"Who Will Listen?" Hwa Chong Institution English Drama Club Production

That night, it was 2 hours of drama. There were 3 plays and 1 film, including a guest performance by Clementi Town Secondary School. I was there, not as a member of the audience, but an actor. And onthis post, I shall express my feelings about the production

Bang Bang It's Too Late

The first play was Bang Bang It's Too Late, and it was about a teenager who shouts for help, but no one listens to his problems. The school counsellor and his dad always underestimates his problems. Josh doesn't really have a friend, everyone hates him. And you know what? My role was to act as Josh. Sadly, the only way for everyone to listen, was for him to use a gun. He shot many people, even his dad. Going through the scene repeatedly was extremely tiring, however as an actor, it allows me to understand the feelings of the character I am acting as. I feel that in life, there must be someone whom we can turn to, and rely on. Because when we face problems, we hope that someone would understand us, and stretch out a helping hand. Or in some cases, mere listening is already a form of help to that person. In the play, everyone gives excuses when Josh wants to speak to them. What would seem as small problems, would eventually lead to be a big problem itself. And furthermore, Josh is in his teens, children are the most sensitive during their teens, and would be influenced very easily, thus they need someone to keep them on the right track. A school counsellor must be someone who does their job, not for the money, but to help those in need. Because that is what a counsellor needs to do. No one's problems should be underestimated, because they might seem bigger than what it looks like. Josh even killed his father. Josh ruined his whole life. But when I was in his shoes, I could tell that he really had little choice. Because no one is ever there to support him, his confidence is wavering, and he is desperate for help. But no one takes him seriously. He was filled with hatred for those who mocked at him. Thus he ended everything with deaths of people around him.

Arthur's Quest For Cheese

Before the intermission, there was a short film. It was about a boy searching for what he thinks is his favorite dairy product. But little did he expect what he was looking for wasn't what it really seemed like. He went through various obstacles to get his cheese. Once a boy, whose name is Samuel, snatched Arthur's wallet and blue cheese, and ran away. But he eventually feels bad and returns it to Arthur. Arthur smells the cheese, and then he realises that he hates cheese and the smell of it. I feel that in life, sometimes we pursue things which we are after. They seem to be attractive as they look. But in the end, when we finally get what we want, we realise that it is not what we were actually looking for. Some people hate that feeling, because it is the feeling of disappointment, and illusion. But it might not be a bad thing after all. In the middle of all the obstacles we went through, we probably found out more about ourselves, and brought out the true hero in us, because to get what we desire, we go through many things which we don't usually do. And by then, we would realise just how much we will fork out for things we hope to possess. Yes, but what prevails at the end of the day is the feeling of disappointment.

Happiness.com
Happiness.com is the guest performance, which won a Gold award at the Singapore Youth Festival. De Cheng is a teenage boy who seeks refuge from loneliness by indulging in pornography and chats with strangers. Eventually the price for his pornography arrives. His mother finds out. His friends finds out. He gets desperate.
In life, we often meet difficulties. We turn to things which seem appealing to us. But they often land us in deep trouble. An example would be drugs. Just when youths face great difficulties and sadness, their friend offers them some drugs, and describe the drug to be so awesome. In such times, this is when they are most vulnerable. Thus they would give in and take drugs. Perhaps they would also be tempted to go and beat up some innocent kids or steal from provision shops. Temptation is at its peak when one is in times of sorrow. But little youths would think of healthy ways to release their stress. Such as sports.

Checkmate
The last play of the day. Hwa Chong Institution English Drama Club clinched a Gold award for this short play. It was sort of comparing mankind to a game of chess. It took place in 2050, when water was running out and all remnants gathered to a town. And the mayor intended to kill nearly everyone so that he can have the water to himself, his son, and probably few others. But his son was against his father's actions. His father wanted to preserve mankind, but at the expense of mankind's humanity. His son tried persuading his father from doing such silly actions, but his father did not listen. Thus he sacrificed himself, when he was shot accidentally amongst a mass murder organised by his father, he threw himself into the remaining water supply, and contaminated the water, so that his father would understand, and that is the only way to stop his father. Well, I feel that humanity is more important than mankind. And that we need to preserve our morals. We should not kill others so as to ensure our own survival. I feel that this is not moral and everyone should still try to share the water. Even if this means that everyone will die in the end, it is still the correct decision. Because only God has the right to take away the lives of the people, whom he gave life to. If God says that this world shall come to an end due to a lack of water, let it be. After all, our life came from him, thus when it goes, he should be the one who takes it.

It was an exciting night, not just of drama, but also of values and lessons which the audience can take away.