Monday, December 8, 2008

To Be Or Not To Be

Being in "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" has been such a wonderful learning experience for me. I auditioned for the show not thinking I was right for the Prince at all. I have Hossan Leong (our director and great friend) to thank for believing in me. It did take me a long while to be comfortable with this character through the rehearsal process. And sometimes "not getting it" can be very frustrating because I expect a lot from myself. Nonetheless, I believe I found him before the show opened. Is there room for improvement? Of course! There always is.

A week before the show opened, I fell ill and lost my voice. Having to use it every day didn't help the recovery. Up till this point, my voice hasn't fully recovered. It's not like I'm doing a terrible job but just that I hadn't been forgiving myself for not being in top form. But then I finally realised it was unhealthy thinking and past a certain point I chose to let it go and focus more on giving meaning to the songs than to sing it beautifully. After all, what's a show without heart?

The whole process from rehearsals to the stage has been so enriching. And the many hands that have gone into making the production possible have to be thanked, including Wild Rice founder, Ivan Heng, who's created such a wonderful and nurturing platform for local artists. Not forgetting the audience because without them and the energy they bring to the theatre, there would be no show.