Dear MMS Families,
I hope you are all well and navigating these strange times.
For the Performing Arts Team, with the Ramayana not being officially performed in a theatre, we have been grappling with how to best navigate this project in our new digital environs. We’ve had our diligent zoom sessions over the last weeks and certainly have tried to see it from all different angles.
In respect to this play that is such a part of the fabric of our school, a work of love, commitment, history, and most importantly, community, an annual event 42 years and running, with all of that, we knew we wanted, even more, had to create something tangible and experiential to honor and celebrate the tradition.
So… who would take part and how would it be accomplished and what was the “it”?
After consulting with Kami and the MMS Administration, we arrived at the conclusion that this project would involve the middle and high school and at this point, not the elementary campus. It is with some sadness that we had to narrow our focus, but in terms of manageability, all felt this was best for the students, teachers, families, and for us, the directing team. After consulting with Kami and the MMS Administration, we arrived at the conclusion that the elementary will do their own separate honoring of the play. See the announcement at the end from Kami.
For the upper campus, the first big question to consider in terms of the endeavor: Is the project an enactment of the play or an honoring or celebration of the Ramayana? Is this a production or a reflective tool? And for whom? If we are seeking to do the Ramayana digitally, meaning some story through-line, selected songs and dances included, edited and mixed, do we have the resources, expertise, and time to truly accomplish that? Can we rehearse and prepare our students for such an encompassing project in our present zoom session interactions? Can it be up to our usual standards? And, acknowledging the challenges of the pandemic on all of us, emotionally, physically, and psychically, can we ask this of ourselves?
I for one, felt feel overwhelmed at that proposal. I think the team shared those same concerns.
A Different Approach?
As an alternative, what if we think of the project as an honoring of the Ramayana, rather than a created version of the play? The approach would be a reflective opportunity, not something advertised and spread beyond our immediate community. That way we avoid some of the stated complexities we’re imposing upon ourselves and our students. The audience would truly be us, classmates and directors. (There may be some publishable aspects to the project discussed below.)
We decided to use the question, “What does the Ramayana mean to me?” as our foundation for all that comes after. Here’s what we’ve arrived at for the Ramayana 2020 Final Project:
All 6-12th Grade perform a “Chain Dance” of the Finale- designed and orchestrated by Charleigh, involving each student contributing 8-10 counts of filmed movement, done in relay fashion. Charleigh gathers all the finished clips and puts them together in an IMovie presentation for all to enjoy.
All 6-12th Grade film or just record themselves singing the song, Jai Jai Ma, using our prerecorded accompaniment. (Aside from lead vocalists, students are only responsible to sing the chorus) Gitanjali will research how to mix and put it all together. This may need outside expertise.
All 6-12th Grade complete a written project answering the question, “What does Ramayana mean to me?” There are stated guidelines in terms of this writing, including language appropriateness for a school community. Those responses will be sent to Erin and Sampad. It is possible that some of these responses, with student (and/or family) permission, are shared in a larger context- published for families and community.
All 6-12th Grade will prepare ONE of the below options
- Song from the Ramayana (other than Jai Jai Ma), with or without accompaniment; song choice not limited to how students are cast. All music available in PA Google Folder and Google Classroom
- Dance from the Ramayana. -Use any of the choreography posted in Google Classroom. If students want to do a solo to a specific song, Charleigh will post 2-5 minutes of “optional choreography.” They can use whatever they want to of that choreography or their own. If someone wants a special solo, she is willing to zoom with them and give them the 1st minute of choreography
- Film a Reading of the journal entry above.
- Visual Entry– build, paint, construct, design an art project, digitally or literally, not based on a character, instead seen as an extension of the journal prompt, What does Ramayana mean for me. Students would take a picture of their projects and send it to us. Hopefully, they’d keep their physical projects and once school is reopened, have some be put on display.
Some notes regarding the above
- Expectation is that we abide by the rules of staying in place and social distancing. Therefore, if performing with partners, the assumption is the work is all done online.
- Students are invited to submit more than one component.
- Students can perform a scene or monologue as an additional component.
- Costume- dress appropriately- but if they want to get theatrically creative, fine by us
Students will receive a written version of this project. The PA Team intends to set reasonable dates of completion in compliance with our MMS calendar. Those dates to be communicated.
Our Next Steps
- The PA Team met with the Seniors on Tuesday, 4/14, and will gather with the rest of the 6-12th Grade on Friday, 4/17 in zoom sessions by grade to discuss the project.
- Sampad will write up our plan and send to Monique by Thursday to be posted in ENews informing families of the project,
- The PA Team will determine a production calendar including due dates that leave reasonable time for compilation and posting.
- Charleigh will edit and put together the Finale Chain Dance, looking into possible Video platforms for kids to send or post their dance files (checking with Nicole as well)
- Gitanjali will navigate (and get help) editing and finishing the “Jai Jai Ma” vocal experience, possibly to be shared with students and families.
- Jeevani, with MMS approval and perhaps some private funding, will ask Devin if he would create a finished video, employing some of the submitted components. This finished piece hopefully shared at next year’s Ramayana Production (Pre Show!)
- Leigh Ann with Erika’s help, hopes to do a posting of student artwork both from Character Projects and this Final Project for the lobby of next year’s Ramayana
Hopefully, this offering has meaning for all involved although it is not the same as performance, that should be acknowledged openly. Certainly, the project seeks to satisfy the calling to continue the tradition of Ramayana at our school. Maybe, most importantly, considering this pandemic and the effect on many of our students and families as well as the larger global communities, the project serves as a vehicle for nourishing and encouraging the vital creative and emotional expression of our students. In these times of sadness and grief for some at what has been lost, may this endeavor satisfy some of that yearning.
-Sampad
c/o the Performing Arts Team: Charleigh, Erika, Erin, Isa and Jeevani
Note from Kami, Director of Lower School:
