During a break from dance lessons with our choreographer, Josiah explains why he loves being a part of W!LD RICE\u2019s annual pantomimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI like to sing and dance and be on stage,\u201d he proclaims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Performing with W!LD RICE has given Josiah the opportunity to hone his skills as a performer. His speech and drama classes came in handy when he auditioned for his first pantomime. He even played the violin in The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s also thrilled to return to the pantomime every year because of the friends he has made in each production.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI really love to make new friends,\u201d he says cheerfully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last year, he befriended Rizq Anaqi and Nadim Sazwan, who dazzled audiences with their incredible dance routine in The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSometimes, they\u2019ll teach me some dance moves,\u201d Josiah says. \u201cThen I try to take what they taught me and create my own dance!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n He\u2019s also looking forward to a reunion with \u201cAuntie Siti\u201d \u2013 a.k.a. the multi-talented Siti Khalijah, who plays Sandy in Monkey Goes West<\/em> and has been a mainstay of the W!LD RICE pantomime for several years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI feel quite shy at first,\u201d he responds when asked what it\u2019s like to work with the \u2018grown-ups\u2019 in the cast. \u201cBecause they\u2019re all big adults and I\u2019m just a small primary-school kid. But, once I meet them, I try and overcome my fear!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the years, Josiah has learnt many things in the course of working on W!LD RICE\u2019s pantomimes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019ve learnt different singing techniques from Auntie Irene,\u201d he says of his training with vocal coach Irene Jansen. \u201cAnd, this year, I\u2019ve learnt many cool new dance moves, like the step-ball change\u201d from choreographer Andy Benjamin Cai.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Josiah has even had the opportunity to work in a professional recording studio, where the soundtrack to each pantomime is painstakingly put together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most importantly, Josiah has learnt how to overcome stage fright \u2013 an affliction that affects even the most seasoned performers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m actually very nervous and excited backstage, when the curtains are closed,\u201d he explains. \u201cBut, when I go on stage, I pretend that there\u2019s no audience and I just go for it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the main goals of W!LD RICE\u2019s FIRST STAGE! programme is to give children the opportunity to work with and learn from professional theatre-makers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In this regard, Josiah has had the opportunity to see for himself how some of Singapore\u2019s veteran actors handle on-stage mishaps. He recalls how, in The Emperor\u2019s New Clothes<\/em>, \u201cGor Gor\u201d Benjamin Kheng helped Lim Kay Siu cover for a flubbed line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The incident reminds Josiah of a wardrobe malfunction he experienced during the first run of Monkey Goes West<\/em>. A pin in one of his costumes came free, jabbing into him and preventing him from lifting his arm without pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBut, if something goes wrong on stage, I just have to bear with it,\u201d he says philosophically. \u201cI still have to do what I did during rehearsals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n You might think that Josiah would have quite enough of a show if he has to live and breathe it for weeks at a time. But it\u2019s evident just how much he truly loves working on each pantomime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He relates with joy how he began staging his own mini productions of Monkey Goes West<\/em> at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI found out that I could memorise the whole script,\u201d he explains. Working with his little sister, he would set up a small stage and assign roles to their toys. He even recreated the show\u2019s musical elements, using the soundtrack saved on his mother\u2019s iPad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n That\u2019s why he\u2019s particularly thrilled to have the opportunity to revisit the show again this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI love the story, music and costumes in Monkey Goes West<\/em>,\u201d he enthuses. \u201cIt will be so much fun going on stage again with all of my friends!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Back for his fourth pantomime, Josiah Tan tells us why he loves performing and what he\u2019s learnt as a FIRST STAGE Kid.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":11352,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"default","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center 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Josiah with Uncle Ivan Heng backstage at Monkey Goes West<\/em>!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n