Praise Still Rolling In For "The Wiz"
(From ASCC Connections Newsletter - Week of May 16, 2005)

Namulauulu Dr. Paul Pouesi, head of the Fine Arts Department reports that he is still receiving calls from the public to inquire about further performances of the musical stage play "The Wiz". While no further performances of "The Wiz" are scheduled at present, there's no telling what might happen in the future.  For those unable to attend the performances, "The Wiz" played to packed houses on Friday and Saturday, May 6th and 7th, as the Fine Arts Department turned the whole ASCC auditorium into a stage for the show.  Dr. Sybil Johnson's acting students truly surpassed themselves this time by adding singing and dancing to their repertoire of skills. 
Dr. Pouesi himself organized a fine group of student musicians to provide live accompaniment for the many difficult "Wiz" songs.  Art instructor Reggie Meredith and her students provided effective and often amusing stage settings.  Last but not least, new Fine Arts faculty member Carmela Gallace contributed original choreography, and performed herself in one of the scenes.  Congratulations to the Fine Arts folks on a superlative job, and we hope this is just the first of many productions that help bring quality live theater back to our community.

ASCC STAGES ADAPTATION OF SIA FIGIEL NOVELLA

By James Kneubuhl, ASCC Press Officer

The students of the Drama Workshop class at the American Samoa Community College will stage a world premiere of sorts when they perform a dramatic adaptation of the Sia Figiel novella "Girl In The Moon Circle" this coming Thursday.

Although Figiel, a novelist, performance artist and American Samoa resident, has performed her work on stages all over the world, this ASCC production will mark the first adaptation of one of her pieces as a play. The author herself collaborated on the script for the production earlier this semester with Drama Workshop instructor Dr. Sybil Johnson.

Like much of Figiel’s work, "Girl In The Moon Circle" generated some controversy upon its release in the mid-‘90s. Set in these islands, the story focuses on the everyday life of a ten-year-old girl named Samoana, whose voice Figiel often uses in her narrative. The controversial aspect of the novella has to do with Samoana’s tendency to talk about not only the typically fun and innocent perceptions of a child, but also some very "adult" topics and the darker side of village life.

Dr. Johnson and Figiel view this production as a fun experiment in making a unique text come alive in the hands of student actors. "This will help us both see how well certain aspects of the novella will work on the stage," Johnson related. "We may re-work the script and organize a second production sometime in the future."

Currently off island giving performances of her own and attending conferences in Hawaii, the mainland and Europe, Figiel will not attend this special event, but she did give the final version of the script her approval before her departure.

The single performance of "Girl In The Moon Circle" will take place this Thursday, May 6, at 12:30 p.m. in the ASCC auditorium. Admission is free, and the public is welcome to attend.