THE National Arts Council (NAC) has cut the annual grant given to local theatre company Wild Rice. It will get $170,000 this year, down from $190,000 the year before.

It is the lowest annual grant that the company has received from the council. Artistic director Ivan Heng says the council told him funding was cut because its productions promoted alternative lifestyles, were critical of government policies and satirised political leaders.

– Adeline Chia, NAC cuts W!ld Rice funds

Food for thought, given the current context at work.

1. How is it like working with each other?
   Great! Jon and I have learnt a lot from each other over this production and the last. I’m glad to have had the opportunity to work with him, as he’s very committed to the craft and is always working to get the best out of the text: whether it is in terms of using the best line to convey a certain meaning, or in terms of putting the actors through their paces in order for them to convey the best emotion.
2. What changes were implemented from the previous run of OTOT in 2008?
   The main consideration has always been giving the customers what they want, so we’ve listened to audience feedback when revising the plays. We wanted to make the play a better experience for audience in terms of entertainment and artistic value, so I’ve made changes to the action and the dialogue. For example, there were some concerns that last year’s version of Full Tank! was draggy and heavy-handed; I’ve gone through the script again to cut out repetitive lines and reduce clumsy expressions.
   
   At the same time, I actually experimented with a few different scenarios, character motivations, etc. while making revisions to the script that was used during the OCBC Singapore Theatre Festival 2008. However, I’ve returned to the original plot that made Full Tank! a success, because I realised the stories that were told were what endeared the play to the audience. All that was needed was a bit of tweaking to the mechanics of the plot and it’d be good to go.
3. Did you join any Arts clubs/Theatre societies when you were an undergraduate?
   I was a hostelite through and through so I participated mainly in activities within Kent Ridge Hall. I co-wrote and edited two Hall Productions and contributed three short plays for an Inter-Hall Drama Fest in 2008 (one of which – The Last Political Animal – was censored by the Media Development Authority).
   
   However, I think it wouldn’t be wrong to say that participating in activities outside of clubs and societies might have had a greater part to play in helping me hone my writing abilities. I read two modules taught by Huzir Sulaiman – EN2271: Introduction to Playwriting and EN3271: Advanced Playwriting. It was during that period that an early draft of Radio Silence, an absurd play about National Service, was read by Ivan Heng. This resulted in Ivan nominating me to participate in World Interplay 2007, an international playwriting festival held in Australia. My participation in this festival was co-funded by grants from the University Scholars Programme.
4. What led to your decision to pursue a career in the Arts?
   Unlike the others, I’m not working in the Arts full-time. I’m actually teaching the General Paper at Saint Andrew’s Junior College, but I still enjoy writing as a means through which I can take part in the Singaporean conversation about things that aren’t always very easy to talk about in the mainstream.

The perks? Getting to watch really good shows for free (think Animal Farm).

So go for it if you haven’t tried it before – it’ll definitely be worth your while.

~

Dear Theatre Volunteers,

We are looking for volunteers to assist at the FRONT-OF-HOUSE (FOH) for BEAUTY & THE BEAST!

The world’s favourite love story gets turned on its head in true W!LD RICE style this festive season. From the same team that brought you last year’s runaway hit Snow White & The Seven Dwarfs, BEAUTY & THE BEAST is a spellbinding musical comedy filled with laugh-out-loud jokes, fabulous song and dance routines, stunning costumes and sets… and singing utensils!

The volunteers for FRONT-OF-HOUSE (FOH) will be required to:

• Welcome patrons,
• Sell show programmes and merchandise, and
• Collect feedback forms from patrons after the show.

If you are able to commit at least four (4) weekdays (Tuesday to Friday) OR a weekend (Saturday & Sunday), please call Ellen @ 6292-2695 or email ellenng@wildrice.com.sg before Fri, 13 Nov 2009 with the dates you wish to commit for.

Please take note that the following dates are the only ones available for volunteers:

• 3 Dec, 7.30pm
• 6 Dec, 7.30pm
• 8 Dec, 7.30pm
• 9 Dec, 7.30pm
• 10 Dec, 730pm
• 11 Dec, 7.30pm
• 12 Dec, 7.30pm
• 13 Dec, 2.30pm & 7.30pm
• 15 Dec, 7.30pm
• 17 Dec, 7.30pm
• 19 Dec, 2.30pm & 7.30pm

I’ll need your personal particulars:

• Name:
• Mobile:
• NRIC No:
• Email address:
• School/Workplace:

Thank you for your continuous support and dedication!

Looking forward to meeting you again.

Cheers,
Ellen

There’s an exhibition going on now called The Air-Conditioned Recession: A Singapore Survey and it showcases works of art that reflect the attitude in Singapore toward the strictures and structures of modern life.

I must say that this is ONE OF THE MOST THOUGHT-PROVOKING Singaporean art exhibitions I’ve seen in my entire life (26 years) and I was very impressed by the works + proud of all the artists who have contributed to this exhibition.

Please go check it out if you can. I promise you will not be disappointed.

P.S. unfortunately the exhibition only runs until today, so if you have nothing to do on a Sunday afternoon, GO FOR THIS.

P.P.S. I heard that there are LIMITED seats available for Recalling Mother too, so if you have $31 to spare, GO FOR THAT as well.

I personally heard incredible things about Laremy Lee, which explains why I was upset.

– hikaru, Own Time Own Target by W!ld Rice.

When I read that line, I was tickled pink. I seriously want to meet whoever it is who has been spreading such “incredible things”, because I want to hire her/him to be my publicist. I’m serious. This woman or man is really good at viral marketing.

In other news, this is my favourite line from the whole post:

But even I myself is guilty of such writings many times…

Tee hee hee! Go check it out at Just Watch Lah.

Now, my mother is prone to over-reacting, and her first thought was to start crying when she heard the words ‘police’ and ‘your son’.

When I called her back to tell her that the police officers had passed my keys to me, I hung up the phone feeling extremely irritated – and for good reason.

I understand why she was upset, but I don’t think it was justified for her to get so upset over something like this. Plus, this isn’t the first time she has over-reacted to something like this, and she has a tendency to overly-dramatise not-so-significant situations. Most importantly, even if the worse had happened, what good would crying do?

I don’t think I’ll be able to tell her this, because she’ll probably over-react while I am trying to explain all this to her. I don’t know if I’ll have the patience to explain all this to her, either.

But what I am going to do is to bring her to watch this play. Hopefully it might open up some space for us to discuss what happened.

Recalling Mother
Presented by Checkpoint Theatre

Dates: Wed, 26 Aug – Sun, 30 Aug 2009.
Time: 8pm – 9pm.
Venue: ARTSPACE@Helutrans (39 Keppel Road, Tanjong Pagar Distripark #02-04)

In this funny and moving piece written and performed by Claire Wong and Noorlinah Mohamed, two women tell stories about two other women – their mothers – and the complexities of living with (and not living with) Mother.

The performers discuss the genesis of the piece:

“Neither of our mothers has much formal education, but they’re both highly intelligent, capable and strong women. Both are wonderful cooks and love to feed us.

“But they find it difficult to talk to us – and we to them. Neither of them is fluent in English. We, on our part, have only functional abilities in our “mother tongues” – Cantonese and Malay, respectively. So, we get by, functionally. But we can’t share our deepest, most complicated thoughts and ideas to our mothers in a common language.

“Yet through our telling and re-telling of stories about our mothers – and about ourselves with our mothers – we discover a kaleidoscope of memories, and of insights into ourselves, and into that strange, complicated and wonderful relationship that we think almost everyone has with their mother.”

Performed in the intimate setting of an art gallery to an audience of just 80 people per night, Recalling Mother is a unique and engaging theatrical experience. Nuanced, compelling, honest and surprising, Recalling Mother is a celebration of the joys and challenges of motherhood – and daughterhood.

Tickets: $28 (excluding SISTIC booking fee).
Discount of 15% for groups of 15 or more.
Buy your tickets starting August 6th through the SISTIC Website: www.sistic.com.sg, the SISTIC Hotline: (65) 6348 5555 or SISTIC Authorized Agents islandwide.

Supported by Valentine Willie Fine Art.

“Who is Aunty Janki’s son??” I asked.

“The… Kamal,” she said.

“Who’s Kamal???”

Turns out ‘Kamal’ was none other than Kishore Mahbubani, who had come to watch OTOT with his missus, because both their sons were in NS and Mrs M felt that the Ms had to watch OTOT to better understand NS and what their sons were going through.

That’s what I gathered from the Sindhi side of my family who were huddled around me, as they’d also come to watch OTOT as well. Just then, ‘Kamal’ walked by and we talked for a minute or so – I told him that there was going to be “some strong language” in the play; he joked that he was going to leave then.

During the intermission, I joined my family where they were seated, in the middle of the theatre. Coincidentally, Kishore was sitting one row behind us.

He jokingly said that he thought the language wasn’t strong enough. He also added that the French ambassador was around, and was asking what one word in particular meant. No one dared to tell him what it meant in English, but a clever soul told him that the word translated to ‘la chatte’ in French. Nice work, diplomats.

~

…I guess people use the Army Daze thing because they have nothing to compare it to. If someone else wrote a play about transsexuals, the audience might compare it to Private Parts too.

That’s true. People are always looking for familiarity and something to relate to so they can make sense of the world. Hence the use of stereotypes, which we are both also guilty of using in our plays… Hehe

But as a friend of mine said, there is space in the hearts of most people here to accept another play about the NS experience. If people can’t open their hearts and minds enough to accept that OTOT is different, then they’re missing out on a lot.

NS is experienced by every person here (for every guy that enlists, his whole family and circle of friends go through it with him in their own way) – surely it deserves to be shared and celebrated in more ways and more plays than Army Daze!

P. S. If we’re getting this comparison now, think how terrible it must be for the next person who comes along and writes something about NS!

It’s one of the more ‘serious’ moments in the play, so don’t be fooled by the deadpan acting. Alternatively, check out some pictures of the cast warming up before rehearsal.

Brendon and Terry

Koey, Dwayne, Ghaz and Rodney

Qian Chou and Nelson

More pictures here.

It’s gonna be a great show everyone – I personally guarantee it. Make sure you’re able to say, “I watched Own Time Own Target and was blown away” i.e. buy your tickets now.