halloween: a 3-part series

halloween in taiwan, while not unheard of, is not automatic. kids might celebrate at their after-school cram school, or learn some holiday-specific vocabulary at regular school. adults might wonder how ghosts can be cause for celebration, when taiwanese "ghost day" is a time to steer clear of the ghosts who are released from hell for a breath of fresh air. halloween in taiwan is an english teacher's fantasy holiday: it comes with built-in incentives of fantasy, mock terror, and free candy. so mr. chung and i went for it-- a 3-part, 3-week-long halloween series.

part one: we warmed up our audience with an introduction to traditional pre-halloween activities. a small green gourd subbed for the big orange pumpkin, and we all discovered together just how difficult bobbing for apples really is. alan caught on immediately-- stems are key.

part two: my original play, "the dark & spooky forest," debuts. the set is a mr. chung original, and therefore completely fabulous. it features the return of the ever-popular smoke machine, courtesy of the gaoshu fire department. the sound effects include chainsaws, evil laughter, and cawing crows. the narrator is a fear-inducing pumpkinhead. the actors are terrified and perform their lines in single file line formation or hiding in the cloud of billowing smoke. the audience is confused and yet tolerant. the list of suggestions for improvement is long, and the kindhearted taiwanese teachers are not joking when they say, "just do it again!" brilliant idea. somehow, no one bats an eye.

part three: "the dark and spooky forest" returns, bigger badder and ten times better. the set now features hand-illustrated orange flags. the smoke wafts rather than billows. pumpkinhead is in color. the actors are fearless, they make use of their space, and best of all, they emote. their fear is palpable. they leap, they lunge, and they run screaming into the audience. no one even notices that it is a rerun.

part three and a half: thunderous applause for "the dark and spooky forest" has barely died down when gaoshu's great ghastly costume contest kicks off. grades 1-6 participate, and the criteria are fairly simple: be creative and use recycled or re-purposed materials. there will be 1 winner per grade, 1 grand prize, and a façade of audience participation. there are some truly mind-boggling costumes: hand-knotted wigs made from twine, elaborate collage capes, pipe cleaner internal organs, innumerable metamorphosed trash bags, and my very super top favorite, the newspaper-wrapped mummy boy. and with all of this creativity, the audience always cheers loudest for the kid in the mask. overruled. happy halloween!









photos: meinong jack-o-lantern & mr chung original mask; dark & spooky set; mummy boy; alan bobs with ease; 6th grader's 6th minute bobbing; scenes from the dark & spooky forest ("children did not like to go to the dark and spooky forest"/ "ahh! a mummy!"/ "just then, they saw a witch"/ "it's so scary!"); nature fairies; 2nd grade contestants; grand prize nominees (winners on L and R-- a tie)