ThE rOaD nOt TaKeN.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Another weekend's come and gone and I'm older as a result T_T
Chronologically speaking of course.
Yesterday, I attended a show that was done by my sis Anne's drama group
Tapestry Playback Theatre. It was called "That Thing You Do" and was held at the Substation at Armenian Street.
Was a bit unsure of how to respond during the show as it was not your conventional sit-down and watch a group of people go through their lines with makeup and costumes per se. So no Shakepearean blank verse or massive scene changes. Everything just happened on the same stage, but it was quite fun! How should I describe it?
If you entering the guiness theatre (i think that's what they call it.), you will see a pretty bare stage with 2 chairs at stage right, 1 coat rack covered with lots of cloth, 3 wooden boxes at centrestage and a collection of musical instruments at stage left(very native stuff, shakers, noisemakers, even something that sounds like thunder). The walls are all painted black and the seats are arranged in ascending order like bleachers at a stadium. To make it cosier, they added in 2 rows of quilt carpets (from IKEA) for people to sit on the floor.
Met my classmate KK as I walked in (which is like twice in 2 weeks, this is more than the entire last 2 yrs combined, i think.) So it was like deja vous again. I'm half expecting him to pop up behind me in 5 min's time.
As the show started, I realised that it was going to be one of those shows where you either liked it or hate it. Due to the fact that it's largely improvised and impromptu, you would either be intrigued by the various devices used or get put off by the 'pretentiousness' (though I didn't think it was pitched to be arty farty).
I found myself getting drawn in to the various stories and the emotions that were displayed. I couldn't help but wonder about how much the actors empathise with the various storytellers as they told their stories. I think this format is amazing for the simple reason that it goes back to basics, where entertainment is not about glitz and shock appeal but about truth and life in its raw form. People listened and were moved by the variety of emotions as they follow the different stories like a reader browsing an anthology of short stories. With the storyteller in front of you, each story is told with conviction. Sharing is indeed a very powerful process.
Being a pragmatist, I did however check my watch halfway through (not because it was boring, but because I wondered how much more was there to enjoy). I am a closet escapist and drama has always been a beautiful window for me to look through and re-discover the simple beautiful things.
I must admit, that I am tempted to get involved (not just to satisfy my exhibitionist tendencies, I have been away from drama for a long time...) but simply because the process itself is fun and entails a lot of self-discovery. I couldn't think of a more enjoyable way to spend my Sunday evenings than to sit around, share stories and insights. I do however, have some stuff on my plate that needs to be cleared first before I can think about this seriously.
But don't be surprised if you see me at the next show, maybe not as an actor(yet) but at least as a member of the audience. Yippee!
Labels: drama, playback
