(NOTE: Assessment criteria for Normal (Academic) teams are more relaxed than Express teams.)
2 Thinking Day 1 Team 1: Khairi, Hock Wee, Jin Po
Acting: Delivery is loud and generally confident. Left witch uses gestures effectively to complement his lines. However, the other two witches are a little stiff. Also, it’s considered polite to face the person you’re speaking to, which is not done in this case. 7/10
Costumes: Using ponchos and trashbags alone is insufficient. It looks more like three people caught in a rainy day than three witches. 5/10
Props: Ok, first things first – the cauldron is so SMALL. Having the right witch add something in adds to the scene, which is good. More can be done though. 6/10
Total score: 18/30
2 Thinking Day 1 Team 2: Zhi Xiang, Song Hang, Amirul
Acting: Witches enter the stage in character, and after filling the cauldron, talk to each other. That is good. However, though they know their lines, the delivery is too soft. 6/10
Costumes: Garbage bags can be used effectively, but in this case, it is not. The costumes are not thought out well can be improved. 4/10
Props: Another small cauldron. Think BIG. Nice touch with the bleached hand, the knife and the water as ingredients for the cauldron. 8/10
Total score: 18/30
2 Thinking Day 1 Team 3: Boon Yao, Qi Da, Hazim
Acting: Witches enter the stage in character, which is good. They look at each other when delivering the lines, which is also good. The only problem – and a killer one – is that all three witches speak too softly and their line, if they did say anything, cannot be heard. This is the killer. 3/10
Costumes: The ponchos are used more effectively, the hoods being used to shadow the faces which creates a sense of mystery about the witches. The transparent light green poncho was a bad idea though. 6/10
Props: Having bamboo sticks may have been a good idea, but safety is important. And using the long bamboo sticks to stir the tiny cauldron is a little off. 6/10
Total: 15/30
2 Thinking Day 1 Team 4: Atiqah, Istiana, Sharon
Acting: Lines are delivered confidently, if only a little soft. However, it’s considered rude not to be looking at the person whom you’re asking a question and the witches should have been facing each other when conversing. Also, witches should behave like witches instead of standing still and reciting the lines. 3/10
Costumes: Not much preparation done. Simply cutting holes in trashbags and wearing them does not show evidence of much effort put into designing and creating costumes. Hairstyles help somewhat, but not by much. 4/10
Props: No props. 0/10
Total score: 7/30
2 Thinking Day 1 Team 5: Sharifah, Syahirah, Grace
Acting: Moving in slowly like witches is good. Facing each other while saying the lines is good. What is not good is saying the lines too softly. Although some lines can be heard, this is still a killer. 5/10
Costumes: Using dark jackets with hoods are generally all right for witch costumes. However, the chequered skirts are quite obviously not witch-like. If more thought had been spent on how to look like a witch, the score for costumes would have been increased. 4/10
Props: The smoke rising from the cauldron is a nice touch and is quite unique. Cauldron is slightly bigger than the other ones, which is a plus point. 7/10
Total score: 16/30
2 Thinking Day 1 Team 6: Fazirah, Fathin, Yi Min
Acting: Kneeling down does not generally give much room for acting, but the witches find something to do instead of simply kneeling and looking at each other, which is good. Only the middle witch’s voice is audible though, which does have an effect on the score for acting. 6/10
Costumes: Right witch is appropriately dressed for the role, but again, chequered skirts are simply un-witchy. The passing grade is thanks to the right witch, otherwise the score would be identical to 1.5. 6/10
Props: The candles are a novelty, and if the performance was at night, the effect would have been very appropriate with the lights out. The whole thing about the scraps of newspapers is beyond me though, but I’m sure it does serve some purpose. 6/10
Total score: 18/30
2 Thinking Day 1 Team 7: Erra, Michelle, Xuan Qi
Acting: Lines are delivered confidently and in a evil (robotic) tone, which complements the atmosphere very nicely. Left witch seems to have been emulating a hunchback, but does not follow through all the way. 8/10
Costumes: Although garbage bags are used yet again, these witches manages to pull it off by having a full-length costume, avoiding the hideous chequered menace that seems to plague other garbage bag–using teams. The shawl is a good touch to show the difference between the three witches. A nice touch is having the bottoms of the costumes cut to simulate tattered clothes. 8/10
Props: The use of the cloth to represent sand/ground is quite interesting, as is the box containing a paper hand to bury in the sand. (7/10)
Total score: 23/10
