Portraying the concept of “happiness”
“Where do we go to find happiness?” is a question that is challenging to answer accurately. However, through the lens of Students from grades 6 to 11, happiness is vividly and thoughtfully portrayed through various lives on the stage of the play “Six People Traveling the World.” This performance also serves as the most anticipated year-end report for the Literature Vietnamese subject.
The definition of “happiness” becomes clearer through each main character’s story. There is the fate of the “emotional people”— a pitiful girl who refuses to succumb to outdated sacrificial customs. The story of the “contemplative people” – a brave mermaid longing to come ashore to see the world around her. The students provoke deep thoughts about happiness as they transform into the “mysterious people” – an Egyptian philosopher with countless questions about human existence. The audience is then brought to the edge of their seats with the intense, forbidden love between Romeo and Juliet, kept apart by their feuding families. “The wanderer” Gulliver dreams of traveling the world in search of happiness, while “the judge” Mi Nuong stands amidst the heroic yet tragic battle between Son Tinh and Thuy Tinh. All these stories are brought to life profoundly and authentically by the impassioned and emotional performances of Middle and High School Students.
Applying literary knowledge to artistic creation
Six individuals from six different lands, each with their own concerns, yet all share the same yearning to touch happiness. From conceptualization, scriptwriting, and staging the story, TDSers have intertwined the essence of literature with the knowledge they have acquired over the past year, thereby deriving profound reflections on life.
“I am continually amazed by the creativity and activities that go beyond the boundaries of traditional lessons. To me, today is not just a year-end lesson, but a message about the moments of happiness at Dewey School. This is an academic literary feast, theatrical in nature, drawing from both folklore and modernity, from foreign to Vietnamese literature. Congratulations to the Teachers and Students on an exceptional year-end report!” shared Ms. Bui Thi Thu Loan, a TDSer parent, with emotion.
Happiness is living authentically with yourself
The Dewey Schools are confident that each TDSer has had memorable experiences and personal reflections on their journey towards happiness because “happiness is about continually working, not necessarily to become the best version, but simply to live honestly with yourself.”
