{"id":25660,"date":"2017-09-01T14:29:45","date_gmt":"2017-09-01T06:29:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/?p=25660"},"modified":"2021-03-31T18:10:40","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T10:10:40","slug":"hitting-the-grandmother-lode","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/hitting-the-grandmother-lode\/","title":{"rendered":"Hitting The Grandmother Lode"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tan Shou Chen had no idea he was a hundred per cent Teochew until he performed in\u00a0Grandmother Tongue<\/em>\u00a0at the 2016 Singapore Theatre Festival.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor some reason, I always thought my dad wasn\u2019t really Teochew, because he spoke mostly Hakka with my grandmother!\u201d he laughs. \u201cThrough conversations I had with my family for this show, I found out that my late paternal grandfather – who died before I was born – was Teochew too!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is just one aspect of his identity that has come into sharper focus via Grandmother Tongue<\/em>, which returns in September for a sold-out run at the SOTA Studio Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Thomas Lim\u2019s thought-provoking play, Shou Chen plays a grandson trying his best \u2013 despite his patchy command of his own dialect \u2013 to connect with his grandmother, who speaks only Teochew.\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe beauty of Thomas \u2019 script is that it\u2019s simple but very heartfelt,\u201d he observes. \u201cAlso, it\u2019s in Teochew \u2013 the language of a generation of Singaporeans who have largely been silenced in the mainstream.\u201d\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working on the show has re-connected Shou Chen with his own Teochew roots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy maternal grandfather was one of the pioneers of the Teochew Presbyterian Church in Singapore,\u201d Shou Chen recalls. \u201cI was immersed in Teochew as a child \u2013 I remember sitting through my grandfather\u2019s sermons in Teochew, even though I didn\u2019t understand a word!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He lost touch with the culture and dialect when his father was posted to the States for two years. Shou Chen and his brother stayed on after that to complete their university education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some years after they returned to Singapore, their grandfather passed away. For the benefit of the younger generation, Shou Chen\u2019s other relatives switched to speaking in English or Mandarin. As a result, Shou Chen lost contact with Teochew as a medium of communication.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The cast of Grandmother Tongue<\/em> – Shou Chen with Jalyn Han\u2026
And not forgetting Rei Poh!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Prior to Grandmother Tongue<\/em>, Shou Chen\u2019s grasp of Teochew would have been similar to many Singaporeans of his generation \u2013 those who grew up under the mother-tongue policy that officially stripped Chinese dialects from public spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI could listen very well,\u201d he recalls. \u201cI understood what people were saying and could communicate some basic ideas. But I had problems when it came to intonation.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learning the language all over again for Grandmother Tongue<\/em> has been challenging, but also \u201ca very big treat\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I was preparing to audition for this role, I got my mother to teach me my Teochew lines,\u201d he laughs. \u201cWe were on the plane to Bangkok for a holiday and, for two hours, she went through my lines with me, and told me stories from her childhood. It was really nice also, because, for the first time, she was seeing what I have to do as an actor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorking on Grandmother Tongue<\/em> has been a really meaningful experience,\u201d he concludes. \u201cIt\u2019s been a great opportunity for me to take time to connect with this part of my story and heritage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Art of Communication(s)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Negotiating complex \u2013 and, occasionally, conflicting \u2013 identities is something with which Shou Chen is very well-acquainted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For several years, he juggled his passion for the arts with a full-time job as a public relations (PR) consultant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy corporate work was invaluable,\u201d he says. \u201cI cannot say that I\u2019m less of an artist because of it. It gave me insight into the corporate world, something a lot of artists often never get to experience for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Shou Chen takes the lead in young & W!LD\u2019s The Hypochondriac<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

One of the artistic endeavours Shou Chen undertook while working in PR was young & W!LD. To be a part of the pioneer batch of W!LD RICE\u2019s training programme for young theatre-makers, he forfeited sleep, took leave and answered e-mails during breaks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Years later, it\u2019s clear Shou Chen still believes it was all well worth the effort. \u201cWe\u2019re the only youth theatre ensemble that has been nominated for and won Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards,\u201d he recalls with pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019s particularly grateful that he had the opportunity to tackle the title character in a production of The Hypochondriac<\/em> \u2013 the sort of \u201cbig, amazing role\u201d that young actors rarely get to play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But his time in young & W!LD also helped him realise an important truth: \u201cYou do not dabble in the arts. It\u2019s all or nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five years ago, Shou Chen finally made the decision to become a full-time artist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the magical age of 30, I decided it was now or never,\u201d he laughs. \u201cI had some shows lined up, so I resolved to spend a year not worrying about what\u2019s going to happen. And here I am, five years later!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to acting, Shou Chen has begun working as a director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working in the arts, however, has not always been easy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a tough industry to stay in,\u201d Shou Chen points out. \u201cYou have to work bloody hard, and the money as a freelancer isn\u2019t regular. You have to constantly put yourself out there, but people don\u2019t always appreciate what you do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In that case, what keeps him going?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere is inherent value to Art \u2013 there is meaning and purpose,\u201d he explains. \u201cArt challenges, it makes us think beyond ourselves, holding up a mirror to our lives. At the same time, it brings beauty and connection in an increasingly divided and lonely world.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Performing in Grandmother Tongue has brought Tan Shou Chen back to his Teochew roots \u2013 allowing him to re-connect with his own dialect, culture and identity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":25661,"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 center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[94,207,62],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25660"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}