directing stuff by Honey

hillerymyvan — 2022-01-18 02:29:31 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-01-18 17:26:57 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-01-18 17:31:35 UTC

vietgone, mtc warehouse, stephanie sy & simu liu

hillerymyvan — 2022-01-18 17:41:22 UTC

positive communication exercise

hillerymyvan — 2022-01-22 18:38:04 UTC

Just had an awesome session with the amazing Eden Chiam doing Janet's monologue from Kim's Connivence. I wanted to give her Asian rep to work with and a character and experience that felt familiar to both of us.

The first run was a pretty cold read, but initially I wanted some more arc. Discussing beats happen right off the top, however looking back I wish I was a bit more specific with the changes happening beat to beat.

Something that was helpful for when I wanted a bit more differentiating between imagery was discussing the characters she was talking about (Jung, Umma, etc) and instead of asking directly "how are they different" it was more like "What did Jung do to make you guys feel this way? How did your mom being sick effect you?" that did the trick. Asking questions in general is something that worked well for me!

Opening a dialogue that led to ideas was so helpful. She had a lot to offer and had things to try I didn't even think of but loved!

The moment for me that felt like the strongest part of the exercise was right before the last run of the monologue when Eden said "I've had a conversation exactly like this with my dad" and I was like okay! If you're comfy, this isn't a "method" moment or anything, but let's try it out like this is that moment you are having with your dad. Boom. A great run of the piece, it was honest and sassy and had the strongest finish!

directors prep, book setup + given circumstances

hillerymyvan — 2022-02-03 03:54:10 UTC

a) short reflection
- For notes, I printed out my script/scene pages so they are single sided which gives me atleast a whole blank page to have beside the lines/scene. This is really helpful for room and tidiness. I like drawing the stage to help me remember blocking which usually takes up some room.
- Trying out the line numbering system for the scenes to keep the notes in order
- I'm going with a pretty classic binder style of organizing.
- This script supplies us with a lot to work with- not just in terms of material but there is a wealth of additional footnotes, stories, preface, production notes, etc and I've compiled my favourite/most relevant bits to have in my little binder pocket.
- I like to keep various pencils/pens/highlighters clipped onto my binder (double sided highlighters/pens are the GOAT)
- So, in the past I've tried storing less relevant documents elsewhere but I find that just doesn't work for me. I prefer buying additional "pockets/folders" that clip into my binder (Designs, research, inspo, etc). I just prefer everything be in one place
- stickers are a must, for fun

b) 1-2 scenes:
Scene 2, VIETNAM PIMPIN', or, WORLD CULTURES DAY
notions of authenticity, ethnic pride, and resourcefulness in between hot rhymes about pho, chả giò, and bánh chưng

c) I attached a photo:)

d) given circumstance

Name: Jen (Jennifer, Jenjamin)
Age: 12
Posture/physical stature: Tiny lil rockstar.
General/specific health
Place of birth: Mississauga, Ontario, Canada
Occupation: Middle Schooler
Income: none
Group Identity: First generation Vietnamese Canadian
Dialect/diction/accent: Fluent in English but only about 50% fluent in viet. Loves to curse. When she raps her style of talking becomes more “urban” to replicate the style.
Social Class and status: Not one of the cool upper middle class white kids. They scoff at her and her lunches
Social Groups: Lone wolf at school. Not necessarily by choice.
Education: 7th grade
Intelligence: She is much smarter than she lets on, although incredibly immature.
Important Relationships: She has a single parent so her mom and grandparents are really her only immediate family.
Character history: Doesn’t know who her father is. Wants white approval

Name: Jen’s Mom (Kim)
Age: 39
Posture/physical stature: Thin from lack of care and almost as short as her daughter yet still somehow mighty.
General/specific health:
Place of birth: Hanoi, Vietnam
Occupation: Receptionist at a Spa
Income: 40K
Group Identity: Vietnamese, Canadian Immigrant
Dialect/diction/accent: Minimal accent, she came to Canada young. It creeps up from time to time though. English still isn’t technically her first language.
Social Class and status: Unfortunately low status in most sectors but isn’t scared to fuck your shit up.
Education: College Degree
Intelligence: She is an incredibly smart woman. In another life is a president or CEO
Important Relationships: Her daughter (obviously), her parents, and Jen’s father.
Character history: Doesn’t know who Jen’s father is.

In which a mother tries very, very hard to get through to her daughter about the moral of vietnamese cuisine and her daughter totally misses the point

hillerymyvan — 2022-02-03 03:54:38 UTC

asian supermarket jen's mom goes to for pho powder mix

hillerymyvan — 2022-02-03 03:59:06 UTC

kristen & me

hillerymyvan — 2022-02-03 04:00:07 UTC

lil hunny

hillerymyvan — 2022-02-03 04:00:38 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-02-03 16:37:24 UTC

director's prep c)

hillerymyvan — 2022-02-03 16:38:08 UTC

First rehearsal materials

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-08 03:13:32 UTC

rehearsal schedule

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-08 03:13:54 UTC

first rehearsal

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-08 03:15:23 UTC

Gloria

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-08 03:22:35 UTC

Kim's Convenience

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-08 03:23:44 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-08 16:02:58 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-08 16:04:31 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-08 16:29:05 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-22 23:19:46 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-22 23:20:53 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-22 23:24:41 UTC

siracha, salt, peppers, chili sauce, hoisin cause, chop sticks

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-22 23:26:40 UTC

pinterest board inspo

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-22 23:37:01 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-23 00:51:47 UTC

*note* I accidentally drew in side walls? those should be wings unless we're in a weirddddd theatre
- in the winnipeg viet restaurant and the mississauga one there are multi-tone walls with a brown strip in the middle.
- periwinkle blue, beige, and brown are favoured colours
- don't mistake this for tackiness. everything is cohesive still
- lanterns and other decor may be brighter colours (pink, red, sky blue, etc)

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-23 00:52:00 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-23 00:53:04 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-23 00:53:24 UTC

bird painting

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-23 20:31:42 UTC

lanterns aren't necessarily standard for a Canadian Vietnamese restaurant, maybe more of a traditional Vietnamese Vietnamese restaurant but scenes take place in both so! and it looks AWESOME

Ground Plan Exercise

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-23 21:06:08 UTC

Costume Design

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-24 00:05:01 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-24 00:10:54 UTC

- the clothes underneath the raincoat are what I'm most attracted to.
- This specific style of traditional shirt is what I'm hoping for!
- and the loose almost capri-length pant/shorts is great. It's usually hot in Vietnam so it makes sense.

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-24 00:15:11 UTC

This is a standard contemporary rice hat. Not much else to say. Something more traditional is preferred but this totally works

The Farmer:

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-24 03:27:46 UTC

A poor Farmer in northern Vietnam under colonialism. According to the script he is "donning lose-fitting clothes and a rice paddy hat". He becomes a (perhaps the FIRST) "gánh phở"- a street vendor who carries a heavy mobile kitchen on bamboo poles. They have a family of seven children. The hypothetical creator of Pho. Had a name once, but wasn't documented.

Nam

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-26 15:42:34 UTC

Like the FARMER, NAM is also Viet and poor, but as a contemporary Canadian student. Is studying at U of T but is from Mississauga. Is about 19/20 years old. He is trying to write a show about Pho and his culture but is very much struggling as it is forcing him to re-evaluate what exactly that even entails or means. Sarcastic, funny, kind of a narcissist (kidding).

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-26 16:00:04 UTC

this cat is not a necessity but are also very common in viet restaurants (usually by the cash register)

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-26 16:02:52 UTC

cash register

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-26 16:10:06 UTC

Farmer's gánh phở mentioned

The costume

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-26 16:13:59 UTC

In terms of costume for the farmer, less is truly more and these images should serve as inspirations. What we're going for, is a recreation of what Vietnamese farmers actually wore during the colonial era of Vietnam

Key pieces are:

- rice hat (this is an absolute must and may double as a prop in other scenes in the show)
- simple wrapped style shirt (popular amongst Vietnamese farmers of the time)
- plain pants
- bare feet make the most sense, they did not wear shoes frequently. If this is a hazard we can discuss further
- gánh phở (this may need to be a collaboration with props or may be considered a prop itself- but is essential to the costume). He is supposed to be the founding father of pho

- everything should look incredibly worn
- his clothes should be dark brown/blackish. dirty from all of the work he does.
- it's alright if the rice hat blocks his eyes bit, especially from the stage lights. The feeling of anonymity totally works. We can play and discuss preferences in shapes of rice hat- there are many to chose from
- There are layers happening and it may even be long sleeve/pants but remember its hot. He needs to stay cool. The fabric should be light.

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-26 16:18:08 UTC

- similarly to the drawing, this is the style of shirt I am wanting, but instead of a 2D image it is a real person.
- although this is a popular style of gánh phở, it is not the one I am hoping for.

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-26 16:21:24 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-26 16:24:16 UTC

"We don’t know anything about the actual guy who first made pho, other than he lived in northern Vietnam under colonialism. Let’s be real—odds are, he never wrote anything down, stayed poor, and just . . . died. "

gánh phở

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-26 17:02:31 UTC

this rounder style of gánh phở is ideal. It should look heavy but feel light

The costume

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-26 17:05:16 UTC

In comparison to a character like Kevin, Nam should seem a little dishevelled. A contemporary college student. This is his top of show look, he is going out for Pho.

Key pieces are:
- loose dark T-shirt
- Black/White/Neutral flannel
- Cargo pants
- worn sneakers (air force 1s are a popular style among college students, especially during 2017/2018 when this takes place)
- beanie is optional, but an homage to the 2019 Fu-gen production.

- my main problem with my reference photos is how pristine the clothes look (probably because they're mostly ads/model's photos). Like the farmer, the clothes should look WORN
- imagine all the clothes are thrifted! for super cheap at some mcc.
- something I've always thought about the kind of work I want to create is that I need the young people to actually look/dress like young people do!
- Nam can be played by anyone. This costume should be able to work on anybody.

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-26 17:38:05 UTC

this outfit is almost perfect for what I'm looking for, aside from how new the clothes look. The fit is ideal here, loose and comfortable.
- The dark lose T-shirt is great, if the graphic on it could be a bit more random that would be awesome
- The flannel is perfect. every other Asian guy I know own's one
- beige/tan cargo pants like this are preferred.
- no jewelry like this picture though

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-26 17:39:32 UTC

- almost the exact same outfit but with the beanie!
- also has the preferred shoes on

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-26 17:46:13 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-26 18:03:28 UTC

This is mostly a hair/hat reference!

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-28 19:04:28 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-03-28 19:05:40 UTC

blocking exercise:

hillerymyvan — 2022-04-09 20:30:01 UTC

SCENE 10 PHÖ IS THE NEW RAMEN, OR, WHITE PEOPLE AS THEY TRULY ARE

hillerymyvan — 2022-04-09 20:31:47 UTC

in which white people think Asian noodles are interchangeable, and Asian people think white people are literally satan

article covering the video the scene is based on (at points, word for word)

hillerymyvan — 2022-04-09 20:34:19 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-04-09 20:46:58 UTC

pg. 1

hillerymyvan — 2022-04-10 22:43:53 UTC

pg 3

hillerymyvan — 2022-04-10 22:43:58 UTC

pg. 2

hillerymyvan — 2022-04-10 22:44:21 UTC

soft place to land

hillerymyvan — 2022-04-19 14:56:54 UTC

kenzie drover as jenna
annika tupper as dawn
jillian cooper as becky

CENTRAL PROJECT EXERCISE #1

hillerymyvan — 2022-09-18 19:45:36 UTC

Secondary Exercise

hillerymyvan — 2022-09-23 02:59:07 UTC

Honey's Exercise

hillerymyvan — 2022-09-28 16:33:48 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-10-03 16:46:29 UTC

Love and Information Resource Pack

hillerymyvan — 2022-10-08 22:10:24 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-10-08 22:19:14 UTC

NOTE:

hillerymyvan — 2022-10-08 22:25:20 UTC

Hi I want to acknowledge how my scenes are a bit longer than the max time and I'm soooo sorry. I talk about this more in my reflection! I totally messed up and didn't account for the difference between reading a scene with a partner vs. actually putting it up on its feet. I made cuts to my staging but its still pretty long. No pressure to watch the whole thing. Again, I'm sooooo sorry about this.

Secondary Project Scene 2

hillerymyvan — 2022-10-08 22:26:07 UTC

featuring: Jean Blandon, Annika Tupper, and Elysia Cruz

Secondary Project Scene 1

hillerymyvan — 2022-10-08 22:26:52 UTC

featuring: Jean Blandon, Annika Tupper, and Elysia Cruz

Thing's I'd like some comments on

hillerymyvan — 2022-11-01 22:48:47 UTC

- were the scenes different enough??
- for scenario #1 was the obstruction of view effective? Do you think it would still be effective if you DID see what was happening behind the door?
- was the soundscaping necessary?
- how was having the third person there?

Points

hillerymyvan — 2022-11-01 22:52:27 UTC

- My assignment being 2 scenes, and doing them differently
- overtime sorry
- TW for scene 1

honey exercise #3 reflection

hillerymyvan — 2022-11-05 00:56:46 UTC

SECONDARY SONG + SCENE

hillerymyvan — 2022-11-08 03:52:54 UTC

hillerymyvan — 2022-11-08 03:55:21 UTC

Secondary Song + Scene Reflection

hillerymyvan — 2022-11-27 01:12:25 UTC

Secondary Project - Learn To Do It

hillerymyvan — 2022-11-27 01:22:52 UTC

HELLO MANITOBA ARTS COUNCIL!!

hillerymyvan — 2023-12-29 19:25:56 UTC

This is a padlet board I made throughout my final year of directing at Sheridan. I thought this would give you an idea of what my process looks like as it stands with the visuals and the text work without the word count/bother of reading so much bahahaha. Don't feel for the need to read all the text- again its just there for reference!!

Note that my Perfect Bowl of Pho work was done well before I officially joined the team. This was my introduction to the writer (Nam Nguyen) who learned that I was working on his show at school and later asked for this board to have as reference for the 2022 production. Shortly after they asked for me to join on as an actor! The board is imperfect, messy, and kind of all over the place but hey so am I.

With Pho especially, as much as I was working on an important project that I wanted to succeed- I was equally hoping to create a sense of community for the Asian students in the program who frequently were split off in different years in tiny (and I mean tiny) groups. It was just lovely getting to talk to my Asian underclassmen who I hardly ever saw and they were the ones who helped shape this project

hillerymyvan — 2023-12-29 19:39:17 UTC

soft power white face example

hillerymyvan — 2023-12-29 19:43:05 UTC

soft power white face example 2

hillerymyvan — 2023-12-29 19:43:48 UTC

MAC !!!! the padlet ends here for you:)

hillerymyvan — 2023-12-29 19:46:19 UTC

FUN FACT:

hillerymyvan — 2023-12-29 20:00:13 UTC

one of the first actors I asked to readthrough this project with me, Izzy- ended up joining the show later on!