stories and the deeper meaning behind this celebration. CNY is not all about the cookies and red packets.
“Did you know that firecrackers and lion dance started because of the monster Nian?”
“Angpau is a blessing even with no money inside”
Also, there were some surprises!
Then, Pump the Energy by Dancing to the Beat
Back to the Drama & Play Quest. Each project time started with high energy music and a small freestyle dance routine.
Fun Fact: Did you know that our character trait this sprint is zest? You can learn more about this Sprint via the Sprint Brief to see how everything comes together.
Getting the Concepts Together
Energy pumped, the Eagles started each session with different concepts of Drama & Play.
The first day was about theatre concepts and the introduction to the world of Drama & Play. The Eagles learned about the different terminologies—director, stage manager, set designer, upstage, downstage, stage left, set, props, monologue and so on. Then, they explored body language and communication. Then, they dug deeper into voice, words, character development, and… I can go on for another 200 words on this.
The best way to find out is to attend one of Auntie Chitrah’s classes!
The Eagles reinforced these concepts and ideas via discussions and hands-on activities.
Express Yourself!
Armed with new ideas, Eagles created their own stories, took into character, and expressed their creativity out!
But this process was not easy.
Eagles discussed in teams to come up with different plots. There were struggles with organization, remembering scripts, and simply putting a show together despite the broad age variations. There were many ideas, many edits, and much excitement. Some ideas were wild, for example, a cafe serving“holographic donuts”?
Often, Eagles were over-excited and it got chaotic at times. There is a challenge between discipline and expression. Wasn’t the legendary Robin Williams famous for coming up with punchlines outside the script? Often, his best performance happened when he was the most excited and chaotic.
So, how chaotic could it get? Here’s one example:
The context of the video above is a standoff game, involving Iron Man vs Master X. Wait, who is Master X?
The more important point was that Eagles stretched their acting. There were questions that probed deeper into expressing their character deeply:
“Should we exaggerate our expressions on stage?”
“How we can bring energy to a character?”
“The different levels of anger?”
Express Yourself. Yes, seriously, in Show Time!
Each day ended with a mini showcase of the Eagles’ work. Despite the extension into lunchtime, Eagles stayed in their seats with laughter and attention.
Each show started enthusiastically with the action of stage play: “lights, camera, and ACTION!!” Then, the Eagles acted stories that they created.
After Expression—Feedback!
How do you improve after that? Even though Auntie Chitrah is an expert, she encourages peer feedback. She did it with a simple structure that is similar to Acton Academy—using I like, I wish cards.
“I like that you use monologue in the beginning.”
“I wish that you can shorten that part of the scene.”
Observations, listening to audiences’ feedback, and practice are the ingredients for improvement. This method of “I like & I wish” extends to the Eagles 360 review.
“I like that you’re friendly to everyone. I wish you would lower your voice and not jump around when others are doing work.” This is better received than sarcasm or non-constructive comments.
>A Note on Cross-Studio Activities
We acknowledged the challenges of joint activities in the studio. We thanked the MS Eagles for their patience in leading the small groups with the ES Eagles. Some MS Eagles felt bored and wanted more challenge. In light of this feedback, the Drama & Play activities will be split between the two studios next week onwards.
Much like the Eagles’ expression and feedback, we also continuously make corrections through feedback!
>Other Highlights
Besides Drama & Play, other highlights included mindfulness & rock climbing for the ES, and civilization & new PE drills for the MS.
The ES Eagles had been practicing mindfulness via a Mobile App. It was time to dig further. We are thankful to have one of our parents, Auntie Harsha to explore meditation and mindfulness further. She led a weekly session based on a UK mindfulness program, Paws B.
Throughout the day, Eagles practiced asking one another “What choice are you making using your prefrontal cortex?”
The hope is that these initiatives will help Eagles calm down and learn how to manage their emotions and focus better.
Next, rock climbing requires no new introduction. We are in the 5th session now!
Now, to the MS Eagles’ Civilization.
The MS Eagles started Acton Austin’s version of Civilization today. The first one involved digging deep into the beginnings of Big History. The question:
Civilization as we know it is but a small point on the timeline of Big History moments. The origin of history begins with the forces of nature that have allowed modern society to flourish. To understand nature and history, we are able to determine the truth.
Which of the Big History ‘claims testers’ is most important in determining truth:
- Intuition (your gut instinct). Does the claim feel right to you, or does it feel a bit off?
- Logic (ability to reason). Does the claim make sense? Is there a good argument for it?
- Authority (evaluate who is making the claim). Do you trust the source? Does the source have specific knowledge or expertise that gives you confidence?
- Evidence (can be verified). If you or another person looking at the same evidence, would you arrive at the same findings?
The Eagles challenged each other’s points. Many concluded that Evidence base analysis to determine Literal truth is what matters most. However, they acknowledge getting a hand on evidence is hard and will typically fall back on experts/authority.
As all things new, and especially rigorous, it was a struggle for the Eagles to put in the work. So, continuous zest will be necessary for their Hero’s Journey!
As for PE, the MS Eagles are into a new routine of drills and self-organized games.
Let’s wrap up with the Drama & Play Quest
So What’s Drama & Play Really About?
What’s Drama & Play really about? Expression, acting, coordination, backstage or red carpet glory?
There’s something more fundamental. Bruce Lee, the Kung Fu legend explained his definition of Martial Arts as honestly expressing yourself.
All arts are a form of human expression. That is no different in the work of Drama & Play Quest. Becoming one with the punch, becoming one with the character, and becoming one with your own intention. That, my friend, is the goal of Learning to Be at Acton Academy.
We are on a Hero’s Journey of honestly expressing. Expressing with no distractions, no resistance, and no signs of victimhood. When that happens, you will find deep authenticity.
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