Original plays are always welcome, and with Toy Factory Productions’s The Wright Stuff Festival, the local theatre company has always promised the introduction of fresh voices and new narratives with every edition. Now in its 4th run, the festival is taking on a more ethically-charged slant, with all three of its new plays surrounding the theme of ‘climate’.

Following an open call last year, Toy Factory received a whopping 45 entries from hopeful young playwrights looking to be mentored by veterans of the local theatre scene and have their scripts eventually staged. Now, all that is coming to fruition over the next three weeks, with the premieres of Rachel Chin’s The Thieves, Vivian Quek’s Anthropocene, and Annie Low’s The Prisoner, dealing with a range of issues affecting climate and our responses, all to be staged at the Gateway Theatre Black Box.

Speaking to all three playwrights, alongside Rachel Chin’s mentor Jeffrey Tan, we found out more about the writing and mentorship process, and these emerging playwrights’ hopes for their career and development in theatre.

“I actually didn’t have any script prior, and I had always wanted to write something about the climate. This seemed like a good way to finally get around to doing that,” says Rachel, who is a professional theatremaker. “I did a lot of research and brainstorming, and ended up only writing it towards the end of the deadline, writing my script in about 48 hours before submitting it at 3am!”

In her play The Thieves, Rachel takes inspiration from heist films, and follows Pei Shan, a determined and passionate student-leader of the Hornbill State Eco Warriors, a dedicated environmental activism group with a burning desire to safeguard the planet. Pitting themselves against the CEO of a powerful fossil fuel company, the group devise a bold plan for a daring heist to take him down.

“When people think about the environment and climate change, it usually leads to heavy, apocalyptic and dystopian thoughts, which tend to be a downer,” explains Rachel. “People start disengaging with the subject matter and breaking down with all these doomsday thoughts. So I actually wanted to write a play about climate change that was more fun, and bring my brand of chaos into it, while also trying to incorporate empathy into the mix. The morality in the play is quite grey, where no one is a clear hero or villain, and that brings out the complexity of the situation. Plus, I wanted to write a script that I think I could see myself enjoying performing in as well!”

On the other hand, Vivian Quek had a somewhat more flustered deadline, considering her full-time job as a professional nurse. “I only learnt about it a week before the deadline when a friend showed it to me, and because I do shift work, I essentially had two days to churn out the script,” she says. “But I went for it anyway, because I’d always wanted to write something about climate change.”

In her play Anthropocene, Vivian draws us into a more introspective work, where one man makes it his life mission to defy death and the end of the world, going on a time bending journey to learn about the sanctity, limitations and uncanny parallels existing within the unassuming cycles of rain and life. Anthropocene then results in a poignant play on letting go of the world that we used to know and holding on tight onto the things that climate can’t change – the love we have for our community, and our one and only home.

“I think if I tried writing about this theme a few years back, it would have resulted in a very horrified, existential dread-based play that was pessimistic about how the world was getting worse. But that changed when I got a chance to visit a Himalayan village some time back, where I saw all these villagers living in harmony with the environment, drawing water from the well, foraging in forests…Their lifestyle revolves around paying attention to the weather and world around them, and as an urbanite, I realised how removed I was from the environment, and how unaware we are of when the climate takes a turn for the worse,” says Vivian.

“So I wanted to tell this story about us humans living harmoniously with the environment, where despite us being in the anthropocene, where human activities are overwhelmingly affecting the environment, we can co-exist. In drafting the play and editing it, the play also started to evolve beyond just focusing on climate change to tackle cultures and ways of life, and I was sensitive to how each era we travel to features characters with their own way of speaking and mannerisms, which my director and cast helped support me with developing,” she adds.

Finally, Annie was enthusiastic about the idea and opportunity, but wondered how her own feelings of dread about the environment could possibly become a compelling play. “I saw the theme and thought, what do I have to say that hasn’t already been said about the climate? I spent the whole two months really thinking about it, and finally arrived at the idea to use the lack of a strong response as my response, and explore apathy towards climate in my play,” she says.

In her play The Prisoner, climate is explored through fast fashion, where green citizen Claire’s world is turned upside down when she discovers a SOS note hidden within her company’s new clothing inventory. As she embarks on a quest to seek the face behind the message, her journey leads her to a massive garment factory in a foreign land. While on her mission, Claire encounters both unexpected allies and staunch opposition, as she unravels the mystery of an anonymous victim.

“The idea stemmed from guilt, where I wondered about whether having kids would continue to harm the environment, or from how our consumption would lead to so much waste, and what we could do about it,” she explains. “I don’t have a lot of writing experience, but I didn’t want to start from a place of despair. I wanted to find a way out of it, and as a full time researcher, I think I was more aware of how I could provide more insight into the character and motivations.”

The three plays will be staged across three weekends, with The Thieves, followed by Anthropocene, and finally ending the festival with The Prisoner, forming a thematic narrative where it examines youth responses, then family, and finally corporations in relation to climate change. Additionally, stage designer Tai Zi Feng took on the challenge to create a set and lighting design made by mostly upcycled materials and creatively designed to be shared and reconfigured for all 3 plays, evolving with each subsequent play that tells a collective story through the set design about the detrimental effects of climate-change across the festival.

Each playwright was also matchmade with a local theatre veteran to both mentor them and direct their work, with Jeffrey Tan, Jeremiah Choy and Alvin Chiam respectively mentoring Rachel, Vivian and Annie, while Toy Factory artistic director Goh Boon Teck oversaw the festival as a whole. Says mentor-director Jeffrey Tan: “I haven’t really thought of doing a ‘green play’, but earlier this year, at Asian Producers’ Platform CAMP in Bangkok, I ended up joining a group discussion examining sustainability and climate, and a lot of the producers, from urban cities, were thinking about recycling props and their carbon footprints. But the Thai artists had gone in a different direction, where they were thinking about the very direct impact of climate they were feeling, such as how they now experienced flooding three times a year versus just once. And it was a reminder that when we want to do something, we need to consider what’s essential and important and impactful, and if it is relevant and impactful and close to our lives.”

Toy Factory Productions will also initiate crowd-sourcing campaigns, welcoming anyone to contribute recyclable materials for the construction of the festival set. A fresh and engaging collaborative endeavour for the company to encourage individuals to take on a more active and creative role in shaping an Eco-conscious world one stage at a time. “This whole festival this time around is really about sustainability and collaboration, where we can only change the world if we do things together. If we want radical change, then we need radical action, and some degree of sacrifice as a result, whether it’s consuming less or even taking less flights,” says Jeffrey. “It’s really about raising awareness of the complexity of it all, and that’s why it’s exciting we have three plays looking at climate from different perspectives and each having different solutions.”

All three playwrights had eye-opening experiences working with their mentors, often learning something new about their own creative process. “Jeffrey introduced me to a more gentle way of theatremaking. Maybe partially it’s because I come from a conservatory background, which focused more on strict adherence and that the director’s word and vision is final, but Jeffrey’s rehearsal room was much more relaxing, which surprised me because. I never thought you could do that while still bringing out the best in people,” says Rachel. “There was always this idea of safe play, where every individual’s voice was considered, and his own ideas never imposed on ours. There was so much grace in allowing me to try different things, and care in not overloading the actors. But there was also a lot of rigor, where he would take the time to discuss even one line that I wasn’t sure if it worked or not, and he was a good sounding board for me to clarify. my own thoughts. That was very meaningful to me, and it really opens up so many possibilities I never initially thought of, where the collaboration process really completes the work with everyone’s input.”

“Rachel writes with a lot of sensitivity, and she’s keenly aware of how language works onstage, while also ensuring there is clear character development. I honestly did less mentoring and more of honouring and expanding on what she’s created,” says Jeffrey. “One of the most major changes we had to work with was cutting the initial 16 characters down to just six, and it was a challenge for her to focus only on what’s essential.”

“Working with Jeremiah has been a pleasant experience, and it all seemed very zen. He seemed to understand exactly what I was trying to say and really got to the heart of the human condition,” says Vivian. “Jeremiah is much more experienced than me in both life and theatre, and it felt like a ritual bringing it from page to stage, distilling the play to its core elements and essence. A lot of the time, I tend to write instinctively, with whatever comes to mind, but watching the actors rehearse, I saw how they dissected my words and structured it and realised how technical theatre could be. Sometimes we’d just spend hours talking about the concepts explored in the script, and there were so many discoveries made together. We have always encouraged a space for safe play and experimentation, even now, two weeks before the premiere, and the energy is so calm, it feels like everyone involved in somehow telepathically linked, while also having surpassed my initial vision for the script and enlarging its scope to achieve something beyond what was originally possible.”

“On the other hand, my experience with Alvin was that he was a much more direct and blunt mentor, which I appreciated. He is frank, but also deeply committed to the work and making sure he represents it truthfully onstage, and I find it so enjoyable that he and the cast understand the subtext and nuances,” says Annie. “One thing Alvin does is that before the start of every rehearsal, he would hold a ping pong match, and the cast members must hit the ball and run to the other side, and it’s all about getting that sense of rhythm and listening to how they respond to each other, allowing their creative impulses to come out. There is so much trust and allowance in letting the actors just explore. I love that my process is no longer just no longer just mine, but a collaborative effort that I’ve let go sole ownership of, and allow us to interpret it together as a team.”

On how each artist has changed their views on the climate as a result of the project, all have felt a stronger resonance with the environment, and have become much more aware and attuned to keeping an eye out for changes. “My play partially explores the duality of ‘Mother Earth’ and ‘Father Earth’, where the maternal side focuses on nurturing and providing resources like water, while the paternal side is more about protecting when in danger. I do think it ties back to. the family concept, and how we all seek to survive together,” says Vivian. “In my own personal capacity and day-to-day interactions, I think I’ve become more conscious of my own spending and consumption habits, and open my eyes more to clear marketing ploys that I can actively avoid.”

“While I initially came at it from a place of despair, I kept returning to how Alvin talked about the idea of hope, and how essential it was to see the good that so many people were doing amidst all the destruction,” says Annie. “There’s more regulation and policies, or even new inventions like plastic-eating bacteria. There. is a way out of the crisis if we look for it, and that search for hope is what is going to have a profound impact on countering eco-anxiety. I know I write about fast fashion, which seems to be a very feminine concern and doesn’t quite occupy my male friend’s headspace, but I thought it was a cool perspective to see climate change through, especially with how my protagonist is a woman combating a male antagonist. I hope we look towards more collaborative and joint efforts in combatting climate change.”

“In the process of writing my play, I did a lot of research and I’m now a lot clearer in my stance. I’ve changed my consumption habits when it comes to clothes, preferring to now get either preloved clothes or simply using my clothes until they fall apart,” says Rachel. “I’m now convinced that the best way of enacting change is to empower people and politicians with climate on their mind, because that would be the most effective way of getting change to happen, by enforcing policies and aligning the national interests. What corporations are doing is. so damaging, from their goals of infinite growth to promoting capitalism, and radical change really is to promote de-growth instead, while making sure everyone has enough.” 

“I think fundamentally, we all need to consider how open we as individuals are to embrace the complexities and sacrifices we need to make to ensure change. When I prepare for a workshop for example, I wonder if I can use rough paper instead of fresh sheets of paper,” says Jeffrey. “Just shifting your perspective and thinking about your approach can make a difference, and as Rachel said, policies and regulations can shape our behaviour towards that as well. I hope that more conversations will emerge because of works like the ones featured in the festival, not just to applaud for the production, but to discuss the complexities of the issues within the environment, and the desire to be a part of something bigger.”

“I may be a nurse in my day job, but I’ve always taken a keen interest in storytelling. Even though I’ve been interested in that, I thought I needed to gain more exposure and meet more people,” says Vivian. “And that’s something I encounter at the hospital every day, with people from all kinds of backgrounds. I think it helps inform my theatremaking, and with this experience, I’m more aware of the technical sides of theatre and know I can afford to be more intentional with my writing. I’m considering taking classes and picking up more theory and concepts to articulate myself better, and also keep my eyes open for more opportunities, not just in playwriting, but also directing and stage management, and just learn as much as I can.”

“I still have more deepening and honing of the craft to do, but over this project, I’ve really learnt to enjoy the collaboration process, and I’ve got a few projects lined up to be staged next year, and hopefully explore more independent projects in future,” says Annie. “Maybe I’ll also be looking for more mentors to take me under their wing and advise me on how to do things better, and even though I do have a day job, I hope that I can continue to pursue theatre on the side and further my artistry with any good opportunities that come my way.”

“I would love for The Thieves to go on to be staged in schools and universities, because I truly believe that the youth is where the change is at, because these people will grow up and become the future where they decide these policies that will have an actual impact,” says Rachel. “It’s important to have hope and move away from despair and apathy of climate anxiety, and I believe the youth have the creativity to come up with solutions to make a difference. Maybe if I had known earlier how serious the situation was in terms of climate change, I wouldn’t even have become an actor, and do something more related to climate change. But what I can do for now is to educate the younger folk, to shake off the helplessness, and make something happen.”

Photo Credit: Toy Factory productions

The Thieves plays from 15th to 17th September, Anthropocene from 22nd to 24th September, and The Prisoner from 29th September to 1st October 2023, all at Gateway Theatre Black Box. Tickets available here, to both individual shows and as a bundle.