How a Nanta usher prepare the show
Do you know Nanta? Nanta is a non-verbal performance combining Korean traditional sound with comedy and also drama in kitchen. Since the show is non-verbal and expressed only with music and movement, it is enjoyed by a lot of audience worldwide. There are several Nanta theatres in Korea and I started to work as an usher in Chungjeongno Nanta theatre since last week. I'm still learning the work, so I think it's worth writing down the steps of preparing a Nanta show. The basic three steps a Nanta usher should work are as follows: checking the auditorium before the show, examining the tickets, and observing the spectators during the show.
First of all, house ushers should examine the seats to check if there are dirty ones. If there are dirty seats, we call the cleaning service and let them clean up before the audience come in. This process is important because there are some people who pee on their seats during the show. This is a rare case and quite unbelievable but it actually happens though I've never seen one. When finished checking the seats, one usher go hide a prop which will be used in the middle of the performance. He or She should make sure that guests waiting outside are unable to notice the prop because it may kill the joy beforehand. There are tons of tiny things to do before the show; however these should be completed without fail.
Next, it's time to open the gate and welcome the guests. Before actually letting them enter, it is better to line them up since there are always big groups of tourists. House ushers are informed of the big groups beforehand, but it's still hard to control them if we do not form the line. For instance, there were about 150 foreign guests in one group. Before even we examine the tickets, they just rushed to the auditorium and sat down wherever they wanted. They seem to be unaware of the seating arrangement and refused to stand up when the actual owner of the seat came. We had a hard time winning them over and managing the seats with the help of their tour guide shortly before the show begins.
Finally,if this happening ends, the show begins at 5 o'clock. However, house ushers have a lot left to do during the performance. There are always more than a couple of late comers per show. It is usher's job to take them to the assigned seats. However, there are several moments when no enter or even no exit are allowed. At those times, ushers need to make the guest understand the situation and ask for an excuse. When the story reaches the end, there are people who want to leave earlier than others. In this situation, house ushers are encouraged to control the audience not to get out early because there is a possibility that the guests next to them confuse the closing time and leave the spot as well. After the show ends, ushers check the seats similar to the first step and collect the things which seem to be the guests' and take them to the lost and found.
Nanta show is exciting and enjoyed by everybody from all over the world. It is easy to understand and successfully integrated Korean traditional rhythm with Western musical. However, as most of the audience are foreign tourists and many of them are tricky to control, house ushers's job is critical in Nanta show. There are three fundamental steps for a Nanta usher to follow; first of all he or she should check if there are unclean seats and prepare the prop. Then, when the house is opened and the show begins, an usher should control the late comers. Lastly if the show ends, he or she should make sure that all the audience get out and check if there are left belongings.
You have a really clear thesis stating what you are going to write about and what the topic is: the job of an usher like checking the auditorium, tickets, and observing spectators.
ReplyDeleteAlso, you described what you do in order in the body paragraphs using first of all, next, and finally. What I think the most efficient part was that you did not miss the purpose of the essay; process analyzing. You've described the process in chronological order as well as adding your experience. You also evaluated a nanta usher's job and put summary of the article in conclusion. However, from my own perspective, adding a long summary was not necessary. It made the conclusion look so ongoing.
Nevertheless, it is a well written essay! I had fun reading it.
How a Nanta usher prepare the show
ReplyDeleteDo you know Nanta? Nanta is a non-verbal performance combining Korean traditional sound with comedy and drama in a kitchen. Since the show is non-verbal and expressed only with music and movement, it is enjoyed by many people from various countries. There are several Nanta theatres in Korea and I’ve started to work as an usher in Chungjeongno Nanta theatre since this March. I'm still training to get used to the role, so I think it's worth writing down the steps of preparing a Nanta show. The basic three steps a Nanta usher should follow are these: checking the auditorium before the show, examining the tickets, and observing the spectators during the show.
First of all, house ushers should examine the seats to check if there are dirty ones. If there are dirty seats, we call the cleaning service and make sure they clean up before the audience come in. This process is important because there are some people who pee on their seats during the show, though it is hard to believe. This is a rare case, but it actually happens according to the head usher who worked here for years. When the ushers finish checking the seats, one of the ushers hides a prop, which will be used in the middle of the performance, in a secret place. He or she should make sure that guests waiting outside are unable to notice the prop because it may kill the joy before the show starts. There are tons of tiny things to do before the show; however these should be completed without fail to stage a show.
Next, it's time to open the gates and welcome the guests. Before the guests start to enter, it is better to line them up since there are always big groups of tourists and traffic may occur. House ushers are informed of the big groups beforehand, but it's still hard to control them if we do not line them up. For instance, there were about 150 foreign guests from the same travel agency. Before we even examine the tickets, they just rushed to the auditorium and sat down on wherever seats they wanted. They seem to be unaware of the seating arrangement and refused to stand up when the actual owner of the seat came. We had a hard time winning them over and managing the seats with the help of their tour guide shortly before the show begins.
Finally, if this kind of incident ends, the show begins at 5 o’clock. However, house ushers have a lot left to do during the performance. There are always more than a couple of late comers for each show. It is the usher's job to take them to their seats. However, there are several moments when neither entrance nor exit is allowed. At these times, ushers need to make the guest understand the situation and ask for an excuse. Also, when the story reaches the end, there are people who want to leave earlier than others. In this situation, house ushers are encouraged to control the audience not to get out early because there is a possibility that the guests next to them are confused of the closing time and leave the spot as well. After the show ends, ushers check the seats as they did in the first step and collect lost properties and take them to the lost and found.
Nanta show is exciting and enjoyed by spectators from all over the world. It successfully integrated Korean traditional rhythm with Western musical and the story is easy to understand. However, as most of the audience is foreign tourists and many of them are tricky to control, house ushers's job is critical in Nanta show. There are three fundamental steps for a Nanta usher to follow; first of all he or she should check if there are unclean seats and prepare the prop. Then, when the house is opened and the show begins, an usher should guide the late comers. Lastly if the show ends, he or she should make sure that all the audience get out and check if there are left belongings.
I really like your introduction and hook. It was concise and very straightforward.
ReplyDeleteI think your conclusion can be shortened but it's well written anyway.
-Sarah (Seoung Hee Yoo)