By Soh Yuanting
Apr. 1, 2007

A play written 15 years ago is finally done justice to by a class of graduating theatre studies majors who have enough actors to fill the roles.

Based and inspired by a true story, “Watching the Clouds Go By” was written by NUS Theatre Studies Assistant Professor Robin Loon.

Loon said that one of the greatest difficulties in the past faced by directors for this play was “the lack of budget and manpower constraints.”

He said, “They had no chorus, and actors usually doubled.”

“This is one of the earlier plays I have written and I think it is an ideal play for a graduation production,” Loon said.

Set in the period of the Cultural Revolution, the play traces the development of the life of a red guard Zhu Wei Ling (played by Rozi Hoong) in the 1960s and her counter-revolutionary days in Shanghai a decade later.

Loon said, “Personally, I chose this play because I thought I would revisit my own work and see if it still has any relevance today.”

Dr KK Seet, founding coordinator of the Theatre Studies programme, said that the play is a comment on “how mindless youths are incited by the fervour of the prevailing ethos to radical acts” such as “terrorism in today’s world.”

Seet also said, “The play’s continuing and sustained topicality will be something worth looking out for.”

Having enough actors aside, the technical challenges of the play put the students to the test.

Loon said, “It has research possibilities in terms of history. It requires a big cast so I can ensure everyone will be involved. It is also a hybrid of different kinds of techniques, and hence is a good testing ground to merge and apply skills for the students.”

A bigger cast also means higher expectations for the play to stay true to its original form.

Loon made special effort this time to remain true to the script. He said, “I am eager to try out the chorus to see if it works onstage.”

Chinese orchestra instruments are selected for the music production in the play.  

Stage manager Caleb Lee, said, “The play is set in China and so we want to create an authentic Chinese feel by using these instruments.”

Having figured out the production methods, the actors have to get into the psyche of the characters they portray.

Hoong, who plays the female protagonist Zhu, said, “It was a very tough thing to do, to figure out the trajectory of this woman and her emotions. But after a while, through the rehearsals, I think I began to understand.”

The tediousness of producing the play as a result of the technicality of the production methods and timetable differences between students and lecturer has led Loon to contemplate doubling the number of modular credits to eight in the future."

He said, “This module, TS3103 Play Production, is compulsory for graduation. However, its workload is equal to two modules.”

Theatre studies majors can hope that it would not be another 15 years before that happens.