{"id":500403,"date":"2026-04-09T12:30:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T04:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/?p=500403"},"modified":"2026-04-15T13:35:45","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T05:35:45","slug":"o-come-all-ye-faithful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/o-come-all-ye-faithful\/","title":{"rendered":"O Come All Ye Faithful"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is The Christians<\/em> about? <\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Christians<\/em> is set in an evangelical Christian church, and it tells the story of a pastor who has a revelation about a theological doctrine. He feels the need to share this new insight with his congregation, which creates a lot of confusion and conflict within this big and very successful church. Suddenly, differences of opinion threaten to blow up this tight-knit community \u2013 on the day that they have finally paid off the debt on the church\u2019s fancy new building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why did you decide to direct The Christians<\/em>, which kicks off Wild Rice\u2019s 2026 season?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This play resonates a lot with me right now, and I think it will ring true for our audiences too. We live in a very divisive time \u2013 you only have to look at the day\u2019s headlines, or pay attention to the ongoing geopolitical tensions around the world, to see that. So many of these current events are caused by differences in opinions and beliefs, which have in turn created conflict between people and countries. These divisions have caused us to build walls around ourselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why we wanted to stage this play. It\u2019s a very kind and human play that asks us to listen to other people\u2019s opinions, to try to start dialogues with one another, to break down walls rather than build them up. The Christians<\/em> is about empathy, which is something the world needs more than ever at this moment in time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Glen Goei at the first table read for The Christians<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

How do you think The Christians <\/em>will resonate with Singaporeans, including those who grew up with a Christian upbringing?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m one of those Singaporeans who grew up in a very religious family. We attended church very regularly. At one point, I was even part of a four-man singing group \u2013 it would be called a \u2018boy band\u2019 these days! \u2013 that performed evangelical music. For a couple of years, we were even invited to tour Malaysia and perform in churches there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I could relate to a lot of the themes raised in the play, since they chime with my own personal spiritual journey. The Christians<\/em> encourages us to bridge differences and have conversations, both within and among communities. And that\u2019s one thing I definitely thought about a lot growing up in Singapore\u2019s multi-racial, multi-religious society. Even as I figured out my own relationship with faith, I was working on better understanding and accepting the different beliefs of my friends, whether they were Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists or free-thinkers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What would you say to Christians who might be apprehensive about how this play will depict them and their faith?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I think it\u2019s important for them to know that this play is not anti-Christian at all. It takes faith very seriously, and does not adopt a cavalier or flippant attitude towards the religion. In a way, it\u2019s not even about Christians or the religion specifically; it\u2019s about the differences within a community and how we all deal with discord and disagreement. It\u2019s about living with and respecting those differences \u2013 asking us if we should judge those who hold beliefs different from ours, or if we can choose to be empathetic towards them instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For anyone who is wondering whether they should come and see this show, I strongly urge you to give it a chance. Come with an open mind, with no expectations at all. You\u2019ll see that this play doesn\u2019t take any sides, and doesn\u2019t offer any answers. It allows you to decide for yourself what you think at the end of the play.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell us a bit about the production. How will the theatre be transformed for this play?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I want audiences to walk into The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre feeling like they\u2019ve walked into a church. So that\u2019s the effect I\u2019ve been working to create with Wong Chee Wai, our set designer, and James Tan, our lighting designer. To add to the whole church-going experience, there\u2019ll be a choir and band on stage with our cast at every performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Shane Mardjuki (centre) plays Pastor Paul in The Christians<\/em>
(also pictured: Nurarina Nasir, our stage manager, and Julius Foo, who plays Elder Jay) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In this production, Shane Mardjuki plays Pastor Paul. What makes him the right man for the role?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Pastor Paul has been running a very successful church, with a congregation of thousands, for 20 years. Obviously, this is a character with charisma, intelligence and humanity. That\u2019s why I wanted to work with Shane, who has coincidentally played a couple of pastors in his career! If you\u2019ve seen Shane perform, you know how charming he can be. But I also cast him because he is himself a very kind and thoughtful person, and I felt that those were important qualities to bring to this part.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last but not least, what do you hope audiences will take away from this show?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

I hope that audiences will leave the theatre reflecting on their own beliefs and the judgements they make about people who might not share those beliefs. And I hope that leads to people wanting to start conversations with their friends, their families and their communities, to find ways to bridge differences and break down the walls that divide us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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