There was a change in the lineup as activist Seelan Palay was unavailable due to illness, and stepping in were Teo Soh Lung and Low Yit Leng, editors
There was a change in the lineup as activist Seelan Palay was unavailable due to illness, and stepping in were Teo Soh Lung and Low Yit Leng, editors of the book Ridiculous: Untold Tales of Singapore. They were joined by Wong Souk Yee, whose story about the theatre play Square Moon is featured in the book.
The session, moderated by Singapore Democratic Party’s youth wing head Min Cheong-Subramaniam, took place at a full-house gathering at Orange & Teal in Rochester Mall on Sunday, Nov 13.
Teo recounted the “Square Moon Saga,” as the chapter is called in the book, which occurred in 2012. The team faced multiple hurdles, including challenges around the $8,000 grant from Tote Board and the mystery of the “phantom audience” at the University Cultural Centre Theatre.
They also had to navigate the Media Development Authority (MDA), which unusually requested to see a draft script before the play had even been submitted for licensing. The play was organized by Function 8, with all the speakers being part of the group.
“This was very unusual because we hadn’t even applied for a license yet, and suddenly, MDA wanted to see the script. They claimed they had ‘heard’ about the play—how, we didn’t know,” Teo read from an excerpt by Chng Suan Tze in the book.
Despite these obstacles, the play went on. “We got the license from MDA with an R-18 classification, and they didn’t censor anything. My play was harmless, but they made it difficult for us, especially with funding. We lost out on a $20,000 grant from Necessary Stage, which they receive from the National Arts Council, and even struggled to secure a venue,” Wong explained.
Teo also revealed the “phantom audience” issue, where 95 tickets were bought, but no one showed up. “It left the front part of the theatre empty. When it was clear those people wouldn’t turn up, the director, Peter Sau, suggested moving the audience from the other seats forward.”
She further shared, “I went to the ticketing agent and asked for the names of the people who bought the tickets. After playing Sherlock Holmes, I found out that these tickets were bought in blocks of four or ten, totaling nearly $5,000. When I called the numbers, either no one answered, or some gave strange responses like ‘simi? who?’ It was a tactic to disturb us. But in the end, we collected the money.”
Seelan, who contributed a chapter titled “32 years: The interrogation of a mirror,” focused on his solo performance art to commemorate Chia Thye Poh’s 32 years in detention without trial. Seelan was arrested and sentenced to two weeks in prison for conducting a procession without a permit.
Other contributors to Ridiculous include Kirsten Han (An illegal vigil), Tan Tee Seng (Jailed 16 days over Skype call event), Roy Ngerng (Sued by a Prime Minister), and Jeannette Chong-Aruldoss (Hot pursuit of cooling-off day).
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