Counting Down!

After two months of rehearsals, we’ve finally arrived (at Dream Country)!

Jerms and B turned up for the Dress Rehearsal yesterday – which was really sweet because they were flying off to different parts of the world soon after.

Tonight’s Opening Night, so if you are in town, come down to the Singapore Arts Festival Village at Esplanade Park!

I’ve rambled written so much about my experience and thoughts as a performer, so now I present to you the directors, who will take you through the history of this piece, and the selection process.

Once again. Dream Country – a lost monologue is part of the Singapore Arts Festival 2012. It is a great piece produced by Michele Lim, directed by Marion D’Cruz, Anne James, Charlene Rajendran, Claire Wong, Natalie Hennedige and Zizi Azah. The piece will take place 31 May and 1 June 2012 at the Festival Village in Esplanade Park, 8pm. FREE.

Taking Things Too Literally…

So I’ve had a tough week and an especially tough Friday. Tough enough for me to start wondering if I’m losing the plot. I watched Harakiri before going to bed – wondering if I should do the same.

Then the next morning, I see this:

Yes. It is what it is.

A Hair Brush.

Literally.

A Real. Hair. Brush.

I have gone mad.

Silver lining: The people who made this are even more insane than I am.

For those who prefer blondes…

I do think the Red is very pretty… in a creepy kinda way.

Satisfy your hair fetish at Creatures of Comfort.

Note: It doesn’t come cheap!

All photos courtesy of Creatures of Comfort.

Mystical Magic

I’d been wanting to catch Théâtre du Centaure ever since I saw them in the Festival Guide for Singapore Arts Festival. I’ve already had the pleasure of catching them during their rehearsals, which in their simplicity already excited me no end.

How wonderful is it that their baby gets to watch them on the side?

On Sunday, I finally had a break from rehearsal so I went to catch Flux with a couple of friends.

Mingling with the massive crowd by the darkened gardens, you get the sense that you’ve stumbled into Narnia. (‘Where’s the fawn going to appear?’ asked Jerms.) And that sense of magic and awe binds us all together – evident from the faces of the dialect-speaking grandmas and grandpas, the spellbound toddlers who have yet discovered language, and the travellers-turned-smiling-fools who had taken a wrong turn en route to the train station.

When you watch Théâtre du Centaure’s Flux, impossibility simply doesn’t exist.

You believe.

You believe in dreams and centaurs. You believe in love. You believe in peace.

You believe.

As you watch them weave amongst trees and people, run at great speeds on their stages, sit on a weathered and well-loved leather couch (!!!), you realise that Manolo Bez and Camille Galle are centaurs. There are no horses or actors present. Only centaurs.

If I were to be picky, the only bit I didn’t like was the text – spoken and projected, and in certain cases, translated even. For a performance that touches you deep within your soul, words are just superfluous.

After the show I met Mathieu, who is part of the Théâtre du Centaure team, to find out more about the music they work with, but we’ve been missing each other ever since. Hopefully I get lucky tonight so I can say a proper thank you before they leave.

If you are free, or tired, or stressed out, or uninspired… Head down to the Arts Festival Village just next to the Esplanade to catch their final performance tonight. You’ll be mesmerised and renewed… and you don’t even have to pay a cent.

Happening at the Festival Village at 8pm.

We are our own ideal.

First, they tell us we’re too skinny.

Then, they tell us we’re too fat.

Now, they highlight this and say that it’s ‘particularly muscly’.

Their own words ‘Toned: The Duchess’s calves looked particularly muscly as she walked across the Ascot Park ahead of the Princes polo match’

It’s all in the phrasing. Well, and the drawing of that circle really. (By them, not me.)

If she’s toned, she’s toned. No need for ‘particularly’ to pop up at all unless you were intending to highlight what you deem as a flaw/excess.

Kate’s athletic gams are to die for, in my humble opinion of course. Unless you wanna look like a flamingo.

Now this.

This. Is particularly muscly.

First image courtesy of Daily Mail.

Second image courtesy of lachstdu.com.

Akira Strikes Again.

Digest this first.

‘The die is cast: Do not falter.
You chose this path: Follow it.
It leads to absolute rulership.’

Shall expound later.

Scenes from Sunday’s Rehearsal.

Remember that first huge combined Dream Country rehearsal last Sunday that I didn’t write about? I couldn’t find the right words then. But if a picture paints a thousand words… here’s a lot for you to think about. Sunday’s Rehearsal. …

Her Majesty’s Request… What’s in my bag.

Severe bruising, fatigue, and the stress of un/employment has taken me away from writing for a couple of days. (MISS ME? Ahh… you’ll survive!)

But after two full days of sticking medicinal patches and applying heat packs all over my body, I’m finally ready to face the world again…

Or so I thought.

Driving class was an absolute chore today – mainly because I’m still aching all over. My neck is still especially sore, which meant that checking my blind spots was nothing short of torture.

Fortunately, I had friends to look forward to after class. Seeing lovely people such as my dearest D, Shaz, Evie, SH, WL, Miss J, Mdm A and Mdm M reminded me just how lucky I was while I was holding my full-time job. Mdm A and Mdm M even managed to make our Very Serious Conversation enjoyable, though their combined loveliness didn’t make my decision-making process any easier.

Mdm M in particular (I love calling my boss that. Makes her sound like a top secret service agent.) just seemed to know exactly where I am, and where I hope to be heading without me even having to say a word.

I still have a couple of days and a handful of hours to go before I make up my mind, so I thought I’ll write this for Mdm M, who thinks a ‘What’s in your bag?’ post is in order.

“Look at the colour of her bag! Says so much about her state of mind right now!”

Brolly ‘cos I keep getting caught in the rain when I go for my driving classes.

A fan ‘cos I’m a secret Geisha-Ninja.

Sunblock ‘cos… well… have you ever met a tanned geisha? 

(Rather, fan and sunblock thanks to my many afternoon rehearsals.)

Elastic band, discontinued lipbalm =(, girl stuff (!!! Tee. Hee.), driving booklet, organiser, favourite pencil, mirror, eyedrops.

Ancient iPod, wallet and coin pouch, plaster, hydration, theory books that I am giving away.

Ninja-warming cape.

Dream Country reflection book, favourite pen, inspiration – Jeanette Winterson.