I managed to catch Dramabox's "The Lesson"
while it was in Toa Payoh. As I continued writing about my experience, I
realised I was writing about it from two lenses: the first from viscerally
participating in it; and second as an artist examining the structures of the
performance.
The Process
"The Lesson" is an audience interactive piece that engaged a 15-member resident committee and the rest of the audience in a decision making process. The scenario? It has been decided that an MRT station will be built. But in order to build it in the neighbourhood and one of the areas have to be evicted. They include:
In the duration of the process, the 15 member strong committee has to come to a unanimous decision that must match the majority decision by the rest of the audience. If the committee fails to reach a unanimous decision or if the audience's decision and the committee's decision does not tally, the decision goes back to the government.
We got to hear the initial stances of the committee. There was a panel of "experts" too. They included: a political scientist, the chairperson from the Association for the Recycling of Second Hand Goods who advocates for the flea market trade, and a social worker who champions foreign workers' rights. There were three rounds of having the whole audience move to defend and/or evict the "spaces" recreated inside the inflatable-theatre, Goli. Finally the committee is given 20 minutes of deliberation in hopes of reaching a unanimous decision before the remaining audience's votes are casted and compared.
As someone who initially voted to evict the flea market, it was painful to be confronted like that, to be in front of someone who has had their world destroyed with the closing of Sungei Road. But I still find it hard to believe that the trade would have carried on in the era of online shopping and the constant race for the latest edition of everything. I wonder how differently the grief would have played out if the trade lived till its natural death.
Artistry
The inflatable theatre, Goli, in Toa Payoh. Next to it, an exhibit of all the sites in Singapore that have since ceased to exist.
The Process
"The Lesson" is an audience interactive piece that engaged a 15-member resident committee and the rest of the audience in a decision making process. The scenario? It has been decided that an MRT station will be built. But in order to build it in the neighbourhood and one of the areas have to be evicted. They include:
- A historical cinema that has become a meeting point for foreign workers
- A flea market that houses 200 hawkers
- A wet market
- A marsh that is rich in biodiversity
- A halfway house that houses 29 residents
- A columbarium that houses the remains of many generations
- A block of rental flats
In the duration of the process, the 15 member strong committee has to come to a unanimous decision that must match the majority decision by the rest of the audience. If the committee fails to reach a unanimous decision or if the audience's decision and the committee's decision does not tally, the decision goes back to the government.
We got to hear the initial stances of the committee. There was a panel of "experts" too. They included: a political scientist, the chairperson from the Association for the Recycling of Second Hand Goods who advocates for the flea market trade, and a social worker who champions foreign workers' rights. There were three rounds of having the whole audience move to defend and/or evict the "spaces" recreated inside the inflatable-theatre, Goli. Finally the committee is given 20 minutes of deliberation in hopes of reaching a unanimous decision before the remaining audience's votes are casted and compared.
Outcomes and After Thoughts
The Voting slip
When the committee sat to deliberate, there was a single man
with a Game Plan. His Game Plan was for them to remember that they were doing
this for the people, for their voice to be heard. No matter their decision,
there would be loss and compensatory actions must be taken but he stressed
ownership. Because if there was no consensus, and the decision is returned to
the government, all of the places they hold dear are at risk. Now and in
future.
This set a tone for the rest of the deliberation. The
discussion shifted. It no longer became about what these spaces meant to us and
weighing the consequence of its loss. Rather, it became an act of rebellion. We
do this to be heard. We do this to show our power. We do this to flex our democratic
right to the powers that be.
With that, they went with the Game Master's choice of
tearing down the halfway house. The remaining participants voted and there was
a narrow margin of majority vote for the halfway house (101 participants, 81
votes, 49 for Halfway House). In melancholic blue lights and a sombre
soundtrack, a blue tarp was raised around the bed - that signified the halfway
house.
The concluding scene sat awkwardly for me. Yes, we reached a
decision but it was driven on a wimp, a desire to rebel and that was dangerous.
I've got a feeling it is mentality as such that leads to objectively poor
decisions such as Brexit, isn't it? It left me hoping that when the time comes
to vote, Singaporeans wouldn't vote opposition, just because, and risk voting a
worse, more damaging person or party into power.
The Chairperson for the Association for the Recycling of
Second Hand Goods rebutted some fleeting comments made during the committee's
deliberation. He pointed out how the transition to stalls in wet markets were
only taken up by 11 vendors from Sungei because of the relatively exorbitant
rents and utility bills. He highlighted how the flea market culture is not
built by peddlers divided but by their presence in numbers. He shared
passionately about the peddlers' desires to be independent and to make a mark
of their own.
As someone who initially voted to evict the flea market, it was painful to be confronted like that, to be in front of someone who has had their world destroyed with the closing of Sungei Road. But I still find it hard to believe that the trade would have carried on in the era of online shopping and the constant race for the latest edition of everything. I wonder how differently the grief would have played out if the trade lived till its natural death.
Artistry
In a way, "The Lesson" was a very novel
production. I'm not sure if it would count as theatre performance since
everyone just got involved in a make-believe situation with a lack of a linear
narrative.
Yet, there is no denying of the tension that ballooned and
buzzed in the air as the resident committee were made to come to a consensus.
Each committee member fought to get their voices heard. The audience was also
drawn into the discussion, reacting to the comments and applauding when a
consensus was made. Looking at this performance's structure from artistic
director, Hui Ling's, FB post gives another lens to look at this piece - that
"The Lesson" was to galvanise people to speak up after looking
at the curated losses of Singapore.
"The Lesson" was a liminal, visceral, (and
most importantly) fictional experience for people to rehearse
guarding what they hold dear. I think this series and Dramabox's recent works
are testament to how drama is just a pedagogy, a means, a tool. We can choose
to break the audience-performer structure. Just like we can remove the need for
a performance to use applied drama to engage and connect with audiences; Performance
is a way but not the only way. Or you know, in hindsight, basically they
brought process drama to the masses la!
Conclusion
To conclude, because I feel like I've been talking about in
circles. My experience with "The Lesson" side-tracked
from a more original intent about the idea of "loss" and the
consequence of it. I think its core objective is something worth thinking about
as Singapore heads towards an era of demolition and rejuvenation. Instead, my
session of "The Lesson" with its collaborative,
audience and process-driven model (rather than sit-and-watch, performance
model) has been very insightful about the way Singaporeans make decisions that
is worth pondering about. Is this how we want to make decisions on national
issues? I can only hope not.