Anu Naw Soe Moe - 5 short stories

Best Actor Award

The case of Tha Htun Aung and Mya Htun Phyu, who were beaten with sticks in their faces and given five lashes each this morning at the Kukko Pingyi, is said to have started with alcohol. Tha Htun Aung and Mya Htun Phyu are Rakhine men, so if we were to pronounce their names correctly in Burmese, they would be Tha Htun Aung and Mya Htun Phyu. The two had been drinking alcohol before going to the theater to watch the play that was to be shown tonight.

Around 1950. A group of actors came to Kinnareechaung village in Gwe Township, Rakhine State. They were said to have come from the direction of the Four Faces or the Five Tails Stream. The cast was a small group. The actors were about twenty men and women, all in black, white, and gray, carrying their faded costumes on their shoulders. At that time, the area was ruled by the colored rebels, and there were many roads that were impassable, even for a bullock cart. The actresses came in their own clothes and their husbands’ clothes. The actors, including the actor with his hair tied up in a bun, the comedians, the car pullers, the dancers, and the dancers, all came with great difficulty carrying the costumes.

The look on their faces shows how they have struggled to survive by working hard to earn a living through their skills. Due to the local situation, people in that area are facing a shortage of dramas, so they are willing to watch the poor and worn-out dramas that come and go. The village elder U Aung Tin took on the responsibility of a contract for the village school fund. With the help of the community, the theater was built in one day, and they made a shelter from the rain with coconut leaves, reeds and straw. The entrance fee was one kyat for adults and five kyats for children. When the time came, the village elder U Phoe Htaw, who was responsible for the promotion, went not only to Kinnari Chaung village, but also to Thaphan Kone, Phoe Laung Kwin, Kyauk Aung, Hsin Rang Kyaw, Taung Pago Kone, and Kaing Khon villages to announce the promotion.

“Du hu hu... Please announce to all the Swe Thahar of Kai Khon village, Du hu hu... Tonight, at the grand ballroom near the Kinnaree Chaung village boat dock, we will be performing... The two brothers of the Sein family, the handsome Sein Taw Kyaw and the handsome Mya Taw Kyaw, will be performing with the beautiful Sein Than Kyi and Mya Than Kyi, and they will be performing together. Du hu.. hu.... It is important to note that the play that will be performed tonight is “Sanda Keenari”. Du hu.. hu.... After the opera, the new play that will be performed tonight to make the people excited is “Taw Thar Lay Moh Chit A Poh Teh” starring the handsome Mya Taw Kyaw and the beautiful Mya Than Kyi. The play is a drama.. Huh... Huh.. For those of you who are looking forward to the big play after the play... I have to announce to all my friends that we will be performing the play "Maha Paduma Paungto" that will break the darkness of the community of longing... Du... Huh... Du.. Huh... ..... Huh.... .

The village elder, although illiterate, was smart enough to recite a long play that someone had given him without any mistakes. Although illiterate, he had a good memory, but he did not distinguish between the Mahapadupa Prince and the Thief Pawnto. He thought he was alone. In fact, he did not need to distinguish between them. His job was to shout it out loud and make it heard.

Hearing the sound of U Phoe Htaw's advertisement, Tha Htun Aung and Mya Htun Phyu, who were sitting under the trees behind the house where the illegal liquor was sold, were shocked. They were determined to watch the play that came to them while they were still hungry. According to the tradition of actors, after the maiden, opera, drama and Myaing Hta, they would be excited to watch the big play later, but the appearance and personality of the actors were completely unattractive and they were worried about whether they would be able to act naturally and enjoyably.

“Oh, there you go.. a man with dark skin, a thin face, a thin beard, and a mouth full of gold teeth, must be a prince. When the theater was being built, I saw about nineteen princesses sitting under the trees, all dark-skinned, thin, with thin faces, with crooked faces, and with crooked teeth.”

One of the people drinking alcohol approached Tha Htun Aung and Mya Htun Phyu. It seemed that they wanted the actors to be smooth and straight. The characters of the actors who will be shown tonight were weak and unattractive. Tha Htun Aung and Mya Htun Phyu had different opinions on this matter.

"Actors don't need to be good-looking. It's important to have the ability to speak and cry and be able to play a role. It's rare to find an actor or actress who has a good voice, good looks, and good voice and can win a big role. No matter how good they are... if they can act naturally with the ability to speak and cry and cry, we like them..."

Thar Htun Aung and Mya Htun Phyu are of the same mind. They are people who reward themselves when they like something, and you could even say that they understand the art of acting.

"It's like a stage crew that's just walking around with a six-piece suit and a single arm around their waist, and they're just having a good time.... How can I act naturally?"

"What do you mean by saying this? Just watch tonight."

Tonight, while the group of Tha Htun Aung and Mya Htun Phyu, who were to watch the play, were still drinking, the theater was already busy and people were calling. The signboard of the Sein Family High Theater was fading like a handkerchief. Only one eye remained in the painting of the actor Sein Taw Kyaw. It showed the poverty of the cast. The entire theater was lit only by the power of the kerosene lamps used by U Nyi Nyi, who rented a house in Kinnaree Chaung village. If we were to use the lights owned by the cast, we would have to light candles to provide light.

The theater was filled to capacity with the enthusiastic support of the villagers. The troupe, out of respect for the audience, began performing the young lady at eight o'clock in the evening. She was small and slender, one of the thin, pale girls you see in the afternoon. She was covered in powder all over her body, her face was pale, and her lips and cheeks were red, making her look good under the lights. The young lady danced the twelve scenes tirelessly for about an hour. People said that this actress was not a bad dancer.

The opera began about half an hour after the maiden entered. In the Sanda Keenari opera, except for Prince Myataw Kyaw, who played the male Keenara and a comedian who played the role of Brahma Dutt, the rest were beautiful Keenari girls, who were dark, pale, and had curly hair. The opera was praised for being not bad, except for the lack of color in the costumes.

The play is already ten o'clock at night. Actor Myataw Kyaw plays the role of the actor. He always wears a high-fronted, flat-brimmed hat to hide his beard. The story is about Myataw Kyaw, a landowner and landowner, who visits the village where they own their fields and fields, and falls in love with Myataw Kyaw, a young man who rents the house where she is staying. In the scenes where the landowner and the city dweller are engaged, the hat often falls off and the beard is revealed. Since there is no natural logic, they make it convenient with words and gestures in the scenes. They also say that the play is good.

The two men who had been waiting for the long-awaited second act came out and began their conversation. It was almost dawn, and it was already three o'clock. A tall, thin man and a short man who looked like they were both dressed in shabby ministerial clothes. They were honest and law-abiding ministers, but they didn't even have shoes to wear.

"Your Majesty... Your seven sons went to study at the university, and they returned to the Golden Land, not only with their education but also with their wives. Since they are returning to the kingdom today, is it our duty, gentlemen, to support you in advance..."

"It's not just a pretext, Your Majesty. Your son, Prince Maha Paduma, and his seven younger brothers and sisters are not allowed to enter the city on their return to the country, but are ordered to go far away from the kingdom and the country, and are kept outside the city and expelled."