THEATRE

Parenting in Singapore is often an untold, unsung, unappreciated story. As children, we often take for granted that our parents should know everything and blame them for their incessant meddling and shortcomings. We forget, that prior to our existence, they were never parents. We forget, that prior to us, they were children too.

These two heart-warming plays, Candlelight by Joanna Hioe and Wai? by Judy Au remind us the complexities and heart-ship that goes into parenting. Who we are today, is shaped by where we came from in the past. As our lives play out, let us remember that it is therefore easier to leave, than be left behind; that it is easier to grow up than to grow old.

Candlelight and Wai? were written as part of the scriptwriting class under Huzir Sulaiman. Candlelight tells a story of longing, love and legacy as the protagonist Jonathan struggles to reconstruct the memory of his grandfather through stories- both his and his grandfather’s. In his projections of insecurities, fears, hopes and dreams, we see Jonathan come of age. Despite the changes that have forcibly shaped his life, Jonathan and later his daughter, Jadene, eventually understands what it means to tell stories of personal histories.

Wai? presents the narrative of an old couple Qing and Fong, who learnt about the London Bombing from the news and tries in vain to call their son who was working in the UK. This eventually reveals the tenuous relationship that Fong has with her son, and Qing that escalates to questions about parenthood and the sacrifices of what it means to be a mother/wife for the sake of a family.

Candlelight, which is about to be published by Epigram books, went on to win an Honorable Mention in the 2011 international scriptwriting competition organised by Trinity College, will be receive full staging for the first time – giving Joanna the opportunity to have her heartwarming and brilliantly-written story told. Similarly, Wai? is a uniquely multi-lingual play that touches on Mandarin, Cantonese and English that draws upon Judy’s own experiences of her parents and concerns.