Beyond Entertainment: Theatre of Social Healing Singaporebased FounderandArtisticDirectorofTheNecessary Stage. All'inTan is thebrainbehindAsia'sLargestMISingaporeFringeFestival.HeldinFebruary 2006, thisyear'sfestivalwasbased on thetheme.Ansand Healing.Inanemailinterview withLadaGurudenSingh,Alvinspeaksfrompersonalspaceabouttheroleoftheatre inhealing. LadaGurudenSingh(LGS):How doyou usetheatreasamediumofHealingthroughArts? How differentdoesitbecomefrom anormal theatreproduction.giventhefactthatTheatre essentially is lookedatas the bestmediumofcatharsis? AlvinTan(AT):Theatre heals inso many ways,TheNecessaryStage has used theatre asa mediumofHealinginmanyways. Completely l'lith/OurCharacter was aplaycreated in collaboration with a personwho waslivingwithHIV.AsmuchasitwascatharticforPaddyChew.itwasalsoaproductionthat putahumanfacetothedisease andbroughtaboutawarenessofaperson livingwithAIDS. Sincetheatreisasocialevent,healingpertainstoanddealswith socialignorancethatbreeds prejudice. ProvidingFace toHIVAIDS SQngu t NIlJ61 Vol.XL. No.I, 2006 wrrn INTERVIEW ALVINTAN 91 Social theatre that is reflexive critiques singular and reductiveperspectives.challenges establishedand shackled mindsetsandliberatestheimagination. AbuseSuxxxttt isaplay thatdeals with emotionaland psychological abuse- the kind thatis invisible. Oneofthe vignettes deals with a gay person who upon realisinghiscomingouthurt hismother.de cides to leave hisboyfriend, seeks treatmentandfindsagirlfriend.Inhisepilogue.hesays thathisfutureisclearernow.Andifthischoicemakeshismotherandfriendshappy,thenso beit.Although ascreatorsofthe work wemaynot agreewiththeprotagonist'schoice.we wanted 10 challenge liberal thinkers ifwe could respect difference enough 10 accepthis choice. Areliberalthinkersexemptfromprejudice? For godeatgod,a performancecreated in response to9/11.God isontrial,accused for beingmecauseofhumankilling.Peopledieinhisname.Godrepliesthatitisbeyondhis/her control. During a discussion segment, inserted three-quarters into the performance, the playwright who is a sound operator on stage. throws questions at the actors who play themselvesas characters.Oneofthequestionsis- Ifyourmotheriskidnappedandyouare instructedtobomb aCineplextosaveherlife,wouldyou?Thediscussionalsoincludesthe roleofartItheatre.Should we do theatre tochallengeandcreateawareness?A production costsalotofmoney.Whynolgivethe money directly topeoplewhoneedit? For The Necessary Stage,contemporary socialtheatre has to disrupt/inrervene/rupture thefamiliarroutinetobeeffective.Buttodosowithoutself-awarenessorreflexivityistorisk makingsocialtheatretiresomelydidactic.Besides,oneofthecraftsofcontemporarysocial theatre is10deny manifestingconflictorcatharsisonstage but10 createconflictbetween whathappens onstage and theaudience.Thisshiftsthe witnessingexperience toanimpli catedexperience. Oneactivelyparticipatesin theinterruptionbecauseitisconcreteandis hopefullyhealedfromthecomplacenceofnormalcy Gode-algod in production LAD:\.GURUDENSINGH LGS:ThereisabranchoftheatrecalledDocumentaryTheatre,inwhichvictimsaremadeto live through their trauma while enacting. Real people with real incidents are directed to producetheatricalwork.AnexampleisyourfellowSingaporean KengSenOngwhousedEm Theay 10 relive her past as aroyalcourt dancer ofCambodiaduring Pol Pot's reign.How muchdoessuchakindoftheatricalexperiencecontributetowardsHealing? AT: I'mmorefamiliarwithAugustoBoar sForumTheatreand Imuch prefertoseetheatre being the facilitating medium for healing.Firstly the participants can bring healing upon themselves.Secondly, thecollaborativeengagement between the creators, the participants andtheaudiencehasthepotentialfor socialhealingto take place. Aslong aspeoplegather andhaverolestoplay,theatrefunctionsverymuchlikereligionwithritualsthatcanheal.I'm notcomfortablewith theideaofthetheatredirectorbeingakind ofguru thatbringshealing to acommunity. Ifind Boat's model ofcommunal participation a more appealing healing process.This is because evena healer needs healing and a personin need of healing can heal. w'hereare the Gods? LGS:While usingtheatre asamedium forHealing.how does one ensure thaiTheatreasan artdoesnotbecomeamediumof"socialservice"andretainsitsvalueasanessentialform of entertainment? AT:Keepingthatinmind.weatMlSingaporeFringeFestival,arenottakinghealing literally. Healingisalsotakenmetaphorically.Allowmetocitesomenon-theatreexamples. INTERVIEW WITH ALVINTAN 93 First ofall there is the Bhutan project sponsored by UNDP.Bhutanesecloth isused by Singaporeandesignerstocreategarmentsandlifestylefurnitureandsold.Thisisanattempt todevelop cultural industries and open markets for Bhutanesecloth in the contemporary world.Itisakindofsocialhealing. Another social healing is a forumcalled Detention.Writing.Healing,For this forum we broughttogether afew ex-political detainees who have written poetry andlor novels. We alsohad inthe forum,a playwright whohas written acharacter based onanex-detainee. Here,art and healing takesonavery interestingrelationship. InsideOutisagroupofprofessionalphotographersteaching30migrantworkersphotog raphy.Theirphotographswereexhibitedduringthefestival. Migrantvoices is another group of volunteers who have put together aCD of migrant workers(songsandinterviews)residinginSingapore.TheCDwaslaunchedarthefestival. Thesingersperformed atTheEsplanadeOutdoorand nowtheCDisonsale.Theproceeds Locating New Lands,Dislocating Hrsrory 94 LADAGURUDEN SINGH collectedwillgo10shellersandorganizationsmanagingmigrant workers. lnsidrOutandAfigrantVoicesare twoprojectsintended topromotethepositiveimageof migrantcommunitiesinSingapore.Theseprojectsshowthey are human beings.withemo lions.creativity,thecapacity forselfexpression.Hopefully theseinitiatives willhelpmelt awaythedividesbetweenSingaporeansandmigrantcommunities, Both InsidethuandMigmntVoices are self-contained projects carriedout byindepend ent individualscoming together.but theyalsocontribute to The Necessary Stage'spresent works-in-progress. Mobile. Mobile is a collaborative work involving practitioners from Thailand.Philippines.JapanandSingapore.There aremany migrantworkers from Philip pinesandThailand residingand workinginbothJapanandSingapore, Our focus on Asian collaboration prompted us to have a workshop session during the fringefestival.ItwascalledSomethingIIIThe \YaySheMoves.Withanincreaseinmobility of Asian practitioners, we decided to come together to create work interculturally and to explore and build our confidence in working across cultures and languages.There was a presentation near theend of the festival. \Vewantto investigatethe ways wecollaborate tocreateworksforone another inAsia. Therewasaforumcalled U'hosAfraid of ContemporaryAsian Collaboration thatlooked intohowsomeAsiancollaborativeinitiativesareusuallyhelpedbypractitionersfromcoun trieswithmoreadvancedeconomies.What aretheimplicationsoncontemporarycollabora tions?Wearealsolookingatamethodofcontemporarysocialtheatrecollaboration. Some thingwecallintra-culturalpractice. For me,alltheseinitiatives heal.Oratleastbeginthehealing processes.They havethe potential to heal many things at many levels: one has to reach out of one's country, in today'sglobalizedworld,toexplorethepossibilitiesofatheatrepracticebeyondtheborders. Thisbringsme-tosomethingI'vebeenexploringandcontemplatingonforsometime.The possibility of healing takes place in how we see ourselves through other's eyes; whether they are those who behold us or those who view us with prejudice. It works either way because human beingsarecomplex. And that is where art still plays an important role. It gives us that space 10 be beside ourselves.aspacetoplay,anautonomousspacewhere whatisdone can beundone,where what issacredand preciousCanbetreated withirreverence, where whatcanbesacrosanct onemomentcan bedebasedthenext.wherewhat hasvalueinonecontext can lose itstotal value inanother.And that ishowart heals because art isaspace where absolutes end. When your theatre doesn't subvert what is precious to you, then it becomes a propa gandapamphlet. Tokeep,theatrefrombeinga"socialservice"is10 protecttheatre'srightto have the freedom to question all the time. And to question all the time means choosing spiritualityoverreligiosity,metaphoroverliteral. INTERVIEWWITH ALVINTAN 9S LOS:Do you think thereis adifference inorient andoccidentallakeonHealingthrough Thealre? AT:In today's world, I think there are more overlaps. Perhaps this is a view unique10 Singaporeans. As ourlate theatre doyen Kuo Pao Kuncoined thephrase:wearecultural orphans. Singaporeans are so far away from their respective motherlands th:.lltheyhave alwaysbeenopeneduptoeachother'sculturesandthewesternculturalforces.Thisismore sonowbecauseof thespeedyrateofculturalknowledgeandinformation,whichisflowing intothissmallislandincessantly.Beingaculturalorphanisourweaknessbutwe'reworking atturningittoastrengthallthetime.Whatchoicedowehave?IamaPeranakan,aStraits bornChinese(aninterculturalhybridofMalayandChinesecultures)whostudiedinEnglish andlater wentto U.K.andtheU.S.Howdo1approachthisquestionthathasbinarymark ings;pitwestagainsteast?Ithaslittlemeaningtome.WhenIwasyoung,Iwasbroughtto aChinesepriestatatemplewhereheperformedundertrance,cuthistongue,drewbloodand wrotesome Chinese characters onyellowparchment,whichmymotherburntandputin waterfor ustodrink.Anothertime.Ivisitedabomoh(Malaymedium)withmymotherand therewaslimecuttingandincenseburningbeingperformed.Andwebroughtbackflowers thatwerethrownintoourpailsofwatertobathein.When1was14,Ibecameanaltarboyand performedatthealtarinserviceoftheLordJesusChristtillIwas16andgotbaptized.These werethemyriadsoftheatricalperformances(hatetchedmymemoryandtheyareconstantly replayedindifferentpermutationsinsomeofthetheatreworksIcreatetoday,likegodeatgod. Iwouldsayforme,thereiseitheradialogueorafusionratherthanadifferencebutatthe end,it'sthehealingoranyotherpurposeforwhichtheatreiscreated,thatmatters. Photocredits()Afl'in Tuft