COMMUNITY
HERITAGE INSPIRES ART AT LOCAL FESTIVAL
01 Dec 2006
For a year, Royston Tan toiled in a Chinese street opera troupe as an extra playing soldiers, robbers and many other supporting roles.
The well-known local director was doing research on Singapore's oldest Hokkien opera company for his latest short film, Sin Sai Hong.
"I was really nervous," said Tan about his performing stint. "I was doing things I had never done before, like keeping still for 10 minutes while portraying a deity."
"In street opera, the actors often improvise their dialogue and use eye contact to coordinate themselves on stage. That made my experience interesting."
Shot on 35mm film over two days, the 45-minute documentary was commissioned by the National Museum of Singapore, which reopens on 8 Dec after three years of refurbishment.
The 119-year-old National Museum, now twice its original size, offers fresh takes on Singapore's history and identity, bringing them to life using multimedia.
As Tan wanted to capture "a very real side" of the Sin Sai Hong troupe, he turned the camera on its backstage activities and rituals.
"The actors weren't keen on the idea at first," he said. "But during a test screening, they realised I was trying to document them in their natural environment."
Mr Tan Boon Hui, the festival's programmer, noted that the festival views "history, culture and heritage as a source of inspiration for contemporary artists".
"We chose local talents who had the potential to fulfil this objective and wanted to give them projects that would challenge them," said Mr Tan, who is the museum's assistant director for international and public programming.
Meanwhile, the film-maker has grown so close to the troupe that he continues to perform in its shows around the island.
"There was a time when we performed at Seng Ong Temple in Paya Lebar for six days straight," he recalled.
"That was fun, really fun."
The National Museum of Singapore's Opening Festival begins on 2 Dec. For more information, log on to www.nationalmuseum.sg/openingfestival.
The well-known local director was doing research on Singapore's oldest Hokkien opera company for his latest short film, Sin Sai Hong.
"I was really nervous," said Tan about his performing stint. "I was doing things I had never done before, like keeping still for 10 minutes while portraying a deity."
"In street opera, the actors often improvise their dialogue and use eye contact to coordinate themselves on stage. That made my experience interesting."
Shot on 35mm film over two days, the 45-minute documentary was commissioned by the National Museum of Singapore, which reopens on 8 Dec after three years of refurbishment.
The 119-year-old National Museum, now twice its original size, offers fresh takes on Singapore's history and identity, bringing them to life using multimedia.
As Tan wanted to capture "a very real side" of the Sin Sai Hong troupe, he turned the camera on its backstage activities and rituals.
"The actors weren't keen on the idea at first," he said. "But during a test screening, they realised I was trying to document them in their natural environment."
Mr Tan Boon Hui, the festival's programmer, noted that the festival views "history, culture and heritage as a source of inspiration for contemporary artists".
"We chose local talents who had the potential to fulfil this objective and wanted to give them projects that would challenge them," said Mr Tan, who is the museum's assistant director for international and public programming.
Meanwhile, the film-maker has grown so close to the troupe that he continues to perform in its shows around the island.
"There was a time when we performed at Seng Ong Temple in Paya Lebar for six days straight," he recalled.
"That was fun, really fun."
The National Museum of Singapore's Opening Festival begins on 2 Dec. For more information, log on to www.nationalmuseum.sg/openingfestival.
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