Ireland: The first three weeks

Outside the Gaiety School of Acting, near the Smock Alley Theatre in Dublin. (22nd September 2023)

"Make the difficult habitual, the habitual easy, and the easy beautiful." 

- Constantin S. Stanislavski

This stunning quote has captured my imagination since I first came across it, and it has become a mantra for myself as I live abroad on my own for the first time, and it has also become an observation of sorts as I remain focused on all the things which I have yet to master. I arrive in Ireland seeking knowledge as a student of the theatre, and I believe that this humility and curiosity - as an actress who believes that she has so much more to learn from the greats of Western theatre - would make this 115 day long trip worthwhile.

Coming to Ireland was a drastic lifestyle change. Given my background of theatre, languages and cultures, I value cultural intelligence and eloquence a lot, which is why I made it an active and conscious priority to be hyperaware of cultural differences and norms. That has made my initial days of interacting with people relatively smooth-sailing, and I am happy to note that I have built a nice small network of Erasmus students and exchangers across the university. However, the greatest gift that my Irish escapade has given me thus far is the sheer amount of inspiration. Being here has done wonders for my imagination, and as I scrape the last of my homemade banana souffle off my bowl, I am currently writing this blog post and a new script codenamed "Two Worlds", very much inspired by the connections I am drawing between the Irish theatre tradition and my Chinese-Singaporean roots, together with the surge of creativity I have experienced here.

A word on my creative brainchildren

"Two Worlds" is an exploration of crime, morality, adolescence and childhood. At the center of this story is a friendship between two women who continuously support and stand by each other, even when the world pits them against each other with their various circumstances. Sierra, a mysterious force who transcends time and space, has put a vicious past behind her for a new life as a struggling tenant and an average student at the local university. However, her strange background eventually capture the imagination of her inquisitive and vivacious young friend Solilah, who makes it her life mission to acquaint herself with the enigma of Sierra - despite having an equally dark past of her own. Witnessing the growth of the two characters is the landlord and her family - Ruth, Brian, and their disabled daughter Yi Xuan, who easily connects with Sierra. The story also introduces Kevin, a character who openly identifies as asexual, and who dreams of a life wandering the world by himself. This script aims to open up conversations about different aspects of humanity and identity, to show how each character confronts their personal demons and how they eventually free themselves and their loves ones from their respective personal hells.

Throughout the summer vacation I have been hard at work with my writing work attachment with ART:DIS as their in-house contributing writer for the landmark production of Welcome To My World: CHACHAMBO! Taking Flight. At the same time, I was balancing a busy filming schedule of The Damned Ones, the film which gifted to me my first IMDB credit. For both summer projects, I am tying up the loose ends while I am in Dublin - I have a fourth article in the works for CHACHAMBO, while The Damned Ones is in post-production and set for release in 2024. Through all this, my craft as an actor and writer is still very much in its infancy, and it shall only get better from here. My time in Ireland is focused on developing my technique in both areas, and I shall work to get to the professional standards which I have dreamed of since I began this grand journey of artistic pursuit.

I am also experimenting with a new novel titled "An Ode To The Frost And The Stars", a Chinese Xianxia-modern GL novel featuring fallen warrior Li Ye/Li Xingning, and her princess-turned-ruler lover Bai Shuang/Duanmu Ziling. Given my current command of Chinese, this task would likely take much longer than my other creative projects, but I am determined to see it to the end, or its bitter end, whichever comes to pass.

Module Mapping

This weekend, I received several results on my module mapping:

• DRAM30320 Performance Across the Globe was mapped to TS3741 Departmental Exchange Module (4mc). This module has been a joy as I got to present my ideas on how contemporary Singaporean theatre has been shaped by its identity as a colony as well as its traumatic path to independence and self-sufficiency, which has in turn created the voices of many playwrights in Singapore who bear witness to our unique historical and cultural tapestry. Sadly, I was not allowed to recognize this class as a Level 4000 module.
• DRAM20110 Contemporary Ireland on Stage was mapped to TS2471 Departmental Exchange Module, where I was told it would be recognized under the Cultures in Practice strand. That is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders as I have been worried for ages that I would not complete the Cultures in Practice strand in time for graduation, since I was so interested in Researching Performance.
• DRAM10060 Collaborative Practice: Introduction to Physical Theatre was mapped to TS2742 Departmental Exchange Module. Taught by Artistic Director of the Ad Astra Academy and acclaimed performer/writer Kellie Hughes, I am truly thankful to experience this course here, and exploring Viewpoints and the basics of movement has proved to be an eye-opener.
• DRAM20170 Introduction to Acting was mapped to TS2237 As If: Actors and Acting. This is a massive win because the module here is way more practical and conservatory-based than TS2237, and it's literally taught by Dr. Paul Halferty, who is the head of the MA in Theatre Practice offered by the Gaiety School of Acting. And I get to present a monologue from The Lunar Interviews written by Verena Tay, with the blessing of the writer herself. What an incredible honor all around.

I am also working on an international relations class as well as an Irish language class. Honestly, if I had my way I would have wanted to try a Level 4 Master's module under the MA in Theatre Practice, but of course that was probably a little out of my reach. I am very thankful to Dr. Paul Halferty though, who moved mountains to put me in his classes even though the Study Abroad team insisted that I was not able to join the Acting or Physical Theatre modules. Both classes are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and I shall definitely treasure the chance to study under the accomplished professionals of this country where so much of great contemporary English theatre had been written.

Food, Theatre and Travel

We're in Europe, so let's discuss the quintessential question of every Singaporean: How's the food here?

Honestly. It goes without saying that Singapore wins in every aspect except freshness. Irish milk and meat is just exceptional, and the milk is particularly worth it. Irish chocolate is pure heaven, as is Irish salmon caught in Donegal. Those delights taste particularly good in sushi, and the Japanese restaurants here know this. So we do have fresh food, except they are expensive as hell - 10 EUR for a platter of sushi by Uber Eats was the best I could find, and food in the city could be as expensive as 25 EUR for a meal. I don't understand how people pay those amounts for one meal without batting an eye. Those people sure sound like they could throw a few coins my way.

Theatre is where I hit the jackpot. This place is the home of Samuel Beckett, as in Waiting for Godot Samuel Beckett - so that's my main intention of coming here. One should have witnessed how quickly I made my way to the Abbey Theatre to apply for their student membership, and it was worth it. For 10 EUR, I now have access to unreal prices of Broadway class tickets. Last Saturday, I watched the final show of Druid O'Casey, an epic theatre trilogy across ten hours directed by Tony Award winner Garry Hynes. The entire play was an incredible and thought-provoking push for me to consider the value of oratorical storytelling in film, and I realized that sometimes, telling and not showing is also a perfectly valid way to share a story. This insight would be interesting as I weave my new ideas into my creative brainchildren as listed above. For Culture Night, I also watched The Scandalous Susannah Cibber, a performance by students of Gaiety School of Acting, which was a fun watch for the price of free. The same night, I got a copy of Actions: The Actor's Thesaurus - a book which I have been eyeing for years. I shall import it back to Singapore and add it to my theatrical collection.

Travel-wise, I have a confirmed trip to London (Wicked, Macbeth, Blue Mist) and Norway (for my grand escapade to the north and my aurora borealis). Being a solo traveler is always fun, and I am so excited to keep exploring Europe, as well as my home base of Dublin. There will be more, but as I get ready for the next week of classes, there will be plenty of readings to read, essays to write, and activities to attend.

I'll be back to post more when I have more life updates. And this post shall be updated with photos in due time.