Classical and Historical Dramas Come Alive At COM-FSM Kosrae Campus

(Tofol, Kosrae) - COM-FSM Kosrae Campus witnessed EN201 (Introduction to Literature) students’ end-of-the semester two classical dramas on Thursday, May 16, 2013, where hundreds of would-be drama local fanatics filled the riverside lawn. Members of the audience were mostly family members and friends of the EN201 students, faculty members, and staff of the college.  

According to Mr. Dokowe George, KC OAR representative, “I certainly wished members of the Malem Gospel Choir (MGC) would show up to witness the second play to better enrich their knowledge on this significant historical event which the play reflects upon.”  Mr. George’s sentiment was such because of the presentation of the second drama that depicts the actual arrival date of the Boston Foreign Mission Board missionaries, which is oftentimes a debatable issue when it comes to commemoration of this historical event.

The first drama is entitled The Melak Stone, and it features a mother (Maureen Salik Charley) with her two sons, Sapsaple and Supario (Gister Turpin Edmond and Johnnyboy John Johnnyboy).  Due to the mother’s deep affection of fishing, she fails to realize the imminent rising of the tide which causes the drowning of her two sons. The two sons are told to wait under a stone for the mother as she busily fishes with her two sisters Sesrue and Sisra at Melak, the present day Utwe Mah. The overall moral of this historical narrative has to do with proper parenting, which is also remarked by narrator #1 and playwright Henry Jefferson Benjamin on his final comment of The Melak Stone play. The two other significant highlights of this historical day for the college involved stump dances, one at the inception by male college students from Malem Village and the other one at the intermission by the male 7 graders from Malem Elementary School (MES). Again, the second drama The Light That Outshines reflects on the introduction of the Light (the words of the Good Book) by Rev. Snow (Alwin Phinias Alik) with the surprising acceptance of the Light by the sitting King (Lyndon Gilton Esau), which becomes the convention of Micronesians’ lifestyle to this very day. 

Other important attendees of the presentations were Dean Kalwin Kephas and Instructional Coordinator Nena Mike, who also positively commented on the overall outcome of the plays.  Additionally, the instructor for the EN201 Introduction to Literature class, Associate Professor Skipper S. Ittu, also stresses the importance of such an activity since it serves as an authentic assessment to determine mastery of the student learning outcomes (SLO), most especially, slo #2.1, which demands that students recognize classical drama, feminism, magical, realism, existentialism, and historically based pieces of literature.   

With the approbation from college’s comptroller, final aspect of the dramas’ synopsis involves proceeds acquired from the sale of tickets for the plays.  It is the very intention of Associate Professor Ittu, Dean Kephas, and IC Mike that the proceeds be contributed to the college’s Endowment Fund drive.