10 Questions with Tracie & Adrian Pang, Artistic Directors of Pangdemonium

PUBLISHED April 15th, 2014 01:00 am | UPDATED July 22nd, 2024 02:35 pm

They are the husband and wife dream team behind Singapore’s most kick-ass theatre company – Pangdemonium. They are the Artistic Directors who have brought us some of the most challenging works to grace the stage in Singapore. They have inspired, excited, and moved us time and time over. They are Tracie and Adrian Pang.

Between them their list of achievements is quite astounding.

Tracie has worked on producing shows throughout Asia and the UK with from The Singapore Repertory Theatre to London’s West End and a plethora of names in-between, with contributions to the Singapore arts scene spanning two decades, four nominations thus far for Best Director at the ST Life! Theatre Awards and a seemingly endless list of productions she has written and directed.

Adrian spent eight years working as an actor in the UK treading the boards at some of London’s most esteemed theatres, appearing on TV in many a British household-name show and bagged roles in films starring the likes of Brad Pitt, Robert Redford and Pierce Brosnan. A fine introduction to his work on Singapore TV where he won us over in Chinese dramas and Deal or No Deal. When he’s not busy unleashing the next Pangdemonium production, he can often be found moonlighting across the local theatre scene and winning awards for Best Actor.

Phew! If they ain’t a power couple, then we ain’t City Nomads. The question is…how on earth do they do it? We find out here:

1. Tell us about what you do…

Tracie: I am the Artistic Director for Pangdemonium, and I direct all of our shows. That covers, choosing our season with Adrian, budgeting for our season, negotiating with the rights holders and venues, casting, choosing and discussing my vision with the designers and directing the shows from photo shoots, rehearsals and through to tech week and opening.

Adrian: Full-time father and husband, sometime actor, and part-time Artistic Director of Pangdemonium Theatre Company. Basically I’m Tracie’s wing man.

2. What motivates you?

Tracie: The love of good theatre and wanting to make my family proud.

Adrian: Fear of standing still.

3. What was the worst piece of advice you have been given?

Tracie:  ‘That project is very difficult, I think you should choose something a bit easier’ said to me by a theatre tutor at college, obviously I ignored him!

Adrian: ‘You should produce The Lion King’. Thank goodness I never listen to anyone’s advice.

4. What three things/people/roles have contributed most to your success?

Tracie: My parents support of my chosen career, my husband’s support in everything that I do, and my background as a stage manager that gave me the opportunity to watch and learn from many directors as they worked their craft.

Adrian: 1) My wife Tracie, who is simply an Amazonian in body, mind and spirit . Running Pangdemonium together, I am fully aware that she is the brains, the beauty and (more often than I like to admit) the brawn. I just make the noise. 2) My rebellious disregard for authority, which I have not outgrown since puberty – it has gotten me into trouble many times, but it has also served me well in times of adversity. 3) My refusal to even consider if I have achieved this nebulous thing called ‘success’ – once you think you’ve achieved that, you start dying.

4. What has been the happiest moment in your career to date?

Tracie:  Probably the opening night of The Full Monty. It was a proud moment to see our first production for our own theatre company take flight, and also to see my sons Zack and Xander on stage for the first time. We had a standing ovation and so much love from family and friends – a momentous night.

Adrian: Quitting my day job as a full-time employee at the local TV station to start up my own theatre company Pangdemonium together with my wife (and boss) Tracie. Doing what I love as my job, and sharing it with the one I love – how much better could it get?

5. What ‘rules’ do you live by?

Tracie: Always try to do your best, you can’t ask for more.

Adrian: Rule #1: You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. Rule #2: Never believe your own hype. Rule #3: Screw the rules – make it up as you go along.

6. If Hollywood made a movie about your life, who would you like to see play the lead role as you?

Tracie: It would have to be Meryl Streep, she can do anything! She would probably be a better me than me!

Adrian: Hell, if Hollywood wants to make a movie about me, I’d bloody insist that I play me! But if I’m unavailable, then I suppose Meryl Streep will do, once she’d done playing Tracie.

7. What book do you think everyone should read?

Tracie: Oh that’s a tough one, there are so many. I guess The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, it says so much, I think there are 3 copies in our house.

Adrian: To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. A funny, poignant, heartbreaking, and beautiful tale about childhood, fatherhood, honour, courage, justice, compassion, and doing the right thing when it’s easier to do the wrong thing. My favourite quote from it: ‘You never really understand a person until you . . . climb into his skin and walk around in it.

8. What was the last gift you gave someone?

Tracie: Seeing as it is my dad’s birthday this week and he had a hip operation last week, I sent him a box set of Homeland to keep him occupied while he is holed up recuperating for the next few weeks.

Adrian: I gave Tracie a charm bracelet a few years ago, and since we started up Pangdemonium I’ve given her a charm for every production we’ve done together. The latest one was for our upcoming show The Rise & Fall of Little Voice.

10. How lucky are you and why?

Tracie: I am extremely lucky, I may never win at a raffle draw but I have a loving husband, two healthy wonderful children, supportive and loving parents and the best job in the world!

Adrian:  I am a very, very lucky person to have an amazing wife, two fantastic sons, and to do what I absolutely love for a living – I am very grateful for the life that I have.

Pangdemonium’s upcoming production, The Rise & Fall of Little Voice is running from 2nd – 18th May at Drama Centre Theatre. For more information on the show and to book tickets see SISTIC here. For more information on Pangdemonium see their website here and stay tuned to their Facebook page here for updates from the company.