Performance Practice
Selected works
As a bilingual actor (English, Mandarin & also proficient in conversational Hokkien), my performance works range from musical theatre, to text-based works, to movement-based works, to theatre-for-young-audiences. My acting portfolio includes both in-person, as well as digital mediums, including Film and Digital Theatre.
Singapore Tourism Board and The Theatre Practice presents: The Bride Always Knocks Twice: Killer Secrets [2021]
Bride
Winner at the 2022 Straits Times LIFE! Theatre Awards for Best Digital Theatre Production
Nominated at the 2022 Straits Times LIFE! Theatre Awards for Production Of The Year,
Best Ensemble, Best Original Script & Best Director (Kuo Jian Hong)
From the creative team behind Four Horse Road,The Bride Always Knocks Twice — Killer Secrets is an original multi-platform interactive murder mystery. Combining digital theatre and live interrogations, with online case files and virtual crime scene investigations, test your wits and unravel the mystery in four parts.
Reviews:
'The show will suck you in with its combination of a tight script [...] a stellar ensemble of actresses who slip seamlessly into their roles in a variety of languages [...]'
The Straits Times: Arts Picks
"The whole thing is suffused with a sort of giddy 80’s soap opera energy, but the characters manage to carry the weight of history behind them as they slowly reveal their secrets and develop genuine pathos. Playing out as a combination of pre-recorded drama, a searchable virtual crime scene, and live interrogations, it managed to capture the best of each facet of the virtual theatre landscape."
https://noproscenium.com/review-rundown-the-one-that-gets-back-to-nature-6-8-21-8f25fca95d95
The Theatre Practice presents:
Four Horse Road [2018, 2020, 2023]
Melon Garden Hostess, Ah Lan, Nun, Iceball Girl, Karayuki-san
Best Director (with Isabella Chiam and Kuo Jian Hong) at the 2023 Bakchormeeboy Awards
Inspired by real historical events that once took place on Waterloo Street, Four Horse Road peels away the layers of one of Singapore’s oldest streets to uncover decades of buried stories and forgotten people. Taking the style of promenade theatre, Four Horse Road is an intimate experience on an epic scale.
2 Centuries. 10 Locations. 3 Heritage Buildings. 50 artists. 1 unique theatrical adventure. This is an awe-inspiring theatrical event you need to be part of.
Reviews:
'For example, a simple yet mood-boosting two-hander titled ‘Watermelon Garden’ is inspired by Sin Ma Midnite Bar in the Victoria Building of the 1980s. This bar was easily recognised by its mural of women and watermelons. The scene is one that tells of the endearing relationship between a performer (Ang Xiao Ting) and a frequent customer (CHIA), performed with such charisma and charm to much of the audience’s delight.'
‘Is Four Horse Road one of the most ambitious original theatre projects this year? The answer is a resounding yes. And under Jian Hong’s vision and the teamwork of countless collaborators both onstage and off (there are over 60 people working behind the scenes), Four Horse Road puts the ‘story’ in history, successfully excavating some of the best tales surrounding its eponymous street and breathes life into them, resulting in a magnificent set of performances. High production value from inventive designers, a dream cast of some of the most talented actors, and running smooth as clockwork, Four Horse Road is the epic tale of Singapore you never knew you wanted, and leaves you more curious than ever about the endlessly fascinating history and future of this heritage district.’
Shanghai Musical Theatre Festival presents:
Liao Zhao Rocks! [2019]
Ensemble Cast
Inspired by Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, a collection of classic Chinese stories by Qing dynasty writer Pu Songling, Liao Zhai Rocks! tells a supernatural tale of forbidden love through the explosive force and gritty rawness of rock music.
Directed by The Theatre Practice’s Artistic Director Kuo Jian Hong and helmed by Joanna Dong (Sing! China), this epic rock musical redefined the musical theatre genre in Singapore with its unexpected fusion of classic Chinese stories and a blistering score by Mandopop luminaries Eric Ng and Xiaohan.
Liao Zhai Rocks! made its China debut in 2019 as part of the SAIC·Shanghai Culture Square’s Shanghai International Musical Festival.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/3dAF5QOvqqiWC348HDjRXG?si=yOHxR9VXQAK0JAR4BFmt8w
Review:
'The ensemble shows off tight, sharp movement and teamwork, with strong cohesion with the backstage crew to enable fast costume and adapt to the quick set changes, performing Seong Huixuan’s energetic choreography to the best of their abilities that worked in spite of the gigantic stage. The live music manages to soar and fill the entirety of the theatre, lifting each song, illustrating every scene, and truly feeling like a supernatural period drama gone rock and roll.'
https://bakchormeeboy.com/2019/04/03/shanghai-nights-liao-zhai-rocks-by-the-theatre-practice-review/
The Theatre Practice presents:
Lao Jiu the Musical [2012, 2017]
8th Sister
Winner at the 2013 Straits Times LIFE! Theatre Awards for Best Ensemble & Best Director
Nominated at the 2018 Straits Times LIFE! Theatre Awards for Best Ensemble
Based on the late theatre doyen Kuo Pao Kun’s beloved play Lao Jiu, this award-winning musical is one of Practice’s seminal works and stands out as a shining landmark of original Singapore Chinese musical theatre, performing multiple sold-out runs in Singapore.
Lao Jiu: The Musical is a universally relevant coming-of-age story about choosing between dreams and responsibilities. Deeply moving, this heart-warming musical combines a stirring score composed and written by Mandopop luminaries Eric Ng and Xiaohan, with an exciting range of puppetry techniques including traditional Chinese hand puppetry, object puppetry and shadow puppetry.
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6bdSgSCgPKj2ZU5VGKYVFY?si=ZgEwdyrrSKawbrhv42pVkQ
Venice Biennale presents:
'Open Doors' with Anne Bogart [2016]
Movement performer
I was selected to participate in a seven-day masterclass with Anne Bogart that ended with two ‘Open Doors’ showcases for the general public at the Venice Biennale. Performers engaged with the Viewpoints training, while creating compositions with the life of John Cage as the source of inspiration.
Dairakudakan presents: Golden Summer [2014, 2015]
Dancer
Dairakudakan Temputenshiki, helmed by Maro Akaji in a highly-acclaimed Butoh dance troupe based in Tokyo. Every summer, they hold an outdoor Butoh performance in the mountains of Hakuba.