ASCC STAGES ADAPTATION OF SIA FIGIEL NOVELLA

By James Kneubuhl, ASCC Press Officer

The students of the Drama Workshop class at the American Samoa Community College will stage a world premiere of sorts when they perform a dramatic adaptation of the Sia Figiel novella "Girl In The Moon Circle" this coming Thursday.

Although Figiel, a novelist, performance artist and American Samoa resident, has performed her work on stages all over the world, this ASCC production will mark the first adaptation of one of her pieces as a play. The author herself collaborated on the script for the production earlier this semester with Drama Workshop instructor Dr. Sybil Johnson.

Like much of Figiel’s work, "Girl In The Moon Circle" generated some controversy upon its release in the mid-‘90s. Set in these islands, the story focuses on the everyday life of a ten-year-old girl named Samoana, whose voice Figiel often uses in her narrative. The controversial aspect of the novella has to do with Samoana’s tendency to talk about not only the typically fun and innocent perceptions of a child, but also some very "adult" topics and the darker side of village life.

Dr. Johnson and Figiel view this production as a fun experiment in making a unique text come alive in the hands of student actors. "This will help us both see how well certain aspects of the novella will work on the stage," Johnson related. "We may re-work the script and organize a second production sometime in the future."

Currently off island giving performances of her own and attending conferences in Hawaii, the mainland and Europe, Figiel will not attend this special event, but she did give the final version of the script her approval before her departure.

The single performance of "Girl In The Moon Circle" will take place this Thursday, May 6, at 12:30 p.m. in the ASCC auditorium. Admission is free, and the public is welcome to attend.