Interview: Emily of the Emerald Hill

Interview with Laura

Hello Laura! I am glad to be interviewing you and first of all, congratulation on taking on the role of Emily!

Q: Having been featured in various movies, television shows and on stage, what are the challenges distinct to each medium for you and what are the similarities?

I personally prefer the screen medium, but I take on stage work in order to challenge myself, and to grow as an actor. I started my training in Theatre, and being on stage is both exhilarating, and daunting at the same time. I feel very ‘exposed’ on stage, because the audience watches the whole being – your whole physical body, your movements across stage, your voice. So, the primary challenge for me is to remove all unnecessary tension, and to be fully relaxed. According to Lee Strasberg, tension is the actor’s greatest enemy, because it blocks the pure expression of the actor onstage. Of course, I find many similarities across both the stage and screen medium, but for me, the main challenge is to be as truthful to the character, the situation, and the story as possible. How do I live in truth in someone else’s life, while aware that I am being watched constantly? How do I remain true to the character’s motivations, intentions, and tell the character’s story.

Q: From what I understand, Desert Wine’s Comfort Theatre: The Off Central Performances aims to move away from the usual threatres in Central/Town district and bring this production to the heartlands to bring greater awareness of the local Arts Scene to the communities. What is your thoughts on that?

I feel that we often overlook the Arts in our daily life, especially in the heartlands, and watching the Arts is considered a luxury. Thus, Comfort Theatre is a commendable initiative, as it makes theatre more affordable, and more accessible. Hopefully, this will also help to expose more people to the local Arts scene, and help them to develop a greater appreciation of the Arts.

Q: For someone who has not watch the play “Emily of Emerald Hill”, how would you describe this production?

It tells the story of a young orphan girl who grows up to become a powerful domineering matriarch in a Peranakan family. It is a story about love, loss, and life, a story which most people can probably relate to. You can choose to love Emily, or you may hate Emily, but you cannot deny that she is a very intelligent woman, who has unfortunately been dealt a hard hand in life.

Q: For this play “Emily of Emerald Hill”, the main focus will be on you and the script without any expensive stage setting. Is there any challenge faced as opposed to acting in full-fledged theater?

Well, the main challenge is that there won’t be any distractions on stage to occupy people’s attention! We chose to keep it simple, since it is Comfort Theatre. In most “full-fledged theatre” sets, there is elaborate staging, set, music, and lights to build the atmosphere, so it is a challenge for me to build the reality of Emerald Hill for the audience, and tap on their imagination. Also, since it is a one-woman monologue, I don’t have other actors to help me shoulder the burden, and so the entire performance rests upon my shoulders, and as you may imagine, that is a daunting task!

Q: What’s the biggest challenge about taking on this role as Emily?

There have been many challenges. But I would say that my main challenge is to keep the story fresh, and to keep up my energy for the full performance, which can stretch for up to two hours long. I have been through the lines, and the story, countless times, but how do I make it new every time? I do discover something new every performance or rehearsal, and I am learning more about Emily as well, so I look forward to sharing her story with more people!

Interview: Emily of the Emerald Hill

Esther Peh

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