~断了的弦~: A Special Mid-Autumn Festival

10 October 2009

A Special Mid-Autumn Festival

The Legend of Chang-Er

Director: Cheang Si En

Vice Director: Raymond Teh

Narrator: May Jean, Kah Wei

Background Music: Shee Yen, Si En

Main Characters:

Hou Yi - Chang Yue

Chang-er - Hui Wen

The Jade Emperor - Guan Heng

The Royal Goddess - Kar Man

Chang-er’s maid -Hoi San

Villagers - Kai Way, Sue Ching, Chui Ying, Shee Yen, Raymond

10 suns -Owi, Shiao Mei, Kar Man, Lina, Kelly

Subordinates - Sue Ching, Veng Shie, Raymond, Ing Ding, Shee Yen

The story begins around 2170 B.C. after the great flood in the Hsia dynasty. (Villagers - Kai Way, Sue Ching, Chui Ying cries help) Yu, king of many kingdoms, is credited with stopping the flood, and with teaching farmers how to cultivate their fields, thus commencing a prosperous epoch.

(Jade Emperor - Guan Heng sits on stage, Subordinate – Raymond goes in)

At the same time, in Heaven, the Jade Emperor wishes to help the farmers raise animals and cultivate their fields. He gives orders to his ten sons (Owi, Shiao Mei,Kar Man, Lina and Kelly come in) to become ten suns and travel across the sky one at a time, each taking one day. However, the ten young men disobeyed. All ten of them come out every day, and the heat from ten suns shining all at once, making the earth intolerably hot!

(Villagers - Raymond, Shee Yan, Kai Way act kelian)

People and animals died of heat, rivers dried up, land becomes barren and forests scorches and burns. The farmers prayed (kneel & bai bai), giving sacrifices and burning incense to Heaven for deliverance.

Hou Yi is a great archer and brought his magic bow with him. (Hou Yi - Yue walks in with courage) Seeing how much suffering and destruction caused by the heat of the ten suns, Hou Yi climbs to the top of Tienshan mountain and begins negotiating with the suns to have pity on the unfortunate people. He takes out his magic bow and arrows, shoots down nine of the suns accurately (Yue shoots) Hou Yi leaves the last sun to live to separate night from day. Since then, the people of the clans proclaim him to be their leader. (Villagers adore/take chairs out of scene) Finally, the earth is at peace and people enjoy their work and lives.

(actors in positions, pause a while)

After becomes the leader of the clans, Hou Yi fell in love with a beautiful lady, Chang-er and took her as his wife. (Yue, Hui Wen walk in, chit-chat) However, he feels overwhelmed with power and starts being violent and drunk. In his drunkenness, he treats the people cruelly. (pushes Sue Ching, drags Hoi San out)

At the same time, Hou Yi is told that the Royal Goddess resides on top of Kunlun Mountain and has a pill of immortality. Hou Yi gives an order to his subordinates to climb up the Kunlun Mountain. After searching and searching, finally, the subordinates found the Royal Goddess and begged the Royal Goddess for the pill of immortality. (beg ah beg) The Goddess, taking pity on them, give them the one remaining pill.

Instantly after retrieve the pill, the subordinates head back to Hou Yi and tell the majesty that the pill had to be taken exactly on the 15th night of the eighth month when the moon was fullest. Hou Yi is very happy and keeps it in a save box. (keeps the pill) Without knowing, Chang-er accidentally heard the conversation about the pill.

In order to prevent Hou Yi from threatening the people of clans, Chang-er sneaked in to Hou Yi’s room. (walks in silently) She hesitates for a while and decides to sacrifice herself by swallowing the whole pill. Suddenly, Hou Yi comes in to the room without her expectation. (Yue comes in) Chang-er is shocked by the presence of Hou Yi and swallows the pill immediately. (eat the pill) Instantly, she feels her body becoming lighter, slowly rising upwards and towards the sky. (Hui Wen flies)

This myth passes on generation by generation. Each year on the 15th day of the eighth month, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest, family unites to sit under the moon, trying to see the image of a beautiful maiden.

(everyone-Happy Mid-Autumn Festival)