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ARTS&LEISURE
200
May15
By Amy
Greenburg
With
Pangdemonium
’s “Transformation Trilogy”
season in full swing, we managed to get a glimpse of
the company’s second production in the series,
Tribes
– a humorous and poignant play about love, family and
communicatingwith the ones you care
about. Here, British actress and former
Singapore expat SUSAN TORDOFF
tells us what we can expect from the
show, how she prepared for her role
as the matriarch, Beth, and what she
missesmost about living in Singapore.
When you lived in Singapore, you acted in various
productions, and taught acting at Nanyang Academy
of Fine Arts and voice classes at Anglo-Chinese Junior
College. What brought you back here to act in this
production?
To be honest, it was
Tribes
director Tracie Pang – she’s a great
director – and, of course, the opportunity to work with Adrian
Pang, which is always a treat; we’ve worked together on two other
plays, and he is a wonderful actor.
Tell us about your previous Singapore experience.
I stayed here for six years and loved every minute. I loved exploring
the area, travelling to Bali, Vietnam and Cambodia, and making
short visits to Bintan. What I miss most is my friends – I met such
lovely people, fellow actors and teachers, and my students were
all wonderful. I miss the food, the constant summer, the Botanic
Gardens and the sounds of the birds and insects – I lived up in
Wessex Estate where the wildlife is very noisy!
What can we expect from
Tribes
?
It’s a play about a family – a noisy, crazy family. At the
centre is Billy, who was born deaf and always felt like an
outsider within his own family. When he decides he finally
wants to be heard, what he has to say is ear-shattering and
heart-breaking, and nothing’s ever going to be the same
for this family again! The play is moving and funny, and
very unusual and thought-provoking.
What drew you to the role of Billy’s mother,
Beth, and how did you prepare for it?
She is quite complex – on the surface, she’s the calmcentre
of this crazy family, but with her own secrets and problems;
she’s fascinating to me. Beth has taught her son to lip-read,
so I researched that. Except for Billy, who is played by
Thomas Pang, the family doesn’t use sign language. He’s
been taking sign classes for months to prepare for his role;
but I can’t say any more, or I would spoil the story!
What are you hoping audiences will come away
with?
Having had a good night out at the theatre – one where
you keep talking about it all the way home. Ultimately, it’s
a moving and powerful story about communication, new
beginnings and the inextricable bonds of family. This is the
first time Pangdemonium is staging a performance that
incorporates sign language interpreters on stage, so it’s
a unique production that will be very exciting.
See
Tribes
from 22 May to 7 June at the Drama
Centre Theatre, 100 Victoria Street. Tickets from Sistic.
pangdemonium.com