Remember that one time we did a musical?

We get to do it again!!!  This April BNDS proudly presents.... Beauty and the Beast Jr.!

It's been a tremendous luxery having so much time to prepare for this show, unlike last year, and I am SO excited to do such a fun show with an incredible group of people.  Here's a promo video I made, first featuring the students on their experience in Fiddler and then introducing the crew of the next show.  Enjoy!  And if you HAPPEN to be in Beijing at the end of April, swing on by. ;) 

One Lucky Nomad

And so ends another crazy summer!

If you’ll remember my last summer road trip of five weddings and no car, it was a doozy that taught me so much about trusting Father and letting others help me, and this summer was MUCH less painful because of what I’m still learning. Maybe one of the best summers I’ve had. 

But first!  Every get depressed while perusing facebook or instagram because everyone’s life is awesome, and you’re eating instant mashed potatoes and watching The Food Network?  Full same.  And I don’t want you to think that my life is all fun and adventure just because I refuse to post stati lamenting my dirty house, unnaturally unwarranted bruises, and struggles with the photocopy guy. 

Because the truth is….it’s lonely living in another country sometimes.  It’s debilitating to not be able to communicate.  It’s depressing to not have my parent’s home as a default destination for breaks. It’s frustrating to never have a permanent address; going to the bank, shopping online, or getting a library card is never an easy or always possible task.  It’s crippling to not have a car, depending on people to take me to the store to buy underwear at Target. It’s painful to say goodbye every few weeks, knowing that everyone you live with may float out of your life in a few months. 

But this summer I kept thinking, “I am so incredibly, ridiculously lucky.”

It’s lonely living anywhere sometimes, but I have a family in China that many don’t have…one that provided a juice bar and put on talent show for my birthday party because they know me. 

It’s debilitating to not speak Chinese…but I speak English like a boss and I milked that for all its worth this summer. I grew up speaking a language that so many work so hard to learn, and I’m trying to not take that for granted. AND the little Chinese I speak was just enough to make a few airport friends. :) It's depressing not to have my parent’s house as an option, but I was completely blown away by all the people that hosted me and made me feel 100% at home.  Also, skype, wechat and the modern cellular device allowed for a lot of good talks with the parentals.  AND I got to see DJ a lot!   It’s frustrating to never have a permanent address, but look at all the traveling I’ve gotten to do!  I’m living up this time of life, and I’m sure I’ll miss it when I have my own mailbox.It’s crippling to not have a car, but this summer I got to borrow my brother’s, which let me travel around Ohio for a week with zero problems.  Also smart phones.  Smart phones make all the difference. And it’s painful to say goodbye so often, but the hellos make them so worth it.  And I got to say a heck of a lot of hellos to family and friends from Venezuela, Spain, Cedarville and China.  And these people made my summer.  Thank you so, so much. 

So yes.  All that said, life is not as rosey as Instagram or Facebook would have us believe, but as I sit in the airport, ready for China year 3, all I know is that I’m one lucky girl, and it's all Him.  Now pictures!  Mainly of people because that's what really makes any summer.  :) 

Spent a week with the these classy Grandparents, rockin 90.  Sweet times reading Grandma's journal from nursing school and discussing all the things with the (Christopher Plummer Doppleganger) scholar.  

Next up, I visited DJ where he was working at Twin Lakes  Camp.  So proud of that guy.

*NOT PICTURED: the gorgeous, I-totally-cried wedding of Crucky and Fluffy, where I saw so many old theatre friends that I couldn't even handle it or stop to take a picture. 

I got to see Lynnette and Will in West Virginia.  Met her in seventh grade and now she and her husband are building a house. Whaaat?  So so cool to see her. :) 

Sam!!!  Too excited to take a non-blurry picture.  This girl just passed Step 1 of med school, and I'm so stinkin proud of her.  Also, her hospital stories make me laugh more than Brian Regan.  

Sharon Befus!!! We're going on 21 years of friendships and 6 countries .  We've changed a lot since the ol' barbie days, but she's still as thoughtful and wonderful as always.  

Nissi!  The upperlcassman who nicknamed me "pretty stagecrafter"  and then told me to go to her dorm and get her belt.  So glad she actually became my friend later and directed me because she's ridiculously talented and wonderful.  Got to see her thesis show in Chicago, and I was so proud. :) 

The cutest dog in the world.  I would carry him around in my purse everywhere, no shame, and I was this close to taking him to China.  

THEN, my favorite part of every summer: a week at the lake with awesome family.  This was on a hike in the UP.  

Then LA baby!  I got to see Emily Munro, my dear friend from Spain who sang allll the Wicked songs with me.  She took me to Pawnee's City Hall and Shakepseare in the Park. SO good. :) 

Nathanny Fanny!!  This first-cousin-once removed pretty much became my brother when he lived with us for a year in Spain.  So it was AWESOME hanging with him and his wife for the first time since their wedding.  Beach and international noms for dayyys.  Perfect ending to a whirlwind of a summer.  

Training Across China!

So, while I (in general) love my life in China, Beijing isn't the prettiest of cities, what with the pollution and general spitting on the streets.  So it was awesome to see four places in China that made me realize what a beautiful country it is!  Ariella, Meagan and I embarked on a 10 day trip as soon as school got out to travel to Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, Yangshuo and Hongkong.  Basically, our strategy was spending a night on a train, a day in a city, a day on a train, a day in a city.  It was a cray-cray but an awesome adventure I feel lucky to have gone on.  :)    

Sooo many people!  Just getting into each train station made me want to swear.  #nosuchthingasaline #pushandshovepeoplepushandshove

Snuggled up in our first sleeper train for the 30 hour ride.  Thank God for my nook and cheese.

*Things I Witnessed on a Chinese Train Part 1: Two parents encouraging their two year old to pee into the metal bin that's supposed to act as a trash can.  They sit between the two sets of bunks (including the one I sleep in) and the mom holds the girl out, spread eagle, while the dad makes a whistling noise that inspires the pee pee.  Oh thank you Huggies, there is a God; they're putting a diaper on her.
*Anendum: I rejoiced to soon.  They attempted potty training again .  And succeded.
Ariella:  "You know what they have in America?  Seat covers. Seat covers everywhere.  Seat covers for dayssss..."

Yes.  Meagan brough a french press with her on this journey.  We made fun of her, but we all reaped the bennefits.  

*Things I Witnessed on a Chinese Train Part 2:  A cleaning lady pokes Ariella in the butt to wake her up.  Why?  She is changing all the sheets.  Woman spots a foreign object on the table (where I have kept my cheese) that can only be...a child's turd.  Woman picks it up.  And continues on her merry way!!  Doesn't blink an eye.  Doesn't reach for disinfectant wipes.  lblblblblb*

One of the many adorable childrens on this trip.  We became friends.  

Stop 1: Chengdu!  We had the famou Sichuan Hot Pot!  It was spiiiicy.  

And then we saw Pandas!!!  They're so fluffy I'm gonna die!

Active Breakfast Time. 

Stop 2: Zhangjiajie, aka the Avatar Mountains.  We actually couldn't go to the Avatar Mountains because of weather/timing but instead we went to the Tianmen Mountain, and it was one of the most incredible places I've ever been to.  We took the longest cable car in the world (30 min) to the top of the mountain in the clouds. 

And we walked along the side of the mounatin.

Whaaaaaat!  The mist ended up being gorgeous.

hahaha we got the ponchos for free so we had to go for it.  ;) 

fly rules that mountain.

Just living in wonder.

Stop 3: Yangshuo!  We biked through kumquat orchards in the country and spotted water buffulo and other faua.  And sweated buckets.

We saw a light show directed by the same guy who did the Beijing 2008 Olympic Opening ceremonies!

Those hats are actually a thing.  I would have gotten one, but Meagan would have been embarassed.

"Bamboo" river cruise!  #prettysureitwaspvcpipe

Is this real life?!

hahaha...this says so much about the trip of endless trains and crazy heat.  Last train!

Last stop: Hong Kong!  Beautiful. And spennnnsive

World Cup represeeeeeent!  :D

Amazing views.  Also cool learning about Hong Kong's involvment in history!

AND THEN WE WENT TO DISNEYLAND!!!! #dreamsdocometrue I'm pretty sure I was the most excited one there.  What a way to end the trip.  :D

Fiddler Feedback

Hello interwebs!  I’m officially terminating my longest hiatus from blogging yet, and I’d like to blame it all on directing Fiddler on the Roof Jr…even though that ended June 14^th. :p  Seems like the more I have to blog about, the less I blog because ain’t nobody got time for dat. 

So yes!  #bndsdoesfiddler is finally over, officially claiming the title of the hardest but most rewarding project of my life.  In the next few posts I’ll talk more about the “Four Major Tragedies” that Father amazingly worked through and show you pictures of the final product. 

But first, this is my favorite part.  Of course, I work my butt off to make good art, to raise standards, to encourage thinking and compassion, and to show people what we are capable of when we work hard together.  But after the final curtain, all that physically remains are some dried flowers, sweat-stained costumes, cups from backstage, and maybe an illegal video from the punk in the 9^th row who didn’t listen to my firm curtain speech.  All that lasts are the people impacted and the lessons they learned and friends they made through this process.  My greatest joy has been seeing that impact in my life and in the lives of my students.  So here are just a few quotes I stole from students who posted on WeChat (the Chinese version of facebook).

“I love my Fiddler Family!” –Anny (Golde)

“I want to Motel forever!!!!!”- Unique (Motel)

“WE DID IT!!! AND WE ARE GOING TO DO IT AGAIN TOMORROW!!!”

--Jackie (Fyedka)

“Sorry that I break the rule, but I am just TOO EXCITED!!!!” –Michael (Mordcha)

We told them to go to bed by 11 instead of gushing online about the show to each other.  He posted this at 11:29. ;)

“Sorry Miss Korkosz, I should have known how disrespectful I was when I decided not attend grade 9 music class.  I’ve learned how to be responsible and respectful.  Thanks to Fiddler.  J” –Stefanie, 10^th grade. 

“I just can’t believe that the most wonderful three months in my life have ended.” –Michael (Mordcha)

“Miss Barkas, Miss Korkosz, Miss Anderson and Mr. Carter, you are the least scary teachers, the most thoughtful members and together the best-functioned team I have ever seen in my life.  You are such inspirations for me and for all of us.  You are the embodiment of enthusiasm and kindness, and you have taught me an essential lesson of courage and determination.” –Ivy (Shprintze)

This collection of memories is from my student Cookie, who was a shining star in the chorus…

“It was just AWESOME, AWESOME, and AWESOME!!!!!!!  It is the first musical I have ever taken part in and it really gave me a lot more than just a show.

I can still remember that day at the beginning of this semester. On my way back to the dorm, Ms. Anderson told me that there was gonna be a MUSICAL.
I remember that we were confused about what the word "Fiddler" meant. We even thought that was a man's name. Now, I won't forget this word FOREVER.
I remember the time I was considering whether I would take part in the audition or not. Now I am really glad that I make the right decision.  I remember, Ivy, we cheer for each other before the audition even we didn't know each other very well at that time. I can still feel that nervousness during the audition. I was soooo nervous that my voice was shaking.  I remember we practiced Matchmaker for the whole day for the callback; we even sang it before the economics class! Now I will never forget that melody.

I can still feel the excitement when I saw my name on the cast list but still a little bit confused about my role's title: another man.  I remember the first time the whole cast gathered together and read through the script. We laughed about "marring a monkey", "this is not mine" and so on. I remember that weekend when we started the dance of Tradition. We laughed at Papas' movement because it looked really funny. I remember skipping self study for food every time after the rehearsal and explain to those teachers why we skip difficultly.  I remember the first time we saw our skirt and tried on them. I was really surprised that it was great!!!!!  I remember checking Ms. Barkas' email every night(oops! I forgot to pay the fine....).

I remember that I realized Fiddler on the Roof just gradually came into our lives and became a part of our lives. We just add "and god be with you" after saying goodbye to each other.  Sometimes the melody becomes an earworm and just repeat again and again in our mind. We started singing those songs while doing other things. We started to call others by the name of their role in the show.

I remember we experienced so much emotions together.  The excitement of finishing the whole show. The sadness when someone decided to leave us. The happiness when we improved.  And the surprising feeling when we saw fansy new props.

I remember we were too excited to concentrate on other things on those day like we were moving into the gym or going to run the show with costume. I remember we complained about having no time to review for the test or do homework or even other things(like....the blushes were soooo red!!!!?lol) However we kept going and overcame those difficulties. I remember standing under the spot light feeling myself was really a villager of Anatevka.  It was this musical which brought all of us together and made us get to know of each other. Although the musical ended, our friendship won't stop.”

Love these students.  So glad I can continue to see them grow next year.

Director's Note

For those of you who giggled at the idea of Chinese students acting as Jews in Russia, you're not the only one.  But here's what I learned and wrote in my directors program note. :)  

“Jews?  In Russia?  In 1905?” My principle was clearly confused about my proposal.  “So…different from China!”  From the moment Liz Korkosz and I considered Fiddler on the Roof for the first ever musical at Beijing National Day School, we knew we would be exploring completely foreign territory.  Our students had never done a musical in their lives, and they certainly had never heard of Fiddler on the Roof. 

I am neither Jewish, nor Russian, nor one-hundred-and-nine years old.  Yet, when I performed in Fiddler on the Roof in tenth grade, I cheered for Tzeitel and Motel, laughed at Yente, and cried during Home I Love.  I have since discovered the same reactions from my students, who relate to their characters, though coming from very different backgrounds.  We find common ground because Fiddler on the Roof is about humanity—themes that transcend cultural barriers—from oppression to love, forgiveness to change.  Our traditions might be different, but we have all experienced conflict with those different from us, the ache of moving, and the love of family. 

As the students in the International Department prepare for the next step in their adventure, they will relive scenes from Fiddler on the Roof.  They will say goodbye to their parents, evaluate which traditions to keep and which cultures to adopt, and beg for a matchmaker to either hurry up or go away.  We can neither anticipate nor prepare them for all that is to come, but I hope they will always treasure the truths they learned and friends they made on this journey.

And now, at the resolution of such a big project, my heart is bursting with gratitude. Thank you, BNDS, for giving us the opportunity to explore new territory.  Thank you, students, for giving your precious time and talent to try something new, grow as performers, and show BNDS what we are capable of when we work hard together.  You are more than I could have hoped for, and I am so unbelievably proud of you.  Thank you, teachers, for sacrificing your time and sanity to help me create a memory for these students that will last forever.  I literally could not have done it without you, and I am so impressed by the variety of theatrical talent tucked away in the southwest corner of Beijing.  Finally, thank you, dear audience, for supporting live theatre and the beauty and hard work it represents.  Enjoy the show!  L’chaim!

Stephanie Anderson

Director 

Fiddler Moments

Check out some of my favorite moments from Fiddler!  Production shots provided by the Macs.  :)  

The Cast!  I can't tell you how much I adore them.  

"TRADITION!!!!"  Meagan and Abby did an incredible job clothing the people of Anatevka. :)  

The Fiddler!  She was awesome.  :) 

Yeah...I can do that....:p 

Leon came out of nowhere as the perfect Tevye!  A good leader and thinker and a natural ham.  I hardly had to do anything.  And check out that house Robbie built!  The audience gasped and applauded when it first opened up.

The "sons."  Nice prayer shawls made with love (and swears) by Abby Wight. ;) 

The classic cow/daughter mix-up.  What a laugh.  

LOVED our Fyedka and Chava!  They were stars.  

These two...absolutely adorable in "Do You Love Me?"

"Even a poor tailor is entitled to some happiness!"

Ladies and Gentleman, stage combat moves from Mathew Michael Moore. ;)  Peter and Jeff loved being boss.

"A bird may love a fish....but where would they build a home together?"  Sweet Chava projected through this scene with a dead mic and it was her best acting job yet!

Cuties.  Mops provided from the junk pile.  Love that place. ;) 

"Oh Papa, I can't marry him!"

Love these hooligans, and they loved their beards, thanks to Grace Pilet.  :) 

The team working hard.  :) 

Liz....we did a musical.  Can't imagine doing it without you. :)