PUBLISHED May 27th, 2014 01:00 am | UPDATED July 25th, 2024 03:18 pm
Next month, an acclaimed piece of work written and directed by Asa Palomera will be staged in Singapore having already wowed audiences in New York, Melbourne and Bangkok leaving a flurry of rave reviews behind it.
A masterpiece conveying 7 provocative and true tales that illuminate issues faced by women today fuelled by sex, abuse, identity and power, Women of Asia is poised to be a passionate and powerful play portraying the challenges and plight of Asian women through a mix of dance, comedy and tragedy. It is this latter mix of theatrical mediums which really made us sit up and pay attention.
Starring Nora Samosir, Nadia Abdul Rahman and Kimberly Chan along with TV and theatre personality, Koh Chieng Mun, who is making a return to the stage after 8 years, the cast will use emotional dialogue and abstract movement to take us on a journey through the trials and triumphs of Asian women. By no means an easy sounding feat, we interviewed Asa Palomera to find out more…
1. The themes covered in Women of Asia are pretty hard hitting ones. How are you working to keep the production accessible to audiences in Singapore?
Though people address these themes as being hard-hitting, they are unbelievably real. These are events that are happening right at this very moment. I believe they are themes that are accessible to anybody with human interest in mind. Let me reference what the Roman philosopher, Seneca said, “I am human, and I do not consider anything human alien to me.”
2. Out of the several stories being told in this production, which is the most powerful for you?
It would probably be, ‘The Virgin Sale’, just because human trafficking is an ongoing reality and I think the story needs to be told.
3. The production is presented through a mix of dance, comedy and tragedy. Could you shed a little more light on how that combination will be brought to life on stage?
When the overall subject matter on stage is gut-wrenching human drama and we are aware of the reality of it, we usually try to ignore it in order to protect ourselves from its gloom and doom factor. Women of Asia tells of the tragedy with choreographed movements in order to balance the danger of it becoming overly melodramatic, in which case, it would lose the true essence of the theme and would only be an overdrawn farce. By blending humour with tragedy and the visual beauty of movement, the effect of the theme becomes bearable.
The comedic elements are displayed onstage for example, through the story of an interracial marriage, where the characters struggle to find the common thread in food. In this case, when the object of desire is the kind of food one party is used to, there is a war, but the war acquires a different edge.
4. The production focuses on highlighting the myths, stereotypes and conflicts facing Asian women today. How do you think men will appreciate this show?
This is not a feminist play blaming men for women’s misfortune at all but it is rather a humanist play which says the keeper of any woman’s bondage is another woman. I think all audiences will be able to appreciate this play when they see the portrayal of beauty and power in Asian women.
5. What would you like audiences in Singapore to take away from seeing Women of Asia?
I would like them to take away compassion and more importantly, to realize that theatre has this incredible power to change our perception of the world.
Women of Asia is being staged from 19th – 21st and 26th – 28th June at LASALLE College of the Arts, 1 McNally St. Singapore, 187940. For more information and ticketing please see the TicketMash website here.