EtTu,Bao?

Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, transposed to a Singaporean pasar malam newly moved to a prime spot at Marina Bay Sands. Jalil — the stall-owners' leader who secured the location — is our Caesar; his raised rents breed resentment, a conspiracy forms among fellow hawkers, and the play's great beats (the celebration, the plot, the assassination, the funeral speech) unfold between the stalls, in Singlish.

The director's letter on the production's artistic direction — what this adaptation is trying to say and how the company was led there — together with the director's video commentary on the process.

Directed by Brevous · Jensen

As 2B’s only Playwright, the pressure was on me early on to lay a solid foundation for my class to build upon. From drafting the plot outline while I was overseas in China, to the hour-long calls with Jensen (Director) to create the plot, I believe I have given my best and hopefully done my class proud. The scripting came to a rough start, with comments on the scripts coherence and logic being raised in the first workshop. Jensen and I worked long and hard to improve the plot. I recall staying up past 12pm all 5 days of the week at one point. Even after the June holidays, issues on the script’s congruency and quality were constantly raised. It was not easy, to step off my pedestal and not let my pride get the better of me, to consider the countless streams of feedback, making around 10 versions of the script. That, was not the only problem however. Following the model script, our plot was overly long, 5600 words at its highest. With the 15 minute time limit, many of the rehearsals were plagued with frustrations regarding our lengthy play. This problem was discovered as early as the second scriptwriting workshop. In the following months, I relentless cut down on scenes and paraphrased lines to cut the script. With each opportunity comes with the hope of growth. And fortunately, I can proudly say I came out the other side a better version of myself. The cutting process as I mentioned was indubitably challenging. I had to cut out countless scenes I initially deemed “works of art”. I winced as I watched my meticulously crafted scenes deleted. One of the first things I had to cut out was a poem I drafted for the climax! But soon enough, 5000 turned to 4000, 4000 turned to 3000. In the final phases of preparations, I cut out parts of a scene that I’d left untouched the entire period. I did this to ensure the teachers could witness the full extent of the classes hard work. I learnt you should never give up the forest to save the tree. Every success story involves sacrifices, be it “essential” scenes in the play, or cancelling plans to attend rehearsals. Whether or not 2B Drama Challenge is a success, depends on the teachers, but I can definitely choose to impact the project in my own meaningful ways.

Written by

Posters, trailers, social media and the marketing campaign: the materials the publicity team made and the choices behind them.

Told to the world by Pei Runwei · Zejia

This ePortfolio exists because the documentation team was present through the whole production — planning coverage, coordinating with every department and the stage managers, and recording each phase. This section documents the documenting.

Recorded by Jaymus · Shengyuan

The cast: who plays whom, how each role was cast during auditions, and interviews with the actors on how they crafted their performances.

The company Anson (Minor actor) · Edward (Minor actor) · Junming (Major actor) · Maqil (Major actor) · Max (Major actor) · Mika (Minor actor) · Nigel (Minor actor) · Raoul (Minor actor) · Yexiang (Major actor) · Zilong (Minor actor)

From concept drawings to the finished stage: how the set and props team designed and built the world of the play, with write-ups on the creative choices at each step.

Built by Ari (Sets) · Conor (Props) · Davien (Sets) · Eshan (Sets) · Gideon (Props) · Haorui (Props) · Richard (Sets) · Tingyu (Sets) · Tun Chee (Props)

The costume team's designs from first sketches to finished costumes, and the thinking behind what each character wears.

Stitched by Jun Wen · Nabil · Zhanchen

Lighting design, sound design, and multimedia: cue-by-cue choices, the equipment and process, and interviews with the designers on how they envisioned and crafted the technical show.

Lit and mixed by Mason · Victor · Yang

The rehearsal record: actors at work, scenes taking shape, and the making-of evidence across every department as the production came together.

The stage management team: how the production was coordinated, called and kept on schedule, backstage and in the wings.

Run by Amsyar (Stage manager · performance) · Zikry (Stage manager · technical)

The moments that don't fit a department but belong to the story of this production.