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The Necessary Stage's (TNS) Artistic Director Alvin Tan invited several members from Theatre for Seniors to create short monologues, sharing their personal responses to COVID-19 and how it has turned their lives around.

After their video-monologues in the first part of Reflections from Home, TNS and the four senior performers excitedly re-grouped to discuss what could be done next. They decided to shift away from monologues towards exploring their group dynamics via an interactive piece co-created over Zoom.

This became an interesting ‘up-skilling’ experience, as the seniors had to learn how to install the application and manoeuvre around its functionalities. Melissa Lim, TNS’ General Manager, orientated them with a Zoom tutorial, and after some initial hiccups — weak wi-fi connections, and differing functions depending on the devices used — the team managed to sort things out and embarked on recording their first online improvisation. 

The improvisation included in the playlist of videos is the second take, with a brief for the seniors to go beyond what their initial brief was, and to discuss about those who are less fortunate and living in Singapore during COVID-19. What did they think of these vulnerable communities and how they are coping? Alvin coached them from the side via Zoom’s chat function, feeding them questions as they improvised. 

 

Biographies of Performers

Daisy Yeo is 69-years-old. She speaks English, Mandarin, Teochew, Hokkien and Cantonese. She has been involved in drama since 2003 and has worked in community outreach plays, skits, puppetry shows, stage performances, television commercials and photoshoots. She has taken on roles on television, movies, telemovies, short films, videos and YouTube. Daisy has performed for different government departments and the National Library Board, and has also collaborated on stage with BUDS, Faithworks , Cake Theatrical Productions, W!LD RICE, Peranakan Siblings, ITE College Central, and Glowers.

Padma Krishnan is 69-years-old. She has been involved in theatre and film for 17 years, and speaks English, Tamil and Malay. After retirement, she found her niche in the performing arts and has been actively enjoying performing on stage. She has a supportive husband who encourages her to continue doing what she enjoys besides cooking. Her retirement years have brought her closer to the people she loves, who share similar passions and life experiences.

Irene Ong is a Peranakan dramatist and restaurateur. She discovered her passion in theatre following her debut in 2002 in a Peranakan play by Gunong Sayang Association. Notably, she was in the televised Ways of The Matriach (2003-2008). Irene joined Theatre for Seniors in 2011 and has not looked back since. These days, she enjoys rehearsals, music, dancing, and working with theatre professionals and like-minded friends. She is enjoying her last lap in life so that in her final days, she can smile and say, “Indeed, I loved life.”

Anne Lee is 72 years old. A retired teacher, she speaks several languages including English, Malay, Mandarin and Teochew. Anne has found her decade in retirement fulfilling, especially the past two years with Theatre for Seniors and Glowers. She has performed with the Flamenco Dancers at the National Library for the Silver Arts Festival and at The Substation. Anne acted in two episodes of Channel 8’s ‘Prank It’ , and has worked in videos, short films and in-house commercials. Anne volunteers with the Children’s Society and is a trained National University of Singapore standardized patient, where she takes on the role of a ‘patient’ for medical students taking exams.

Following Reflections from Home which featured four members of The Necessary Stage's Theatre for Seniors, Resident Playwright Haresh Sharma invited our senior participants to develop monologues on their thoughts about going green.  

After their video monologues, each of the seniors were assigned a documentary on green issues to watch. These documentaries covered issues as diverse as plastic pollution, food waste, and how the younger generation can teach seniors how to be more environmentally aware. We then regrouped a week later, and explored the participants' group dynamics via an improvisation co-created over Zoom.  

The improvisation included in the playlist of videos is the second take, with the seniors each given a provocation on climate-related issues separately by Alvin, at different times throughout the improvisation. These briefs were created by Haresh, and ranged from issues such as going childfree, solar energy generation, carbon footprints of flights and livestock we consume, and the world they would like to leave behind for future generations. 

Our Reflection from Home series features a guest in the house for the first time!

Felix Heng joins our four ladies from Theatre for Seniors for Mari Memasak!, as they share about recipes close to their hearts—because one of the things they've been doing lots of during this COVID-19 period is to cook. Watch our seniors whip up a feast, with scrumptious treats like bak wan kepiting, kacang botol salad and dry tenggiri fish head curry—dishes that are intimately linked to their personal histories and cultural heritage. 

How do our seniors view the international response to the COVID-19 pandemic? In this improvisation—part of our Reflections from Home series—our four intrepid ladies from Theatre for Seniors shared their thoughts on how different countries have been managing the unprecedented crisis that has impacted the world. 

To begin the process, we asked our seniors to watch a handful of videos, amongst which included late night comedy shows that lampooned world leaders who bungled their national responses to the pandemic, as well as videos of politicians communicating facts about the coronavirus to their constituents. The seniors were also provided with a list of prompts to prepare for the improvisation—what they have been hearing from their friends and family living abroad, their thoughts on how world leaders fared in the crisis, as well as the concerns they have about life after lockdown (when the circuit breaker in Singapore comes to an end on 2 June 2020). 

The resulting improvisation which you will be watching is a candid, humorous and no-holds barred exchange amongst the four senior ladies. 

What was the neighboorhood where you spent your childhood years like? 
Do you remember the street hawkers in those days, selling your favourite food? 
What sort of stories did you hear about the residents in the area?
How was your dating life like back then?

These were some of the prompts that our four ladies from Theatre for Seniors were provided in preparation for My Childhood Home, an online Zoom improvisation that is part of the Reflections from Home series. 

Over the years, our senior participants have often divulged anecdotes from the past with us, and we wanted to invite them to revisit these wonderfully entertaining tales from their past. My Childhood Home is an invitation to our seniors to deep-dive into their memories of youth, to share their rich stories that are always filled with warmth, scandal, and plenty of laughter.