What is The Christians about?
The Christians is set in an evangelical Christian church, and it tells the story of a pastor who has a revelation about a theological doctrine. He feels the need to share this new insight with his congregation, which creates a lot of confusion and conflict within this big and very successful church. Suddenly, differences of opinion threaten to blow up this tight-knit community – on the day that they have finally paid off the debt on the church’s fancy new building.
Why did you decide to direct The Christians, which kicks off Wild Rice’s 2026 season?
This play resonates a lot with me right now, and I think it will ring true for our audiences too. We live in a very divisive time – you only have to look at the day’s headlines, or pay attention to the ongoing geopolitical tensions around the world, to see that. So many of these current events are caused by differences in opinions and beliefs, which have in turn created conflict between people and countries. These divisions have caused us to build walls around ourselves.
That’s why we wanted to stage this play. It’s a very kind and human play that asks us to listen to other people’s opinions, to try to start dialogues with one another, to break down walls rather than build them up. The Christians is about empathy, which is something the world needs more than ever at this moment in time.
How do you think The Christians will resonate with Singaporeans, including those who grew up with a Christian upbringing?
I’m one of those Singaporeans who grew up in a very religious family. We attended church very regularly. At one point, I was even part of a four-man singing group – it would be called a ‘boy band’ these days! – that performed evangelical music. For a couple of years, we were even invited to tour Malaysia and perform in churches there.
I could relate to a lot of the themes raised in the play, since they chime with my own personal spiritual journey. The Christians encourages us to bridge differences and have conversations, both within and among communities. And that’s one thing I definitely thought about a lot growing up in Singapore’s multi-racial, multi-religious society. Even as I figured out my own relationship with faith, I was working on better understanding and accepting the different beliefs of my friends, whether they were Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists or free-thinkers.
What would you say to Christians who might be apprehensive about how this play will depict them and their faith?
I think it’s important for them to know that this play is not anti-Christian at all. It takes faith very seriously, and does not adopt a cavalier or flippant attitude towards the religion. In a way, it’s not even about Christians or the religion specifically; it’s about the differences within a community and how we all deal with discord and disagreement. It’s about living with and respecting those differences – asking us if we should judge those who hold beliefs different from ours, or if we can choose to be empathetic towards them instead.
For anyone who is wondering whether they should come and see this show, I strongly urge you to give it a chance. Come with an open mind, with no expectations at all. You’ll see that this play doesn’t take any sides, and doesn’t offer any answers. It allows you to decide for yourself what you think at the end of the play.
Tell us a bit about the production. How will the theatre be transformed for this play?
I want audiences to walk into The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre feeling like they’ve walked into a church. So that’s the effect I’ve been working to create with Wong Chee Wai, our set designer, and James Tan, our lighting designer. To add to the whole church-going experience, there’ll be a choir and band on stage with our cast at every performance.
(also pictured: Nurarina Nasir, our stage manager, and Julius Foo, who plays Elder Jay)
In this production, Shane Mardjuki plays Pastor Paul. What makes him the right man for the role?
Pastor Paul has been running a very successful church, with a congregation of thousands, for 20 years. Obviously, this is a character with charisma, intelligence and humanity. That’s why I wanted to work with Shane, who has coincidentally played a couple of pastors in his career! If you’ve seen Shane perform, you know how charming he can be. But I also cast him because he is himself a very kind and thoughtful person, and I felt that those were important qualities to bring to this part.
Last but not least, what do you hope audiences will take away from this show?
I hope that audiences will leave the theatre reflecting on their own beliefs and the judgements they make about people who might not share those beliefs. And I hope that leads to people wanting to start conversations with their friends, their families and their communities, to find ways to bridge differences and break down the walls that divide us.
The Christians runs until 2 May 2026. Click here to get your tickets!
Interview by: Rachel Ng, Shawne Wang, Cass Zheng
