The end of the beginning of the end

Hey all. It's the funny Monday. The one after a long run, and a long process, of creation, with a group of people. People whom, whether you like it or not, have somehow, become a part of your life. You had the love, the hate, the annoyance, the laughter, the tears... and whatever other emotions you could think of, that it's like family. Yup Nick, corny, and emo. But that IS the deal.

This is the Monday after.

It was a great party. You fellas who left early, ah, sit and wonder la what you all missed :P

I am just sitting here, in the office. Coping. I have been at this point so many times, having done so many shows. And it never has become easier.

You know it's the end. But at the same time, it's only the end if you allow it to be. Keeping the friends you found. That is the challenge. A hard one.

So. This is it.

Life finds a way. To weave the ones that matter (you guys know who you are, right?), into your own life. Of course, You yourself can help it, but there is also a higher being, an unseen force, at work, to help you weave them in.

Ok la enough. I think I have gone on too much. Just my random thoughts for today, the first day of the end.

Habis.

Biatch!

last breakup

so here is my post at last!! tomoro will be my last day to be in love and breakin up again wit my "love" in my heaven. hahahaha

i have to say that me as a non profesional actor and being in THREE has definately learned and gained alot of experiences and knowledge that are so crucial for my future career...
im glad to be one fo the cast among other experienced cast like Nicole, Wai Hong, Payal and Lorna,and being under the direction of multitalented Kerry for my movements and Helena as the director. and also how can i forget the sweetest stage manager Mr.Shank. and the awesome music by our most eligible bachelors band, Nick ,Tony, Julio and Andrew. together they are all Bomb!

as any other productions, there is always the ups and downs, and im gald that we all managed to pull it of till the very end of our production. itz been almost four months now beeing with all of you guys, and yes, itz been like a family for me and i will definately miss each of you... (i bet nicole must be like F Off!)-datz anotha thing dat i learned frm her!

anyways, before i start craping here and annoying you all, i better end it here. but before i leave, i wld like to appologise for anything that i wld have said or done( directly or indirectly) that might have hurt any of you frm the day one till the very last moment of us being together...ceh emo la konon nye...hehehe

i love you all.
letz together put on the best eva performance tomoro and blasting party after!!!

to be continued in the near future.....

muakz!

Are my eyes decieving me?

Oh wow, the sky is going to fall down! Both Nic's have posted up something! Sheesh! Better late than never.

Yesterday was three.'s opening night and it was a good show. There were tears shed in the crowd and there were a lot of "oohh's" and "aahh's" as well. But hey, keep up the good work everyone, nine more shows to go!

Break legs!

Cheers!

Nine

I feel real bad for not writing anything. So here i am, day after opening night, just woke up... and its 4 hours before call time, cant wait to get on stage. Its a special kind of high. Ill chill with the D key tonight. Im feeling for dim sum tonight... What say you? everybody?

Rock On!!!

Me firzt post...

Ok Helena. Your wish has been fulfilled.

three. opened yesterday. It was good. Pleasant opening night. A lot of screaming Payal and Soni fans, oh, and Wai Hoong (Mr. Hot-Tight-Body) fans of course. Lorna got flowers. I got... a beer.

9 more shows. 9 more cups of Milo to make. 9 more sheets to hang. Nine. nine.

nuff.

Three. opens tomorrow

Three. opens tomorrow, guys. The run ends on the 20th of April, 2008. Your support is much apprieciated. Hopefully, we'll see you there. Take care, and god bless.

Cheers.

Helena Foo

It has begun

Yesterday marked the last three. rehearsal at the A. D. Studio. And I'd have say that it ended with a lot of courage and bravery. Emotions were laid out and it ran high. We're only 5 days away from opening night now, so wish us luck and tell us to break our legs.

Cheers!

60 Second Plug by Kakiseni's Yasmin Zetti Martin

Hello all,

As you know, three.'s opening next week. Bump in starts on Monday and things are gonna be on full throttle for all of us here on the cast, band and crew. I'd advise all of you who are interested to come, please get your tickets now because there is a promotion of "buy three free one ticket" which ends on the 6th of April (this Sunday) But anyway, I just wanted to share with you an interview by Kakiseni's Yasmin Zetti Martin. Our dear Nicole was interviewed and her answers are.....well.....I don't know what to say about them. I was too busy laughing my ass off. Well, here it is. Enjoy.

Cheers!

---------------------

03. 04. 2008
The 60 Second Plug: Three. by Yasmin Zetti Martin
Young director, Helena Foo, treads on new ground now, as she brings us her newest work: Three. With Lorna Hoong, Wong Wai Hoong, Nicole-Ann Thomas, Payal Vashist and Soni Deol, Helena delivers to audiences a piece of physical theatre inspired by Mitch Albom’s popular book The Five People You Meet In Heaven, and a few of Helena’s own memories. We spoke to Nicole-Ann, who revealed her un-motherliness, and told us about “this”.

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Tell us about yourself.
Nicole's my name and theatre's my game! I’ve been doing this (and by “this” I mean theatre/singing/moving/you-name-it) for ages. The thing about it is you never stop learning, so it's all good. I am a very nice person. Caring and understanding. I have good skills when it comes to handling people, and I’m always there if you need me to remind you that life isn’t a bed of roses.

Tell us about your role in three.
I play Mother. But I am not yet one. Maybe it's a message ...

Then why do you think you got the part?
They were holding auditions, and I guess somewhere behind my scary facade Helena Foo -- the director -- saw a glimmer of motherly hope.

What's it like working with Helena?
She is quite the funny gal. Really. She looks angry half the time, but actually, it's just her way of zoning out.

How do rehearsals work out?
We get there, warm up, and then try to work and re-work scenes, keeping what works and discarding what doesn't. It's a collaborative ensemble piece -- we try to keep it organic.

We heard Helena has some torture warm-ups she likes to use on her actors.
Helena and torture? Nah. The two words can't co-exist together. She is a gentle little ... nymph. I think she’s had more experiences with my torturous methods instead. [Laughs]

How was the casts' stamina at the beginning of rehearsals?
Oh, some of them needed to be kicked up the ... can I use that word? But everyone knew what kind of work would be involved, and how much was needed from each and every member. So it wasn't a problem conditioning each other.

Tell us a really bad joke you heard in rehearsals.
That Lorna Hoong is actually a man.

Have you ever read Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet In Heaven?
I am actually still in the process of reading it. Yah, I very bad wan. What to do? Work, rehearsals, work, rehearsals. But so far, it's quite different from Three. Three. is also based on Helena's own life experiences.

Give us one really good reason we should watch Three.
Wai Hoong's hot tight body!

What inspires you?
Good theatre. And people who start small, and never forget where they came from.

Any drama/gossip from behind the scenes you care to share?
Helena waxes her legs.

What are your greatest hopes for the production?
That the audience leave either loving it or hating it -- as opposed to total indifference.

What are your greatest fears for the production?
That my scene falls flat. Yikes!

Who is your secret super-hero alter-ego?
I am already a super-hero. But the other super-hero I would like to be is Mystique, from X-men.

Ok then, as Mystique, what is your one and only weakness?
Fear that if I lose my powers, I may be caught naked and therefore be charged in court for flashing.

What's the most productive thing you could do in 60 seconds?
Daydream about world peace. Hey! There’s a beauty queen in all of us.

What's next for you?
Dancing Through Broadway with Farah Sulaiman in June, then maybe a few other collaborative projects later in the year.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Yasmin Zetti Martin writes for Kakiseni.

Three. runs at Pentas 2, KLPac, Sentul Park, Jalan Strachan (off Jalan Ipoh) Kuala Lumpur, from Thu 10 - Sun 20 Apr 2008 (Tue - Sat: 8.30pm; Sun: 3pm; NO show on Mon). Tix cost RM25/ RM15 (students, sr. citizens & the disabled). For more information on ticket promotions, click here.

We can do it!

It has been awhile since a post went up. Reason being, we're all pretty swamped with work. It's the final two weeks before three. hits the stage and honestly, it's pretty nerve-wrecking. Full run begins tomorrow and even then, we might still need to rework some scenes beforehand. I can almost feel my heart in my throat as I'm typing this. It's an intense 3 1/2 month process which is almost coming to it's end. I'm certain though, that it will turn out great.

We've got a lot of support from family and friends all round. And everyone's looking forward to this. So, let's make them proud, everyone! We can do it. Just pull through the last two weeks of rehearsals. Then, set the sail down, and smoothly thread the waters of the stage for another two. Then, we are done!

*Speaking of which, I still have not planned the cast party. Whoops! Lol.

Cheers!

Q & A for the comment

Hello,

To answer your question, three. will be going on stage from the 10th to the 20th of April. Matinee shows are on Sunday, and so, the shows on that day begin at 3pm. But every other day that the show is on, it'll begin at 8.30pm. There will be no show on Monday.

Cheers!

Promo is today!

Hey all,

Uncut, Untitled, Paperhouse opens today. Come watch and support them, yeah? And after the show, three. will also be having a short promotional preview of the show, so stay for a bit to support us as well. Lol. It's gonna be a pretty short 5-10 mins preview of a few snippets from the show. So, come, watch and enjoy.

See you there.

Cheers!

Promo for three. and other updates

Hey all,

There might be a promo done for three. sometime soon. So keep a look out on your Astro channels.

Anyway, a short update on rehearsals and whatnots. Things have been going on okay, as usual. Scene changes, alterations on the music and costume picking is being done right about now. It's getting closer and closer to THE DAY though and well, I think it's gonna be a show to remember. Let's knock the socks off of them, guys.

Cheers!

Having 'unagi'...

Aww...I didn't want you to feel lonely here in cyberspace, Helena... I really wasn't afraid you'd fire me. Really. Hahaha...

Honestly, Helena is one of the nicest, if not THE nicest, directors I've ever worked with. I am NOT sucking up! I don't need to...haha... You know you'd never fire me...you know you need me around. *grin* But ok, seriously, Helena believes in nurturing and drawing out what she needs from her actors, not in provoking it out of them. And it is so nice for me to work this way for a change, which is similar to my own beliefs though I'm probably not as nice as her. Hehe... However, no-one has heard me yell yet. And hopefully, I won't ever need to. :)

Well Helena, my partner-in-crime, the one with which I totally have 'unagi' with, here's to our collaboration together. Don't worry too much about the challenges. If we always had things easy, we wouldn't be able to fully appreciate what we achieve. Isn't that right? :)

Finally!

Woah, I'm happy now. I'm not alone. Kerry-Ann has joined me. Btw, Kerry-Ann, I said I'd fire you if you didn't. Lol. Just kidding.

But hey, keep posting people. I don't want to be the only one doing it cuz it feels like I'm blowing my own trumpet, which I really am not.

Anyway, keep it up guys. Yes, challenges have come to haunt us, but we shall pull through it in a team. And a very strong team we are. So, come what may! We shall stand firm to our ground and push forward to a great show.

Cheers!

Bending, not breaking...

So...this is my first attempt at posting something on this blog. I have duly been threatened by the director to post something or be fined... or was it be fired? I didn't quite catch that, Helena...haha... Anyways, apart from the fact that I'm juggling two jobs as well as the 'Three.' rehearsals and haven't had much time to post anything, I also just really didn't know what to talk about. So let's see what thoughts come out of my brain, yeah?

Well, it's about a month till we open. Kinda scary when you think about it. How are we doing? Sometimes it's kinda hard to say. Every time we make progress, we also slip back a couple of steps. I suppose that that's normal in every kind of process. But as we go deeper into this, tempers are beginning to flare as hidden dissatisfactions come to the surface. Again, it's quite a normal thing when a group of people work closely together. We don't all have to like each other when we work together, but just because tempers fly doesn't mean we all hate each other either. It isn't healthy to keep our dissatisfactions in. However, if we release our feelings, we have to be careful that what escapes our mouths is not something we'll regret because it can never really be taken back.

My point in saying this is not to reveal any cracks or imperfections in our little group or process. My point is that we are A GROUP. Yes, we are also individuals within the group and bringing our individuality to the group is important. But ultimately, we have to find a way to bring the best of what we each have for the importance of the group. There isn't anyone who is more important than the other. We fit like parts of a machine. Without one, the rest of the machine wouldn't work. Only then will everyone be able to shine in their own way. If everyone only works to ensure that they alone shine more, the whole piece will not gel and only the reverse will happen for them.

However, this process isn't really necessarily a bad thing. Learning to work together builds us. Possibly, it could bond us further. Wishful thinking? Maybe. But it's about learning to bend. Not so much that we break, but enough that we can be flexible enough to grow.

So, here's to hoping that we grow together well and we will be able to leave this with an end result that we are truly proud of.

Rehearsal Pics

These are some pictures taken during one of our rehearsals. It's mostly tableau work (still pictures).



I wonder what they are all looking at, actually.


It's Kermit, the frog.


How long do you think Wai Hoong can hold that position?


A picture from one of our scenes.


The band, with "Sasha"/Nick looking extremely serious.

Post! Not Comment!

Dear all,

What I mean by asking you guys to post up stuff, I mean, ACTUALLY POSTING UP A BLOG ENTRY. NOT A COMMENT. Click on create new post. It's pretty simple.

Ps. Lorna, it's cuz I'm running out of things to say. That's why I'm starting to talk rubbish. And stop jumping like me.

One more month

There's just one more month till show week. Days seem to be passing by like the blinking of an eye. Rehearsal days should be increasing soon and everyone should be on their toes till the end of the run so I hope that all goes well and everyone keeps their cool for now.

Anyway, to all you people out there who aren't in the production, but still read this blog, please come to the show, yeah? It'll be great if we have your support. Trust me, we need it. A lot. Lol.

Well, that's my two cents for today.

Cheers.

Bugs

For some strange reason, bugs keep flying into the studio whenever we rehearse. Lorna says that it's good because apparently, bees and beetles fly into places and good things happen there later. Or at least I think that's what she said. I think Nicole finds it ridiculous that I run away from them. But at least I'm not the only idiot hiding and ducking away from these insects. Nick runs from them too.

I guess it's not that I'm scared of them. Well, not really. It's just that I've had one too many of them land on me and yeah, well, never mind.

Oi, I'm still waiting for someone else to start posting up stuff, okay!!!

Post...or else...!

Common interests

There is one common thing between almost all of our cast members and the director. And that is that we all have tattoos. Except of course, Payal, who is the 'angel' among us. Lol. Yeah right... Everyone else has at least one, or more than one.

Anyway, the band is all clean of tattoos. Perhaps they are all just really good boys.

Our stage manager is also tattoo free. I wonder why. He's not THAT good of a boy. Lol.

I'm not promoting tattoos. But hey, if anyone's interested in getting one, I know a very good tattoo artist. Just give me a call and I'll tell you about her.

Cheers.

Dear cast and crew...

I am still waiting for one of you to post up something. It gets very lonely in the cyberworld and I really don't want to be the only one here. It's rather depressing. Post up something, people! Anything.

I will be silently awaiting some kind of response.

An update

Who knew that "thai girl" and "tiger" could be so easily mistaken? And who knew that Nick and I would be running away from a big insect, flying around in the studio?

Anyway, there were roadshows planned for the show but because of the actors schedules, we had to cancel them.

Rehearsals should be increasing soon, once I figure out which days to put in as the extras.

Interesting things keep coming up during rehearsals and things are always being added on and taken off. It's an ongoing process and it keeps things fresh so it's good.

Well, all's good for now. I'm just waiting for the rest to start posting stuff up.

Till then,

Cheers.

Picture time

Hey people,
Here are some pics from three.'s photoshoot the other day by Kelab Shashin.


(from left) Julio, Tony, Nick and Andrew

(from left) Wai Hoong, Soni, Nicole, Lorna and Payal.

Lorna and Nicole


Wai Hoong and Payal


Lorna and Soni


(from left) Wai Hoong, Soni, Helena, Nicole, Lorna and Payal.


Kerry-Ann Khoo

Rehearsal Pics

Both taken during the KLPac Open Day (27th January, 2008).

Wax on, wax off. That's the way, little grasshopper.

Group discussion on what to do next.

Greetings

Hey! I've always wondered about blogging for productions. Does it really work? So I thought to myself, why not just try it with three. and see what happens. So this here is the first blog post.

Right now, we are in the middle of rehearsals and so far, it has been great. There are only 6 weeks left to show week (Thank you, Lorna for that brilliant reminder) and I admit, I'm feeling a bit jumpy now. But I do believe that three. has a lot of potential to be something good and that things will unfold within the week or two.

The idea actually came up more than a year ago, as I was in the middle of rehearsals for The Shape Of Things. I was using music as a warm up for the cast and when they started moving to it, I felt deeply captivated by it all. Since then, I've dreamt of putting up a movement piece on stage. But I knew I needed a good storyline and a damn good cast to pull it off. A year down the road, after sitting on the idea for so long, I finally decided to do it. So, auditions began, cast was chosen and a storyline was created. Now, I've got a cast of really talented actors, a superb live band, a movement director that I have psychic connections with and a wonderful stage manager. Oh, and the best part is, we're a month and a half away from opening night. It's amazing how things happen so fast.

Anyway, more about other things later on.

Cheers.