Synopsis: |
Senang is an original and ambitious new work written by Jean Tay, commissioned by Drama Box under the Artistic Direction of Kok Heng Luen. The themes and plot are based on true events that occurred in the 1960s on the island of Pulau Senang that was established as a model penal settlement with the aim of reforming prisoners though humane rehabilitation processes. Under Superintendent Daniel Stanley Dutton, 819 prisoners – detained without trial under the Criminal Law Act – were part of an experiment; partly pragmatic, to alleviate overcrowding in prisons and partly idealistic, in offering productive physical labour working the land, with a degree of trust. The unique feature of the writing is the way it draws upon historic events and facts and from two great literary classics, one Chinese and one English. The Water Margin allowed exploration of camaraderie amongst outlaws and the changing shifts within a group dynamic; Paradise Lost resonated the flaws in humankind, and echoed the concept of ideals often being impossible to achieve. In all the three source areas lie the seeds of tragedy and the harsh light of reality that savages hopes and dreams. Performed in Mandarin, English, Hokkien and Cantonese (with English & Chinese surtitles) the work featured an all-male cast of seven and was directed by Kok Hneg Luen. The set was by Wong Chee Wai, with costumes by Anthony Tan; lighting by Lim Woan Wen and sound by Jeffrey Yue. Drama Box is a non-profit contemporary theatre company formed in 1990. Its mission is to create, present and curate aesthetically compelling theatre with a broad social reach, through deep and intimate engagement. (Synopsis and Theme) A promise broken leads to a bloody tragedy. 1960. Pulau Senang, located 15 miles south of Singapore was used in a bold experiment, led by Superintendent Daniel Dutton. He believed he could reform the inmates through labour, and abolished the use of arms to police them. Over the next three years, the detainees transformed the island into a jail without bars, as they constructed the prison settlement from scratch. However, things went horribly wrong on 12 July 1963, when a bloody riot initiated by the detainees led to the death of Dutton and three other officers and the burning of the settlement. CAST Performer ....... Oliver Chong Performer ....... Neo Hai Bin Performer ....... Chad O’Brien Performer ....... Ong Kian Sin Performer ....... Rei Poh Performer ....... Peter Sau Performer ....... Tay Kong Hui PRODUCTION Playwright ....... Jean Tay Director/ Artistic Director ....... Kok Heng Leun Set Design ....... Wong Chee Wai Costume Design ....... Anthony Tan Lighting Design ....... Lim Woan Wen Sound Design ....... Jeffrey Yue Movement Choreographer ....... Lim Chin Huat Dramaturgy Assistant ....... Wang Fang Co-Producers ....... Josephine Lee, Tay Jia Ying Production Manager ....... Evelyn Chia Stage Manager ....... Chee Mei Rong Assistant Stage Manager ....... Liu Yong Huay Sound Operator ....... Teo Wee Boon Percussion Instructor ....... Quek Ling Kiong Translation ....... Cheow Boon Seng Surtitle Operator ....... Tan Wei Ting, Ben Ong Resident Artist ....... Koh Hui Ling Associate Artistic Director ....... Han Xue Mei Marketing & Publicity ....... Nicole Lim Front-of-House Manager ....... Amanda Leong |