We Discuss Writings from The Heart
The post show discussion of Writings from The Heart shed light on the playwrights experience and the content of their plays which highlighted existing social issues through the characters. For them, the post show discussion was vital in aiding the development of their scripts as the comments and thoughts from the audience allowed them to reflect, edit and question sections of their work and the portrayal of their characters.
During the post show discussion, the playwrights were asked about their Writings from The Heartexperience. The playwrights agreed how the entire experience had been interesting and useful for them to develop their plays as well as find their own voice and perspective on the issues they wanted to write about. The playwrights shared with us how the entire process was like.
“It was rather refreshing, considering I usually indulge in writing poetry. I gave myself ample time alone and I drew out different permutations to approach my script, before considering how I can piece the different scenes together. You could say it was rather sporadic too.”
Gabriel Lim, playwright of We Fell in A Marathon
“Tony Perez is a wonderful, thoroughly unconventional and intuitive teacher. He talks about everything from chakra points and meditation to Freud and Jung, and you’re asked to try them out in class, so you have to have a very, very open mind.”
Helmi Yusof, playwright of My Father Wears Bras and My Mother Buys Condoms
“It has been quite exciting. We’ve had closed door readings before this which is very useful. For me this has been a great experience for me to see actors mouth the lines that I wrote and see some choices that I did not imagine. That has been very interesting as a process. Writing on stage can be quite challenging.”
Mayura Baweja, playwright of Paper Thin
“The process was both enjoyable and challenging. As my play is a comedy- drama, I had a lot of fun introducing humour into my writing. The second draft was more challenging to write than the first. I grew attached to what I wrote in the first draft and found it difficult to trim lines while retaining the essence of my play. However, one of the participants from the workshop offered me some words of encouragement. I eventually completed my second draft and felt a great sense of accomplishment at the end of it.”
Serene Tan, playwright of Hazy Prenuptials
“I don’t know how to write dialogue and it is extremely challenging for me. The workshop actually did not touch so much on writing or the craft of playwriting but a kind of understanding yourself, finding your voice kind of workshop.”
Chan Lishan, playwright of Conversations with My Father
“What’s more important for me is getting more opinions, getting some friends to comment a little and hear their true voices and I think that process of bouncing ideas, getting feedback, building on from there is what I really like about this whole process”
Liow De Jun, playwright of My Promise to My Animal Tamer
“It was a slow process. So it was helpful throughout the process some playwrighters got together to share after the closed reading session and it helps to share ideas.”
Samantha Chia, playwright of No Regrets
The post show discussion was also an avenue for societal issues to be raised up. In all the plays, the characters were a reflection of actual individuals in society and became a point of commentary. For Helmi, he wrote his plays in response to the controversy of the National Library’s withdrawal of books containing LGBT characters and single mothers. He expressed his concern over the violence (physical or otherwise) faced by the transcommunity and how they are an easy target. This is represented through the two characters in My Father Wears Braswhere a transgender character named Jac is the target of violence from Ba’s homophobic son, Danny. Discussions were raised about the portrayal of Danny as the audience felt he was too one- sided, with his only violent and rash nature. Other comments included how the portrayal of the characters in the play were binary- the male encapsulating alpha male traits and the woman being feminine and emotional- because personalities are not always black and white.
Helmi’s other play, My Mother Buys Condoms, highlighted the lack of respect for individual rights and decisions. Maggie is a Chinese retiree in her 60s who decides to have a sex life again- her decision to have a relationship and companion then leads to her being ostracised. In the post show discussion, he highlights how her leaving home is symbolic of the LGBTI emotional experience- they feel that they do not belong and hence leave the home. The reactions from the neighbours also highlight how Helmi feels that the country has low tolerance for people who are different.
The discussion of whether the characters such as Wilfred, Maggie’s son, and Madam Nora, her close friend are one dimensional was brought up. The two characters have and hold on to strong religious beliefs which creates a rough patch amongst the characters. This conflict is shown through how these individuals are not merely one sided but have their own struggles and beliefs they want to stand by. We are shown how they have not come to terms with Maggie’s decision, and attempt to voice their opinions to convince her otherwise, highlighting how there is a difficulty to reconcile these differences and the inability to respect the decisions of another, much like the conversations surrounding Pink Dot.
Likewise, the characters also are a point of commentary for societal issues. Serene’s play, Hazy Prenuptials is about how soon to be bride Grace is trying to plan the perfect wedding and documents it on social media to incite the envy of others, highlighting the materialism and sometimes excessive consumption present in Singaporeans. Serene uses her to illustrate how technology brings people together and provides a channel of communication. Yet, it creates a disjuncture and feeds into the intergenerational disconnect she has with her parents. Grace is too caught up with appearances and uses social media to engage with the wrong audience when such efforts should be invested in her relationships. This is an issue in our society nowadays where engagement with social media and being in connection borders on obsession.
On a more domestic note, Liow De Jun’s My Promise to My Animal Tamer highlights the relationship between a single mother and child- and later on loses her son and her grandson. During the post show discussion, director Irfan and actor Daphne highlighted how the mother should also be given attention, especially since she too experienced big losses in her life and her character can be a point of discussion for single mothers in Singapore and the hardships they face.
To wrap up, the weekend from the Writings from The Heart was an important platform for finding, developing and nurturing new writers from the community. From the plays shown in the weekend and through the post show discussions, it became a catalyst for the audience to reflect and discuss important issues related to living in Singapore.
