A soldier’s tale

1. A soldier’s tale Montville Township High School Field Corps 2010

2. The characters • GI JOE • Starts with long hair, shaves head. Guard puts uniform on the kid. • Costume(s)? • Civilian, military • Is excited about joining the military, very patriotic person. • JANE • Spouse: wife. • How does the guard relate to this character? • Same costume?

3. HOME • Length: 40 seconds. Q=76-90 • Interaction ofthe Joe and Jane character begins the show. • Staging to draw attention to the characters on side 1. • PROP: Door frame • Shows J&J together on the “inside” • Wreath on the door to display home. • When soldier leaves, wife puts ayellow ‘support troops ribbon’ on. • Can we build a house façade to further expand this idea? • MUSIC IDEA: The promise of living!! • Home’s musical theme or Joe/Jane together musical theme? • At 15-30 seconds into the show: • percussion groove enters underneath the melody • fromsoft to loud for transition into enlistment • Curvilinear forms predominantly • Flag ensemble on left side (1) • IMPACT??? • Loud musical cadence • Celebrating -> Joe & Jane holding each other?

4. ENLISTMENT • Character leaves the field of view. • How will we transition him off? • Where does he go? • Focus needs to be redirected • Length: 1:15-1:20 • Grabbing the soldier • Bugle call? • Patriotic music • loud • Flags full guard • Blocks that fill in line by line. • Focusto the center of the field. • trailing with guard to simulate running after the car leaves. • IMPACT: patriotic music.

5. BOOT CAMP • Length: 40-60 seconds. Q=144-152 • Percussion feature • Visual feature: Modern Dance/Visual Tutti Moment • IMPACT • IDEA Reference: Rhythm nation/across the universe • POSSIBLE Rhythmic Chant “this is my rifle” • numbers (cavies 2002-esque) “1 and 4” • Lefts and rights: “your left… your left… left right left” • Interactions between members, sergeant/private maneuvers. • Push ups, jumping jacks. • CLAP ZONE! • Culmination of visual/percussion feature. • Fix their hats, brush off their shoulders (cavaliers) • Blockish square, straight line forms and transformations. Block pass through.

6. DEPLOYMENT • Length: 40 seconds • Patriotic music • IMPACT is mid phrase cut off of patriotic song. • Interrupted with percussion • ?? Visual pause, everyone looks and frozen. • Siren to signal deployment? • Bring out rifle line, battle stations! • Drumline will lead left to right playing ‘call to arms’ • Winds add in and fall into a block (sequenced visuals)

7. BALLADE – LETTERS/LONGING FOR HOME • Ballade q=80-90? • 90 seconds • Characters: • GI JOE • Quote “my dearest love, I’ve been thinking of you” • Wife • Quote “I remember the days when” • Color guard on 7-8ft flags,sabres, solo dance (jane/joe). • Letter writing scene • First man writes (1st phrase) • Wife’s reply(2nd phrase) • Suite francaise: female’s theme • 3rd phrase: dance moment • Interaction between the home and away? • They get closer to each other until they are back to back. • Ending • Soft and sweet • Separation of characters • Jane gets enveloped by flags << perspective of Joe dreaming about Jane. • Can reuse the percussion groove • CLAP ZONE • Drum major transition

8. Battle • Q=164-172 (FAST) • Start with LOUD aggressive percussion chop-a-riffic • Contrary motion • Weapons and blades and flags • Roles of weapons and blades? • Battle acting, who plays during that? • Who will act, how will we act? • How will we address death on the field? • Too difficult? Too emotional? Crowd reactions? • Midwest/Southern judge first read reaction? • death

9. Climax & Resolution • End of the battle • Death of the soldier • Triangle flag to the home family (wife) • inappropriate? Too emotional? • Soft ending. • Emotion as the last impact? • Alt.- ending of the battle scene in mystery over who is dead. • Reveal the character at the end as a reunion to the female character. • Patriotic music ending • Quote from earlier?