Sophomore Christmas Exhibition and Interview with
Section A’s Co-director
By Joyce Chen
On December 22, sophomore students of the English Department at Fu Jen University once again joined together at Arens Multi-functional Conference Centre for the annual Christmas Exhibition in celebration of the festive holiday.
The Christmas Exhibition has been a long-standing tradition of the English Department. Every school year, students from each section of the Composition & Conversation (CC) II classes would work together to create performances on topics related to the holiday season. What is interesting about this event is that it is entirely student-led; students are solely responsible for every aspect of their performance, and professors of each CC section are only present to offer general guidance and oversee students’ progress. As every sophomore student is required to participate in this event, it is also a great team-building opportunity in terms of getting to know and learning to work with their peers.
The Christmas Exhibition has been a long-standing tradition of the English Department. Every school year, students from each section of the Composition & Conversation (CC) II classes would work together to create performances on topics related to the holiday season. What is interesting about this event is that it is entirely student-led; students are solely responsible for every aspect of their performance, and professors of each CC section are only present to offer general guidance and oversee students’ progress. As every sophomore student is required to participate in this event, it is also a great team-building opportunity in terms of getting to know and learning to work with their peers.
Students performing at Arens, photograph by Joyce Chen, 22 December, 2020
The Exhibition on Tuesday was a great success, with each of the five sections delivering entertaining performances for the entire sophomore cohort, as well as for the children from FJU’s affiliated GuoTai Elementary School, who came to watch the Exhibition every school year for the last 5 years. Every section also projected their lines in both English and Chinese so that it was easier for the audience to follow along.
Two students hosted the event, making for smoother transitions between each performance, and some sections even opted to have quizzes at the end of their performances, with prizes such as candy and Christmas cards for the children. As a result, children became more engaged and invested in the performances as the event went on.
The performance from Dr. Joseph Murphy’s section, in particular, was about Christmas celebrations in Spanish and American cultures. Emma Minoungou, co-director of section A, shared some behind-the-scenes information about her section’s performance, her experiences as co-director, and her suggestions for future sophomore students.
Q: What is your exhibition about?
A: Our play is about the comparison of Christmas celebrations in both Spain and America. The plot is about two families from Spain and America coming together to celebrate Christmas because two of their children are dating each other, but things turn bad when each family tries to prove that their culture is better than the other. But in the end they become conscious of their mistakes and agree that all cultures should be appreciated and accepted.
Q: What are the inspirations behind your exhibition?
A: The inspiration comes from each student’s ideas; we combined our ideas to come up with something, and we kept improving it over time. We also gathered information about Christmas celebrations from the two countries and incorporated the stories from both countries.
Q: How did you organize the aesthetics of the play, such as lighting, music, etc.?
A: We divided into groups: two directors, three people were responsible for the script, four for props, two for lighting, and two for sound effects. We started working after the script was officially completed.
Q: Did your section encounter any difficulties during rehearsals? If so, what were they and how did you overcome them?
A: The most difficult part during rehearsals was to find enough time to rehearse since everybody had a tight schedule. We overcame this difficulty by making sure the main actors find time to rehearse and know their lines.
Q: Do you have any suggestions for future sophomores who will work on this project next year?
A: Yes, for future sophomores, we would suggest that they work all together and be involved in each part rather than only working on what they have been assigned to. It’s important to share ideas and communicate with each other.
Two students hosted the event, making for smoother transitions between each performance, and some sections even opted to have quizzes at the end of their performances, with prizes such as candy and Christmas cards for the children. As a result, children became more engaged and invested in the performances as the event went on.
The performance from Dr. Joseph Murphy’s section, in particular, was about Christmas celebrations in Spanish and American cultures. Emma Minoungou, co-director of section A, shared some behind-the-scenes information about her section’s performance, her experiences as co-director, and her suggestions for future sophomore students.
Q: What is your exhibition about?
A: Our play is about the comparison of Christmas celebrations in both Spain and America. The plot is about two families from Spain and America coming together to celebrate Christmas because two of their children are dating each other, but things turn bad when each family tries to prove that their culture is better than the other. But in the end they become conscious of their mistakes and agree that all cultures should be appreciated and accepted.
Q: What are the inspirations behind your exhibition?
A: The inspiration comes from each student’s ideas; we combined our ideas to come up with something, and we kept improving it over time. We also gathered information about Christmas celebrations from the two countries and incorporated the stories from both countries.
Q: How did you organize the aesthetics of the play, such as lighting, music, etc.?
A: We divided into groups: two directors, three people were responsible for the script, four for props, two for lighting, and two for sound effects. We started working after the script was officially completed.
Q: Did your section encounter any difficulties during rehearsals? If so, what were they and how did you overcome them?
A: The most difficult part during rehearsals was to find enough time to rehearse since everybody had a tight schedule. We overcame this difficulty by making sure the main actors find time to rehearse and know their lines.
Q: Do you have any suggestions for future sophomores who will work on this project next year?
A: Yes, for future sophomores, we would suggest that they work all together and be involved in each part rather than only working on what they have been assigned to. It’s important to share ideas and communicate with each other.