{"id":6117,"date":"2019-12-20T19:29:09","date_gmt":"2019-12-20T11:29:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wr\/?p=6117"},"modified":"2019-12-21T12:19:02","modified_gmt":"2019-12-21T04:19:02","slug":"finding-neverland-with-ivan-heng","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/finding-neverland-with-ivan-heng\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding Neverland with Ivan Heng"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What does Peter Pan mean to you as a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll children, except one, grow up.\u201d That\u2019s the very first sentence of J.M. Barrie\u2019s original novel. Those six words are so evocative. As a younger person reading it, we all want to be like Peter Pan, that one child who wouldn\u2019t grow up. We want to live a life of adventure \u2013 to fly out of the window, free of responsibilities. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the true genius of Barrie\u2019s iconic creation is the fact\nthat everyone grows up, in the end. So what do we do when that happens? Do we\ngive up on adventure and joy and discovery? It took Barrie himself years to\nfigure out the epilogue to his story \u2013 the one in which Peter meets a grown-up\nWendy, who has discovered that growing up can be its own awfully big adventure.\nThis is a pivotal moment in the story: one in which we realise that adventures\ndon\u2019t have to end when childhood does. With WILD RICE and with everything I do,\nI\u2019ve always tried to keep that spirit of adventure alive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Making a musical with (L-R) Thomas Lim, Joel Tan and Julian Wong!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What did you have to do to bring Peter Pan from Kensington Gardens to Serangoon Gardens?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I was discussing the Peter\nPan<\/em> story with Thomas Lim, our playwright \u2013 trying to figure out what it would\nmean for Singapore today. Right away, it became clear to us that we needed to\naddress the absurdly pressurised childhoods experienced by children here in\nSingapore. What would it mean for Singaporean children \u2013 who have to contend\nwith 6am wake-up calls and tuition after school \u2013 to just take off for Neverland?\nUltimately, over several readings, workshops and drafts, Thomas wrote a really\nthoughtful, touching script that kept very close to the spirit of Barrie\u2019s\noriginal story, while adding in deft strokes that relocate it so cleverly to\nSingapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How did you then go\nabout transforming Thomas\u2019 play into a musical?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a musical, the lyrics create meaning and the music conveys\nemotions. Songs are sung when characters wear their hearts on their sleeves \u2013\nwhen they discover or declare what they want, when they learn something about\nthemselves. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why Thomas and I were thrilled to have Joel Tan and Julian Wong on board with us as collaborators and co-conspirators. I told them that I envisioned this musical as a timeless classic that we can bring back to the stage over and over again. And I think they really rose to the occasion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Joel, who is himself an accomplished playwright, has crafted\nsuch wise and wonderful lyrics for this show. They\u2019re so insightful about the\nSingaporean condition \u2013 about school buses taking children to school, about the\njoy of durian chendol<\/em> and palm trees\nswaying in the breeze \u2013 while also getting right to the heart of this universal\nidea that growing up is not something to fear. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there\u2019s a real sense of arrival in this score for Julian\nas a composer. The music is the emotional core of the show. It\u2019s tuneful,\nsoulful and clever \u2013 a proper musical theatre score, with songs and reprises\nthat help drive the narrative and characters forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
The theatre – a place for us all to share our stories<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your favourite\nsong in the show?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t choose a favourite, but I will tell you a little story about how our opening song came to be. When we were first building our theatre, we asked ourselves: what is a theatre? And we concluded that it is a place for a community to gather to tell and listen to our stories. During an early workshop, I shared the inspiration behind WILD RICE @ Funan with my creative team. And that\u2019s when we knew what the opening number for the final show of our Grand Opening Season should be \u2013 a moment that literally lets audiences know it\u2019s Time For A Story<\/em>. John Dinning, our set designer, suggested putting that idea right up in front, at the top of Act One. So now, it\u2019s the first thing audiences see when they come into the theatre. <\/p>\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n
\r\n\r\n
\"\"<\/picture><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/picture><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/picture><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/picture><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/picture><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/picture><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/picture><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/picture><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/picture><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/picture><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
\"\"<\/picture><\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
\r\n <\/svg>
CREATING NEVERLAND<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
SITE-SPECIFIC<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
ALL SET TO GO<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
CLOTHES CALL<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
LET THERE BE LIGHT<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
SAFE AND SOUND<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
CARE TO DANCE?<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
HAIR-RAISING<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
MAKE-UP YOUR MIND<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
MULTIMEDIA DARLING<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div>
MAJOR PROPS<\/div>
<\/div><\/div><\/div> <\/div>\r\n\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n <\/div>\r\n
\"previous<\/div><\/div>
\"next<\/div><\/div><\/div>
 <\/span><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/ss3-loader><\/div><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter Pan in Serangoon Gardens<\/em> is so perfectly cast. How has it been working with this company of actors?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is a very diverse, skilled and intelligent company of actors, each of whom have applied themselves to reimagining these characters anew. They have each made the roles their own.
It\u2019s been so interesting to see Pam Oei play the joy and adventure, but also the pain and betrayal and disappointment, of Peter Pan. There will be no Peter Pan like this anywhere in the world. It\u2019s been wonderful working with Siti Khalijah Zainal, whose camp, fey Captain Hook makes being Evil so delicious. Mae Elliessa is so compelling as Wendy, whose journey to Neverland and back underpins the raison d\u2019etre <\/em>of our story. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Andrew Marko, Benjamin Chow and Dwayne Lau are astonishing shape-shifters. Their marvellously detailed characterisations (Ting Tong Bell, Simi and Daiji, the Mermaids and the De Souzas) are sensational and create the world of the play. Audiences are always surprised at the curtain call to realise that there are only six actors in the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working with the 33 children who round out our cast was a whole other challenge. It required so much clarity, persistence and discipline. But they are fearless, and it\u2019s been so rewarding to work with them, because I know this experience will transform their lives forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Revising and refining the show during tech rehearsals!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This has been your\nfirst time directing a show in WILD RICE\u2019s new theatre in Funan. What have you\ntaken away from that experience?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We had 12 days of tech time for Peter Pan in Serangoon Gardens<\/em> \u2013 which is absolutely unheard of in\nSingapore. Tech is the critical time when a show moves out of the rehearsal\nspace and into the theatre. It\u2019s when all the elements come together. When we\nused to rent external venues for our shows, we would be lucky to have three or four\ndays of tech. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because we had this time and space, our tech rehearsals were a time of intense creativity. Even at that point, we were coming up with new ideas and design decisions that made the show better. Having that time to create is not a luxury \u2013 it’s a necessity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we built WILD RICE @ Funan, we wanted to create a space where artists can do their best work. And that\u2019s exactly what having this space allowed us to do. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Go behind the magic of Peter Pan in Serangoon Gardens with director Ivan Heng \u2013 who reveals how J.M. Barrie\u2019s classic tale continues to inspire him, and why WILD RICE could not have created this show without having a home to call its own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6176,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"Go behind the magic of Peter Pan in Serangoon Gardens with director Ivan Heng \u2013 who reveals how J.M. Barrie\u2019s classic tale continues to inspire him, and why WILD RICE could not have created this show without having a home to call its own.","_seopress_robots_index":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","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":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","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":[136,44,100,76],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6117"}],"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\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6176"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}