In 2022, Nine Years Theatre (NYT) presented original production Between Me And You at the Esplanade Theatre, as part of that year’s annual Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts. The project was probably one of NYT’s most ambitious productions to date, with a massive cast on a huge stage, a deeply emotional and sprawling script that required audiences to invest in an entire family’s backstory, and if anything, proved a massive hit, and one of the best shows of 2022.

Now, for the first time in NYT’s history, they’re doing a sequel, once again playing as part of Huayi. Scripted and directed by NYT artistic director Nelson Chia, Everything For You follows on from where Between You And Me left off, continuing to present the stories of three sisters, as the family gathers on the Lunar New Year and reveal some interesting life updates, each facing their own crisis and new rifts within the family that threaten to tear it apart. But what exactly spurred this second wind and continued collaboration? We spoke to Nelson, as well as veteran actress Sharon Au to find out more.

“The drive for this show was already in place after we wrapped up Between You and Me,” says Nelson, as we spoke at NYT’s home base at Aliwal Arts Centre. “The audience response was good, and we approached the Esplanade to discuss potential future collaborations. A clearer idea began to emerge in 2023, where I was considering continuing the story we started with Between You And Me, where we even thought of doing a prequel story! But in the end, we decided that we wanted to see where these characters lives had gone in a few years and decided on a sequel instead.”

“We had quite a few reservations at first, especially since sequels for theatre aren’t exactly common, and it had to work for both newcomers and people who had already watched the first show,” he continues. “And it considering that it’s set two years later, we really wanted to make sure we could get the same cast together before pushing ahead, and it really is quite a miracle that everyone came on board, and all the schedules fit – even Sharon, who’s based in Paris! We really are so lucky that we could make this happen.”

In the original production, the central crisis at hand surrounded Sharon Au’s character, respected stage actress Shi Lin, who found herself in the same theatre production as her mother, TV actress Li Qing (Goh Guat Kian) decides to come out of retirement. While other characters featured their own growth and storylines, Sharon’s character no doubt took centrestage and formed the emotional core of the show, leading to Nelson wanting to give the rest of the ensemble more time and space to tell their stories too.

“I felt that in the first show, it really was Sharon’s story, but I also really wanted to flesh out the other characters, and see them develop their respective relationships as well,” says Nelson. “There’s pressure to keep up the momentum and quality from the first show for sure, but that’s theatre as a whole. Particularly with the first time I’m writing and directing a sequel, I see it as a challenge to try something new, while also extremely optimistic about my team and trust them all to work well together and pull off another success.”

In Everything For You, we watch as older sister Shi Qi (Jean Ng)’s new boyfriend sours the relationship with her son, while second sister Shi Lin (Sharon Au) dreams of becoming an internet celebrity. Finally, youngest sister Shi Jie (Mia Chee) returns alone from Australia without her partner, bringing a piece of devastating news. “To help bridge the gap for those who haven’t watched the first show, we’ll start with a short video recap, just like how Netflix does it with new seasons of television. Theatre has to adapt to the way contemporary audiences receives drama, so we also end up studying television and film, and make theatre more accessible via pop culture,” says Nelson.

“The style will remain mostly the same, but time will definitely be more equally divided among the three sisters and their relationships with their partners and family,” he adds. “I’m also planning to make it much more metatheatrical, in terms of how the set is moving, and especially considering how so many of the characters are artists, like a film director, or Sharon’s character’s daughter, who is directing a play her mother will star in. I feel like I understand everyone’s story and position a lot better this time, and I’m happy with the way rehearsals are turning out, with so many new discoveries and more process-based talk with the cast.”

For Sharon, the return to NYT was a no-brainer, as she explains how much she looked up to Nelson as an artist, ever since first working together with him on Toy Factory’s 7 Sages of the Bamboo Grove back in 2020. “That production had Nelson in the lead role, and I was in a supporting role,” says Sharon. “I remember being so in awe watching him work, and you just tell yourself wow, this guy really will do so much for the local theatre scene. So when he asked me to come back for Between You and Me, I couldn’t say no and made sure I came back for it, even though I had to plan for the 2-week quarantine. There are just some people you always say yes to, and that was definitely the case for Everything For You, as well, where I made sure I could clear my schedule for it.”

Plenty of little scheduling miracles took place along the way – while the first script read Sharon had was via Zoom, she also had a chance to return to Singapore last June for Pompeii at the Singapore International Festival of Arts, during which she scrounged up time to do Everything For You’s promo photoshoot. On this being the third time she returns to Huayi, Sharon explains more about the support for Chinese theatre as a whole. “I think under the Huayi banner, they’ve built up a loyal following who come every year for the shows, but outside of that, it can be hard to find people willing to come for Chinese theatre,” says Sharon. “These days, people prefer to spend money on concerts, and theatre still needs to push very hard when it comes to marketing.”

While Sharon might be better known for her TV roles back in the 2000s, and certainly a former star of Caldecott Hill, not many might know she got her big break through theatre way back, through Toy Factory. “In 1995, I was a 19-year old and starred in Toy Factory’s A Date With Spring, which was directed by Goh Boon Teck, and theatre actually has always been a place I feel more affinity for and where I feel most at home,” says Sharon. “When I transitioned to TV, there was always this pressure to be perfect, and I was always putting on this good girl next door facade to ensure I’d make the rating each year. And even after I left, I did corporate work, and flew to Paris, and it almost feels like I’ve always been putting on a mask, hiding or running all my life.”

“So I always cherish the opportunity to be in theatre, in a rehearsal room where I can be at my most raw, real and vulnerable with a cast I trust, and I’ll take any opportunity I can to do a show, because each experience is so precious to me,” she adds. “I think it would be different if it was my main career and dependent on it for a living, but because it’s a hobby fo me, I can use it as my escape and sanctuary. And what I’m most happy about is how my fans from my time on TV came down to watch Between You and Me, because I was able to bring people to watch theatre for the first time, and shatter the myth that it would be boring or too artsy for them. I believe that the same group will come again for Everything For You, and I’m glad I can bridge that gap.”

On preparing for the show, Sharon explains how easily she slipped back into the role, like coming back to an old friend. “I already have a history with Shi Lin, and understand how frustrated and angry she was in the previous show, with so many scenes ending in tears. So I’m glad that this time we get to see a different, lighter side to her, where she’s trying to reinvent herself, and making herself more relevant to new audiences,” says Sharon. “Maybe there’s some parallels to my own career, but in any case, it really is such a joy to work with NYT again, because they make me feel like I’m in a safe space and continue to grow as an artist from it.”

The show’s Chinese title is “只在乎你”, which happens to sound like a reference to Theresa Teng’s beloved song of the same name. “That song actually turned out to be a starting point for the script, because it was all about time and relationships. It’s such a popular song that’s been covered so many times across languages and music genres, and it just made sense to title it that way,” says Nelson. “At the end of the day, my strength lies in writing plays that are about what it means to be human, and in this play, I really took a lot of inspiration from observing people of mine and Sharon’s generation, like the intricacies and complexities of maintaining a relationship.”

“And for the younger characters, well I’d have to ask my own daughters what the current generation is up to these days, and their own thoughts on anxiety and growing up or growing old,” he adds. “And sometimes you notice little things like when they are more engaged or what they roll their eyes at, and you are better able to understand what they’re concerned about or pre-occupied with.”

As Chinese New Year draws closer, so does the premiere of Everything For You, and we end the interview by asking both Nelson and Sharon what their wishes for the coming new year are. “I want more opportunity to spend quality time with family members, because I think it’s something I realised a little late in life. I hope it’s something that everyone realises too, and not wait too long to express their feelings in real life, compared to say over text and social media,” says Sharon. “And for the people coming to watch our show, I hope that seeing these crises and setbacks play out onstage, it helps them learn to overcome or accept these issues in their own lives, because it’s never too late.”

“I’ve been thinking a lot about reassessing where NYT is as a company, as well as what really matters in life. That’s been a driving force for so many of my decisions, like choosing whether I should be spending time with my daughter, or something work-related I should attend to, rather than having a one-track mind and feeling like struggling all the time,” says Nelson.

“I do hope that Singaporeans realise that we have so many stories worth telling in creative ways, and with Huayi, it really puts the focus on Chinese culture both in Singapore and beyond, and learning to be proud of it,” he concludes. “The Esplanade is on the same page as NYT in wanting to continue promoting Chinese arts and culture, and we both know that it’s a long game, but I believe that we can eventually reach a point where we do receive enough local support and resources that we can go one step further and take these stories worth telling overseas. I really do look forward to that day.”

Photo Credit: Nine Years Theatre

Everything For You plays from 16th to 17th February 2024 at the Esplanade Theatre. Tickets available here

Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts runs from 16th to 25th February 2024 at the Esplanade. Tickets and full programme available here