Fringe Festival 2013

My goal for the Fringe this year, as an IB senior, was to move every single audience member; no matter their ethnicity or culture, my piece would get audience members thinking, and realizing the power of theatre as an art form that communicates universal truths. I have been a part in every Fringe Festival since 10th grade here in ISK; I have mostly acted, but last year I staged managed for a senior's devised piece. This year, as I am IB2 in HL Theatre Arts, it was my chance to direct, and in my case write, a play of my own. This was very intimidating, yet invigorating and empowering. I loved the idea that I could pick what I wanted to communicate to an audience, and that I had complete artist freedom with my piece. This was also very intimidating, as there was so much I could do, so much I could say, this wide range of options often gave my extreme writing block. My script was initially going to address racism, and how it is evident in modern society, but I finally concluded that racism was too specific, and not very many people could directly relate to race-related slander, and I really wanted to get every demographic in the audience thinking and relating my piece to personal experience and viewpoint. I ending up discussing relationships, and exploring how relationships often weaken us, even though we think that it is the key to finding the strength in being individuals against a society promoting conformity. I found this extremely interesting because relationships, pressure, fear and identity can be understood universally on different levels from different demographics; we all have a different understanding of these dilemmas, depending on age, background etc. I thought it would spark interesting discussion as we live in an international community. Personally, it made me question my own view point, and how my own experiences have and will continue to change this. My cast was very short, only consisting of two people (Nikita Chandaria and Marcus Sweeney), which was positive, and negative in many ways. We did extreme amounts of work on body movement, diction, and rhythm to prepare for this show, as I was exploring elements of Physical Theatre, Promenade Theatre and Poor Theatre. This was interesting as this was a different kind of acting for both of my actors, so we did a lot of character work to get them in that mind set. We also discussed as a cast our own feelings and experiences on the subject, which was really important in our bonding as a cast, and helped Nikita and Marcus figure out how to act and approach their characters. Once we solidified our script and scenario, we practiced and practiced, and I was happily surprised and how fast they absorbed the new material. I was extremely happy with the end result, as well as the Fringe Festival final performances, and as a whole. Audience members responded extremely well and I felt that my goal was met.

Kariobangi Visit (Feb. 22)

The goal for this trip to Kariobangi was to pick 5 new members to join the school, as sadly, we have lost 3 kids due to family issues jeopardizing the safety of the other students and teachers at the school. It was a difficult decision, but it needed to be done. Those children will always remain in our prays and thoughts. Generally I enjoy going to Kariobangi, and I did in the beginning of this visit. First I saw the kids already enrolled in the school, kids I have known for a while now, and being in their presence and getting a chance to speak to them is always a pleasure. They have the purest souls and their hearts are filled of kindess, even though they are surrounded by such turmoil and hardship. We had a lovely time coloring and I got to catch up with the kids and their school work, which they happily spoke about as they have just finished exams. Then I went with my mom and teacher Esther out to Kariobangi neighborhood to find other children who applied and whom are in need. I have never ventured into the homes and communities within Kariobangi, and I was not prepared for what I encountered. Firstly we needed to venture accompanied by cops, to ward off unwanted attention and protect ourselves. We then  came upon a crying baby who had been left alone in the house, for what seemed like (and was later confirmed by neighbors) the entire day. This poor baby looked so sad, hungry and lonely. Face filled with dried vomit, snot and tears, I have never seen a sadder baby in my life. As my mom arranged to provide the baby with bananas and milk, I held the baby and comforting him, helping Esther clean him up. The baby clung on to me as though he had been aching for someone to cuddle him, to love and pay attention to him. I sang to him and he calmed down, and ceased his tears. We finished cleaning him up and feed him the food my mother arranged, then hiding it so that the neighbors wouldn't steal it. We then set on our mission to find more kids. I had a difficult time and felt extremely saddened by the amount of illness, death, and hopelessness that was so evident in each house we visited. It was difficult on my heart. But i pushed through because there were families out there that needed our help, so I pushed through my aching heart and pounding head.
At the end of the journey, we found 5 new kids to add to the school. After I long hard day we headed back to the Kariobangi I know, with our sweet kids still in the classroom, obediently coloring and just as enthusiastic that we had returned. We succeeded with our goal, and personally, I was extremely affect by this visit, sparking many thoughts about Kenya, and society globally, in my head.

Composers Club/Operation Smile Concert 2013

It was imperative that we had another Composers Club/Operation Smile Concert again this year, due to the amazing success it had in the past. Finding a time to have this concert was extremely difficult, as we were constantly bombarded by different arts and other events going on, which would decrease the importance, and attendance of the concert. For a while, it seemed as if it would not happen. But by the amazing work of my fellow Operation Smile and Composer Club peers, we managed to make it work, making even more money for surgeries than we did last year! I joined Operation Smile at the beginning of this year, as I had become extremely passionate about the club the previous year during the first Op Smile/ Composers Club concert (this is my second year in composers club). I believe strongly in the power of a smile, and how crucial smiles are to mood and the spreading of positivity and happiness, especially too children; smiles are pure beauty, something that everyone has and deserves ans should celebrate. Joining Operation Smile has also given me a chance to be a bridge of communication between both clubs; I am the only person a part of both clubs, so it's been nice to get the ambiance of both clubs. This also created some pressure as Operation Smile began to stress about the concert and asked me questions I wasn't sure of at the time. Fortunately everything worked out wonderfully. 

Preparing for the concert was stressful, but fun. I got to work with the wonderfully talent Sofia on the piano and we performed Etta James' classic "At Last". I personally picked this song for its fame, as well as its beautiful feeling of success, overcoming, and new beginnings. The song is obviously romantic in nature, but in this case I interpreted it as the love one has for a child, whether it is yours or not. Children are valued and are a source of joy in society, and it feels imperative to protect them, and keep them happy; I think it is a beautiful thing that Operation Smile does that, and if we can somehow bring out that kindness in everyone through music, I think that is wonderful and it is something that I am proud to be a part of. Sofia and I practiced a lot, mainly focusing on keys and timing, which were the hardest things to coordinate. Ms.Lillis also gave me some great feedback about my voice and how to control it with this specific song. I spent numerous hours looking at the original by Etta James as well as studying Beyoncé's version of it in Cadillac Records; both women sing it in a different, powerful way, as there voices are different, and it was then I realized that I needed to make the song my own, rather than copying either style. 

The performance was extremely successful. I was the last to perform which was quite intimidating, but once I got on stage I felt at ease. I was extremely moved by the audience, the song, and the thoughts of smiling children in my head. This song was for them, I wanted people to celebrate smiling, positivity, innocence and joy, everything good in the world. I was extremely happy singing this song, and hoped that it opened up peoples hearts.

IC TRIPS: Pictures

IC TRIPS: Senior Trip to Coast

Initially, I was skeptically about this trip. I wasn't sure where we were going, what we were going to do, and how everything was going to play out; but i was pleasantly surprised, I loved the trip. Yes, it was a little more work than we thought our "Senior Trip" would be, but I think we all bonded as a grade and got to know a different side of Kenyan culture! I was extremely impressed by the Camps International team, and the significance their presence has been on the surrounding community. I was in awe of the creative ways they used plastic/glass bottles for foundation and other constructional uses, I have never seen such an artistic, effective use of waste ever. I think its a great way to not only get the community involved by helping collected these bottles, but also creates and promotes a clean environment, which is extremely significant for the children of the community. The beach/local artists were also fantastic in this aspect; making bracelets and other trinkets out of washed up flip flops found on the shore is such a creative idea, and not only brings profit for the struggling artists, it cleans up the beautiful beaches on the coast. I also gained a new respect for these artists, I had a very hard time making my bracelet, took me about 2 hours to make a little piece of jewelry, it is quite the meticulous job. This trip was particularly rewarding for me not just for the work we did in the community, but also getting the chance to snorkel for the first time in my life! This was personally my favorite day, the accommodations on the boat were fantastic and it was just a lovely experience. As a Kenyan, it gave my a great deal of pride in my country. Not only is Kenya such a beautiful country environmentally, but the people bring a smile to my face everyday, and make me proud to be Kenyan. The captains on our boat were so intelligent and really new what they are talking about, and treating us with the upmost respect and made the experience for me. I felt this way throughout the trip, especially on the first day of the trip, when we arrived and we learned about how the community utilizes the trees, the coconuts and various other local resources. Its amazing to think amongst the poverty and the facade of nothingness that seems so apparent in this community, there is such a rich culture, intelligence and happiness evident within the people; you can see it when they spoke to us about their culture, and their land essentially. The romance between the people and their traditions, which we saw with the witch doctor visit as well, is a beautiful thing to witness, and makes me feel more connected to my own roots. This trip promoted thought provoking ideas, for me personally, about not only the disparity in the world I live in, but the juxtaposing pure happiness and authenticity that is found in these communities; I love community service for this selfish reason, that kind of purity is contagious, and makes you a more humble person. I am lucky enough to be a Kenyan who has live around the world, who has experienced many different cultures, and from seeing what amazing things the Camps International team has brought with there expertise, it inspires me to go out in various communities in the Nairobi area and bring what I can to the table, with my "best of both worlds" identity. All in all, I was thrilled and enriched as a person on this trip.