NUS Chinese Drama takes centre stage with restaging of "Essentially Macbeth"

NUS Chinese Drama takes centre stage with restaging of “Essentially Macbeth”

19 Apr 2024

Arts

Is Art irrelevant? The value of the arts in Singapore was a hotly contested topic during the early days of the COVID-19 restrictions, and the genesis of Essentially Macbeth, a play-within-a-play put together by NUS Chinese Drama and NUS Chinese Orchestra. It depicts the struggle four young graduates face in attempting to reconcile their passion for the arts and society’s definition of success. After a successful premiere at last year’s NUS Arts Festival, Essentially Macbeth returns to the stage this June, staged for a wider audience.

Essentially Macbeth is a play-within-a-play that sees a group of actors and musicians rehearsing Shakespeare’s Macbeth, while dealing with unresolved tension between them.

Essentially Macbeth is in the festival line-up of Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC)’s Cultural Extravaganza 2024, alongside established names in the Singapore Chinese arts scene, such as Dr Liang Wern Fook and Ding Yi Music Company. Essentially Macbeth’s foray marks the first time a NUS Chinese Drama production is featured in SCCC’s programming, a huge recognition for the cast and crew involved.

Essentially Macbeth follows the story of four young adults who reunite to restage Macbeth, 10 years after graduating from university.

The play is close to the hearts of its creative team, which includes NUS alumni who have chosen to pursue the arts beyond graduation. The play is directed by Judy Ngo (Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences ’96), the music is composed by Phang Kok Jun (Music ’15). and the orchestra is conducted by Moses Gay, all renowned individuals in the Singapore arts scene. When asked about whether Essentially Macbeth mirrors reality today, Judy Ngo said: “Ideally, I hope that the arts will remain a part of their lives so that they do not have to go through what some of the characters went through. But there is also a much larger picture at play here, I hope that Essentially Macbeth will remind every single one of us that the arts play a crucial part of our daily lives.”

Audience members who have been waiting for an encore performance of Essentially Macbeth are in for a treat. Expect fresh faces in the cast, enhancements to the set and some new lighting design. Nevertheless, an extremely unique point of Essentially Macbeth stays. Besides performing music live, NUS Chinese Orchestra members will be seen on stage as members of the cast. So you will see them, along with their conductor, Moses Gay, straddle between acting and playing their instruments – a rare sight in any production!

Essentially Macbeth is an inventive collaboration between NUS Chinese Drama and NUS Chinese Orchestra, where the orchestra and its conductor, Moses Gay (above, right), appears onstage as both musicians and actors.

President of NUS Chinese Drama Xia Yanhao (College of Design and Engineering, ’2026) is grateful for the opportunity to be involved in the restaging. He said, “NUS Chinese Drama is passionate about putting up performances that reflect the reality of society, for young adults and the elderly alike to relate to our shows. We are excited to perform for a wider audience. With this restaging being funded fully by SCCC, the level of trust that SCCC has placed on us is truly heart-warming.”

Ticket holders of Essentially Macbeth can also look forward to the screening of original short films, exploring the personal lives of the main characters in the show. They are produced by nuSTUDIOS Film Productions, a NUS film-making student group, and will be screened at the Front of House during show day.

Essentially Macbeth will be showcased at SCCC Auditorium on 15 and 16 June 2024, in Mandarin, with English surtitles. From now till 26 April, enjoy an exclusive 50% off! Key in “NUSCE24” when purchasing the tickets at https://nus.edu/macbeth.