The Peculiar Tra La (14-16 March 2019)
by Intercultural Theatre Institute
Venue: the Drama Centre Black Box
The Peculiar Tra La brought me through a meaningful journey, leading me to search for the paradise within me. Is this paradise difficult to reach? Tra la!
It is already within us. But we have lost it.
My "tra la" journey:
1. Prologue- Games & Tra La
The actors approached the audience, had conversations with the audience and started to pose riddles to them. Gradually, the riddles led to a series of games. Through the series of engagement with the audience, the term “tra la” was introduced. Tra la, the “in-between” state was made concrete through the lines of “in-between” used in the games.
The lines
The line of life and death
The line of trust and betrayal
The line of letting go and control
The line of play and competition
The in-between
2. Birds
The audience made their way into the theatre. The birds started to fly. The audience was told to leave all the problems and troubles outside the theatre. The birds and their flight were leading me to the solace of freedom. Rest. I told myself.
My body relaxed. My heart opened. The narrative began.
The sounds of birds chirping, snake hissing and forest trees rustling entered my heart.
3. The Door
The door appeared. It is the door to tra la!
Every one of us has this door to tra la. It is OUR personal door.
The door opened and led us to the story of tra la.
Myths, dreams and nature were somehow suggested as the means to understand tra la.
Is tra la the path to freedom? Is tra la the transient life we live now, before we move on to the paradise? These are some questions presented to me as an audience.
The actors echoed “We are inside your body” with aliveness. Perhaps, the “paradise” is within us. We just have to reach within [instead of reaching out] to the pool of organicity and aliveness to find that paradise.
4. Old Bird
The old bird appeared, introducing the audience to the epic love story of Rama and Sita, which further emphasized on our ancient past, which could be the door to tra la, and the life beyond.
A series of memories recorded in a diary were read to the audience, transporting the audience back in time, to our own memories of the 1990s. Was that the time of “tra la” for us? For me, that was definitely my “tra la”.
The door opened again, allowing the audience to enter into another world of imagination.
5. Story of Mulan
Mulan, an “in-between” character was introduced. The actors used their voice to create layered soundscape with songs, texts and sounds of the flute. There was great synergy among the performers, and the choreography was alive and varied. Who is Mulan? Do we have a Mulan within us? The masculine and feminine warriors —all within one entity.
6. Spring is Here
Spring is here. Eagles are flying high in the sky.
A comical eagle appeared. The sounds of the eagle were so ticklish and funny [in a good way, an alive way]! I laughed. Then it was shot and dropped. And I laughed more. I laughed, not because I enjoyed the killing of birds which fell from the sky. The sounds and action were so spontaneous and alive. The eagle was one moment joyous, and another moment lying flat on the floor. Tra la. It was tragic, but knowing that it was an act performed by an actress, it was comedic.
A tree appeared. The tree of spring, the tree of life. The songs of the spring and sounds of the tree resembled that of chanting and voices from an ancient world. This segment was the climax of sounds in the piece. The voicework created as a group provided layers and diversity to create an organic musicality for the piece.
7. The Animals
Animals appeared (actors appeared with masks of different animals). The different animals were living together harmoniously, distributing fruits among themselves, and to the audience. That was how our universe supposed to be, before the fall of mankind. It is also the world of the future, where the wolves and sheep will live together in peace.
This image appeared to me immediately:
“Wolves and sheep will live together in peace,
and leopards will lie down with young goats.
Calves and lion cubs will feed together,
and little children will take care of them.
Cows and bears will eat together,
and their calves and cubs will lie down in peace.
Lions will eat straw as cattle do.
Even a baby will not be harmed
if it plays near a poisonous snake.” (Isaiah 11:6-9)
8. Childhood Memories
The actors started to share a series of childhood stories. Their fear, pain and joy were narrated. The memories brought us back to the forgotten past, hinting at our deep pool of resources which is within us. Our emotions and experiences are a bridge from "tra la" to "la la" (a euphoric eternity) …
9. Bye to the Masks
With the animal masks, the actors seemed to be much more alive. They were in the state of tra la when they wore the masks. They were human-animal; they were beings with flexibility, energy and strength. When the masks were removed, humans were unveiled. They fell into the tra la of trust and hesitation; light and darkness.
The people experienced fears and intense emotions. There were shattered homes and broken lives. Things started to deteriorate. The fallen world.
“Everyone lost their ‘home’”, the people said.
Have we lost our “home”, our “soul”, our “lala”? Is it so difficult to get in touch with the paradise within us?
10. Home
Finding the way home. It was actually not too difficult. When did you first laugh? When did you first make a sound? When did you first cry? Have we forgotten the “child” within us? Have we forgotten how to play?
Play.
Just play.
11. Epilogue
In between
Love and indifference
Fear and will
Trust and hesitation
Tra la.
(Photos: Engagement with the audience before entering into the theatre)
Director: Ang Gey Pin
Dramaturg: Ranice Tay
Production Designer: Dorothy Png
Performers: Earnest Hope Tinambacan, Jalal Albaroudi, Jin Chen, Regina Toon, Ted Nudgent Fernandez Tac-an, Theresa Wee-Yenko, Tysha Khan, Vignesh Singh, Wendy Toh and Nour el Houda Essafi
Production Manager: Natalie Lim
Stage Manager: Hau Guei Sze (Zizi)
Two more shows today, tickets available at trala.peatix.com
