Preview: Platform Series – Journeys by GenerAsia

Monologues have the potential to be some of the most powerful pieces of theatre, with an entire audience focused on a single performer, pouring their heart out into a character. This February, for just two nights only, GenerAsia will present not one but two monologues performed by young, upcoming thespians Erwin Shah and Kimberly Chan in an exciting double bill.

Erwin Shah will be performing Kulit On The Go, which we last saw at Teater Ekamatra’s Projek Suitcase in December 2016 as a 20 minute piece. Since then, the monologue has gone on to travel up to Kuala Lumpur in October 2017 for Pitchpad ASEAN, not to mention toured at Sa//Rong Fair and Fete 2016 by Forest Child, the LASALLE Solo Festival 2017 and at Gateway’s Opening Festival 2017. Directed by Richard Tan and written by Erwin himself, Kulit, literally meaning skin, follows a leather craftsman in love, while giving audiences a crash course in leatherwork. As the artisan attempts to stay relevant amidst a materialistic world, he goes ‘on the go’ by traveling to his customers to produce custom-made orders.

In the second part of Journeys, Kimberly Chan will present a ‘sole-baring journey’ in In Her Shoes. Directed by Samantha Scott-Blackhall and written by Kimberly, with Aloysius Foong providing musical rearrangements of some classic songs, In Her Shoes explores the nuances and conundrums of being a woman in Singapore, touching on subjects of trauma, love and womanhood as a whole. Triple threat Kimberly Chan’s star continues on the rise as a dancer/singer/actor, and using her skills, will use In Her Shoes as a reminder of all the ups, downs and in-betweens of what makes up love.

As always with GenerAsia, the Platform Series will act as a new venture for young talents to grow and hone their craft, shining a spotlight on these performers as they continue to add on to the ever growing canon of Asian works. Having followed both actors in their various pursuits over the past year or so, we definitely can’t wait for February to swing around and see how they’ve grown, catching them both as they reintroduce themselves to us as these new characters, lovingly crafted and with a story to tell.

Platform Series: Journeys plays at the SOTA Studio Theatre from 2nd – 3rd February. Tickets available from SISTIC