Remember those Total Defence plays you used to watch at school? Here’s a very personal and heart-warming one which you can watch for free.

No, it isn't just a show-and-tell about the five pillars of Total Defence.

Jonathan Lim| July 30, 01:11 PM

 

Home-grown actor, writer, and director Jonathan Lim is best known for creating Singapore’s longest-running parody show ‘Chestnuts’. But the funnyman’s theatrical repertoire goes beyond scripting spoofs.

This past February, Lim’s play ‘All Clear’ on Total Defence started staging at schools.

Six months later, ‘All Clear’ is still going strong, and is now playing for the general public, at the Community Centres.

Mothership.sg contacted Lim for a Q&A to ask about his labour of love:

 

1. Tell us something about the plot of ‘All Clear’.

Jonathan: Sometime in the near future, an enemy is bombing Singapore. During an air raid, five Singaporeans take refuge in an abandoned school. While waiting for the ‘all clear’ signal to sound, they end up sharing their fears, trading memories and challenging each other’s assumptions about patriotism.

 

2. Why another play on Total Defence (TD)?

Jonathan: Ah but that’s the point – it’s NOT just another play on TD. Yes, it was commissioned by NEXUS (a government agency) as part of this year’s TD programming, but it departs from the TD tradition in so many ways.

It isn't just a show-and-tell about the 5 pillars of TD, nor is it a lecture on its importance. It’s a drama that stirs up heartfelt convictions about our country – what we lost, what we stand to lose, and how we can hold on to things that matter.

It contains stories – stories about different aspects of the SG experience, stories that form the patchwork of our identity. It’s a warm-hearted comedy that tries to connect with the audience on a humble, homely level – far away from policies and campaigns.

 

3. What inspired you to come up with this play?

Jonathan: Five years ago, NEXUS commissioned me to write a musical for the 25th anniversary of TD, and that was the year we broke new ground – instead of hammering home the 5 Pillars yet again, we turned around and asked the public “What will you defend?”, making every Singaporean responsible for the wherefore of TD. Five years on, I felt that we could go another level deeper and tackle these issues in a tense, conflicted situation. Putting the platitudes through the crucible, if you will.

 

4. Do you feel that Singaporeans take TD for granted?

Jonathan: I think we assume ‘the system’ will take care of things, not realizing that we are the system. It’s not policy, bureaucracy or budget that will defend us – it is our willingness and readiness to fight the threat and to protect each other.

If we are neither ready nor willing to do so, then we might as well fall – because a hollow system alone is not worth defending.

 

5. What’s special about this play?

Jonathan: [quip float="pqleft"] It’s a very personal piece. Many of the points raised by the characters spring from my own epiphanies - discovered while I was in the army, in reservist, studying overseas.[/quip] I constructed the characters based on very specific types of people I’ve met, and put into their mouths stories that have happened to me or my friends.

When casting, I chose actors who have a strong empathy for that character’s point of view. I’ll give you three examples. The foreign actor playing Terry (the Australian journalist in the play) is a new Permanent Resident who has graduated from studying drama here and is struggling with whether he should settle down and craft a life for himself here.

The actor playing Clement (the returnee who can’t wait to leave Singapore again) has spent many years working abroad and has spent much time comparing life in Singapore with overseas bohemias.

The actress playing Bernice (the teacher who doubts if the education system is really preparing our kids for the future) is herself an ex-teacher who quit due to disillusionment.

The cast brought such varied perspectives to the table that our discussions could not help but enrich the play.

As we rehearsed, we shared a lot about Singapore today - where it’s heading, what we’ve become and how we think we would all perform under wartime pressure. It was a humbling and harrowing experience, confronting uneasy truths – but the hope is strong.

 

6. Your play has been staged across many schools in Singapore since Total Defence Day on February 15th this year. How many students have seen it so far, and how was their response?

Jonathan: I’ve got no idea how many, but it is always a pleasant surprise to see an otherwise rowdy and inattentive school crowd gradually hush up and pay attention to the unfolding drama. I can see them thinking, weighing characters’ opinions heard against their own, choosing sides in each moment of conflict.

 

7. Is it true that anyone – not just students – can watch the play, and watch it for free? How may they do that?

Jonathan: Schools can contact The Theatre Practice and request the show for their school assembly event. It is free for schools, so we encourage them to take full advantage of this!

However, the play was not written just for students – it also has things to share with all generations. We have adapted the show for community events, so Community Centres, Residents’ Committees can also make free bookings with The Theatre Practice. The show will continue to be available through to the end of this year.

 

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