First rehearsalday

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Monday January 19

Annemarie explains her concept of the performance to the four actresses Sina, Sokly, Thiery and Sovanna. It takes some time.

We start reading the scenes. 

*  Nurse: 

Two women. Woman 1: relates the death of her father in a Khmer Rouge

hospital and the aggressive attitude of a very young nurse. 

Woman 2: the nurse of those days relates about her dreams to become a doctor helping sick people. She tells how happy she was when she could become a nurse and how disappointed when she realized that the Khmer Rouge hospital did not cure people, but kill them instead. 

These two women meet on stage. Woman 2 says to woman one "I'm sorry about the way I treated yur father." Woman 1 does not know if she can accept the appolagies.

* Student: 

A long monologue of a man in his fifties about his history. 

He was a student during the Lon Nol regime before the Pol Pot period, which was an extremely corrupt and cruel regime. He tells how he took part in studentdemonstrations against Lon Nol, how he was put in jail and tortured. When he came out of prison he walked with high hopes for a better world in the arms of the Khmer Rouge with there promises for a better world. He tells how he was disappointed again when he saw the cruelty of the regime he was fighting for. 

Then he tells about his life here and now, he is a respectable citizen and every Saturday when he goes to the market he sees his mother. She does not look at him and he dares not talk to her, as he feels guilty about his past. 

Next part is the mother. She tells that she is ashamed af her son, but that she still goes every same Saturday to that market. In the end finally the son speaks up and asks his mother "will you please forgive me?" She says "Life is not the same anymore. Son." After that, Sokly sings one of the songs she has written herself about the endless love of a mother for her child.

Now you've read three of our scenes. 

The other four we will be written about in the next blogs.

We had lunch with Youk Cchang (director of DCCam), Sayana Ser and Rith (of Amrita who is involved in the production of this play). 

The hot issue was 'where will we play the first performances?' It would be best to find an open air space in or near Phnom Penh where we can built the set, the same as it will be during the tour in the provinces.

Youk Cchang named five options and tomorrow morning we have a finding location tour. He works fast, he understands what Annemarie is doing and he likes the scenes. He will be of great help and sustainment in the proces.

End of the day.

Friendly greetings Annemarie Prins and Richt Martens.