Essentially Macbeth

必要麦克白

Twenty years ago, when SARS hit our shores and I find myself struggling as an arts practitioner in Singapore, I wondered if I should continue. Someone told me to envision my life without arts and if I cannot see that ever happening, then I have my answer. Fast forward to 17 years later, when Covid-19 hit and the whole world shut down. And the general public voted that Arts is not essential, again I start to question. But this time my questions were not that Arts is essential nor that I should or shouldn’t continue my career. It’s to ask why do Singaporeans think that way, and what can I do to change that mindset. Because to me, there is no other answer. A society without arts is without compassion, empathy and understanding. I truly believe that without the arts, the society would be functional but not a nice place to live in.

So pursuing the arts became a perseverance, a sort of stubbornness. And to bridge the gap between my stubbornness and the views of the general public, the seed of Essentially Macbeth was germinated. And as if the task was not hard enough, I sought out fellow artist Moses Gay to do a collaboration. And to complicate matters even further, I suggested Shakespeare, the epitome of literary arts. The result is what you see in the theatre - a sincere, unabashed, unapologetic and honest way into our most vulnerable feelings.

The final product may not be the most polished, artistic piece of performance but it is a window into my heart and the hearts of all the collaborators and students on this show. We know that arts is essential in our lives. We hope that eventually arts will be essential in your lives too!

在20年前，SARS病毒爆发，新加坡剧场停工了。我当时就质问自己该不该继续搞艺术。友人问我能否想象没有艺术的生活，如果不能，那就不必烦。17年后Covid爆发，全世界都停摆了。当时有报道说国人认为艺术是非必要的。我又开始疑惑了。但这次我不是疑惑该不该从事艺术，也不是质疑艺术的必要性，而是在想为什么国人会有艺术非必要的想法，在思考我要怎么样才能让更多人了解艺术的重要性。对我而言，没有艺术的社会是没有真善美的社会，一个没有同理心的机器工厂。

所以艺术变成是一种坚持，一种固执。因为想做，所以不肯放弃。为了拉近我和报道里的国人的理念，《必要麦克白》的概念开始萌芽。我邀请了同为艺术工作者的倪恩辉老师来探索、合作，也建议利用莎士比亚经典的艺术作品当平台，基本上就是给自己找麻烦。最终的结果就是你们在剧场里看到的《必要麦克白》。

虽然这不是什么伟大的杰作，但它是所有剧组人员和学生们的心声，是大家的热忱，希望，诚意和梦想。希望能感动观众，能让大家跟我们一样，让生活充满艺术，让艺术活起来！