udderiffic indulgence.

During my full-time National Service (NS) one day, I was informed to report for a Subaltern’s Parade. Although my Regimental Sergeant Major explained that it was simply a drill session for junior officers, the word ‘subaltern’ left a curious sense of dissonance within me. It was only while doing a university course in feminism did I discover why: the word could also refer to someone “holding an inferior position” relative to someone else. I thought it described the marginalised status of NSmen perfectly, especially from the perspective of how soldiers are made to bear arms for their nation without so much as a say in how or why their duty is carried out. This is the point of departure for Radio Silence and Full Tank!, as the plays not only provide a voice for NSmen to raise core concerns about the military, but also give an opportunity for the audience at large to think about how life in the armed forces is, perhaps, not so different from civilian life, after all. More importantly, despite the technological and other advancements amidst forty years of nation building and NS, has anything really changed for Singaporeans/NSmen?

I hope I’ve got it now.

~

A flurry of flashes capture the pass,
Of runner’s baton, from hand to hand.

The scroll clasped firmly in her grip,
She carries the weight of years of thought

With her as she commences now
On the race of life she has just begun.

The OCBC Singapore Theatre Festival will begin its run in Aug this year, and I am very proud to say that I will be a part of it, as two of my scripts have been selected to be put up for staging. Here’s a bit more about what to expect:

OWN TIME OWN TARGET: Three New Comedies about Our Boys in Green.
Featuring Radio Silence and Full Tank! by Laremy Lee.

DATE: Wed, 20 Aug - Sun, 24 Aug 2008.
TIME: 8pm (with 3pm matinee shows on Sat and Sun).
VENUE: Esplanade Theatre Studio.
PRICE: $30.

Radio Silence is a play that takes place in a jungle, with two main characters - Boon, an officer, and Charlie, his driver. They are on a mission, the objectives of which they are unclear about, and their destination, equally uncertain. In this play, I explore the complexities of human relationships - the power struggles, the absurd rules and structures upon which society - especially military society as a subset of Singaporean society - operates, etc. The themes of communication and miscommunication are, as the title of the script might indicate, a major part of the interactions between the characters in the play, as they try to find their way out of the jungle.
(An excerpt of this play is viewable here.)

Full Tank! is a farce in which four soldiers - Sergeant Leroy and his three men: Ali, Moti and Lim - go Absent Without Official Leave (AWOL) when their tank unexpectedly veers from the training grounds of Lim Chu Kang to… Orchard Road. They go on a journey of disparate proportions, meeting over-accommodating mamasans and verbose pump station attendants as the soldiers try to make their way back to camp. Intertwined with this narrative is a separate but related thread which sees the top brass of Singapore’s army try to recapture an escaped terrorist, and somehow, the four soldiers also manage to get themselves involved, in this (mis)adventure that takes a look at race and politics in our sunny island.
(An excerpt of this play is viewable here.)

I’m also planning to publish these two plays along with a third play called The Duty, which is a monologue on soldiering in Singapore, performed at Short+Sweet Singapore in 2007. More info about the book soon.

Ticket prices are $30 (sans handling fees) but you will get early-bird discounts if you book before 11 July 2008. I’d recommend you book online at the SISTIC website for convenience.

In the meantime, you can receive updates through Facebook (if you use it) at my fan page. You can also join the Facebook event listing here.

Do feel free to contact me if you have any queries. I hope to see you there!

P.S. A shoutout of thanks to Darren for the publicity. Thanks in advance to all friends if you could also post this up on or link to this page from your blog.