{"id":82479,"date":"2022-09-02T12:59:56","date_gmt":"2022-09-02T04:59:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/?p=82479"},"modified":"2024-01-11T11:01:37","modified_gmt":"2024-01-11T03:01:37","slug":"going-the-whole-hog-with-ivan-heng","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/glutenfreepleasure.com\/__proxy_domain\/www.wildrice.com.sg\/going-the-whole-hog-with-ivan-heng\/","title":{"rendered":"Going the Whole Hog with Ivan Heng!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ivan painting the set of Animal Farm<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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

This production of Animal Farm<\/em> is adapted from George Orwell\u2019s classic novel. How has the book helped inform Wild Rice\u2019s version of this story?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As a starting point for every production we\u2019ve done since 2002, I spend the first week of rehearsals reading the novel together with the cast. Each time we do, I\u2019m impressed all over again by Orwell\u2019s beautiful and succinct prose, and how masterful he was at marrying art and political commentary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I also always ask the cast to share their thoughts on how the novel relates to their own lives, and to who we are as a society. As always, we discover what a moving, relevant and universal story Animal Farm <\/em>is. Here in modern-day Singapore, we might not fully grasp Orwell\u2019s allegorical references to Soviet Russia and the Russian Revolution of 1917, but we can easily map the novel\u2019s power dynamics onto our own histories and cultures. For Orwell, Napoleon \u2013 a pig with authoritarian aspirations \u2013 represented Joseph Stalin. Who are our Napoleons today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cast
Ivan with the cast of Animal Farm<\/em> reading the novel of Animal Farm<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Tell us more about this stage adaptation by Ian Wooldridge. How did you come across it in the first place?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Ian cast and directed me in the title role of William Shakespeare\u2019s Richard III<\/em> for my drama school\u2019s graduation show in Scotland. We forged a deep connection while working through that play together. When the production ended, he handed me a typewritten, photocopied script that was his adaptation of Animal Farm<\/em>, and said, \u201cYou play tyrants well.\u201d He thought I should play Napoleon!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With dramatic scenes that jump off the page, Ian\u2019s adaptation is faithful, vivid and condenses the story to its very essence. At the same time, there\u2019s a lot of room for a director or company\u2019s imagination and interpretation. It was at the top of my list of plays I wanted to do 10 years later, when I was starting Wild Rice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s your favourite thing about taking Animal Farm<\/em> from the page to the stage?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The wonderful thing about stage adaptations like this production of Animal Farm<\/em> is that it turns the solitary experience of reading a novel into an event that is shared. In our theatre, which is so intimate, you can practically hear and feel what the audience is thinking \u2013 even in the silent, sad or moving moments. It\u2019s electrifying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, the characters in our version speak with a range of Singaporean accents, which makes it all so much more immediate. Many audience members have shared how it makes the story cut even closer to the bone. Interestingly, we\u2019ve toured this production to places like Hong Kong, New Zealand and Australia, and no matter where it goes, audiences relate the show to their own political situation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cast
Cast of Animal Farm<\/em>
L-R: Audrey Luo, Dwayne Lau, Suhaili Safari, Vester Ng, Erwin Shah Ismail, Tia Andrea Guttensohn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This is an intensely physical production \u2013 all six actors on stage must embody an entire barnyard of animals. What work have you done with your cast to help them perform this show both safely and effectively?<\/strong><\/strong><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Animal Farm<\/em> <\/em>is definitely one of the most physically and vocally demanding shows I\u2019ve ever directed. In the very first production of this show, 20 years ago now, I developed a movement vocabulary with the original company of actors. I wanted to dispense with more traditional costumes, masks and make-up to demonstrate that there\u2019s a very fine line separating us and the animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a result, it\u2019s a backbreaking, physically punishing process. Every actor who\u2019s been in this show has had to literally get down on all fours in the quest to breathe life into their characters. I know the pain intimately myself, because I used to demand it of former cast members like Lim Yu-Beng and Pam Oei \u2013 \u201cGet down lower! Lower<\/em>!\u201d When I played Napoleon in a subsequent run, they\u2019d get their own back at me: \u201cLOWER, Ivan! Can\u2019t you get any lower<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For this production, we brought Jasmine Xie, a physiotherapist who\u2019s also a performer, on board. It\u2019s the least we can do in a play like this, where the cast practically runs a half-marathon at every show. Jasmine has coached our actors, helping them to understand their bodies so they can play all of their myriad characters in a safe, sustainable way on stage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n