Homecoming

Fancy attending a play in someone’s cosy living room in East Coast?

Check out Open Homes, a collaboration between PAssionArts and the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) that will see a total of 100 shows being held over four days next month in 25 homes.

PAssionArts, established by People’s Association, is matching 25 households with nine theatre artists to co-create 25 plays. 

The plays are centred on the “memories, relationships, life experiences, inspirations and joys of community living”, said Mr Jeffrey Tan, producer of Open Homes.

“We have stories of father-and-son and mother-and-daughter relationships. There’s also a story about marriage and living with in-laws. Another story focuses on the resident’s collection of Chinese opera paraphernalia,” he said. 

It all begins at home

SIFA festival director Ong Keng Sen was the one who mooted the idea of Open Homes.

Said Keng Sen: “Emotional heartfelt moments often happen in the living room. The living room is a kind of convening space that draws all the energies from the different spaces in the house – the kitchen, the bedrooms, the balcony. It is the communal public space of the house. In that sense, it is the theatre of the house. Open Homes brings us right to the fact that theatre begins at home.”

Jeffrey agrees. “Home is where the personal drama is set and produced. Keng Sen wanted us to revisit the living room and experience theatre intimately,” he explained.

Of connections old and new

Each play in Open Homes is between 30 and 45 minutes long. Most performances will be in English, with about three to four homes performing their pieces in Mandarin. 

Private homes – condominiums and landed properties – have been selected for this project.

Each home is able to accommodate a varying number of attendees, from 12 to 20 persons. The play is free for all who are interested, but pre-registration is required.   

According to Jeffrey, Open Homes is a good way to connect with the folks in our neighbourhoods. Among the 25 home owners, six are permanent residents or new citizens. 

“Home is where the heart is,” said Jeffrey. “The heart to listen, respond, support and engage with the lives of fellow Singaporeans. Only when we hear the differences will we begin to find similarities and understand the other better. We hope Open Homes will open minds and hearts for more people to connect.”

TODAY speaks to two residents – John Sharpley and Lesley Ong – as well as two artist-mentors – theatre director/actor Ian Loy and choreographer/theatre maker Ebelle Chong – to find out more about Open Homes.

THE RESIDENTS

John Sharpley

Out Of The Blue @Sunbird Road
Sept 12 (7pm, 8.30pm) and Sept 13 (7pm, 8.30pm)
By John Sharpley, a composer and musician, co-created with theatre director and actor Ian Loy. Nature is the source of John’s inspiration for composing music. Find out how this American ended up living in Singapore.

Lesley Ong

Sayang @Cactus Road
Sept 5 (10am, noon) and Sept 6 (10am, noon)
By Lesley Ong and her four cats, co-created with theatre maker and actress Sharda Harrison. Sayang, an intricate crochet of stories woven from the past and the present, reflects on the meaning of home.

What is your role and your story in Open Homes?

John: I see my foremost role as host. My parents have always graciously welcomed family and friends into their home. To me, going to a person's home for the first time is a kind of initiation into their kampong. The reverse is equally true. I feel that a friendship is not “complete” until a home visit has taken place. When I was presented with the opportunity to be involved in Open Homes, I could immediately grasp the sociological significance and implications of this beautiful project. So, how will I play host? My guests will first come to my garden, my pride and joy. I will serve my guests tea as I share stories about the garden. We will then go into the house where I will share my story of coming to Singapore almost 30 years ago and making it my home. I will then perform some of my piano compositions. As a grand finale, I will invite my guests to join in a musical collaboration. Those who wish to participate will be provided with drums, gongs and other handheld percussion instruments and we will all have a kampong music jamboree.

Lesley: My role is to create and perform a 30-minute play called Sayang. It's a journey back in time, about the past, which we have lost forever. It's also about growing up and how the past influences our present thoughts and actions.

How has the experience been so far?  

John: Wonderful! Everyone – producer, director, stage manager, crew and I – has an equally vital role and depends on the others in order to fulfill that role. It is the human element that counts most here – people coming together to make something good and wholesome for others as well as themselves.

Lesley: It has been fun working with Sharda, my mentor-artist. We shared many happy moments exploring the past and reflecting on the present.

Any challenges?

John: Hosting a gathering is always a challenge. I get nervous when hosting a gathering at my home because I want it to be a delightful experience for my guests. There are so many details to arrange and so many things that might go wrong. But this time, I will have a great team to help me!

Lesley: There was so much to tell in so little a time. Also, I have to keep in mind the need to engage the audience.

Any reservations about sharing your home with strangers? 

John: If my team and I succeed in making our guests feel at home, then they will be guests, not strangers, not audiences. And, maybe, there will be some new friends.

Lesley: No reservations. I just hope guests will not find my place untidy but view it as a home that has been lived in for 30 years!

THE ARTIST MENTORS

Ian Loy

Capture The Moment @Queens Condominium
Sept 5 (10am, noon, 2pm, 4pm)
By William Teo, an avid photographer, co-created with Ian. William and his wife, Jessie, will take you for a walk down memory lane paved with photographs of great life moments.

Museum By The Sea @Mandarin Gardens
Sept 5 (6pm, 8pm) and Sept 6 (6pm, 8pm)
By Nick Fiederer and his friend Alvin Lee, co-created with Ian. An unlikely new citizen and his local friend will reveal to you their passion for collecting uniforms.

Out Of The Blue @Sunbird Road
Sept 12 (7pm, 8.30pm) and Sept 13 (7pm, 8.30pm)
By John Sharpley, a composer and musician, co-created with Ian. Nature is the source of John’s inspiration for composing music. Find out how this American ended up living in Singapore.

Ebelle Chong

Growing Up With Kids @Northvale Condominium
Sept 5 (3pm, 5pm) and Sept 6 (3pm, 5pm)
By Thomas Oomen and Bindhu Varghese and their children, co-created with Ebelle. Let Thomas and Bindhu share with you their lives after moving here to Singapore and starting a family. Be inspired by their marital partnership and unconditional love for their daughters.

Arranged Marriage @Northvale Condominium
Sept 5 (3pm, 5pm) and Sept 6 (3pm, 5pm)
By Sujata and her family, co-created with Ebelle. Take a sneak peek at a Hindu wedding ceremony and hear stories that will inspire and challenge your notion of an arranged marriage.

The Right Chemistry @Northvale Condominium
Sept 5 (3pm, 5pm) and Sept 6 (3pm, 5pm)
By Caroline Leo, co-created with Ebelle. Hear how one couple of a mixed-race marriage, who are extreme opposites, connect. 

Ah Zor’s Cookies @Sungrove Condominium
Sept 12 (2pm, 4pm) and Sept 13 (2pm, 4pm)
By home-schooled children and their mothers, co-created with Ebelle. Inspired by a xinyao song about grand-auntie’s cookies, these home-schooled children and mothers from five households will transport their function room into a time machine of early Singapore.

Please share more about your role and involvement in Open Homes.

Ian: I spend great amounts of time listening to the house owners and their friends on the stories they wish to tell about their lives, passion, house or their connection to Singapore as their home. 

Ebelle: I see myself more as a facilitator rather than a director. I listen to the households share their stories and help them identify the stories to use. As I come from a movement-based background, I find myself often looking for gestures or potential movement vocabulary that can be used to symbolise what they want to say.

How has the experience been so far?

Ian: It has been rewarding learning and experiencing from other households their lifestyles and quirky indulgences.

Ebelle: It’s been really challenging as the setting and rehearsal structure are so different from a staged performance where we have the luxury of time to explore and iron out creative differences in a rehearsal studio. For Open Homes, I came into each household not knowing what we were going to do or to say. But the beauty of it was that the households themselves were able to take the lead in terms of the theme, concept and words that they wanted to say and I simply went along.

The audience (size), performers (residents) and setting (home) are very different from what you are used to. Any concerns?

Ian: My mom has always advised me to treat other people's home with the same respect you would of them if they are at mine. The houses I've seen are really out of this world but the connections that come with it move me. I spent lots of time listening, observing and understanding. Sensitivity is key during the visits.

Ebelle: The first main concern I had was – where are the audience going to sit and how can we fit everybody in? Each home is different, every layout and placement of furniture is different. 

Anything that you needed to do differently?

Ebelle: Yes. I had to craft Open Homes according to the layout of the individual home and set the pace at the level that the performer is comfortable with. Some homes are a little more performative while others are more interactive.

What do you hope for the audience to take away from this performance?

Ian: I hope the audience will get to see and experience the connection and passion of their fellow Singaporeans in the comfort of another person's home. The audience will build new connections and begin to understand more of the society that is sometimes out of sight, out of mind.

Ebelle: Mainly for the audience to be inspired by the stories and the performers themselves. Every Open Home is different and it will speak differently to each individual. And because the setting is so intimate, thus allowing it to be interactive, the roles of the performer and audience are blurred. 

Bringing the arts to the heartlands – how important is this, and why? 

Ebelle: We need to remove the stigma of the arts belonging only to the elite. Most of the time, people say that they can’t understand what they are watching or listening to. But it doesn't matter. As long as it evokes a memory, an emotion or even simply a thought, that’s enough. 

What else can be done to bring the arts to the masses?

Ian: Select unique artwork by artists who can partner the community to evoke interest and excitement in the heartlands. 

Ebelle: Having affordable or free arts events is a start. Arts participation is a step forward for the masses, too. Once people have tried their hand at acting, painting or dancing, they will know that it's not that hard after all. People have a fear of the unknown. Bringing arts to the heartlands and having constant exposure will slowly turn the fear of the unknown to an appreciation of the arts in our everyday life.

For more information on Open Homes and other SIFA performances, visit https://sifa.sg/sifa/.

For registration to Open Homes, visit http://tiny.cc/openhomes.

Produced by the TODAY Special Projects Team