Eye Candy: We Talk Media, Theatre, and Fatherhood with Shane Mardjuki

PUBLISHED September 24th, 2021 06:00 am | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 01:21 pm

Whether you’re familiar with Shakespeare’s plays or not, Singapore Repertory Theatre’s production of the Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) is bound to blow your minds. This hilarious comedy is essentially three actors on stage, putting up 37 plays within 97 minutes. That means madcap Shakespeare mashups, song and dance numbers, and probably the fastest Hamlet you are bound to see. At this point, if you’re wondering how three actors are going to pull this off, you should know one of them is Shane Mardjuki.

Shane Mardjuki needs no introduction. If you haven’t seen his shows on HBO Asia,  Toggle or Mediacorp Channel 5, then you might have seen him host something on TV. If not there, then probably on a Tiger Beer or OCBC commercial, or on stage pulling off, effortlessly, yet again another remarkable character. The list simply doesn’t end, which is a testament to how established and what a full-fledged artist Mardjuki truly is.

Hi Shane! The story goes that you kicked off your entertainment career as a truck driver for Act3 Theatrics. Tell us about your journey into theatre and what inspired your bold move?

After National Service, I was just drifting. Working a bit here and there, applying for schools. I was interested in possibly studying anthropology or zoology. But really, just lazing around. I had a friend, Glen who used to drive the truck for Act3 Theatrics. He was looking for someone to take over his duties and I needed some money in the bank, and so I took up the job. The lovely people at Act 3 Theatrics took me in and that’s what got the ball rolling.

What drew you into an acting career?

After driving for a bit, they gave me a couple more responsibilities – props, sound, etc. One day they needed someone to help out as a character in a birthday party show. So I got roped in. Then I did a couple of singing telegrams, which were fun, usually. Then one fine day they decided to take a chance and ask if I would be a part of an assembly show for schools. I remember quite literally quaking in my shoes as I waited in the wings to go on stage the first time. So I did school shows for a couple of years. I think it was an easy thing to say YES to. It was fun and it paid.

You’ve done it all as an actor, from stage to TV to film. What are some projects that have left an impact on you?

There was this TV series that I did a couple of years ago called 93m2. It was a special project. From the writing to the directing and even the sets, everything was so specific and personal that it really struck a chord with me. It is one of the shows that I wish I could do over again.

You’ll be starring in the Singapore Repertory Theatre’s upcoming comedy, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged). The whole play is a wild ride, but give us a sneak peek of the funniest bits for you.

So much of the show is so hilarious and unpredictable that it is hard to pick just one moment. But since we just rehearsed this bit today, and it had me tittering away with laughter the whole way while we rehearsed it, I will share it. There’s this bit where my character gets to break the space-time continuum and have a conversation with the “Real William Shakespeare” in secret. It has me in stitches just thinking about it.

It’s a demanding comedy for the actors, with fast pacing and lots of mashups. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced?

Oh, indeed it is! My smartwatch often auto-detects a workout, when we are rehearsing. There will be challenges aplenty, keeping the breakneck pace of the show going (37 plays in 97 minutes after all) while still having the stories understood, is one big challenge. But the biggest challenge for me will definitely be, to not break out into the giggles on stage. If I was a betting man… I would not bet on myself.

Having been a part of the industry for so long, how do you think Singapore’s arts scene has evolved?

Going to the theatre is often like, panning for gold. You get a whole lot of sand and mud in your tray but once in a while, you strike gold. I believe that the ratio of gold to sediment has progressively gotten better and better. Meaning to say, there are more and more good shows out there, and perhaps more importantly, more and more of them are original works.

Given your experience, what is advice you’d offer to youth aspiring to be a part of Singapore’s arts and media scenes today?

Don’t be so caught up in the idea that you have to “brand” yourself. I think people get caught up trying to create a persona on social media and then do their darndest to keep to that personality. It might be good business but it makes for bad art, it’s hard to lose yourself in the work if you are constantly thinking if this or that is “on brand” for you.

Speaking of young ones, we can’t get enough of your adorable kids. Tell us more about what it’s like being a dad and an artist, especially juggling both during a pandemic?

Oh my goodness. The oldest of the two is 7 and in all honesty, the last 7 years have been a blur. An absolute blur. A fun blur. Filled with the deepest love I have ever felt, but a blur nonetheless. An interesting part of being a freelance actor is that you grow accustomed to insecurity. Not knowing when your next paycheque may be coming from was a sensation that used to fill me with dread. Now, I am used to it, and really enjoy the downtime between projects. It allows me to be with my kids a bunch more than if I had a conventional working life. One supposes that the desensitization to insecurity made the pandemic a lot less harrowing for me than it could otherwise have been. I still view it as an extended play date with my kids.

Looking ahead, what’s one challenge you hope to take on in the near future?

I wouldn’t mind learning more about lighting. When you get on set, one kind of gets a sense of what’s going on in each department. From the writing team to the director to the soundman, the cameraman, one kind of gets a sense of what the people in each department are doing. You might not be able to do their job, but you get a sense of what’s going on. The lighting department, however… Those guys are like magicians to me. They come in, fiddle with stands and lights and black cloth and white bits of styrofoam and then suddenly, POW! Everything looks amazing. And I haven’t the slightest clue how to go about doing it. So that’s something that I would like to learn.

Keep up with Shane Mardjuki on Instagram. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) will run from 30 October 2021 at KC Arts Centre – Home of SRT, 20 Merbau Rd, Singapore 239035.