CLDDS's Breakthrough: A Play to Remember
It was a call for celebration when the Chinese Language Debate and Drama Society (CLDDS) attained a Certificate of Distinction in the Chinese Drama category after participating in this year’s Singapore Youth Festival (SYF). Exploring the theme of dementia, their work aimed to educate youngsters about the affliction and urge them to treasure the time they have with their loved ones.
Comprising two related subplots, the play focuses on an unnamed elderly man who wanders along the streets. His repeated calls for “Ah Qiang” and preoccupied search for an object catches the attention of a little girl. Concurrently, the other subplot shows how the family members of the elderly man realise that he is missing, but ironically, they are unable to search for him as they cannot describe his looks, clothing or pinpoint when he was last seen. The play consists of only two major characters (the old man and little girl) while the rest form an ensemble which represent the old man’s children. Interestingly, the play also involves a lot of physical work (for instance, actors had to carry one another) and this helped to establish trust and camaraderie among them.
A touching performance, the play was an unexpected breakthrough for CLDDS as it enabled them to clinch their first Certificate of Distinction after a few years. Even though CLDDS underwent a major restructuring due to a change of instructors and teachers, they managed to effectively adapt to the new stylistic environment. Compared to previous years, the play for this SYF was written by their instructor while members actively contributed ideas to improve the content. Accrediting their accomplishment to the efforts of their teachers-in-charge, instructors and seniors from previous years, members were extremely glad that their hard work and sacrifices finally managed to pay off.
When asked what advice they would give to their successors so that they can sustain this achievement, they encouraged future actors to take ownership of their performance and character roles. “Put your heart and soul into everything you do. Hard work pays off, so remember to take pride and put in your best for every performance!”, they advised. Ending the interview on an encouraging note, they wished the future CCA cohort all the best for their upcoming SYF performances.
Credits to RV Photography Club for providing the images.