“Blood is thicker than tears.”
Previously staged by Theatreworks and directed by Ong Keng Sen as The Yang Family in 1996, FAMILY traces events in the 90-something year life of Tan Neo, offering a vivid and moving picture of a woman who suffers much at the mercy of fate but who finds remarkable strength in herself and her children. It is a tale of how families survive, and how generations change. It echoes the rapidly transforming cultural landscape of our island, vividly evoking how we have journeyed from the humble pioneer spirit of our forefathers to the affluent cosmopolitanism we live in today.
Journeying through the generations, this play reveals not only our history, but how history has shaped our present. It reminds us to value the sweat and blood spilt by our forefathers (and foremothers) while celebrating the dynamism and adaptability of our contemporary culture.
In a challenging ten-week rehearsal process, the ten Chinese, Malay and Eurasian actors of young & W!LD defy the barriers of race, gender, age, and culture to breathe new life into this powerful ensemble play, creating a world of compelling imagery and shifting scenescapes. Learning new languages and dialects, challenging gender roles, and digging deep into their own families’ pasts for inspiration and life-material, these young actors stretch their skills and imaginations to inhabit almost a century of human drama.
