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Singaporean multidisciplinary artist, weish, used to lead a double life. “Teacher by day, musician by night” is how she sums up her time teaching literature across various secondary schools in Singapore, while also making music with electronic duo .gif and indie band sub:shaman.
Her teaching experience from 2012 to 2018 made her realise that inequality was prevalent, having witnessed the stark difference between the school lives of students who had more and those who had less.
Catch weish’s latest creation, Secondary The Musical by Checkpoint Theatre!
The insights stuck with her and proved invaluable when Huzir Sulaiman, co-founder and Joint Artistic Director of Checkpoint Theatre, approached her in 2020 to be his playwright-composer for a school-themed musical.
weish, whose work spans diverse genres and disciplines, had paid tribute to her theatre roots before with songs that loosely combined dramatic text and story, like Two Songs and a Story and Did You Want More Sleep?. But writing for a play was a lot more challenging, and she was hesitant. Eventually, she chose to take the leap of faith.
How will Lilin (middle) and other teachers help students navigate their challenges?
Four years on, Secondary: The Musical is proof that she still has what it takes. The musical tells the story of a young teacher Lilin, who is trying to get through the school term while helping her Secondary 3 students Ming, Omar, and Reyansh navigate the challenges they face in school and at home.
The overarching question is: how much of our future is dictated by our grades?
Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse
Slowly but surely, weish's four years of hard work paid off.
The four-year process was chock-full of table readings between cast and crew - however, they proved to be the most memorable as it gave her the opportunity to gauge how the ensemble received her script and ideas. What she did not expect was for her work, inspired by the lived experiences of herself, friends, and former students and colleagues, to resonate with so many people.
She recalled instances where Costume Designer Max Tan and an intern were moved to tears during rehearsals. “Hearing people laugh, seeing people cry, all sitting around a table with scripts in hand, it was so surreal,” she recounted.
She recalled instances where Costume Designer Max Tan and an intern were moved to tears during rehearsals. “Hearing people laugh, seeing people cry, all sitting around a table with scripts in hand, it was so surreal,” she recounted.
weish-style
Will Ming, Omar, and Reyansh be able to handle the challenges in school and at home with bravery and grace?
Asked how the musical differs from others, weish perked up. “I’ve been told that the songs are very ‘weish-y’ and ‘not very musical theatre’,” she said with a laugh.
The artist is an avid music lover whose taste spans from hip-hop and pop ballads to classical music. These influences led her to find joy in experimenting with the musical theatre genre both lyrically and musically.
Stand in Line, a pre-release song for the musical, teases the audience with smooth R&B and heavy percussion beats as the cast belts out their views on the local education system.While weish hopes that Secondary: The Musical will give audiences an unconventional musical experience about a conventional theme, she also wishes for a more personal connection.
“It is my deepest hope that some audiences feel seen in ways that they might not have felt before,” she said.
Go back to school with Secondary: The Musical from 19 to 28 April 2024 at Victoria Theatre. Tickets are priced from $45.
All images are credited to Checkpoint Theatre.
