Decimal Points 810: A show with heart

SINGAPORE — After years of staying behind the scenes in the theatre scene, producer Neo Kim Seng is finally presenting a work of his own that he has put his whole heart into — in more ways than one.

His piece, Decimal Points 810, kicks off the second batch of experimental shows under Cake Theatrical Productions’ Decimal Points series (it runs until 2015 and will also feature works by lighting designer Andy Lim and design collective Neon Tights). Neo’s work is an interesting one, seeing as it draws largely on the life-changing experience of undergoing open heart surgery to treat his medical condition, mitral valve prolapse.

“I’ve had this condition since I was 12 and I knew it was a matter of time before I went for surgery. The doctors opened up my sternum and stopped my heart for a couple of hours,” revealed the 50-year-old, who had the procedure done last May.

Before and after the successful surgery, Neo came across a number of interesting factoids. “One of the things I read up was of people having hallucinations during surgery so I thought it’d be interesting if I tried to remember anything — but when I woke up, I didn’t remember anything,” he quipped. Post-surgery, his physiotherapist related stories of other people’s experiences, including one patient (from NUH) who remembered Japanese soldiers marching. “It was interesting because I realised that Kent Ridge was where the last battle for Singapore was fought,” he said.

This incident, as well as the idea of hallucinations, found its way in Decimal Points 810, which is a meditation on that supposedly lost time during surgery. The part-text-based, part-movement-based production will feature nine young performers and was done in collaboration with Neo’s friends and colleagues, including choreographer Joavien Ng and artist Vincent Leow (who comes in as a visual designer).

“The text and material is a mix of fantasy and reality. I’ve taken some things that actually happened and re-imagined them. There are some references to actual events and real people — some people may recognise them,” he said.

For instance, there’s a segment that pays tribute to artist Zai Kuning and the late director William Teo. “These two influenced me a lot in how I worked and how I see art,” he said.

While he may not be a familiar face for the younger generation, Neo has been a constant presence in both the visual and performing arts. He worked with The Artists Village during its Ulu Sembawang days, doing installation and photography. (In 2012, he revisited his visual arts past with Mix: Re/tape, an installation of cassette tapes at The Esplanade Tunnel). He also worked for stage productions as a producer and was a programmer for a host of institutions like The Esplanade, the National Museum of Singapore, the Singapore Arts Festival and the Singapore International Film Festival, as well as various theatre groups.

“I’ve always liked to reinvent myself,” said Neo, adding that after seeing how so many directors worked, he was conscious about not falling into the trap of mimicry. “I was conscious to not over-direct. I wanted it to be organic as well, a bit raw. It was a learning experience for me — it was also the first time I’d written something and have performers say my line. It was very unreal.”

Cake’s Artistic Director Natalie Hennedige said the company has been interested to work with Neo because “he was responsible for bringing in some of the most exciting dance and theatre pieces”. “He had been in the scene for a long time and had access to all these really exciting people and he was also at a point in his life which was quite interesting,” she added.

Interesting is probably putting it mildly. Neo is still slowly but surely on his way to full recovery. “Right now, especially when I cough, I still feel pain. But I don’t want to think about it so much. I’m just glad I came out of it alive,” he said.

Decimal Points 810 is on April 25 and 26, 8pm, The Substation Theatre. Tickets at S$25 from admin [at] caketheatre.com.