by Valerie Yap (15S07D)
Photos courtesy of Rachel Koh (15A01A) and Clarissa Ng (RGS Y4-03)

As a hectic Term 2 came to a close, many students gathered at the Performing Arts Centre to catch Raffles Players’ annual production. While it was heard through the grapevine that ticket sales this year were relatively slow, the turnout for their first show on Thursday which we attended was rather large. Raffles Players’ Mrs Warren’s Profession, based on the controversial play written by George Bernard Shaw – also one of the texts covered in the ‘A’ Level Literature syllabus – did not disappoint, as per many of their previous productions.

From left to right: Swan Yee, Bradley Yam, Rachel Koh and Rafi Kamsani

Mrs Warren’s Profession covered the main theme of the shifting perception and changing role of women in Victorian London society around the early twentieth century. This was seen through the character of Miss Vivie Warren, played by Swan Yee (15A03A), daughter of the titular Mrs. Kitty Warren, played by Rachel Koh (15A01A). The profession in question refers to prostitution. Mrs. Warren, the owner of a chain of brothels, relied on the money she earns from this business to see her daughter through a prestigious college education at Cambridge. Conflict arose between mother and daughter when Vivie later found out about her mother’s less-than-respectable career. However, Mrs. Warren expertly managed to convince her daughter into thinking that she was only forced into it due to societal circumstances, and promises Vivie that she will withdraw from the profession. Yet in the end, it was revealed that Mrs Warren was still in the brothel business because she simply could not give up the lifestyle running it enabled her to have, betraying her daughter’s trust. The play ended tragically, with Vivie deciding to disown her emotionally dependent mother. Additionally, there was a tension-filled subplot consisting of the romantic relationships amongst four other characters, namely  Reverend Samuel Gardner, ex-lover of Mrs. Warren and later revealed to have fathered Vivie Warren, played by Mohamed Rafi (15S07D); Frank Gardner, Reverend Gardner’s son who later shares a brief romance with Vivie, played by Bradley Yam (14A01C); Sir George Crofts, a companion of Mrs. Warren and later a suitor of Vivie, played by Naresh Manoj (15A01B); as well as Praed, also a friend of Mrs. Warren, played by Jovi Tan (15A01B).

As an ‘A’-level text, Mrs. Warren’s Profession artfully comments on the controversial issue of the rampant prostitution present during the Victorian era; George Bernard Shaw wrote in his preface to the text that the play aimed to subvert the audience’s views and perceptions of prostitutes and explore prostitution as a form of exploitation due to capitalism. As such, Raffles Players’ news to stage this production garnered a great deal of support from the staff in the school, especially the teachers from the Arts Department, who not only made an effort to be present for the play itself, but to also promote the play to their students.

It is of course with great joy that we can say Raffles Players lived up to expectations and even surpassed some. With their breathtaking sets, and especially the cast’s sublime acting, Raffles Players managed to capture much of the audience’s attention, and handled emotionally weightier scenes skilfully. Of course, as a school-based production, it was not completely flawless. The script itself, which was something beyond the control of the production crew, contained a lot of heavy dialogue, while the play consisted of a total of four acts, with one set change between acts. Consequently, there were few scene transitions, and several points the play seemed to hit a dry patch as the audience could not pick up on visual cues, and had to rely on what the actors were saying to fully understand the story. This was not made any easier when the British accents the actors had to adopt sometimes ended up muffling their words instead. In spite of all that, the cast did manage to pull through in the end. It was clear that the characters in the play had to go through a lot of ups and downs as the story unfolded, and the actors’ performances helped the audience to grasp the intricacies and complexities of the characters’ emotions and state of mind, leaving much of the audience very impressed with the professionalism of our school’s English Drama CCA.

The cast of Mrs Warren’s Profession

This production was all the more remarkable for the fact that this production represented many firsts in the acting journeys of its cast. Swan had no prior acting experience, apart from small-scale class skits that were compulsory during her time in Raffles Girls’; Naresh, similar to Swan, had also never taken part in a large-scale production; while playing Mrs. Warren was Rachel’s first time acting as a female character onstage. Swan told us that it was a really enlightening journey, and that it has made her realise the amount of effort, dedication and commitment needed into putting up a play. Simultaneously, reflecting on her lack of experience in playing female characters, Rachel revealed that she felt like she would be unable to accurately portray Mrs. Warren as the “dynamite, larger-than-life” character she was written to be. While the actors did enjoy themselves during the rehearsals, they also agreed that it had not been easy to manage to put up a successful performance.

The breathtaking mural painted by Raffles Players’ sets team

For the entire Raffles Players’ batch of 2015, Mrs. Warren’s Profession was the first stage play put up by their batch for which they all had to come together and be involved in the production of. It also meant that their road to when the curtains finally drew close on the stage was a long and turbulent one, full of many hiccups on the way. They were thrown a curveball when they had to repaint their painstakingly-painted backdrop for CLDCS’ production following a miscommunication; when Swan kept speaking in a perfect Australian accent instead of the needed British one; when everything seemed to be everywhere and it was a mad rush trying to get sorted out and organised. Yet, as with all other school productions, these obstacles created opportunities for all the members to work together, with people from various committees collaborating and staying back past their supposed times to help one another out. Katrina Jacinto (15A13A), co-Stage Manager in-charge of the overall stage set-up, said, “Productions always remind me that every single element of the stage contributes to creating the overall experience for the audience, even if they think they’re just going for the acting.” The hard work put in by each and every member in the CCA has definitely not gone unnoticed. Rafi, also President of Raffles Players, was glad that every member in the CCA displayed overwhelming teamwork and support for each other, and managed to stage a successful production in the end. The other members whom we interviewed also felt really appreciative towards their fellow CCAmates for all the encouragement that they gave one another throughout, making their experience in those few trying months so much more enjoyable.

We admire their immense efforts into making it come together in the end, and most importantly, into entertaining the audience while leaving them with important food-for-thought. Perhaps Rachel summarises it the best, “I think it’s important to acknowledge that the play isn’t exactly the most exciting play… but the fact of the matter is that it has an important message that needed to be said in Victorian England and still needs to be repeated now. It puts forth important, complex questions about a woman’s place in society, her worth, social moral hypocrisy [sic], gendered expectations and familial obligations. These questions are sadly still pertinent in today’s society.” Indeed, Mrs. Warren’s Profession, if nothing, highlighted these issues at their cores, and made us think hard about the repercussions and ramifications of how we pass judgment on right and wrong. The play put up by Raffles Players of Mrs. Warren’s Profession successfully portrayed these issues at an accessible level, garnering praise from students and arts teachers alike. Although not without its faults, Mrs Warren’s Profession put up by Raffles Players this year was admirably executed, and made for an evening well spent.

by Jovi Tan (15A01B)
Images courtesy of Raffles Film Society

I am going to borrow from the closing remarks of Gong Haoran, Chairperson of Raffles Film Society, to begin talking about Film’s recent showcase, Rewind II: Life in Technicolor. He compares the array of films on show to the black-and-white, 3-second long, stop motion experiment, the Horse in Motion (‘Sallie Gardner at a Gallop’). It is a series of photographs compiled in 1878, dynamically depicting a man galloping atop a horse, and is often considered one of the first silent films.

For many of the filmmakers at the event, this is their virgin attempt. Much like Eadweard Muybridge, many of the filmmakers are in a stage of excited experimentation, eager to figure out just what kinds of magic can unfold beyond the lenses of their video recorders. In some instances, they stumble over their ideas, or are clumsy in navigating the terrains of storytelling, but as Haoran elucidates, these limitations are something they can be proud of. Really, these shortcomings are inconsequential when compared to the immense honesty, energy, enterprise and hard work that undergirded each film presented at the showcase.

Held at the Arts House, seven films were showcased in a homely and cozy screening room, namely: Home Ah Long, Frozen In Time, He is a Friend of Mine, Love x Death, Heart Disc, Spire, and Letters from Home. Spanning different genres, each short film was impressive in their commitment to telling a story. Whether it was a quick-fix comedy, or a moving drama, there was an authenticity that surfaced. Each filmmaker showed an awareness of the genre, playing to their strengths and, overall, creating a strong set of enjoyable short films, and an enjoyable Saturday afternoon.

The protagonist of Frozen In Time, played by Bill Teoh

The first thing that strikes you when the first short film begins is the impressive technical quality that audiences sometimes overlook. When the camera pans, our eyes pan comfortably with it. In many instances, the filmmakers get the lighting just right, and the effective use of music serves to enhance the experience. At first glance, few would be able to pick these out as student-created films. In particular, Spire by Brandon Ong and Xie Peiyi displayed a sound competency in video editing and special effects. As Brandon and Peiyi describe in the post-show dialogue, video editing is often arduous, and the fact that Spire lapses between reality, and a fantasy sword-fighting realm makes their effective storytelling even more impressive. To be able to not only imagine, but also crystalize their comic-esque fantasy world is nothing short of a feat, testament again to the concentration and variety of talent in our midst. In Frozen in Time, by Wu Jia Min, the filmmaking is well able to caress the nuance in the actor, Bill Teoh, who is convincing as a dementia-stricken old man. The scenes are crisp and yet manage to be continuous, highlighting the craft of the directors and videographers. Though some of the dialogue is lost to poor sound editing, the effect on the audience is mild, and is mostly made up for by the apt use of music.

A still from the trailer of Heart Disc

Another aspect that I personally appreciate is each filmmaker’s attempt at honest storytelling. The stories mostly have an element of fiction, no doubt, but this honest storytelling is rooted more in the fact that each filmmaker says what he/ she means, and is unafraid to do so. In Home Ah Long, the story included bits about Ah Longs playing Monopoly for money, which for me captured a lightheartedness, and a willingness to take on the absurd. Heart Disc by Wu Jia Min, on the other hand, sought to present a somewhat typical boy-meets-girl romance, and yet dared to include snippets that were visibly personal, which would differentiate it from a run-of-the-mill romantic comedy. It is a comfort when, instead of borrowing jokes and tropes from the long tradition of romantic-comedies that came before, filmmakers instead use humor that is funny to them, without too much fear that it would not be quite so funny to someone else. The idea that ‘bump file sharing works on organic beings as well’ is evidence of the inventive wit some of these filmmakers possess. In Letters from Home by Ang Zi Yun, some of the footage was gathered on the filmmaker’s personal trips to Australia and England. It is very evident that each filmmaker comes from a place, or a perspective. The fact that none of these filmmakers abandoned these perspectives, but rather embraced and immersed themselves in them was both brave and effective.

Raffles Film Soc’s first action film concluded on a rather bland note

It is no coincidence that the most honest pieces were the ones that managed to move audiences the most. While every film had an evident personal touch, some moments still came across as contrived and uninspired. In a particular scene in Letters from Home, the protagonist is at a phone booth phoning her sister overseas, and in the process conjures an elaborate spiel about hope. In the final scene of Spire, a corny message about love and how we sometimes don’t notice it fades out before the credits roll. In Love x Death by Claudia Chu, Tan Yan Ru, and Wang Yan, the bone-shuddering plot twist at the end was chilling for all the wrong reasons. Instead of focusing on the stories they wished to tell, these filmmakers sometimes felt the necessity to force a moral of the story, or a plot twist, when in fact, storytelling can and should be simple. In the end, our creativities can betray us but our experiences cannot. As director Wu Jia Min shared at the post-show Q&A, some parts of her film was inspired by the fact that her grandfather was afflicted with dementia. Some of the more honest and moving dialogue was pebbled into Frozen in Time, whereas other films were not as able in crafting convincing conversation. In fact, the dialogue can sometimes appear stilted and scripted, which can be very distracting.

Nonetheless, Rewind II: Life in Technicolor was thoroughly enjoyable, and was another piece of evidence of the sheer talent and ambition of Raffles Film Society. Though Haoran speaks of the Horse in Motion to remind us all of Film’s inexperience, the Horse in Motion is all the more powerful because it depicts us moving forward. Film has managed to straddle its limitations, to present a coherent and charming showcase, and we should all look forward to their next one.

by Rachel Koh (15A01A) and Jovi Tan (15A01B)
Photos from Couch Theatre facebook page – taken by Geoffrey Lim

Couch Theatre is a self-described ‘upbeat and offbeat theatre company made up of young adults’, many of whom are Rafflesian alumni. They have returned with their much-anticipated second performance, The Pillowman (2003) by Martin Mcdonaugh. This script requires its cast to achieve a difficult balance of dark humor and emotional gravitas, a challenging task for any group of performers, much less a budding group of young artists. Couch Theatre successfully created a gripping and engaging performance, carried by a small but very talented cast.

Uday Duggal and Lim Shien Hian

The plot centers around Katurian K. Katurian (Lim Shien Hian), a hopeful young writer, who is being interrogated by two policemen, Ariel (Ziyad Bagharib) and Tupolski (Uday Duggal), for the death of several young children. Also being interrogated in the other room is Katurian’s mentally challenged older brother, Michal (Shrey Bhargava).

The piece is pebbled with narrations and reenactments of Katurian’s macabre and grotesque short stories. It weaves intricate dialogue with captivating storytelling, interspersed with unexpected moments of intense emotion. Its standout moments were its interrogation scenes, which featured rapid-fire dialogue between Katurian and the policemen, whose quick and witty responses sustained the energy onstage, and often sent audience members into fits of laughter. In these scenes, the director nimbly navigated terse, inaccessible lines and the absurd circumstances to emerge with a cogent, playful piece. The array of inventive personalities, as well as their fascinating power dynamics, were skillfully interwoven into the story, bearing testament not only to the strength of the cast but also to directorial prowess and clarity of vision.

Uday, Shien Hian and Ziyad

Both policemen’s performances were particularly commendable. The two of them shone for their charisma and presence, which was undergirded by grit that really pulled their characters together. Each actor brought his own individual strengths to the performance. An engaging orator, Uday played the collected and worldly Detective Tupolski well. His knack for precise comic timing lifted several scenes. Ziyad as Detective Ariel demonstrated remarkable focus and awareness in his movements. Even in his slightest gestures, the tension and control he exercised over his physicality was essential in bringing forth the forceful vigor of the strapping young detective. His walk possessed a deliberate awkward sway that became key in our understanding of this eager and explosive policeman. When it came to the prisoners, Shien Hian fit the bill of an endearingly idiosyncratic, bumbling short story writer well. His adopted mannerisms were very helpful in helping us place this eccentric, slightly morbid storyteller in this bizarre new world. Shrey competently presented the mentally challenged brother, Michal, without letting his need to portray his traumatic brain injury overshadow other facets of his characterization.  According to Shrey, this required plenty of ‘research into Child Abuse and resulting conditions (…) that can persist in the long term. Coupled with this was working out his intentions and what he was driven by which was not easy either, as his thoughts tend to jump from thing to thing.’

Shrey as Michal

Also well-done was the story sequences by Cheryl Foo, Salif Hardie and Hanis Nazierah.  The fantastical, highly visual reenactments of two stories were a breath of fresh air for the audience as they plunged us into a heightened alternative world outside of the reality in which the rest of the characters existed. Cheryl and Salif transitioned seamlessly through various roles with exceptional precision, ranging from eerily over-attentive parents to an odiously sneering couple, utilizing nothing but the subtlest of changes in their physicality. Hanis also played a zestful and naive young girl with the sort of gracefulness one might expect of  a dancer. These beautiful, stylized scenes evinced creative and daring direction by Jasdeep Gill which certainly paid off.

That being said, scenes of emotional gravitas, especially during the extensive dialogue between the two brothers and later on in the Act 2, failed to make us feel keenly for the relationships between the characters. Moments where Uday and Ziyad ventured into emotional territory proved to be cringe-worthy as well. Shien Hian’s affected demeanor and stilted manner of speaking sometimes impeded his expression of weighted emotion, and the chemistry between Shien Hian and Shrey was lacking from time to time. The presentation of the stories, arguably the most important parts of the play, also fell flat at times. While the narration was definitely valiantly attempted, it was still unable to fully draw out the potential of the stories, which is a great pity given that their highly imaginative, morbidly intriguing content has the capacity to wholly engage and arrest any listening audience. Other aspects of the play stood out for the wrong reasons. Stage-handing was clumsy, and some of the props, most saliently the obviously fake gun at the end, were almost laughable. The blood on Shien Hian’s shirt looked more like spilt kool-aid than anything else. It was also difficult to rid ourselves of the awareness that no matter how talented, the main cast was still a group of young men who were playing roles much older than themselves. Despite attempts to adopt more aged mannerisms, they were still unable to completely shed their youthful energy. This sometimes gave us the impression of a school production, albeit a superbly crafted one.

Shien Hian as Katurian

When it came to the production process, we must applaud these young adults, many of whom are currently in NS or university, for juggling their external commitments while committing their time to innumerable rehearsals. For example, Uday is currently a sergeant in the military working dog unit, and had to juggle being ‘in camp during the day, then rush(ing) down for rehearsals or shows til late, and then back in camp the next day.’ Ziyad also stated that ‘nothing could quite prepare (them) for the amount of time and effort that play actually required. Many long nights were spent poring over ideas for this and that, many rehearsals were stretched far longer than scheduled to fix that and that, and there were points where I really needed to dig deep to remind myself why I wanted to do this in the first place.’ The immense hard work and commitment they’ve poured into this project serves as a healthy reminder, as Uday so aptly puts it, ‘that it’s important, no matter how small the window of opportunity, to keep doing what you love, to keep alive interests and passions that you held (…) And find new ones too.’ The courage of our alumni to continue doing what they love even  after graduating from JC should inspire us to all be equally ambitious and daring in our future pursuits.

Couch Theatre’s obvious passion and love for the stage culminated in an excellent piece that constantly kept us on the edge of our seats. One can only imagine the combination of visionary boldness and mature pragmatism that was necessary to make this production come into reality, which is all the more impressive when we take into account the relative inexperience of the company’s members. In our eyes, there is no doubt that this is one group to be on the lookout for.

For those who haven’t had the chance to catch the play, there are still tickets left for this Friday’s show, 8pm at the Drama Centre Black Box. Tickets can be bought on sistic at: http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/pillow0714

by Joyce Er (15A01A), Valerie Yap (15S07D)
Additional reporting by Katrina Jacinto (15A13A), Joshua Tee (15A01D), Michelle Zhu (15A01B)
Photos by Joyce Er (15A01A), Michelle Zhu (15A01B)

All and sundry were welcome at this year’s Literature Week, also given the witty alternative name SpotLit. Organised by the J2s of the Humanities Programme and their dedicated Literature teachers, the week featured workshops held by seminal local authors and industry experts, a literature quiz, a movie screening of Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day, and the annual Literature Night.

The workshops, which were held by acclaimed Rafflesian alumni, offered its participants brief but novel observations about everything from the inner workings of a bookstore to storylines in music videos and comics, straight from the mouths of local literature’s best. As promised, Joshua Ip’s poetry-writing workshop challenged its participants with ‘thinking inside the box’, or using established poetic structures as a source of writing inspiration. Similarly, Daren Shiau’s engaging and thoroughly enjoyable workshop examined storylines in MV’s such as Radiohead’s ‘Just’ and P!nk’s ‘Perfect’, as well as in comics by Tony Chin and Adrian Tomine. Adopting a more disciplinary, rather than craft-based, approach, young novelist Jolene Tan opened her workshop with the poignant AS Byatt quote “Art does not exist for politics, or for instruction – it exists primarily for pleasure, or it is nothing”. This launched an insightful dialogue on the main focus of the session – the complex and at times convoluted relationship between literature and politics, especially significant in light of the NLB controversy and social taboos which have come under scrutiny.

While the Literature Week workshops provided students with an enriching local perspective on Singapore’s literature scene, the publishing domain was not ignored with sessions headed by the directors of both Epigram Books and Math Paper Press, two of the most renowned local publishers. Kenny Leck, the owner of Math Paper Press and the conductor of the workshop, has also pioneered several literary initiatives in Singapore, including the establishment of BooksActually, the bookstore with the largest local literature collection islandwide.

In his workshop, students were exposed to a comprehensive overview of the local publishing scene, through an informal question-and-answer session as well as a descriptive lecture on the basics of publishing in Singapore. Covering topics such as intellectual property, ISBNs, and a broad history of Singaporean literature, while refusing to avoid potentially controversial questions (i.e. the recent NLB controversy), Kenny Leck’s expertise was apparent throughout the workshop, and he was able to alternate between specific and general answers with ease. Epigram books offered a cocktail of what it takes to be a writer, encouraging aspiring writers to “learn to write by writing”, as well as enlightening perspectives on how to market a book in the local literary scene and the particular difficulties faced, such as the lack of receptiveness from Singaporeans.

The week ended off with the Literature Quiz and Lit Night, which, as one might expect, was a veritable cocktail of hilarity, poignant sadness, wit and talent. It opened with Raffles Players’ The Sleepover, directed by Jovi Tan (15A01B) and cast Rachel Koh (15A01A), Syafiqah Nabilah (15A01B), Katrina Jacinto (15A13A), Megan Lourdesamy (15S03C), Cheng Yi Ern (15S03B) and Celeste Tan (15A01C). The physical theatre piece started off innocuously enough with six children at a sleepover but weaved in increasingly complex themes, blurring the lines between make-believe and reality. Nine-year-old children brush their teeth, make self-conscious remarks about their noses and complexion, and play dress up in their parents’ oversized coats, transforming transiently, chillingly, into figures of authority as they do so. The inappropriate maturity of their actions, juxtaposed with their obvious youth, added up to an absurd hilarity which had the audience in stitches, but simultaneously drew attention to the awkward self-discovery we have all known.

Initially a tongue-in-cheek commentary on how sleepovers represent opportunities for exploration of an adult world inflated to mythological proportions, the play also delved into more disturbing themes such as marital violence and teenage pregnancy, as its characters took on issues much larger than themselves, some of which they had yet to encounter, and some of which they unfortunately already had. So absorbed were its characters in their play-acting that they eventually appeared to become wholly sucked into the pretense, and the piece ended in a chillingly Golding-esque manner with the apparent death of a child at the hands of her friends. Despite the surrealism of this plotline, it bears testimony to the poignant simplicity of children’s language – after Syafiqah’s character ‘dies’, Rachel’s character observes, “The older I get, the smaller she will become.” The play is a cogent and heartrending exposition on uncertainty and tainted innocence, and the ways in which the realm of the adult intersects that of the child.

Impressively, the production was put together in the space of a mere three weeks from start to finish. The cast wrote the script together, although Syafiqah’s line “I remember, when we were moving into our new house, we had to get a whole new set of furniture, because my parents had thrown them all at each other,” was what planted the seed of The Sleepover. Jovi summed up the play thus: “It was driven by stories most of all. There’s a lot about childhood and about feeling small, which I think is why audiences might feel for it since we’ve all felt that way before.” Indeed, the production garnered positive reception from most of the audience that night, and was an excellent opening to the night.

The audience also enjoyed a poetry slam segment performed by William Hoo (15A01E) and Gabriel Ng (15A01B). William took the stage with two poems in memory of his father, who passed away from cancer last year. His first poem, ‘A Wake’, is blithely wrenching in its recount of his father’s wake. There is a careful attention to detail in the ‘peanuts and melon seeds’ partaken of by those paying their respects; lines like ‘She looks at you as though she has never seen you before,/When in fact, she will never see you again’ deliver a proverbial sucker-punch to the gut. The second poem, titled ‘100’, was written to commemorate the 100th day of his father’s passing, when loved ones can conventionally begin to dress in colours again. Addressed directly to his father, it is characterised by reconciliation despite grief. Again, there are lovely moments in this poem, such as the audial congruence of ‘Our mourning stopped this morning’, and the sense of unwittingly coming full circle in ‘My reflection looks me in my mother’s eyes/and bites your lips’. Mrs Perry particularly liked that line, and praised his poetry as “very good, very moving”. Both poems handle a difficult and personal subject with great skill and emotion, leaving teachers and students alike greatly impressed.

Gabriel, who last performed slam poetry at CultuR Shock!, returned with what he called ‘a poem of vague emotions’. Despite the quintessentially ‘poetic’ nature of the images he stringed together, he evaded the widely-panned pitfall of poet voice, the tempo of lines like ‘quill upon your fingertips and paper on my skin’ appropriately accelerating and slowing to remarkable effect.

At the peak of the audience’s enthrallment with the slam poets and poetry, the J2s took the stage with their spin-off of Oscar Wilde’s Lady Windermere’s Fan, which pretty much fell flat, in more ways than one. While Sleepover hit all the right notes with the audience, the J2s’ performance garnered a mixed reception from the audience. Titled Lady Windermere’s Biggest Fan, it was directed by Jeremy Khoo (14A01B) and Marc Leong (14A01A), and was intended to be a satirical twist on Act 3, which deals with sexism and gender stereotypes. In this scene, the men of the play are gathered in Lord Darlington’s house and discussing the women, Mrs Erlynne in particular. Aeron Ee’s Cecil was obnoxious and crude in all the right ways, but this did not conceal the fact that ultimately, the adaptation was facetiously over-reliant on slapstick humour and was ridden with one too many cheap and repetitive wisecracks. The line, “She’s the apple of my pie,” punctuated with a suggestive action, drew equal measures of laughter and sighs. Indeed, the play came across as sexist, with many lines unnecessarily rephrased that seemed to objectify women. As one audience member put it, “It’s immediately funny when you watch it because we’re 18 years old, but not when you realise what you’re laughing at.” Or to borrow Mrs Perry’s more critical words, “It was somewhat lacking in subtlety…I’m not entirely convinced that Wilde would have approved [of that].” Jeremy declined to comment.

The night’s programme also included a literature pageant in which each class sent one representative dressed as a famous literary character to either perform a self-chosen talent or answer a question. Particularly memorable was Vice-Captain of MT, Sean Ong’s (15A01A) modernised version of Sir Andrew Aguecheek of Twelfth Night, who ditched the suit of armour for comic mismatched neon football socks and shades, completing the look with his characteristic ‘general air of ineptitude’. His (euphemistically termed) ‘interpretive dance’ brought out the character’s clownish role in the play perfectly, drawing enthusiastic applause from the audience. Arjun Vadrevu (14A01B) also entertained the audience with his rendition of “A Whole New World” as Aladdin from The Arabian Nights, in which he successfully sang the parts of both genders. Other contestants also showcased their talents with David Wang’s (15S05A) dance as The Terminator and Shirley Yong’s Glinda the Good Witch from The Wizard of Oz. The overall winner though was Deon Kiew from 15A01B, who dressed as Count Dracula complete with cape, fangs and dripping faux-blood. He answered questions in a commendable imitation of a Romanian accent and stayed in character to the very end, where he jokingly “bit” the emcee, Lee Chin Wee (14A01B).

In addition, the audience were treated to a snippet of the Literature Quiz which each Y5 Literature class sent 5 representatives to take part in. The audience participation round featured stills from movies adapted from famous literary works, including J.G. Ballard’s Empire of the Sun and Charles Dicken’s Oliver Twist. This had audience members, initially somewhat reticent, tussling to answer and receive a chocolate bar. The results of the Literature Quiz that afternoon were then announced, with 15A01B taking the lead with a comfortable 15-point margin, ahead of 15A13A.

The week’s numerous literary activities, which also included a movie screening of The Remains of the Day, were summarised thus by Mrs Perry: “It gets people involved, gets people thinking.” This goes not only for students who are not typically exposed to literature, but also applies to students currently studying literature, who may well become disillusioned with the technicalities of academic demands. For many of us, Lit Week was indubitably a great way to rediscover the intrinsic joy and worth in appreciating literature. Let’s not forget the hard work of the Organising Committee, comprising the J2 Literature students for their enthusiasm in putting it all together.

by Joyce Er and Wahid Al Mamun (15A01A)

In keeping with tradition, this year’s J1s staged their annual batch production, The Chopping Board Plays at the TSD Black Box, which made for an immersive and intimate experience for the audience members right off the bat. The plays were tailored to suit the venue, to the extent that, as vice-chairman Rachel Koh (15A01A) observed, “many of these plays would not have worked outside of a black-box setting.” In truly surreal fashion, the production began with Players chairman Mohamad Rafi B Kamsani Chia (15S07D), clad in a pink floral apron, chopping vegetables and fruits. However, the items he took his cleaver to were increasingly bizarre, escalating from food to a tube of toothpaste to a concrete brick. Having attempted to saw through the brick for several minutes in vain, Rafi threw the chopper on the ground in frustration and stormed off as Bohemian Rhapsody began to play in the background, foreboding the themes of grief and loss that unified the night’s triple bill.

The tension in the air provided an appropriate backdrop to the first of the three plays in the triple bill, “Philosophising Over A Dead Baby Body”, which had a puzzling title for a correspondingly absurd story. This play revolved around Igor, a deadbeat man who tries to rationalise his inadvertent murder of his only son, Ditto, through his own strongly convicted perspective. Written as a commentary on dogmatic worldviews, we interpreted the motif of the bisons and their animalistic loyalty as a hypothetical representation for the emotional lenses that typically colour our understanding of reality. Dialogue between Igor and his overzealously supportive wife, who insistently attempted to rescue him from his self-directed blame, further revealed the fallacious reasoning that people are prone to in the aftermath of tragedy.

Given the heavy philosophical overtones that dictated this play, it was no surprise that this play met with ambivalence from the audience. Director Celeste Tan shared that a large portion of the script, featuring amongst others a bizarre dance segment by Joel’s character, had been sheared off a mere two days before the first staging in the interests of logistical suitability. This last-minute decision may have occluded the play’s message, contributing to some audience members’ confusion. Mitchell Kwong (15S03H) said that he found the first play “very confusing” and had “no idea what was going on”, while Ms Lye Su-Lin remarked that she was “not sure the first play fulfilled its function”. On the other hand, Gabriel Ng (15A01B) felt that it was the “best play of the night”, while Elaine Wijaya Oey (15S06Q) found its whimsical illogic entertaining, which was undoubtedly gratifying for the cast and crew.

In contrast, we found the second play of the night, “The Walls Are Too Thick”, a more measured take on the central idea of loss and separation. This play confronted the themes of childhood and lost innocence, as Macy and Jo find themselves abruptly catapulted into a mysterious room with no doors and a bottle of pills on a table. Slowly, the two sisters unravel their father’s affair and abuse of their mother, demonstrating the burdensome weight of maturity. The twist at the end revealed that the family were involved in a fatal car crash which killed both parents and which left Macy in a coma – Jo was revealed to be a figment of Macy’s imagination, and a metaphor for Macy’s desire to reclaim her lost innocence.

The audience were generally appreciative of the non-linear progression of the play, which allowed the audience to slowly piece Macy’s backstory together based on clues dropped throughout the play’s progression. As scriptwriter Rafi told us, this was a conscious decision on his part midway through the rehearsal period. “There was one day I decided to cut up my script and ask [the cast] to read it randomly in pieces…and then that became the final script.” We were also impressed by the meticulous direction of Rebecca Goh (15S06O) for the play. In particular, there were reportedly over 30 lights and sounds cues for this play alone, which were all effectively used to portray the changes in location during the play from a car to a playground to the titular rooms with its too-thick walls. Some particularly outstanding moments were the blue and red spotlights that temporarily illuminated the actors as they rapidly moved around the stage, creating a palpable aura of mystery and fear. The impressive command over the technical cues was testament to the Players’ skill in maximising the TSD’s potential.

In addition, Annaajihah Bt Muhamad (15S03D) convincingly managed to portray Macy as a complex character, at once the protective elder sister as well as the daughter scarred with the knowledge of her father’s infidelity. Equally compelling was Katrina Jacinto (15A13A) as the imaginary Jo, who brought a fresh dimension of childlike curiosity and inquisition onto the stage. She was able to actualise the process of growing up that the script audaciously set out to do. The chemistry between the two main characters was evident in the scenes where the two exchanged lines at bullet-speed. And who can forget Macy’s haunting descent into madness in the last scene, which left audience members enthralled and discomfited all at once? Even without the deadpan humour of “Philosophising Over a Dead Baby Body”, we felt that this play did justice to the sombre themes it grappled with.

Of the night’s plays, perhaps the most compact and well executed was the third and final piece, again scripted as well as directed by Jovi Tan (15A01B). Following a straightforward and linear narrative, the play was a slice of protagonist Nina’s life as she attempted to deal with the loss of her  husband amidst her sister’s growing frustration at her inability to return to a semblance of normalcy. Rachel Koh portrayed the role of Nina, a quietly grieving widow, with finesse, cycling between outright anguish and inert helplessness at her own situation. Her emotional fragility was made all the more apparent in scenes with her sister, played by Syafiqah Nabilah (15A01B), whose well-intentioned care, interspersed with moments of awful frustration, highlighted the limits of familial empathy. There were some precious moments in this particular play that we greatly enjoyed, most notably the bittersweet scene in which Nina dreamt of her dead husband, played by Jovi, returning from a journey with suitcase in hand and them enjoying a last waltz together. The two began by dancing at tangents to each other, and drew closer until they met and danced in a slow circle for a few moments before their inevitable separation. Nina then attempted to pass her husband a few religiously significant mementoes that she picked up at a thrift store in exchange for her husband’s old possessions, to no avail. For most audience members, this brief scene alone was enough to convincingly flesh out Nina’s wistful nostalgia and lingering love.

This last play won favour with HOD of Literature Mrs Nicola Perry, who thought it was “lovely” and “beautifully understated”. While it was arguably the most conceptually simple of the night’s plays, the script dexterously blended humour with unadulterated poignance, resulting in an absorbing and thoroughly engaging play. The actors’ masterful portrayal of a spectrum of very human reactions to loss did full justice to the script. Cheng Yi Ern (15S03B) provided some much-needed comic relief as an unwitting but well-meaning thrift shop uncle, and drove the audience into fits of laughter with his charmingly awkward interactions with Nina. This play also displayed a remarkable attention to detail that contributed towards a satisfying experience for the audience. It was hard not to appreciate the tightly-woven web of religious metaphors for grieving, from Buddhist burial chests to joss paper to Indian vigil lamps, which came into full emotional play in the dream scene and symbolised the universality of grief and Nina’s desire to draw comfort from all those who had grieved before her. As something of an Easter egg, Rachel pointed out to us that “In the dream scene I wear a wedding ring but my husband doesn’t. I think that’s quite nice – people who die don’t belong to anyone, but people who’re left behind do.”

With all three plays, we were bowled over by the sheer amount of thought and dedication put into the entire production, made all the more impressive by the fact that the Players put this production together even as they were rehearsing for their Oral Presentations. We applaud Raffles Players for this ambitious yet cogently executed, impactful and thought-provoking year-end performance, and look forward to their upcoming endeavours in Dramafeste next year.

by Joyce Er (15A01A)
Photos courtesy of Gabrielle Jeyaseelan (15S06A) and Vivian Ngiam (15S06O)

To any outsider, Grad Night 2014 may have appeared to be any other school formal, with glamorous girls and bespoke boys, cameras flashing all night long, live school bands playing their hearts out, and endless photos taken under the high ceiling of the Fairmont Ballroom at Swissotel. Yet the night was fraught with bittersweet reminiscence for many, for graduation brings as much excitement about what is yet to come as it does nostalgic happiness, or alegria – the theme of the night and the prevailing sentiment throughout the evening’s events.

Y6s milling around prior to the opening of the ballroom doors

The night began as all prom nights do – fashionably late, with everyone dressed to impress and pulling friends into photos every chance they got. Although everyone dazzled in tailored suits and fitted frocks, we spotted a few particularly well-dressed individuals, each featured here. A steady stream of photos continued to be taken as the Year 6s trickled into the ballroom to the familiar strains of We The Kings’ hit song “Check Yes Juliet”, as performed by Y5 members of Raffles Rock. The atmosphere was relaxed and even after most had been seated with the friends they had chosen to spend this final JC highlight with, people continued to mill around while the programme commenced proper.

Pageant nominees first strutted their stuff in a catwalk segment before taking the stage for self-introductions and a brief beauty pageant-style Q&A segment, answering humorous questions such as “What do you think your best physical feature is?” with tongues firmly in cheek. While waiters brought out the entrees for the night, the Dance King and Queen nominees began their efforts to win their batchmates’ votes with their smooth moves and quirky personalities, which showed through in their choice of dance music and choreography.

Simon Tang used the Pokemon theme song to much cheering, while Tyronne’s routine centred around the theme of love and briefly featured Dance Queen nominee Aye Aye Mon. Aye Mon in turn performed a sultry hip-hop routine with backup dancers from Street Dance, while Tan Min Ting turned the tables with an adorably amusing dance iteration of the hit Kpop song Bar Bar Bar, performed with her fellow CCAD committee members. Each contestant’s dance routines drew catcalls and laughter alike from their batchmates, and was a great source of entertainment.  Tyronne Toh and Simon Tang even performed a spot-on cover of SNSD’s “Hoot” together, showing that both were performing out of a love for dance and treated it as nothing more than a friendly competition.

While Pageant votes were placed and dinner was served, Y5 band Ampersand took the stage to perform “Hero” by Mariah Carey and “Feeling Good” by Michael Buble – appropriately upbeat and optimistic songs to enliven the mood. Subsequently, the results of the lucky draw were announced onscreen, and audience members were also treated to a surprise dance item by a group known as Legion, comprising dance enthusiasts from an assortment of CCAs like Bowling, Basketball, Modern Dance and Street Dance.

Afterwards, the Pageant nominees were up for the announcement of the voting results. Ryan Sim and Kathleen Leong were crowned Prom King and Queen respectively. Meanwhile, Simon Tang took the title of Dance King, while Tan Min Ting snagged the honour of Dance Queen.

To end off the night, the Y6s of Raffles Rock took the stage for the last time, capping off two years of performing as a batch in what was undoubtedly a poignant moment for them and their supporters offstage. The Possum Parade performed Ingrid Michaelson’s “You and I” and Toploader’s “Dancing in the Moonlight”.

Additionally, Army of None did justice to their two years of Rock with powerful renditions of The Temper Trap’s “Sweet Disposition” and Muse’s “Feeling Good”. The talented performers gave their all and hit all the right notes throughout their segment, and drummer Safafisalam Bohari Jaon ended their final song with a literal bang, bringing an end to their batch’s graduation dinner.

Army of None vocalist Jonathan Boey’s friends stage an intervention just as he reaches the chorus of “Sweet Disposition”.

In the words of Ampersand, “tonight is all about living in the moment and being with friends you love and enjoy the company of”. As kings and queens were crowned, surprise prizes were won and the night’s revelries smoothly unfolded, we witnessed above all the sincere friendships and ties forged over the course of the J2s’ JC journey, which will follow many as they embark on the next chapter of their lives.

by Lorraine Fong and Wilson Chan (15A01C)

Photos by Hee Xin Wei (15S03I)

“The best way to spread Christmas cheer singing loud for all to hear.” And sing loud for all Raffles Chorale did in their annual student-led Christmas production, Vocal Delights: Home for Christmas. Held on the 19th December 2014, the highly anticipated performance featured a diversity of acts which added their own unique touch to familiar Christmas tunes and popular melodies, be it through arranging them in a different style, or even incorporating them into a musical skit. With the Lecture Theatre decked in Christmas lights and the small number of a cappella-style singers on stage, the intimate mood made it easy to forget that there was a larger purpose behind all of it – all proceeds from ticket sales would go directly to their chosen beneficiary, Grace Orchard School.

Emcees Choong Ting Wei (15S06Q) and Anthony Wu (15S06L) opened the event with great energy and cheesy jokes to ease the crowd into the concert. While Ting Wei danced enthusiastically to the popular K-pop group Girls’ Generation’s Genie, Anthony pointed out the incredulity of that dream. The former’s hopes of achieving success in the K-pop arena was introduced as a running gag for most of the comedic banter between the two emcees. However, these type of transitions between each act sometimes felt a bit too forced rather than humorous. Thankfully, they wasted no time introducing Batch ‘15 of Raffles Chorale to a beautiful a cappella rendition of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas. The group did not disappoint as they created a warm atmosphere in a perfect blend of harmonies while lead vocalist Anthea Chua’s (15S05A) mesmerising voice reverberates through the hall, even though she was singing in the shadow of Judy Garland’s definitive performance of this number. Handled and executed with mature control and exquisitely accurate harmony, it was an impressive and engaging act.

After more cringe-worthy jokes supplied by the emcees, Fringe, Chorale’s resident chamber choir, took the stage next. With a total of 12 members, from both batches, they arguably tackled one of the most demanding and challenging part of a cappella music – arranging pieces suitable for their voices. As Ian Ho (15S06H), chairman of Raffles Chorale and part of Fringe, explained: “The process of arranging a cappella music is especially tedious for smaller groups as everybody’s voice is unique and each part is equally important in achieving the intended sound. Therefore, the choir and the smaller performing groups practiced very hard to reach a satisfactory standard, and the arrangers put in extra effort to see their arrangements strive towards perfection.” They begin their set with That’s Christmas To Me a little shaky; while it did capture the original essence of the Pentatonix version, the arrangement was a little repetitive, as it relied too heavily on main soloist Dominique Yap (15A01C), and the harmonies lacked enough energy to carry the performance forward. However, their next piece, the all-familiar Christmas hymn O Holy Night, managed to capture and encapsulate the themes of gratitude and optimism. Both arranged by Ian, O Holy Night transitioned seamlessly into The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting On an Open Fire) as a medley. The layered texture of both pieces shined through, with the former in its subtle nuances in the subdued mood of the hymn, and the latter in its jazzy rendition of the Nat King Cole classic. The group ended their performance set with A Christmas Lullaby by Dan Forrest, a haunting masterpiece with perfectly balanced vocal dynamics. As the title suggests, most of the piece established a soothing and gentle atmosphere, before culminating in a stunningly beautiful climax. With the long notes quietly tapering off, the conclusion of the song rounded the performance off soulfully.

The wittily named ‘Acafellas’ brought us a cappella renditions of pop hits such as Taylor Swift’s Blank Space, Mistletoe by Justin Bieber and Valerie by Amy Winehouse, all arranged by the talented Teo Qi Xuan (15S06L). Consisting of seven J1 members, their experimentation with this genre of music got the crowd hooked on the catchy beats and tunes cleverly constructed by these 7 ‘fellas’. Despite having only one female member, the Acafellas’ managed to pull off their performance with good vocal dynamics, and female member Tan Fong Han (15A01B) gave their performance more depth in terms of the range of vocals, thus creating a full and solid sound. For the first piece, they started with a simple melody line, gradually revving it up with beatboxing, syncopated rhythms and even Anthony’s hilarious version of the mock-rap one-liners. While overall an enjoyable song, partly due to its popularity with the audience, the music was not as crisp as it should be. Mistletoe illustrated why a cappella style can sometimes be more effective in connecting with the audience, even though the song choice was highly questionable. The small cheeky actions (such as the mutual glances between members literally at the phrase ‘staring at your face’) which would be inappropriate in a more formal context, as well as the seemingly unplanned sitting positions of the singers made it as if people were gathering around a cozy and warm fireplace. Valerie was a lighthearted Christmas version of the jazzy tune and Fong Han does channel her inner Amy Winehouse to produce some marvellous vocals for the melody.

After the Acafellas left the audience with musical earworms, up next was the alumni’s a cappella group ‘Vox’, which was formed four years ago and merely described themselves as ‘six male persons singing tonight’. But this deceptive description masked the talent and creativity they would showcase in their songs. Having had so much experience in the a cappella scene, it was no surprise that they brought us one of the best performances in the entire concert. Belting all of the high notes in Dream a Little Dream of Me (even throwing in kisses and a little flirtiness – it’s essentially a love song after all), the group started the event off with a pop bang with lots of charisma. They follow this up with what they call “A Christmas Medley”, consisting of the usual Christmas carols such as Hark the Herald Angels Sing, Deck the Halls, and O come All Ye Faithful. Brilliantly executed, the timber and tone colour in their voices accentuated the warm and hymn-like qualities of the songs. Finishing off with a  familiar favourite Jingle Bell Rock, the all-male group put up a solid performance, with the audience’s gaze fixated on the talented group. Their powerful voices blended in wonderful harmony, and audience member Josiah Kek (15A01C) commented that their voices “were like velvet – so smooth.. so soothing”.

Before the intermission, Batch ‘15 of Raffles Chorale hit the stage once again to perform more classic choral works and renaissance-style music. Unexpectedly presenting a Chinese song 平安夜真平安, which celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ and the illuminating hope he will bring to the world, the group’s gentle dynamics and climaxes could have been more subtle but it fortunately still conveys the optimism found in the piece. The following songs, O Magnum Mysterium and Cantate Domino, sung in Latin and Basque respectively, were more mysterious and chant-like. While they did feel more out of place with the rest of the acts, the sacred nature of the works was a reminder and appreciation for the historical background and setting that the tradition of Christmas is steeped in.

Returning from the intermission and expecting to hear more gorgeous harmonies, the audience is greeted by the two eager emcees, introducing “P.U.N.C.H.”, comprising singers from two batches. In short, PUNCH presents a musical comedy skit to give the concert more variety, and provide the audience with a break from music and give them a good laugh. Formed many years ago (roughly 24 years), PUNCH even starred local Singer Kit Chan! This year’s musical circled around the ‘missing Christmas presents’, and a group’s quest to find Santa. On their quest, they travel from ‘ION Orchard’ to ‘EXPO’ to ‘Snow City’ in vain, with Santa nowhere to be found. In the process, the skit is interspersed with their covers such as Problem by Ariana Grande, Price Tag by Jessie J and even Gangnam Style by Psy. Their cheesy puns and hilarious characters left the audience doubling up with laughter. Ultimately, the group concluded that Santa would be in the ‘North Pole’, directing them to ‘Woodlands’, supposedly the ‘North Pole’ of Singapore. They encounter a ‘sleeping gas’, that caused Santa to sleep and prevented him from distributing the Christmas presents, and the group cheekily perform The Lion Sleeps Tonight (also known as Wimoweh). The only conscious character, played by Christine Saw (15A01A), manages to awaken the team and Santa to go to town, ending their musical comedy with Santa Claus Is Coming To Town. What they lacked in musical tone they made up for in humour; their stage presence throughout the concert contained an exuberance that was practically contagious and their performance was genuine as they sang and interacted with the others in an undeniably natural and engaging manner.

After a brief introduction to Grace Orchard School, The Sixth Sense stepped out into the limelight to present their trio of medleys. Comprising of only six singers, it was a remarkable effort, considering they had a diverse and eclectic range of music in store for the audience. They began with more Christmas magic, Let it Snow and All I Want for Christmas is You. Even having shown a preview of the latter with their promotional video and teasers, they performed even better live (inclusive of joyous snapping!). They followed this up with Fly Me to the Moon,  L.O.V.E and If I Ain’t Got You. While there was some obstructive beatboxing that was not consistent with the songs, the medley was securely accompanied by a strong melodic background that bolstered the tunes. Last but not least, like the ‘Acafellas’, they covered more mainstream music by pop artistes Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift. Unlike the ‘Acafellas’, some of the voices were unfortunately drowned out in some parts by the others, even as the arrangement was more groovy and had the potential for the audience to sing along to. The Batch of 2014 then came back to give us more Christmas music: Candlelight Carol and A Traditional Christmas Medley.The absolute crystal clarity of tone and the beautiful intonation in both moved the audience and left them clamouring for more, considering the timeless and characteristic sounds from traditional songs such as Angels We Have Heard on High and Gabriel’s Message.

The grand finale was a collaboration between all members of the two batches, and featured other instruments as well, in the case of Long Road. With the use of the recorder, the distant and abstract sounds, coupled with the eerie chords sung by the rest of the choir, gave the whole song a magical and supernatural feel, especially when juxtaposed with the more tonal parts of the song. Baba Yetu, one of the main staples of their concerts, was more upbeat and riveting, while I’ll Be Home for Christmas capped off the whole performance by returning to the main theme of the night. After the audience cries out for an encore performance, Raffles Chorale decided to put up one last act. There was no departure from the usual this time though, as they performed The Road Home, as with their previous concert. However, Mr. Toh Ban Sheng, the conductor of the choir, having graced this special occasion, did resume his normal position on the stage and delivered a perfect performance.

Having rounded up an entertaining night with free hugs à la Oprah from the teacher-in-charge Mrs. Jasbir Koh and appreciation speeches, the concert then concluded with applause from the crowd. As the concert was one of the final performances that some of the students put up, it was undeniably a sad and poignant moment for them, as demonstrated by the farewell that Mrs. Koh gave to the graduating students. For others, it was nonetheless a learning experience for all of them as they  initiated and led an entire production with almost no help from the teachers or the conductor. Ian leaves us with this: “Ending the year with Vocal Delights: Home for Christmas really warms my heart to see how the choir has grown musically and together as close friends with a shared passion for singing. Planning this concert together as a batch, resolving problems and making Vocal Delights a success, has strengthened the friendships within the choir and musical bond we share as a family of singers. Chorale is a place we can all call home, and we were glad to be home for Christmas, together.” Ultimately, the resounding success of the concert is a testament to the amount of dedication and hard work the whole choir has put in, considering the independent nature of this project, and we applaud Raffles Chorale for putting up such a magnificent show.

by Choo Shuen Ming (16A01E) and Tan Su (15S07A)
Photos by Hethav Sivakumar (15AO1E)

BW’s tightly synchronised dancing in this routine was just one of the many things that made Dancefest 2015 one to remember.

Dancefeste is arguably the most highly-anticipated Feste in Inter-House Competition (IHC) Remix, and thus it was unthinkable that it was very nearly called off this year. Nonetheless, the show went on, helmed by a group of members from the Song and Dance (SnD) committee of Orientation 2015 — a major change from previous years when one of the school’s dance CCAs would take it up.

To the disappointment of avid Dancefeste supporters, however, a ticketing system was implemented this year. If you were at last year’s Dancefeste, you would be lucky to find a seat among throngs of eager, sweaty-from-training Y5s and 6s, packing the auditorium, even resorting to taking seats on the floor. A member of the organising committee told us that the ticketing system was to prevent Dancefeste from once again turning into a giant fire hazard. Unavoidably, this disappointed some as they were unable to support their friends, while others lamented that the decrease in numbers made Dancefeste less “hyped”. To address these, alternatives have been thrown around, with a popular suggestion being that Dancefeste be held in the MPH next year. The organizing committee of Dancefeste will be recommending their juniors to consider this for next year’s IHC remix.

It must be acknowledged that organising such a massive event is no mean feat. We certainly owe the organising committee due credit — the complexity of the logistical and administrative work that goes into Dancefeste is something many fail to appreciate. To quote Choong Ting Wei (15S06Q), a member of the organising committee, they had to “coordinate … split the different logistics to different people … and find ways to cater to each house’s performance”, — not an easy job since they had to consider many “different elements such as the different light settings and props”. Furthermore, “it was really hard pushing through the idea of an informal, independent student interest group organising such a large school event”, but in the end, it was worth it. As Ting Wei shared, their “passion for dancing and [the fact] that [they] couldn’t let one major Feste just disappear …  just because no one could organise it” was their ‘fire within’ for IHC Dancefeste. They certainly did their best despite the odds.

When it comes down to it though, Dancefeste is ultimately about the spirit of dance. Ticketing issues were the least of peoples’ concerns as stories of cheese tofu dreams, ‘Lepak corners’, resurrected robots, phoenixes calling, and teenage romance unfolded on stage. As insensible as these may seem when put together, they were the themes that the houses led the audience through their dance numbers with. With teams given only a week and a half, hardly any time was available for them to prepare. That being said, each item was entertaining and impressive in its own right.

The red crew in BB’s story stakes their claim to the ‘Lepak corner’ with some impressive moves

BB was first up, their dance number surrounding the concept of two teen dance crews fighting over a ‘lepak corner’. They chose costumes that were not typical of a Dancefeste team, with none of the dancers wearing green but instead red and blue. The energetic item drew laughter from the crowd with its comedic elements and unashamedly cheesy acting, and wowed the audience with unconventional segments and moves. Their unique use of the theme song from “Bob the Builder” was heralded by judge Ernest Yee as “very, very entertaining!”. And just as BB’s routine showed how the red and blue dance crews eventually came together to fight for a common goal, the spirit of unity and fun of BB was summed up nicely by the judges who liked their “teamwork, and how [they] communicated with each other through dance”. Their last-place may have been viewed as undeserved by some, but in the end, that mattered not, as they simply enjoyed themselves. As a BB dancer, Samantha Rabino (16S07A), put it, the “sense of satisfaction of working together, putting everything together, overpowered the news … when they announced [the results], we just started laughing like ‘woah … top five, congrats!’”.

BW’s dancers definitely had a blast onstage that night!

BW came next with a wacky storyline involving cheese tofus. Their item showed off a technically solid performance – praised for being “very, very in sync” by the judges, further confirmed by dancer Nicole Yap (16A01E) who told us that “training synchronization was one of the most tiring parts”. Their impressive performance was testament to hours of work put in, and clearly showed their passion for dance. Their coordination was even more stunning when you consider that teams were formed “12 days before Dancefeste, but we effectively only had about a week of practice due to CNY”, as Samantha Ng Hui (15S06S), a dancer for BW told us. Despite this, Nicole shared that what kept them going was “love for doing what we love, and also house pride! Especially for the Year 6s because they have exams too. It was tough on them. ” In the end, BW claimed 3rd place, but for the team, their path to that end mattered more. “You end up remembering the smallest things, like late night pizza parties and Chill raids,” said Samantha. For BW, what they will treasure in years to come is not the award, but the memories and friendships formed through their time together.

HH’s creepy opening led on to a brighter ending, as resurrected robot Orion found love – his ‘fire within!’

HH was next – darkest of all the Houses’ items, the first scene’s realistic ‘hanging’ caused one judge to later cry out that he “nearly died”. Despite the item having many small groups (most notably differentiated by gender) performing on stage at different times, the transitions were smooth and very well pulled off, with the judges liking how they “flowed here and flowed there”. Matching shirts also added to their ‘cool’ factor. This team was the only team to print matching shirts, and team member Danson Lim (15S03R) tells told us that they wanted “something material to take away from this year to remember the team and bind us together”.  Overall, HH’s use of the stage was impressive and the item as a whole very innovative and entertaining – many agreed that they fully deserved their 2nd place. This was in spite of their music cutting off towards the end of their item. When that happened, Danson recounted that he “was lost for a moment, but someone in the team started singing and I got back on track again”. In fact, the technical problem was so well handled that the judges even thought it was “scripted”.  Danson also shared that they faced other problems like how the “choreography had corrections down to the last day”, but in the end, HH put up a strong performance despite those odds.

The MR dancers after their performance – tired, but happy.
Photo by Choo Shuen Ming (16A01E)

MR used a clichéd but easy to follow storyline of boy-chases-girl, with an MR dancer who declined to be named sharing that they mixed elements of “joy, regret, romance” into the item. They started off with a toe-tapping Hairspray segment but also included many other genres of dance, one of the most impressive being pairwork, with the judges gushing that “[their] partnerwork was amazing.” The judges also praised how the energy of the dancers shined through. “At the end you all [were] supposed to get more tired, but then you all smiled even bigger … I felt happier watching you all.” said judge Ernest. This was echoed by one of the Year 5 MR dancers, who said, “Usually during practices, I get so tired from the routine, but that night I didn’t feel tired at all performing.” Eventually, MR faced synchronisation and cleanliness issues and placed 4th, but this did not matter so much to the dancers. Before the results, one dancer said she was “quite chill … I [felt] like I gave my best so it doesn’t really matter”. While she did feel “a bit bad that we didn’t win for the House”, what mattered most was how “it just felt really nice that we all came together and managed to bond over something we all love doing”.

The MT team ‘raving’ during their performance to hype the crowd up – with a cameo appearance by their House Mascot, the Phoenix.

MT’s winning performance was packed with simple yet very effective moves which ensured that the item was cohesive and synchronised. MT actively tried to add the ‘X factor’ into their item by using “Be A Man” from the Mulan soundtrack, with judge Ernest Yee praising the song choice. It was evident that they had put a lot of thought into planning the item, with dancer Mazie Tan (15S03J) telling us that they “tried to do different genres to keep the mood changing and to sustain the interest of [the] audience”. Also, cameo appearances by their House Captain and mascot made the item all the more memorable and unique. Ultimately, the Dancefeste experience for MT dancers came down to moments after practice where they would “just go crazy…blast music and start partying at the mirrors”, and their passion for dancing itself. According to Mazie, “Knowing you are going to go all out for something you love and having that chance to share your work with your friends and the audience is just very nice … Before we performed we said okay, positions don’t matter, just go up and have fun.”

The dancers totally let loose during the dance off, as Samantha from BB shared, she was “scared … but suddenly my friends started going up, and I was like no regrets please, so I just went … it was very fun!”

After all the performances, what followed was what one audience member described as “the epic dance battle”, which drew large cheers from the audience as dancers from all houses stepped up to showcase their freestyle skills. It was not what more experienced dancers would define as a proper dance battle, as Danson from Street Dance said, “Dance battles aren’t parties … They have the atmosphere of parties, but I think if it’s called a dance battle then maybe there could be more regulations.” But he did acknowledge that it captured the passion of Dancefeste, with everyone feeling “high and happy”. The other dancers echoed this, with Nicole saying that “it was [her] favourite part of the whole experience, watching strangers and friends do what they love”.  The audience definitely felt it too, with one audience member declaring that “Dance is magic!”.

Nicole summed up that night’s atmosphere nicely: “Just seeing people do what they love, it’s a lovely feeling ”
Photo by Choo Shuen Ming (16A01E)

So despite some disappointments about this year’s smaller crowd making the atmosphere less electric, most who attended Dancefeste enjoyed it immensely. For the dancers themselves, “Dancefeste was a very good platform for people in non-dance CCAs to get a chance to perform, and at the same time do their part for the House,” Mazie shared. Nicole added that in the end, “… I nearly cried because there was so much shared passion.” Many were definitely impressed, invigorated and fully entertained at Dancefeste, and for them there is no disputing that IHC Remix isn’t the same without Dancefeste.

by Chew Cheng Yu (16S06L), Michelle Choy (15S05A) and Tan Su (15S07A)
Photos by Deng Yimin (15S03M)

Musicfest; the product of three weeks of practices late into the night and unyielding perseverance by the skilled musicians of every house. This year’s Musicfest had unprecedented popularity amongst the students, which saw the LT packed to the brim by eager students, with latecomers settling for standing at the entrance, as compared to last year’s, during which there were enough unfilled seats to have the performers be able to sit down. It was indeed quite the crowd, as our bubbly emcees Lin Sheng Jun (15S05A) and Ryan Chan (15S03I) pointed out. With songs from worldwide stars and bands being featured, all of Raffles was pumped up for this much desired break from the stress of school life, where they could just let their hair down, show their house spirit and rave to the brilliant performances put up.

Emcees Ryan Chan and Lin Shengjun hyping the crowd up before BB took the stage.

Whereas Chamber Ensemble was responsible for last year’s Musicfest, this year’s competition was organised by Raffles Rock, and the bar was also raised. Teams had to perform songs from a given artist, a part of which had to be in a given style, with a special requirement, all chosen at random. According to a member of the organising committee, it was initially thought of as a way to generate interest in Musicfest amongst the students, but it also lent a very interesting dynamic to the performance, which truly allowed each house to showcase their creativity and finesse. Restrictions were deliberately flexible to allow teams freedom of interpretation, and to have fun performing on stage. In addition, there was a set minimum of three songs to perform, with an optional fourth song that could be included.

While the technical and musical skills of each house were praiseworthy, those alone were not enough to triumph the competition; audience appeal and popularity were also significant deciding factors. Win over the audience with popular, engaging songs, and you win over audience votes (hopefully enough) to vie for the first place. Judged by our own sound technician Mr. Hazli, Raffles Rock Teacher IC Dr. Lena Liu, and local pop artist turned entrepreneurs duo Jack and Rai, who often performs at various venues and are involved in several music festivals, the event started off on a high note.

BB’s extensive variety of highly skilled musicians gave them an edge over many other houses that night.

Up first was Buckle-Buckley, and their solid arrangement was performed impeccably with a unique addition of beatboxing vocals in the middle of “Bang Bang” by Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj. They finished off with their challenge song, a jazz remix of “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran, which played out smoothly down to the last note. Near the end, guitarist Alexander Leung (16A01A) successfully rallied the crowd to sing the last few verses with them; and as for the last line, house members sitting on the stage held up placards with lyrics on them for a stylish finish, earning the favour of the enthusiastic audience. The passionate House Comm of BB also showed their unending support for their house as they occupied a whole row of seats and gave standing ovations to their house members.

BW’s performers rose to their country-acapella challenge with gusto.

Bayley-Waddle took the stage next. Wowing the audience with their rendition of “Uptown Funk” by Mark Ronson ft. Bruno Mars in particular, the performers were suitably decked out, with the vocal leads dancing along to the song in sunglasses and leis. The passion exuded certainly moved the audience, bringing the excitement to a new level. Their challenge song, “Ain’t It Fun” by Paramore was performed in a capella with some beatboxing thrown in, as well as with a violin and a ukulele. Although they missed out the ‘country’ aspect of the song, it was still clear that they had excellent vocals all around.

Powerhouse vocalist Esther Chan hit all the right notes.

Following after was Morrison-Richardson, performing a variety of songs. Their challenge song, which was introduced by guitarist Sun Yi (15S06G) parodying the character Lulu from popular local comedy show “The Noose” with a pink wig to boot, was a mash-up of “Thanks for the Memories” and “Light Em Up” by Fall Out Boy done in a charming oriental style with a rap battle. The musical prowess of the house was demonstrated further in their other songs; “Can’t Hold Us” had original lyrics written to suit MR, and with “Remember the Name” by Fort Minor showed off their rapping skills. The vocals for “Runaway Baby” by Bruno Mars in addition to their challenge song were provided by their talented Esther Chan (15A01D).

House captain Melissa Tang charmed the audience with her brilliant singing and sparkling personality.

Hadley-Hullet charmed the audience easily with their charisma and confidence. Their challenge song, “Safe and Sound” by Taylor Swift, was played in the original key in the first part, before switching to a minor key and going Reggae style. For the difficult and odd combination of Taylor Swift and Reggae, vocalist Edward Yao (16A13A) put in a remarkable effort, sending the crowd roaring when he and his duet partner held each others hands and looked into each others eyes as they sang their hearts out. My Chemical Romance’s “Welcome to the Black Parade”, their last song, was marked by house members doing their signature cheer as the performance went on, in an amazing combination and display of house spirit and affinity coordinated by their House Captain/vocalist, Melissa Tang (15S03Q).

MT put up a commendable, technically skilled performance despite lacking instruments more commonly seen at Musicfest.

Last but not least, Moor-Tarbet stepped up to meet the bar set by the other houses with their song choice and incredible vocals; Stefanus Phan (15A01A), one of the best male voice leads that night, started slow with “I See Fire” by Ed Sheeran, but followed with their quick challenge song; a mash-up of a few Maroon 5 songs including “Payphone” and “She Will Be Loved”, done in an indie style. Qiu Biqing (15S06J), their bassist, commented that ‘We decided on something more chill and laid back, yet memorable because there are a lot of Maroon 5 mash-ups out there! We are very glad to receive positive feedbacks on our final performance’ a testament of how much they wowed the crowd.”

Raffles Rock entertained the crowd while the judges deliberated.

As the last song by MT finished, votes were then opened for the audience. While voting went on, Jack and Rai went on stage to perform “Some Nights” by Fun with only acoustic guitars and drums, and their very own original “Tryin’ ”. Raffles Rock followed on with their covers of “Creep” by Radiohead, “Pompeii” by Bastille and “Monster” by Paramore, performed by their own talented members. By then, it was almost 10.00p.m., and the excited crowd was getting impatient for the results. An impromptu rap battle then begun between a BB rapper and one of the lights and sounds crew, entertaining the audience even as the air-conditioning turned off. Finally, the results were released:

1st: BB

2nd: MT

3rd: HH

4th: BW

5th: MR

According to Dr. Lena Lui, all the judges agreed that both BB and MT put up slightly better performances, due to their seamless transition of songs and overall quality of performance (i.e. vocals, effectiveness of performances etc.). The other houses were fantastic as well, but lost out by a close margin in terms of certain performances or segments being a little sluggish or messy. She quoted that: “I have to firstly say that every house did very well for Musicfest… All of the houses performed exceptionally with each having their own strengths and weaknesses, and judging was not an easy task to do…. It definitely was a tough call and all houses put up an amazing show.”

The short three-week duration that each team had from auditions to the actual event proved to be a challenge, but each house emerged and performed all their four pieces with finesse and technical skill. The performers from each house played, sang and danced passionately, engrossed in their own music, giving off a rare and exquisite appeal that rocked the audience. As the talented drummer of BB, Jonathon Pong (15S03G), commented, this new style definitely ‘appealed to different musical tastes, and different challenges,’ making it more enjoyable for everyone involved. Vice-Chairman of Raffles Rock, Mark Ho (15S06Q), said, “From Taylor Swift with Reggae to Paramore with Country, I think teams interpreted the challenge very well.”. Even the guest judges, Jack and Rai, who were thoroughly impressed with the groups, commented that ‘There is definitely no lack of talent in Raffles Institution.’

Reflecting on the organisation of Musicfest this year, Mark expressed that “Musicfeste was an event that took weeks of planning to pull off. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. There were problems with venues and such, of course, and I admit we weren’t able to pull it off as spectacularly as we’d hope to. But we’ll take it in our stride, to learn from this experience and do a better job next year if Rock organises it again.” Ultimately, the standings didn’t seem to matter as much as the whole school (or at least those that could squeeze into LT2) coming together and having a blast, regardless of being an onlooker, performer, or audience.

by Karen Cuison (16A01D), Ching Ann Hui (15S03A), Michelle Zhu (15A01B)
Photos by Vanessa Gan (15S06C) and Nigel Gomes (15S06R)

Dramafeste 2015 was, for many, two weeks of rehearsals and set painting late into the night that eventually came together on the 25th and 26th of February. The popularity of the event was undiminished this year, with tickets for the Thursday show selling out rapidly, and many theatregoers arriving early at the PAC foyer to get the best seats.

Strawberry
Moor-Tarbet

Synopsis:

Bernie seems okay, but really, he isn’t. His waking hours are spent arguing with Helen, his ex-wife, over what might have been, while his dreams are preoccupied with Carol, his absent daughter. He has not been able to find closure over an initially unidentified incident, later skillfully and subtly revealed as Bernie’s failure to buy Carol a Strawberry ice-cream cone prompting her to cross the road – only to be tragically killed by a speeding car.

‘And the worst part is, in front of everyone, you have to be okay… well I… try to be.’ -Bernie

Strawberry will be remembered for its poignance with which it addressed mental anguish. From the lone handheld spotlight Bernie used in both his entrance and exit to highlight his desolation, to the building blocks that formed a house that reinforced Bernie’s lack of a loving home, MT’s play featured various little touches that added atmosphere and depth to the conflicts portrayed. A motif that worked particularly well in Strawberry was Bernie’s beginning monologue. Its repetitions in the middle and at the end of the play sent chills up the spines of many.

MT’s lineup of actors worked well with each other, clinching a deserved Best Cast award. As Bernie, whether Rishi Vadrevu was oscillating between fatherly warmth and fierce wrath,or delivering an impassioned monologue by the light of his handheld spotlight, he carried the play with gusto. Ericka Mantaring portrayed a realistic Carol, while Lam Wei Yi as ex-wife Helen surfaced love and hurt sensitively, sometimes at the same time. Last but not least, the ensemble (Maisarah, Nabilah and Sreshya) that acted as both conscience and mocking commentary, credibly translated the various aspects of Bernie’s turmoil from self to stage, enriching and enhancing Strawberry.

MT’s ambitions, however, were not wholly realized. With a full set, fully utilized stage, and diverse cast, it was easy for some things to be drowned out by others. Nonetheless, the effort put in by the scriptwriters and directors is commendable. As an unnamed audience member put it, Strawberry‘s strength lay in ‘how it was emotional, and how it was something we could all relate to.’

Two Berries, a Cherry and a Boy: The Life and Death of a Traffic Light
Morrison-Richardson

Synopsis:

Strawberry falls in love with Blueberry, who falls in love with lovable girl-next-door Cherry, who falls in love with easy-going goof Mark. Strawberry and Blueberry share a literary streak. While Blueberry angstily compares his unrequited love for Cherry to a pedestrian’s inability to love a traffic light, Strawberry desperately tries to attract his attention by rewriting his stories. Eventually, Blueberry realizes the futility of his pursuit. At the same time, he is touched by Strawberry’s affectations, and accepts them. He makes a final request – to break the glass that divides their world and Cherry’s. The play ends with Mark giving Cherry two goldfish to replace her deceased ones, Blueberry and Strawberry.

“What mountain did Albert Einstein climb? Mount Cleverest!” -Mark

Strawberry (played by Shannon Phuah) and Blueberry (played by Vasu Namdeo) made for a compelling lead couple. The Best Actress and Actor respectively displayed remarkable and consistent chemistry.

MR’s production was defined by its simplicity. This was reflected most clearly in its bare set. It was visually unique, and facilitated the smooth movement of actors. At the same time, it made full use of the stage without distracting from the actors. On top of it all, the set even retained an element of surprise in the triangular blocks, which were overturned in the closing scene to make a path for Cherry and Mark to walk to each other.

Two Berries, a Cherry and a Boy was defined not by a standout moment, but by the unity and smooth flow at every moment. There did not seem to be a key moment per se in this play – the central story that made absolutely no sense at the beginning, but makes the audience go ‘ohhhh’ once revealed. As the plot unravelled, the connections of some ideas nebulous to some audience members. Nonetheless, with the help of the traffic light and goldfish motifs, the concept of loving from a distance was articulated uniquely and well. Many enjoyed the numerous traffic light puns woven skillfully into the play that brought many light moments into an otherwise intense play, whether it was “he felt that that all the light had gone out of his life”, or “he thought that had been sending very clear signals”. The ending scene too was hauntingly beautiful – prisms toppling in succession just to let Cherry and Mark walk on to meet each other. Unfortunately, Blueberry did not have have that fortune.

This production was not without its critics – one audience member remarked ‘it was slightly anti-climatic, while other audience members finding the main character’s exchanges too ‘shouty’. Even then, MR went on to sweep the Best Play, Best Script, Best Actress and Best Actor awards. As a first-time lead actress, Shannon shared that the greatest challenge for her was “showing depth and variety to (her) emotional responses”. This was especially since the play “relied heavily on emotion to carry the plot, but it escalated so quickly that it was difficult at times to catch on. It took lots of re-looking at and unpacking the lines to fine tune the level of energy.”

Ultimately, MR’s production stood out for its professionalism. As judge Eugenia Tang shared with us after the event, each different play had really good moments but MR’s victory was because it was the only play out of the five that the judges could see as being successful in a professional theatre setting, whilst the rest were still distinctly distinguishable as student productions.

Yesterday was Saturday
Buckle-Buckley

Synopsis:

Auntie Ling hosts a group of childhood friends for what seems like a conventionally cheerful childhood-friend get-together. However, it is soon revealed that these old friends have convened to break the bad news of John’s death to Auntie Ling, his mentally impaired mother. Auntie Ling blames his ex-girlfriend, Julia, for the death, refusing to believe that her son drunkenly grabbed the steering wheel from her as he veered towards his own death. Amidst John’s tragedy and the rekindling and rejection of an old flame, Auntie Ling and friends learn their own lessons about loss.

“You think it’s really made in Germany meh? China la! Everything is made in China!”  – Auntie Ling

Yesterday was Saturday began with a sprightly Auntie Ling (played by Tan Ai) excitedly inviting everyone to her home. As the stage filled up with characters, conflicts including the pain of having to break the news of death to Auntie Ling, became correspondingly clearer. Tan Ai, in particular, fleshed out Auntie Ling’s character memorably and effectively, whether she was being a welcoming host or a hysterical, devastated mother. Strengthening the production were little hints of symbolism planted thoughtfully throughout the set and play itself. These included rows of beer bottles, and a set of curtains – John’s favourite childhood hiding place – that were left open, and drawn only at the play’s close.

In trying to tie the diverse cast and set together, the play sometimes lost sight of its main plot and message. This proved to be a stumbling block, especially when the play tended towards rambling and somewhat blunt dialogue. In particular, there were mixed opinions about the side plot of Madeline (Jesslyn) and Darryl’s (Sarthal) love story – while some found that it strengthened the theme of loss and letting go, others felt that it made the stage feel crowded and detracted from the main plot. Moreover, the ending seemed abrupt and convenient, and gave off the feeling of a melodramatic Korean soap.

However, to the play’s credit, these did not detract from the play’s promising concept, and its most memorable moments. One such moment was the near the end of the play, where bathed in dreamy blue stage lights, Julia (played by Eunice Png) delivered a heart-rending monologue about John (Daniel). John entered in a white tuxedo and both interacted with the set, seemingly thinking of each other but never making eye contact. The symbols used throughout the play were also useful in bringing out the message, in particular the pocket watches bought in the friends’ youth. This writer was particularly impressed by the subtle change of the roses in the wine bottles from white at the beginning to red at the end.

All in all, Buckle-Buckley put up a play that was conceptually impressive and heart-wrenching in its best moments. Though the execution could certainly have been improved, it was nevertheless an entertaining play that ambitiously tackled such universal issues of loss and letting go of the past.

Kampong Recipes
Hadley-Hullett

Synopsis:

It takes a kampong to find a missing child. Or class monitor. Mabel and Ian are determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, all the while balancing school and battling iron-laden parental grips. They find out that there is more than meets the eye to  witch’s signature delicacy, banzhang (Chinese for class monitor, and similar in sound to Bak Zhang, the chinese delicacy it represents ).

“But why are we still scared?”

We will admit – we were skeptical. Kampong Recipes initially reminded us a lot more of a cooking show on Channel 5, than the fascinating play with, in the words of the judges ‘two narratives – one of a story of murder on the surface, but another of cannibalising the children in conservative Asian society’ that wound up wowing us. The aesthetic of Kampong Recipes was a dream from start to finish. The costumes of the cast was authentically kampong and especially for the witch (Caitlin O’Hara), who was clad in an elaborate red Peranakan outfit, with matching red eyeshadow to boot. Kampong Recipes’s look was buoyed by its sets. Simple as they were, the colourful stage greatly enhanced the storybook-like setting of the kampong, believably and tastefully. At one point, even two seemingly insignificant potted plants placed beside a painting of a kampong somehow bridged the gaps between the flatness of the painting and the physicality of the actors, while demarcating the homes of Mabel (Celine Ng) and Ian (Mohammad Sufyan). The best component was definitely the box ,which served as Auntie’s hiding spot, with vines menacingly hanging. It is remarkable how Kampong Recipes’s sets found sweet spots between tastefulness and tackiness, and minimalism and maximalism, while never sacrificing functionality. It was therefore not surprising when HH won the Best Sets.

Most would agree that the most impactful scene would be the climactic one when Mabel and Ian are cowering in the jungle with witch standing over them and the light turned green, casting a menacing figure of the (otherwise slightly comic) Auntie, reminiscent of the famous scene in “Wicked” when Elphaba defies gravity.

The unabashed hilarity of Kampong Recipes quite possibly made it the most light-hearted and easily digested play of the Feste. Arguably, it was the most ‘complete’ play – there was no unexpected, abrupt change of events, no sudden surprises. From dark, dark humour that made ban zhang (‘class monitor’ in Chinese) sound like a Chinese delicacy (hence hinting at cannibalism), to Mabel’s and Ian’s adorable friendship, Kampong Humour’s jibe-filled, script was deliciously subtle. The play was also conceptually impressive – what stood out in particular was how it effortlessly managed to bring out the parallels between a nameless “monster” in the jungle and the arguably overly harsh ways of the typical “Asian parent”.

The stagehands too did a wonderful job – with the judges even commenting ‘that was the best stagehanding (they) have ever witnessed’. The play involved a lot of set changes, making the stagehands especially important for the success of HH. HH stagehand Alex Tan shares his experience in practicing moving the bulky box set: “At first we took about 15 seconds for each scene change, which satisfied our director Celeste. But one of our crew members Jia Cheng refused to stop practising until we hit below 10 seconds!” What drove the crew to continue practicing despite rehearsals being held late into the night was the energy that persisted, heartening them despite the tight schedules.

While MR and BW’s plays were outstanding because of their simplicity, HH’s play impressed the audience because of its uncanny ability to fit so many characters on the stage without coming across as being too crowded, whether in terms of each character’s function in the plot or staging. The play was certainly not perfect, but multiple elements of the play that stood out individually managed to come together to produce a play that was both visually and conceptually stunning.

The Adventures of Zachary and Fiona
Bayley-Waddle

Synopsis:

Zachary’s world is turned upside down when his elder sister, Fiona, is diagnosed with cancer. As her cancer progresses, sibling roles are reversed: instead of Fiona looking after Zachary, Zachary has to look after Fiona. Both siblings display selflessness and love in the face of Fiona’s impending death.

‘I’m gonna explode!’ – Fiona

The first thing that struck most audience members about The Adventures of Zachary and Fiona was its minimalism – and in turn, the play’s ability to convey a lot with a little. Adventures only had two actors – Zachary (played by Abdul Lateef) and Fiona (played by Cai Hai Yun). Yet, it seemed that two actors was all that was needed for Bayley-Waddle to put up a performance that was captivating. Indeed, despite being 17, the actors were able to realistically bring out the childlike demeanour of their characters – optimistic, yet cautiously realistic – to accurately capture the hurt, fear and joy colouring the journey of a child cancer patient.

The scene where Zachary pretended to be a doctor finding all sorts of treatment for Fiona stood out. The familiar childhood game of playing doctor is given new meaning in this context, showing not only the youthful trust between the siblings, but also how children deal with cancer – in the only way they know, by turning it into a game. This scene was one of many where BW managed to combine emotional intensity and significance with comic relief. Another scene that stood out was the shadow scene, where Fiona attempted to live out her dream of being a pilot in the face of her problems – symbolised by crashing waves always seem larger than what she can manage. The shadow play had many audience members gushing for its beauty and unexpectedness, as well as for how it highlighted the delicate, unpredictable and constantly changing nature of the siblings’ journey with Fiona’s cancer.

BW’s play was distinguished by its subtlety. Notably, immediately after Zachary finished shouting about Fiona not waking up, all lights went down except for a spot on his sister’s fragile breathing form. BW’s production was different because its force came less from what it presented and more from the reactions it triggered in the audience, beautifully exposing the struggles that childhood cancer patients and their families face. While some in the audience found the play too ambitious, it was nevertheless successful in its attempt to address such a serious issue. The only possible downside to Adventures was the ending, which came across as anti-climactic after the skillful execution of the rest of the play. Perhaps the scriptwriters and directors were trying to tell us that the ending in this case does not matter as much, but that was not true for the audience, who were, after all watching for the ending.

BW winning Best Direction came as no surprise given the complexity of directing this deceptively simple. Houses like  BB and HH easily filled the stage with their numerous characters. Although BW did not have the luxury of a sizeable cast, Zachary and Fiona left deep impressions with their stage presence. The coordination of the shadow show was another challenge the directors had to overcome, and overcomed flawlessly.

–

As per tradition, the Raffles Players EXCO put up a spoof that linked all the plays together just before the results release. Consisting of Rafi Kamsani, Rachel Koh, Brian Yen, Joel Seow, Darshini Ravichandran and Katrina Jacinto, this year’s players EXCO linked notable lines together from the various plays to form a hilarious spoof, even borrowing parts of the characters’ costumes – BW’s pilot hats, HH’s peranakan outfit, drawing uproarious laughter from the audience and ending the night on a great note.

Dramafeste 2015 was an impressive production for all five houses, especially given the tight timeline that they had to work with. Literature teacher and Players teacher I/C Mr Ian Tan noted that the common thread that linked the houses’ plays this year was the theme of coping – with loss, with love, or with extenuating circumstances. Many in the audience marvelled at the amount of work that went on behind the scenes for every play, and we at Raffles Press echo the sentiment. the sheer amount of time and energy participants have put in to the show is perhaps the most remarkable part of a very entertaining production. We’d like to salute the passion and energy each house went into Dramafeste with, which eventually culminated in a thrilling night for all of us in the audience.

Results

Best script: Two Berries, a Cherry and a Boy (MR)
Best sets: Kampong Recipes (HH)
Best cast: Strawberry (MT)
Best actor: Vasu Namdeo as Blueberry (MR)
Best actress: Shannon Phuah as Strawberry (MR)
Best direction: The Adventures of Zachary and Fiona (BW)
Best play: Two Berries, a Cherry and a Boy (MR)

by Naomi Koh (16A13A), Justin Lim (16A01B), Tasha Palani (16S03P) and Sean Lim (16A13A)

Photos by Carla Mosqueda (16A03A) and Li-Ann Hoong (16A03A)

The queue forming outside the PAC on the 10th was the first sign that Iridescence 2015 would surpass expectations. Although the unexpectedly large turnout delayed the start of the concert, the audience’s willingness to see it to the end was a testament to the quality of the performances Iridescence offered.

Organized by Year 5s from The Humanz Initiative (THI), Iridescence 2015 was a fundraising concert to aid the elderly at Toa Payoh Care Corner; all proceeds from the concert went to them. Some beneficiaries of Toa Payoh Care Corner had front-row seats for the concert, which also opened with a speech by a representative of the organization. In fact, an Organizing Team member who declined to be named noted that she chose to be involved with Iridescence as it was “a way to contribute to a worthy cause”.

Another defining feature of Iridescence was the sheer variety of acts, with both Rafflesians and non-Rafflesians taking the stage. From energetic rock songs to heart-warming poetry slams, the concert certainly did its best to cater to the tastes of every audience member. Despite each performance’s distinct style and content, it was extremely commendable that the concert still ran smoothly from each act to the next without a hitch.

Clockwise, from top left:  String Theory tugs at heartstrings; Craig upsteps with the up pedal; men in suits, Jon & Jon

Starting off the concert was Jon and Jon, an act comprising Jonathan Chua (16S03B) as the lead pianist, and Jonathan Tan (16S06K) as their lead vocalist. They first performed two hauntingly beautiful piano solo of All I Ask of You and Point of No Return from the musical Phantom of the Opera, followed by Snow Flower. The duo ended their performance by swapping roles momentarily for their final song – Les Miserables’ On My Own – a brave act that truly displayed their admirable team dynamics and diverse range of talents.

Following them was Craig Chua of ACSI, who gave a spirited rendition of Sail by AWOLNATION and No Scrubs by TLC. His performance was remarkable for its use of the distinctive step pedal, a device that allowed him to loop audio clips, creating an audio backtrack that complemented his evocative rendition of Sail. This left many audience members extremely impressed: Dylan Goh (16S06C) commented on how the performance “with the step pedal was pretty cool”, further listing it as his favourite act of the night.

Craig was succeeded by String Theory, a band from ACSI comprising Kristi Lim, Jordan Yoong and Joel Ong. Despite vocalist Joel Ong’s sore throat, the group didn’t disappoint with their sweet, soothing renditions of ballads such as Jeff Buckley’s acclaimed cover of Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah, Great Big World’s Say Something, and One Republic’s Secrets. Outside of their heart-wrenching and laudable vocal performance, the group’s charming outfits and futuristic-looking instruments– such as their electric violin– left a nothing short of a good impression on the audience.

Rishi, Neha and Pranamika making words come alive

Up next was the first half of the poetry slam instalments for the night. To provide some context, poetry slam in its simplest form is performed or spoken poetry. The first three slammers were Rishi Vadrevu (16A01E), Neha, and Pranamika, the latter two being students from Anderson Junior College who had volunteered for the event out of ‘interest in exposing students to the power of spoken word’ and ‘to use [their] passions to help a worthy cause’. Rishi opened the performance with a riveting and emotional reading of an original untitled poem that poignantly represented the internal conflicts of a teenage boy, and this was followed by Neha’s reading of fellow Rafflesian Khairillah Irwan’s (16A01B) poem: Critical Assignment. The segment ended with Pranamika delivering her two self-written poems about the contrasting experiences of being in healthy and unhealthy relationships that resonated deeply with many members of the audience.

Clockwise, from top left: Is that a Drum Set? in action; Raffles Chorale’s melodious medley; Searching finds their groove; Austere from Raffles Rock takes a bow

Following the poetry slam was Is That a Drum Set?, comprising students from Raffles Jazz that did indeed have a drummer amidst their talented pool of musicians. Fronted by the exuberant Stefanus Phan (15A01A), the quirkily-named group performed Sunday Morning by Maroon 5 and Left Hand Free by British indie act alt-j. The audience was blown away with the mellow yet thoroughly captivating performances laced with catchy guitar riffs and a surprisingly enthralling laid-back vibe.

Rounding off the first half of the night was Austere from Raffles Rock. The group daringly started their performance with their cover of No-Diggity by Blackstreet, and followed through with a powerful rendition of That’s What You Get  by Paramore. Lead vocalist Jemi Lu (16S07B) told us that “it hasn’t been an easy journey, but I feel very blessed to be embarking on it with this group of passionate and fun-loving friends.” Indeed, their efforts did not go to waste as they received a rousing round of applause at the end of their dynamic performance.

Austere ending the first act on a high note

After the break, Iridescence quickly regained momentum with acapella performances by Raffles Chorale, which covered three songs- a mash-up of Thinking Out Loud by Ed Sheeran and I’m Not The Only One by Sam Smith, followed by Rather Be, by Clean Bandit. They ended off their performance with another mash-up, this time of Treasure by Bruno Mars and Suit and Tie by Justin Timberlake. Considering that Treasure was one of the many songs of the Year 5 batch dance, the song likely aroused irreplaceable, sentimental memories of orientation amongst the J1s in the audience. Additionally, the unexpected yet impressive application of beat-boxing across all songs was astounding and carried out well by the spirited performers. At any rate, the Chorale singers injected vibrancy into the PAC post-intermission with their upbeat voices colourful ensemble.

Chorale was followed by Searching, who stole the stage with lead vocalist Kelsie Tan’s (16S07C) impressive vocal range accompanied by Alexander Leung (16A01A) and Deo Teo (16S03S) on their guitars. The trio managed to successfully play on the heartstrings of many within the audience. The group’s mix of songs, American Boy by Estelle and Lost Stars by Adam Levine, was light and peppy. Together with their simple stage design that left the stage largely bare, an intimate atmosphere was immediately fostered as audience members felt an immediate closeness to the performers. Kelsie, in particular, was swaying about animatedly to the songs and capturing the audience’s attention with her infectious stage presence.

The promised second segment of poetry slamming did not disappoint, first kicking off with Isaiah Lee (16A01A) enthralling and captivating the audience with his vivid and stirring words, all through a resolute and emphatic reading. Next up, Karen Cuison (16A01D) joined Isaiah to present their duet, completely winning over the audience with a refreshing performance reminiscent of popular spoken word duo Phil Kaye and Sarah Kay. As a potential contender for crowd-favourite, their poem was a charming and relatable piece speaking of the star-crossed paths of two unlikely students from the arts and science streams, which had the audience enamoured. Subsequently, Neha made a light-hearted entrance onto the stage for the second time that night. This time around the talented student from Anderson Junior College presented her own work, Bleach, an insightful and mellow piece on racial identities that many identified with.

Clockwise, from top left: The impassioned gazes of Tofu Bloc; Karen, Isaiah and the distance in between; Nicole Sim () interacting with the audience; The Diversion taking a final bow after an electrifying stage

Following that, Tofu Bloc, who took a special trip down from Dover Road, made their highly anticipated entrance. From their eclectic aesthetic to their enrapturing performance, Tofu Bloc truly impressed that night with their clever array of song mash-ups. They made their mark as versatile musicians who were able to combine the various genres of music into their mash-up, presenting an exhilarating performance that undoubtedly added an exceptional twist to the line-up for the night.

Aptly named, The Diversion of Raffles Rock took the stage for the last performance of the night, ending off the concert with a bang. Their high-spirited rendition of cult favourite I Don’t Care by Fall Out Boy re-energised the crowd even at 11pm, with people bounding over to the front of the stage to join in on the action. The enthusiastic crowd’s cheers spurred on these talented, charismatic musicians to go on to give their best in their first ever live performance.

With high-intensity, unique performances as well as humanitarian goals, Iridescence was without question a concert worth going to. The organizing team, performers, and audience members expressed little regret in choosing to spend their time with Iridescence. Dylan had nothing but praise for the night’s performances, enthusing that “the music was amazingly good” and he “believe[d] that it was all worth it”, citing the efforts of the Organizing Team. The Organizing Team for Iridescence also expressed their profuse thanks to their teacher in charge, Ms Lye Su Lin, all performers, stage-hands, and audience members, for coming together to make this charitable concert a success.

To see more from the The Humanz Initiative, do look out for more upcoming events such as For Sale by One Chair Plays on 3rd May at the Esplanade! Book your tickets now at tinyurl.com/onechairplays.

by Liew Ai Xin (16A01A) and Collin Teo Jun Kai (16S06Q)

It all starts with a whisper.

In the spotlight, a single dancer wearing red stretches her hands heavenwards. The rest of the dancers – clad in black – stand as one mute entity in the back, before an unseen cue from the soloist ripples them into action. Together, the group inches forward and moves backwards, all whilst the sibilant whispers of many overlying voices continue over the speakers.

The tension created is almost palpable, as if someone is waiting and watching –– as the audience is held in suspended disbelief at the improbability of dancers dancing to something without a rhythm. After a good two minutes, a steady beat finally appears, and soon a dark melody strung by a cello comes into play.

The soloist in red continues to move amongst those clad in black, who constantly sift together as several interchanging groups. Near the end of the piece, the whispers return, leading the dancers perform a remarkable act of synchronization. This time, with their back towards the audience, they reform the mass of black from the beginning of the piece, to watch the soloist again in her increasingly frantic movements to escape the undercurrent.

After the performance, audible murmurs of “that was so good!” were heard from the stunned crowd, who applauded the dancers enthusiastically after the lights dimmed. However, there were also questions being asked, namely: “What did the piece mean?” and “How did they manage to dance to music without rhythm?”

Indeed, one thing that contrasted “Undercurrent” with the other schools was the lack of a definitive explanation of their theme and title, which allowed for more diverse interpretations amongst the audience. This is a very characteristic move of their resident choreographer and coach, Ms. Low Mei Yoke. When interviewed before the performance, she laughed and said, “I just thought about the phrase, ‘Ambush from ten sides’ (十面埋伏).” Dressed in black, with a simple woven jacket, she looked relaxed compared to the tense faces of the dancers she trains. “The dancers are still young, still students,” she mused, “But I feel that they can understand it.”

Ms. Low, whose works explore issues in society that she observes, often eschews elaborate costumes and formations for favour of a more direct approach. Another conscious decision by her was to create a simple but distinct colour scheme, with one soloist dressed in red and the others dressed in black. Compared to the long, flowing and intricately designed costumes worn by other schools, their costumes looked simple and commonplace. Yet, in a stage as large as that with such understated lighting, the red stood out as a single drop of colour that instantly caught the audience’s eye. Like she said, ““I didn’t want it to be overly “dramatic”, just something with foreboding tension.” In the interplay between the mass of black and that one red soloist, a message about the self was created that did not need to be overtly explained to the audience.

As for the dancers, many were jittery with post-performance nerves. Although the responsibilities of rehearsals and practice had been lifted off their backs, some still cited areas they thought they could have been better in. Perhaps it is true that performers are often the most critical of their own work. Isabella Lee (15S03N), the dancer wearing red, said, “We did okay … It was our best given how we only got to practice with the stage for fifty minutes.” Later, she added, “It was a good run, but not as good as our morning rehearsal.”  This, coming from the person who had shouldered most of the solo work, was akin to Beethoven saying “Thank God, there is less lack of imagination than ever before.” Granted, there were slight slips in synchronicity and moments when the soloist felt swallowed by the rest. However, one has to consider that large sections of their music had no discernible rhythm, making silent communication a paramount part of their performance. Their costumes also included socks, which made running around the stage a more slippery task than the other performers dancing barefoot.

When asked what the dance represented to them, Choong Kai Xin (15S06B) said, “It represents our hard work for the last half of a year, and the dancers’ commitment to this CCA.” Hard work was certainly evident in the detail and execution of the work. Although every dancer had a slightly different journey, all agreed that they have learned something other than moves and formations from those four-hour practices, three days a week. One dancer, Tan Yu Bin (16S03O), said “We’ve learnt a lot through this experience, not just in the technique department, but also a lot about ourselves –– in terms of how our bodies move, and how to connect with the audiences.”

“We hope the effort pays off,” Andrea Low (16S03I) finishes.

Modern Dance poses for a group shot with their coach, Teacher I/C and alumni.

Well, their efforts have definitely paid off, for Modern Dance has received a Distinction for their stellar performance! Raffles Press is proud of their achievement, and hopes that they will continue to create stunning, thought-provoking performances.

by Celine Ng (16A01A)

Cast with friends.

For Sale: One Chair Only was a collection of one chair plays (with one dialogue segment) put up under The Humanities Initiative (THI) as part of its efforts to raise awareness about Human Trafficking. Organised by Year 6 students of the Humanities Programme with support from Emancipasia and Hagar, its remarkable commitment both to the aesthetics of the piece as well as the worthy cause it advocated for were evident from start to finish. Notably, the performative pieces were followed with a presentation and question-and-answer segment by Dr Michael Hakim (executive director of Hagar) and Ms Ng Wei Chern (Head of Programmes for Hagar, head of the Trauma Recovery Programme for trafficking survivors in Singapore), a testament to the organisers’ efforts to educate as well as entertain.

The lights came up on a clean and minimalist set –a single stool set off against plain white flats –, starting the show with a monologue by Syafiqah Nabilah (15A01B). Beginning with a disquieting introduction to her character’s current plight, the monologue proceeded to bring us through a quick succession of events which showed off Syafiqah’s versatility. Disquietingly naive and innocent as she marvelled at the luxuries on her first flight, Syafiqah was also odiously manipulative as Susie (a cousin who convinces her character to ‘clean tables in Singapore’) and menacing as a Singaporean pimp. No wonder, then, that it was almost with a sense of bitter relief that the audience reached the end of her piece.

This was followed by a dialogue between a Singaporean employer of a construction company, played by Myko Balbuena (15A01B), and his exploited foreign worker, played by Sarthak Panwar (16S05A). At turns quietly taunting and explosively ferocious, Myko put up a strong performance matched by Sarthak who, crucially, was no pathetic victim to Myko’s tormentor. While predominantly fearful and uncertain, Sarthak’s performance was underlined with a strong sense of his character’s strength, courage and love for his family, rounding out the piece nicely.

Next up was a monologue by Rachel Koh (15A01A). Also exploited and pushed into prostitution, Rachel’s character was notably different from Sya’s on multiple points. Content-wise, it addressed the issue of her character’s struggle to re-adjust after having returned home and mounting sense of helplessness. This was reflected in the overall tone of the piece, which was significantly more concerned with the lasting psychological trauma she faced. Rachel’s performance was deeply compelling and elegantly controlled, lending voice both to the complexities of her character’s mental struggle as well as her raw anguish.

Finally, the performance closed with a monologue by Katrina Jacinto (15A13A) who played a domestic helper from the Philippines. Just as thought-provoking and heart-wrenching as the preceding pieces, this monologue was perhaps especially notable for its treatment of a subject many might perhaps never consider part of ‘human trafficking’. Indeed, the writers made a deliberate and respectable effort not to paint an exaggerated picture of the character’s plight; at the same time, the vulnerability of her situation was made clear to the audience, as was Katrina’s portrayal of the adverse effects it had on her character’s emotional well-being.

With a strong cast, dedicated organisers and talented directors, it is no wonder that For Sale: One Chair Only was a successful performance both in terms of production value as well as thematic depth. Crucially, it was not an easy performance to sit through and multiple audience members remarked that it was emotionally draining. Yet this was rightly so considering the nature of the subject matter as well as its presentation -with minimal characters and stark sets, the performers made it clear that there would be no relief offered from their characters’ stories. Overall, the production was commendable for its aesthetic value and maturity, as well as the sensitivity with which it explored larger issues through personal stories. In the words of producer Lee Yoonji (15A01B), “We see them not just as victims, but as people –with anguishes, desires and inhibitions –who have become reduced to nothing but expendable commodities. We laugh, cry and fear with them, and from this, turn our attention from individual tragedy to the global system that allows human trafficking to take place.” As a work of theatre, the performance was certainly worth it for its refined production value. As a work of advocacy, it was insightful in its treatment of the subject matter and certainly worthy of greater support.

For Sale: One Chair Plays will be having one more show on 3rd May at the Esplanade. Tickets can be purchased at tinyurl.com/onechairplays.

The EmancipAsia series is one that aims to raise awareness of human trafficking in Singapore, and call for reflections on the treatment on foreign workers in our nation. To read more articles from this series: click here.

By: Samuel Loh (16A01A)

Photos by: Gabrielle Jeyaseelan (15S06A) and Hee Xin Wei (15S03I)

Raffles Street Dance’ s annual show never fails to draw big crowds.

The first arrivals had started to stream in slowly, and it wasn’t long before the entire hall was packed with an eager audience. As the thick curtains winched its way open, the excited chattering quietened to faint whispers of anticipation, before erupting once more into resounding cheers to welcome Raffles Street Dance on stage. An exchange of sallies between the emcees quickly set a light-hearted, somewhat humorous mood that would underscore the performance throughout.

Its premise was simple: four dance crews, four different dance styles, one really big battle of the dances (Did we also mention one spectacularly entertaining performance?).

“I’m extremely thrilled,” exclaimed Mark Wee (16S03S), “I’ve been looking forward to this for a really long time,” It wouldn’t be a long shot to say Mark’s comments reflected the high hopes of his peers and a broader atmosphere of excitement.

When the show commenced, RSD, true to their style, began their highly-anticipated lineup with a classic showing of fast-paced hip-hop complete with a generous share of locking and more. Their stage presence was later challenged by an equally energetic showing of street jazz, though they themselves soon had their spot in the limelight snatched away as affable funk dancers grabbed the audience’s laughter and attention easily. Combining various elements of milder styles with the abstractions and intense expressiveness of contemporary styles, RSD’s final group performed an emotionally-evocative lyrical dance to Bastille’s “Pompeii”, holding the audience in silent awe. There was more to come, with an even more eye-catching treat afterwards, when RSD’s full roster filled the stage to present a combined performance as the narrator described their journey to overcome disagreements as a united Street batch. Besides the remarkable dance routine, charming characters as well as a relatable storyline infused with a good amount of comic relief helped keep the entertainment factor going strong throughout a very magical quarter of an hour.

RSD’s crew takes the stage to roaring applause.

Showcase was nothing short of a successful showstopper, with positive responses all around. Members of the audience especially lauded the diversity of dance styles displayed, exciting choreography, neatly topped off with evidently well-practiced routines. Manika Hennedige (16S03P) applauded the performance to be “Quite crisp. Crisp to the maximum. The variety of dances was great; but it’d have been better if the performance was longer, and if the dancers by the side played a bigger role instead of just cheering.” Another audience member, Tan Rhe-Anne (16A01A), who had rushed over immediately after lessons just to catch the dancers at work, echoed the same sentiments, “I liked how they showcased different dance types, and the dancer archetypes were very amusing. Obviously [I was] left feeling very inadequate with my own fine motor skills and coordination, but still really enjoyed the performance!”

Well, you can’t call those motor skills fine, Rhe-Anne (Though RSD’s dancers most definitely can).

RSD’s dancers strike a quick pose.

Beyond providing great entertainment and laughter to tired students struggling by the term, Showcase was just as much a poignant iteration of RSD’s own core values and an affirmation of their camaraderie. Gwendolyn Oh (16A13A), a Year 5 street dancer, described the performance as something that “really brought our entire CCA together. In the lead up, we did meet with quite a few challenges, and that was really when our entire batch, our entire CCA had to step up as a collective unit, to rally each other on. The spirit was really unforgettable,” No doubt that very same spirit was accentuated through RSD’s dedication and whole-hearted dancing, something the audience could clearly discern every step of the way. “It was well-choreographed and very heartfelt,” commented Andrea Low (16A01A), “If anything, the only pity is that it wasn’t longer,”

By the end, we too weren’t entirely convinced a mere fifteen minutes was enough to do the dance crew’s incredible effort any sort of commensurate justice — the crowd was positively enthused by an amazing performance and clearly in demand for more. But what we can be definitely sure of is this: the dancers’ extraordinary display of harmony in movement and synergy at Showcase 2015 wasn’t their first, and most certainly wouldn’t be their last one as Raffles Street Dance continues to impress.

by Alex Tan (16S03B), Huang Jiawen (16S06G) and Stella Soon (16A01C)

Photographs by Tuen Young Ji (16S03A) of Raffles Photographic Society

Emcees Yi Fen and Cayson

“I wish I could go travelling around the world!” So opened the highly-anticipated Piano Ensemble concert, with emcees Low Yi Fen and Cayson Chong expressing their wanderlust. Premised on the theme of exploring new territories and discovering new peoples, the pianists transported the audience from land to land, not unlike a magic carpet, giving them a brief but magical taste of each country’s atmosphere and culture.

Stepping into the concert venue, we were amazed by the vast changes in physical appearance. The drabness of the lecture theatre had been brightened with strings of blinking fairy lights, silhouette cut-outs of landmarks around the world, strung-up paper planes of pastel hues, and A4-sized hand-cut graphics depicting images of each piece’s origin country. Pianist Kellerine Quah illuminates the painstaking and assiduous process of decoration: “What was particularly unforgettable was sticking small pieces of duct tape to the wall in order to form a trail that even went to the floor. It really took a lot of effort.” The sheer amount of effort that Piano ensemble had put into decking the place up was a clear indication of the hard work the team had invested in preparation for the concert. 30th April was, indeed, a night to be remembered.

The strong turnout for the night

One of the standout moments was surely Franz Schubert’s ‘The Erlkönig’, performed by Emmanuel Tan and Fan Ze Cheng. This was accompanied by a sand art animation video set closely to the original poem, Goethe’s ‘Der Erlkönig’ and to the classical piece itself, portraying the young boy protagonist’s journey home with his father on horseback. Throughout the journey, the boy is continuously assailed by a supernatural being visible only to himself, aptly named the Erlkönig (literally “Alder King”, more commonly translated as “Elf-King”).

A screencap of the video used for ‘The Erlkönig’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_dighphz_A)

Emmanuel and Ze Cheng poured their hearts into their music to deliver a compelling, poignant rendition. The rise and fall of the music, enriched by the video’s vivid scenes, did justice to the piece’s emotional depth and nuance. Audience members were taken on a moving journey alongside father and son, keenly feeling the former’s anguish as he desperately attempted to assuage his son’s immense fear of the spirit. The piece ended on a loud staccato chord, signifying the unexpected, discordant death of the young boy to the Erlkönig, leaving many members of the audience buzzing about the shocking, unfortunate resolution.

Supplementary visual projections were made use of for several other songs as well, like ‘Waltz of the Flowers’ from the two-act ballet ‘The Nutcracker’. A video of twirling, tiptoeing ballerinas spinning like tops from man to man was displayed while Cheryl Chin and Deng Yimin performed Tchaikovsky’s composition. The video aroused mixed reactions as to its effectiveness: one of the writers felt that the sight of pirouetting dancers fit perfectly with the dancing tune, while another writer thought that the mismatched beats failed to complement the piece.

Isaac Lee and Tan Chin Soon performed Debussy’s ‘Nuages’

In other cases, as in Claude Debussy’s ‘Nuages’, the video seemed only to distract. It consisted of an apparently random assemblage of time-lapse videos of cloudscapes rolling, amassing and dissipating across the sun. But it was incongruous with the music and was therefore unable to add value to the performance.

Allan fully exhibiting his equine instincts

Another one of the most unforgettable moments of the evening was Galop Marche by Albert Lavignac, playfully performed by Jessie Chua, Li Jia Qi, Eric Leow and Allan Yang. A piece composed specially for eight hands (“à huit mains”), the four friends tickled the ivories of the same piano, seated side-by-side. Allan stood up at several points to prance about with a horse head and to take an on-stage selfie with his fellow pianists. Eric and Jia Qi leant back to clap hands with one another in time to the sprightly, quick beat, behind Jessie’s back. Tricky, mischievous gestures were also involved, as they crisscrossed their arms to reach particular keys, but they galloped through the light-hearted notes effortlessly and with grace. About his piece, Eric opined, “I think it’s one of the liveliest pieces and I like how the melody is equally distributed around all the players so everyone can have their ‘moment of fame’.”

On-stage selfie!

By then, it was apparent that “Around the World on 88 Keys” was one-of-a-kind. The Piano Ensemble clearly had a sizeable number of tricks up their sleeves, outdoing themselves yet again when Deng Yimin and Joash Chin appeared on stage garbed in Pokemon onesies. The gleeful audience roared with laughter at this impeccable sartorial choice. Their piece, an uplifting “Pokemon Medley”, comprised of various familiar melodies taken straight out of the all-time favourite video game series. When enquired about this brilliant stroke of creativity, Joash remarked, “We thought it would be interesting to wear something that would suit the theme of the piece. There was a J2 class that dressed up in different animal costumes for a particular occasion, so we borrowed the onesies from them.”

Adorable Pokemon onesies

One might think that attempts to emulate songs in popular culture will leave no lasting impression on an audience comprised of classical music aficionados. The “Part of Your World- A Whole New World” mashup performed by Joshua Gei and Colette Tan (collectively dubbed ‘Jolette’ by an obnoxious audience member) was, however, an exception. Expressive and communicative, the beautiful melodies mirrored the Little Mermaid’s and Princess Jasmine’s passionate desires for change and discovery, transporting the audience back to their distant days of childhood to unearth lost hopes and treasured memories. Enchanted, the audience allowed themselves to be swept away by the tides of music, visiting magical shore after magical shore.

The final piece of the night, ‘Serpent’s Kiss’, by William Bolcom, was performed by Kevin Wang and Thia Zhang Wei. The music’s dark tones of ominous foreboding called to mind the initial hesitation and trepidation contained in a kiss. These were skilfully contrasted with jocular, passionate parts, which conveyed the serpent’s ardent eagerness. Towards the end, the acceleration of the music’s tempo, coupled with the performers’ stamps of their feet and hard raps on the piano clearly brought out the serpent’s intensifying desire. The satisfied audience responded with loud applause and cheering at the conclusion of this emotionally-packed piece.

Kevin rapping on the piano

When asked about the concert, chairperson Kevin responded, “The concert has been a culmination of every single ensemble member’s hardwork and dedication over the past few months. The performers who took on well-known pieces were not afraid to bring out original yet convincing interpretations.” Performer Jessie Chua spoke of how she came to terms with her own high expectations during the preparation period, and “just let go” during the concert. She remarked that “that way, you can say with a clear conscience that you have done your best to prepare and fully enjoy yourself while performing!”

As the marvellous adventure drew to a close, a note of lingering regret hung in the air. At the start, the audience had been posed an enigmatic riddle: “What goes around the world but stays in one corner?” The answer, a stamp, revealed at the end of it all, was perhaps an apt metaphor for the night’s musical odyssey. Even as we remained stationary in our own little cozy corners of the LT, the sublime music offered us glimpses of our diverse planet, from the rolling green hills of Armenia to the perfect fantasies of Japan, back to the familiar, easily identifiable tunes floating in the alleys of Singapore.

Curtain call!

Pieces played:

Sabre Dance (Kellerine Quah, Goh Xinyi, Zhang Lin Wan, Monica Lee)

The Swan (Isaac Lee, Sarah Lim)

Libertango (Tan Chin Soon, Cheryl Chin)

Nuages (Isaac Lee, Tan Chin Soon)

Hungarian Dance 4 & 5 (Shiu Chi Wen, Joash Chin)

Armenian Rhapsody (Sarah Lim, Emmanuel Tan)

Nutcracker, Waltz of the Flowers (Cheryl Chin, Deng Yimin)

Singaporean Folk Song Medley (Kalvinder Kaur, Dominic Tan, Melissa Choi, Chloe Hing)

Porgy and Bess (Joshua Gei, Kevin Wong)

Erlkönig (Emmanuel Tan, Fan Ze Cheng)

Chopsticks Variations (Colette Tan, Thia Zhang Wei)

Galop Marche (Jessie Chua, Li Jia Qi, Eric Leow, Allan Yang)

Pokemon Medley (Deng Yimin, Joash Chin)

Shingeki no Kyojin OP2 Jiyuu no Tsubasa (Fan Ze Cheng, Shiu Chi Wen)

Part of Your World – A Whole New World Mashup (Joshua Gei, Colette Tan)

Serpent’s Kiss (Kevin Wong, Thia Zhang Wei)

Curtain Call — Pop Medley (Saw Khai Khai, Coco Chew, Woo Yan Ting, Tang Yurou)

By Huang Jiawen (16S06G)

A sombre tune floods the theatre and there is a sense of foreboding in the air. For a while, there is no movement on stage. Then, four dancers stepped out from the shadows of the curtains. The spotlight falls on the boards in their hands, and the audience catches sight of the images printed on the placards that depict heartbreaking images of starving children. There is one showing a child’s palms turned up, a meagre handful of rice in her hands. Another shows emaciated children queuing for food with hungry expressions on their faces. The last is the famous Pulitzer-prize winner depicting a starving child stalked by a vulture. As the dance progresses, with each turn of their heads, each graceful hand gesture, each leap across the stage, the dancers paint a gloomy picture of the scenes of hunger in modern-day India– one of famished beggars out on the streets and passers-by who have grown desensitized.

When the last note of the first song echoes throughout the theatre, the movement of the dancers on stage comes to a halt, their bodies bent, arms spread, faces frozen into expressions of pain and unspoken anguish. Then without warning, all 14 dancers turn and begin stamping their feet to a steady beat. Anger, the main emotion the dancers wish to express through the second half of their dance, forms the connection between every sharp turn, every powerful thrust of the hand. The dance speeds up, each underlying shift in the music forcing their bodies to undergo a thousand changes: their legs cross, their heads dips, their fingers morph to from a classical hasta into the shape of a flower, all in a complicated synchrony. Maintaining their lines of formation, the dancers use traditional Bharathanatyam footwork to maneuver their way across the stage, striking their final poses with their hands stretched out and bodies reaching forward. They smile benevolently, their serene expressions a sharp contrast with the angry frowns they had worn just moments ago. The narrator delivers a single question for the audience to ponder over. “Can we do more?” it asks.

The music fades, but the energy of the dance still reverberates about the room. RI Indian Dance exits the stage amidst overwhelming applause.

Titled “Pasi“, or “Hunger”, the dance depicted the desperation and indignation acutely felt by many hungry individuals around the world. Choreographed by the CCA’s resident choreographer, Mrs Sreedevy Sivarajasinga, it was a bold mixture of both classical and contemporary Indian dance movements. There was a great deal of dramatization involved and an extensive use of props- a coconut was even smashed onto the stage at one point of time and was thereby hungrily “devoured” by dancers playing the role of beggars. However, while it was not uncommon for schools to explore different dance styles, what set RI Indian Dance apart from the other institutions participating in the SYF would be their unconventional choice of theme, which added depth to their choreography. Through the symbolic hand gestures, the intricate layering of dance steps and the canonical facial expressions that were so characteristic of Indian Dance, the dancers questioned the prevalence of hunger in our world and challenged the audience to consider an alternative perspective to a social issue close to the hearts of many in the India. The question of the day, as aptly put across by Mrs Sreedevy Sivarajasinga, is why hunger continues to persist even though the world is able to produce enough food to feed the global population.

RI Indian dance before their performance.

Initially, the dancers were worried that they would not be able to get the message across to the audience. Thankfully, they seemed to have achieved their desired effect. “The dance was an angsty one that was executed with genuine passion and sincerity. Due to the theme of the dance, the steps involved were quite complex but nevertheless neatly showcased,” a member of the audience (M Kothai Niveda from NTU) commented.

Dabbling in traditional Indian dance is no easy feat even for a trained dancer, and it comes across as a Herculean effort for those with little experience in the dance form. When asked about some of the challenges that she faced during the course of learning the dance, Jeraldine Low of class 16S06I stated, “I found it difficult to get used to the music, which comprises of seven beats and is unlike anything that I normally listen to.” Right before the performance, she was “quite worried that she might forget a certain step or do something wrong on stage, especially when it came to the parts that required turns and quick coordination.” However, she also felt “excited, to be a part of the CCA’s final showcase where everyone gave their all.” She confided in Press that she felt that the CCA “did generally well, in terms of the expression, execution of movements and energy level,” .and During the course of preparation for the SYF, Jeraldine shares that she “really enjoyed dancing with the other CCA members and the friendships she had made out of this experience were what made the journey worthwhile.”

With thought-provoking and skillful performance, Indian Dance was able to bring home a Distinction award. Vice-Chairperson Kalyanni of class 15S06K tells Press that “With only a few trained members in the CCA, the dance came across as a rather challenging one for many of the members. The choreography comprised of many complex steps that were initially hard to perfect. Nonetheless, everyone worked immensely hard and with their hard work, staged a successful performance! The CCA had indeed worked together to help each other and had strived to bring out their best.” With continuous effort and perseverance, the Indian Dancers will surely go far, and we at Raffles Press wish them all the best for their future endeavors!

By Chew Cheng Yu (16S06L)
Photos by Nicholas Chang (16S03K) and Nadya Ang (15S03I)

The one thing that rouses Raffles Jazz like no other is a soulful song. Performers were peppy indeed as they played their opening song – charmingly titled Soul with a capital S.

The Jazz band in the swing of their performance.

Such was the high note that Coffee Blues, Jazz’s annual concert, had started on. They had outdone themselves this year, as tickets had sold out the day before the actual day of the concert on 8 May. Our quirky emcees, Carmen Leong (16S03S) and Melody Kang (15S03C), briefly introduced the history of jazz to the audience: It had originated in African-American communities over a hundred years ago, and is, today, a part of many musical genres that were heavily influenced by the creations of African slaves in America back then. To quote Melody, Jazz is a genre that is unique for its focus on “improvisation and band interaction”, splendidly shown by the various pieces as members shifted the focus onto different instruments now and then.

Melody (left) and Carmen (right) giving an introduction about jazz

In a creative fashion, Jazz’s concert was split into two different segments – the concert segment, and the acting segment. “It’s a Jazz tradition,” said Erica Ngiam (15S03E), chairperson of Raffles Jazz. “Having two different segments [always] helps bond the J1s, who all have to act. History shows that it appeals to the audience, so it’s why we continued it [this year].”

Thus commenced the concert segment, where a rich variety of songs embodying a diverse spectrum of emotions were performed. A slow, steady jazz remix of Someday My Prince will Come from Snow White set the mood for their following slower pieces such as Black Orpheus and then Misty, a jazz-ballad. Of course, there were more upbeat songs in the mix, such as an instrumental piece titled Freddie Freeloader, an acapella arrangement of Mr. Sandman, a vocal piece On Green Dolphin Street, another instrumental piece Five Spot After Dark, and Shining Star, which was as hyped and energetic as their first song. Among their songs was an interesting tidbit – their very own jazz-ified instrumental rendition of We Are, an opening theme song of popular Japanese anime One Piece.

During the break, a fan from the audience commented that “the songs were well done, and the renditions were pretty impressive for a school jazz band,” citing Freddie Freeloader in particular. After the intermission, we were promptly seated for their acting segment, with several gavel bangs and a resounding “Order in the court!” as a teaser for what was to come.

The acting segment was a romantic comedy short featuring Draco Malfoy being sentenced to community service, namely working at a cafe, as part of his punishment for war crimes. As we were brought on a humour filled journey, featuring Draco and his egoistic antics, different jazz songs were performed in relation to the stage of the story – such as Stevie Wonder’s Isn’t She Lovely when meeting his serious boss, and Jimmy McHugh’s On the Sunny Side of the Street upon reuniting with Victoria despite losing their memories of each other. John Chew Geronimo Jr. (16A01E), who played Draco, maintained that “the acting went fine, and the play served its purpose [of entertaining the audience well]”.

Draco, reluctant to deign himself to being in the presence of Muggles, played by John Chew.

As the play drew to an end, and curtain calls made, there were cheers and yells from the audience for an encore, to which the J2 performers responded with Bobby Hebb’s Sunny; the encore was complete with flashing lights and all the performers lining up below the stage to take another bow. After that dramatic conclusion of the night, the audience left feeling slightly more spirited, and lighter on their feet.

As for our final verdict, Jazz had deserved every moment of glory in their sold-out concert, and all the more so after we found out from Erica that the band had “only had one month for practicing all their songs and acting after the J2s’ first Common Tests”. Owing to this, the band indeed had much reason to be proud of themselves, especially the J1s who had gone all out for their acting in the comedic segment. The concert was overall a success, showcasing skilful acts by talented performers which had, by the end, inspired a sense of nostalgia within those present, for the ‘blue’ days of soulful and chipper music from a more distant, long-forgotten era.

by Heather I’anson-Holton (16A01E), Alex Tan (16S03B) and Karen Cuison (16A01D)
Photos by Li-Ann Hoong (16A03A) of Raffles Photographic Society

Snaking ticket booth queues stood testament to the high level of anticipation surrounding Raffles Runway’s Singapore-themed spectacle. Aptly named re: collections, it celebrated Singapore’s 50th birthday and Runway’s 10th year as an official CCA.

Audience members were greeted by delicate paper moons and stars suspended from the entrance of the Albert Hong Hall. Puffs of dense smoke permeated the entire room, undercut by vivid, shifting beams of multi-coloured light and a throbbing bassline courtesy of DJ AK. Two strips of blue fluorescent light flanking the runway took it from drab to dazzling. The show’s shimmering, otherworldly atmosphere was a clear indicator of what was to come.

Psychedelic pre-show lights (photo: Raffles Runway Instagram page)

Outfits followed loose themes, including urban isolation and entrapment, comfort and change. The photo booklet created by Runway organized the garments by times of day. This ambiguity created the impression of a lack of cohesion – but this was understandable, with so many designers with diverse styles. If anything,  the ambiguity stimulated dialogue, giving audience members the space to interpret garments freely. The diversity also showed the magnitude to which Runway took to their overall theme, reflecting the individuality of the Singapore experience.

Workmanship was generally of a high standard. The garments showcased a breadth of technical expertise: from the pleats and braiding in Xiao Wei’s dress (15S06J), to the intricate beading in Teo Kai Wen’s (15S03H) poufy garment, each piece demonstrated delicate craftsmanship and a careful eye for detail. Ang Xue Ling (15S03F) mentions, “Some people managed to finish theirs over the December holidays, and some took a whole year.”

A bright, well-constructed orange maxi dress. (Designer: Xiao Wei)

Intricate beading, immaculate poufiness. (Designer: Teo Kai Wen)

Designers’ interpretations of the SG50 theme were varied and refreshing, personal yet relatable. At the same time, the clothes resonated with one another, linked by their common inspiration. Some designers made use of tangible, recognizable icons, but the results were anything but predictable. Lim Wan Ling (16A01D) juxtaposed a city skyline against a lake to stunning effect, while Lim Ee Sing (16S07B)  tastefully drew upon the MRT system to create a costume that looked simultaneously familiar and alien.

A garment inspired by Singapore’s skyline. (Designer: Lim Wan Ling)

A quirky twist on our MRT system went into the designing of this dress. (Designer: Lim Ee Sing)

Other designers employed more abstract ideas. Megan Goh (16A01D) tried to replicate the ‘comfort and safety’ of HDB flats in designing her cape dress with soft, pastel fabrics. On the other end of the spectrum, Huang Zhoudi (15S06J) chose to highlight Singapore’s darker side with her gothic garments.

Soft colours reflect the comfort and safety of the HDB flats which most Singaporeans reside in, in this dress designed by Megan Goh (16A01D).

Gothic glamour from designer Zhou Di.

re: collections featured thoughtful collaborations. The senior batch of Modern Dance put up an energetic, dynamic performance, while behind-the-scenes clips from Film Society demonstrated an acute sensitivity to the mood and intent of the artists. It also lent the audience a glimpse into the clamour before the glamour – including, but certainly not limited to, setting up audio-visual equipment, planning venue layout, and liaising with lighting technicians. Overall, both collaborations lent edge and unity to re: collections.

Modern Dance at re:collections

If there was anything we had to nitpick on, re: collections took a while to hit its climax, making for a sleepy and somewhat awkward first twenty minutes of the show. In addition, many of the menswear pieces seemed to take on a similar structure – loose cape over ordinary collared shirt and black pants.

The process of putting the show together was not without its challenges. For one, designers had to consciously transcend common, literal and too-dogmatic interpretations of a seemingly limiting SG50 theme.

“Quite a few people wanted to use the Supertrees as inspiration, and initial sketches had very obvious signs of them, like veins in red running down the fabric. The design itself wasn’t bad, it’s just that we asked the designer instead, “what do you feel about Gardens by the Bay? What do you feel about Supertrees? Is there any other way to express a Supertree other than literally taking the veins of the tree on a dress?” From there, it changed.”

Irene Tee (15S07D)

Surely, fashion would not be fashion if it were not provocative, and re: collections had its fair share of controversy. During the matinee show, a model walked down the runway in a white varsity-style top studded with red sequins that read “Peace Love Happiness” on the front, and a large “50” on the back, coupled with glittering golden shorts and similar knee-high socks. This prompted a noticeable increase in buzzing and murmuring from the audience, who mocked both the model and the piece, and circulated pictures on social media.  Not wanting their model to have to suffer the repercussions of a subversive design, the golden shorts and socks were substituted for black, more neutral tones during the evening show. Runway laments the audience’s response, expressing regret that they could not support and showcase the work of all artists.

Guest designer Mudassar Ahmad (15S03A), who was behind this bold costume, told us that he aimed to marry the celebration of national values and the dismantling of masculine stereotypes. Whereas “peace” and “happiness” are tenets of Singaporean society, familiarly embedded into the pledge we take daily, “love” is not as prominent. “I feel like in our society we don’t really give much for loving people, just for them being people,” he opined. When queried about the audience’s uncalled-for response, Mudassar expounded on his idea of fashion as a form of art, and art as a vessel of change in society. “I think it’s precisely because people aren’t ready that there’s all the more need for us to step out and make a statement, because that’s how change happens.”

In her closing address, teacher-in-charge Ms Janissa Soh summed up the show best, urging the audience to see RProject as a process rather than an end: “The designers started this process to get us thinking and looking at our own society. I’m not talking about other people. I’m talking about you and me. How have we contributed to this society? How have we made it cold, white, harsh? As we start this process, as we start SG50, we hope all of you can join us to take a moment to reflect.”

by Stella Soon (16A01C)

Photographs by Yany Chan (15S06E) and Sharmaine Toh (15S07C) Raffles Institution’s Chinese Language Drama and Cultural Society (CLDCS)’ annual production, 翠谷回响: 雾中人 (meaning ‘Man in the Mist’) was held on 15 May this year to a resounding turnout. The production showcased 3 member groups of their CCA: drama, songwriting, and calligraphy; drama and songwriting members performed their works during the concert, and calligraphy members displayed their works outside the PAC. The production opened with a play, 雕像 (Sculpture), which was told from the perspective of an unnamed Greek statue in a museum. One day, to the statue’s utter confusion, he found himself alive and possessing the qualities of  a normal human being. Desperate, alone, and with no one to seek help from, he wandered the streets countless times to seek answers to his existential distress, including the reasons why he came alive, how he should live, and who exactly he was.

Two of the three statues in the museum.

The play evidently struck a chord with audience members, who gave a resounding round of applause for all the actors once it had concluded. While the action initially moved rather slowly, and relied heavily on short scenes to drive it, it gradually built up towards the centre of the play, when the plot twist was revealed: the other two statues in the museum were, too, alive. There were several scenes which required the three statues to stand still on wooden display blocks, and one can only imagine how difficult it must have been for the actors. This sentiment was echoed by Chairperson Jia Zhuo Jian (15S06H), who played one of the statues. He shared that standing still for such a prolonged period had been a “challenge”, as it was “not easy to maintain one posture for long”.

Zhu Deng performing “感动不是爱情”.

Next up was the song segment, which saw Zhu Deng (16S07D) as the opening act. His original song, titled 感动不是爱情 (Feeling Touched Is Not Love), was poignantly delivered to convey the message that feeling touched by someone’s actions is not equivalent to loving them. One just needed to listen to the music to feel the emotions he compellingly brought out through the soulful music and impressive vocals. Later, he shared that he “took some of his personal experience to recreate a scenario that fits the song” — which was done to great success. Six more original songs were performed throughout the concert, but several were unfortunately marred by out-of-tune vocals. Yet the hard work and effort put in by all the CLDCS song-writing members was clear, especially since some of them did not have prior music background — Zhu Deng commented that his “limited” music background made his song-writing journey “fun, but quite challenging”. A 15-minute intermission was followed by a unique performance, 五句话 (Five Sentences), which required the five actors to come up with a short play within 30 minutes, based on 5 audience-contributed sentences which had been collected before the intermission. The five sentences were random and at a glance unconnected, including sentences like “I want to drink milk tea” and “I killed him!”, leaving audience members anticipant to see how the actors would weave them into the play. The actors skillfully made use of actions and facial expressions to drive the plot, with minimal reliance on lines. With wit and humour, the actors successfully weaved in the 5 sentences such that they flowed effortlessly with the plot, drawing loud chuckles from the audience every time a sentence was mentioned. One of the five actors, Yin YiRan (16S06S), candidly shared that “五句话 is definitely not something for the faint-hearted”, given the “high pressure” on the actors! She noted that “something so impromptu as 五句话 is really a test on the actors’ teamwork, creativity, and ability to think fast”, and that she “enjoyed it a lot even though it was very challenging”.

Tension between father and son.

Following that was the last play of the night, entitled “红芝麻”, or “Bloody Sesame” in English. It explored the tension between pursuing wanton materialism and interpersonal relationship satisfaction from the perspective of a teenage schoolboy. Influenced by his peers, he developed an intense yearning for the latest iPhone model, which his family was regrettably unable to afford. His doting father, not wishing to let his son down, toiled day and night to earn sufficient money for the iPhone — but eventually, died from overexertion. Unfortunately, the writer of this article felt that her proficiency in Chinese (or rather, the lack of it) significantly impeded her ability to fully comprehend the goings-on of the play, which was a true pity as many audience members seemed extremely tickled by it, roaring with laughter at the many humorous parts.  Audience member Li Jia Xin (16S07D) reflected that the most memorable part of the play to her was when the schoolboy realised that “the most important thing in life is not to prove yourself to other people, nor to fulfill your material desires, but rather to appreciate what you have, and live your own life well”, as it was a moment that “deeply inspired and touched” her. Another audience member, who wished to remain anonymous, commented that the play should have a “more Singaporean context, as its China-based context resulted in some audience members not understanding the jokes told”.

CLDCS team, post-production.

Post-production, CLDCS’ Chairperson Jia Zhuo Jian (15S06H) reflected that he was “very proud of CLDCS’ members”. He shared that although “most of the J1 members did not have past experience of stage performance”, they still managed to put up a “really remarkable job”. Overall, CLDCS put up a commendable production, which captivated and enthralled the audience with the various art forms put up. Raffles Press would like to commend CLDCS for a production well-done, and wishes them all the best for their upcoming endeavours!

by Adelyn Tan (16A01E)

“With this special season of The Studios, we honour and celebrate all practitioners, past and present, for making what is Singapore English Theatre today. We would also like to thank all the directors, actors and designers involved in fifty, for lending their fresh interpretations and insights to these 50 plays. We hope the plays will continue to inspire a new generation of audiences and practitioners alike, and contribute to our collective memories.” – Co-curator Chong Tze Chien and The Studios team

Esplanade: Studios Fifty was held in conjunction with SG50. Over five weeks, plays and dramatized readings were written, read, and performed by Singaporeans at the Esplanade. Speaking as someone who attended a grand total of one full-length performance, one dramatized reading and one open rehearsal, to say that Fifty was good would be a grievous understatement.

Fifty would be better described as a melting pot of overwhelming emotion and breathtaking artistry, showcased by an entire range of actors – from household names like Adrian Pang and Ebi Shankara, to lesser-known but equally talented ensemble members, vis-a-vis Ellison Tan and Amanda Tee, to name a few. A highlight of Fifty was the chilling, and profoundly moving performance of Haresh Sharma’s ‘Off Centre’. It shone a chilling spotlight on the struggles of the mentally ill, right here in Singapore. Also noteworthy was Singapore english theatre’s breakthrough production ‘Emily of Emerald Hill’, helmed by Karen Tan as the morally ambiguous Peranakan matriarch struggling with the trials and traumas of life. Of the numerous dramatized readings presented during Fifty, one standout read was Tan Tarn How’s ‘Fear of Writing’ and ‘Machine’, which gave the audience excerpts of two same-same-yet-different plays, skillfully blended together to create an eerie depiction of romance and relationships in our consumerist, manipulative modern society.

Cast of ‘Fear of Writing’ and ‘Machine’: Andrew Lua, Zee Wong, Amanda Tee, Terence Tay.

Cast of ‘Off Centre’: Siti Khalijah, Ebi Shankara, Neo Swee Lin, Myra Loke, Ellison Tan, Joshua Lim, Neo Hai Bin, Erwin Shah Ismail.

Some performances depicted a time now immortalized in sepia recollections, giving us an avenue to better understand the evolution of our country’s political consciousness and national identity. Some gave us a glimpse behind the curtain, into what we might see in the future we are building. Some showed us a terrifyingly unsentimental painting of our present. And all of them, together, weave the tapestry that is a history of Singapore theatre (and in extension, of Singapore). Fifty plays were not and will never be enough to truly represent the growth and development of our nation and its theatre scene. But these fifty did reflect wonderfully on the richness of the literary works that have been produced over this half of a century that we have called Singapore home, and more importantly they gave new directors and actors a chance to breathe new life and interpretations into these works- and at heart, isn’t that what we, as a country, are trying to do with our nation at this point in time?

In essence, Studios Fifty is and was meta-theatre- a series of plays within the elaborate drama that is our Singapore Story; a microcosm of the country we live, work and play in. Theatre can hardly be seen as the most uniquely Singaporean icon we have, and yet these fifty performances have shown how theatre is a perfect avenue to illustrate the journey our country has undertaken so far, and where we can go next, how we can continue the series of successes that have given us the concrete-jungle-garden-city that we have today.

There is much to celebrate about SG50. And while we as the next generation of Singaporeans sit in the audience, reflect on and give thanks for what has been, what is most important is that we learn, we build, we adapt. We are youths. We are the future of this country we call home. And it would do us well to remember that we have much work to do, on stage, and off it.

The writer would like to thank Aberdeen Seet, Steph Dogfoot and Andrew Lua for the help they provided in the writing of this article.