As a Front-of-House volunteer of Both Sides, Now, I: (1) support front-of-house duties at performances; (2) engage residents of Chong Pang and Telok Blangah to join public art activities; and (3) facilitate discussions about end-of-life and about Advanced Care Planning.
Introducing the programme to the residents of Chong Pang and Telok Blangah. Retrieved from Both Sides, Now's Facebook.
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Guiding participants of The Last Dance (Sep 2018) in the arts activities. Retrieved from ArtsWok Instagram Stories.
Looking at each others' pieces in The Last Dance (Sep 2018). Retrieved from Both Sides, Now Facebook.
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BACKGROUND
Since June 2017, I have been volunteering at Both Sides, Now (BSN). BSN is a arts engagement programme that uses the arts to spark conversations about end-of-life care, living well and leaving well. In this iteration of BSN, the programme was based in Chong Pang and Telok Blangah in hopes to have a deeper engagement with the residents.
I have had the privilege to volunteer for a series of 3 programmes.
First, The Wind Came Home (2017, Nov), a puppetry performance whereby we see how illness takes hold of an elderly couple from a cat’s perspective.
Second, a forum theatre piece titled, Exit (2018, Mar). Set in a hospital, tensions run high as different characters fight to have their medical choices heard. Members of the public are invited to come up and present their solutions too.
Thirdly, an interactive piece titled, The Last Dance (2018, Oct). Framed as a memorial celebration for a 100-day anniversary, audience members are presented with performance vignettes and given space to air their views about grieve and bereavement. In Chong Pang, a community arts trail titled, Closer, was also curated.
Finally, a carnival was held in Telok Blangah to feature all the works done by BSN. Performances such as: The Wind Came Home; Songs for Tomorrow and Exit were re-staged. And a second public installation was done in the void deck of Block 7 Telok Blangah Crescent.
You can read more about my experiences as a volunteer docent here.
Finally, a carnival was held in Telok Blangah to feature all the works done by BSN. Performances such as: The Wind Came Home; Songs for Tomorrow and Exit were re-staged. And a second public installation was done in the void deck of Block 7 Telok Blangah Crescent.
You can read more about my experiences as a volunteer docent here.
LEARNING POINTS
Being a part of BSN has been insightful in learning how community arts projects can take root. One of these ways include getting involved with community partners like Montfort Care and Yishun Health. These partnerships provided a responsible safety net for when audience members shared needs that needed following up on. Being aware of the ecology was useful too. I was caught off-guard when a single senior asked me how he should go about his arrangements! Thankfully, the BSN team was ready to take on this question.
As an applied drama practitioner, BSN has been a humbling experience in opening my eyes to how different mediums can be used to support the performances and discuss the themes too. This could be seen in the fringe activities like: the “Turn, Turn, Turn” pinwheel; “This is not a coffin” drawing activity; the Life Journeys and all the works created during Closer!
One of my personal challenges and growing points has been to be comfortable in both Mandarin and English. I believe great strides has been made from struggling to describe BSN during door-knocking outreach sessions to being able to conduct simultaneous translations during docent tours at Closer. This was thanks to the support in terms of glossaries and work descriptions in Mandarin.
My favourite memory from the last instalment of Both Sides, Now was during the farewell party. When a man helped to explain the purposes and benefits of Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) and Advanced Care Planning (ACP) to his neighbour in Hokkien. In that moment, it was a heartening to see the fruits of seeding the conversations in the community.
My favourite memory from the last instalment of Both Sides, Now was during the farewell party. When a man helped to explain the purposes and benefits of Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) and Advanced Care Planning (ACP) to his neighbour in Hokkien. In that moment, it was a heartening to see the fruits of seeding the conversations in the community.
APPENDICES
A snapshot of one of the programmes, The Wind Come Home, brought to Chong Pang and Telok Blangah in 2017. Video retrieved from Both Sides, Now SG.
A snapshot of one of the forum theatre piece, Exit, brought to Chong Pang and Telok Blangah in 2018. Video retrieved from Both Sides, Now SG.
Highlights from "The Last Dance" (Sep 2018). Video from Both Sides, Now SG.