Grandmother Tongue: An Interview with Playwright Thomas Lim and Actor Tan Shou Chen

The fastest selling show at W!ld Rice’s 2016 Singapore Theatre Festival was none other than Thomas Lim’s Grandmother Tongue, so it makes complete sense that they’re bringing it back this September for an extended month long run!

Starring Tan Shou Chen, Jalyn Han and Rei Poh, Grandmother Tongue follows a grandson as he attempts to connect with his octogenarian grandmother, who can only speak Teochew. We follow them as they bond in various ways, from teaching her to use a mobile phone to visiting her in hospital after a fall, as he discovers the true cost of exiling a dialect and language from our system.

Last seen in Forbidden City as the spoilt son of Empress Cixi, Tan Shou Chen certainly plays a very different role here as a filial grandson trying all ways and means to bond with his grandmother. As for writer/director Thomas Lim, Grandmother Tongue remains a more than satisfyingly successful maiden production, and we can’t wait to see how he grows as a writer from here. We spoke to both of them about the play, and you can read the interviews in full below!

Thomas Lim

BCM: Having dabbled in theatre during your schooldays, what was it that ultimately made you decide to pursue theatre professionally? 

BCM: Grandmother Tongue first premiered at the Singapore Theatre Festival in 2016, what was it that made you submit it to W!ld Rice for consideration?

BCM: Grandmother Tongue has proven to be a hit, having enjoyed two sold out runs. Why do you think Grandmother Tongue resonates so strongly with audiences and draws in the crowds?

Thomas: I can’t say for sure I know the reasons for this, though I think it could have something to do with the challenges that many Chinese citizens face. A lot of my friends, myself included, had our struggles with our prescribed ‘mother tongue’ in school, and then the same struggle at home with our ‘grandmother tongue’ when talking with our grandparents. The conflict that I have experienced is not only in the languages we speak, but also in the undercurrent of values and worldview that are transmitted within the language.

It might have something to do with the access that the play gave as well. I wrote it mostly in Teochew for my grandmother because I wanted to bring her to the theatre. But in another way, it created an opportunity for younger people to have access to Teochew and perhaps even to their grandparents. There isn’t a lot of things going on in our dialects that are easily accessible. TV programmes in dialects are aired during school and working hours. So when there are plays, films or events in dialects, there is usually a packed house of different generations. I remember watching the audience come into the theatre last year and many of them came in families, those of my grandparents’ generation, my parents’ generation and my generation.

BCM: With the support of such big industry players in Singapore and having already received such a strong start in the local theatre scene, what can we expect to see from you in future?

BCM: What first drew you to auditioning for Grandmother Tongue last year? Are there certain types of roles that immediately catch your attention when looking through casting calls? 

Shou Chen: I remember Alfian (Sa’at) calling me to audition for Grandmother Tongue. Then the script was still being worked on by Thomas, so all I got were audition character sides (excerpts written for auditions). The proposition was immediately interesting to me because it had to do with the Teochew language. I’m drawn to works that challenge me and also resonate beyond the theatrical space. 

BCM: What was the most challenging aspect of preparing for your role in Grandmother Tongue?

Shou Chen: It was definitely speaking Teochew. I am Teochew but I am hopeless with the language. I grew up speaking English. So learning how to speak it, and then act with it, was a big challenge for me. So I started Teochew lessons quite early on, before the actual rehearsals began. You gotta come in prepared.

BCM: What was the process like of working with Jalyn Han to develop the keen sense of onstage chemistry seen in Grandmother Tongue? 

Shou Chen: Little known fact: before auditions, when Alfian asked my opinion for who might be good to play the grandmother role, I said “Jalyn for sure”. It’s been great. Jalyn is an extremely open and dedicated artist. I first met her when she cast me in my first Mandarin play, 远角. She took quite a big risk with me as it was a very challenging piece. It was not only in pretty ‘cheem’ Mandarin (I ‘jiak kentang’ one), the staging was also quite experimental. I would say we built a pretty good foundation of trust during that period, and remained good friends and colleagues after. So chemistry is actually easier to develop when there is a foundation of trust and respect. 

BCM: Grandmother Tongue has seen two sold out runs in the space of a year. You and Thomas should be encouraged by the great response. Despite the pressure of performing at the top of your game every show, how do you enjoy the process?  

Shou Chen: I have to attribute that to Rei, Jalyn, Thomas and the production team supporting the process.  We share a lot of laughs and that’s important. I think coming back to the play and the same team is always wonderful because you get to build on the relationships that you have worked on, and also to see how each person has grown since the last time we collaborated. And now because we know the show better than the first time, we can breathe a bit more. That’s the best space to create. 

I have also been rediscovering my Teochew heritage and that often means eating a lot of food. Perhaps we can go on a culinary/arts expedition 🙂