When you think of a fighter pilot, what’s the first image that appears in your head? Is it a strapping young man in aviator shades, not unlike Tom Cruise in his prime in Top Gun? Singapore Theatre Company (STC) is here to subvert those expectations with the first major show of their season, as they bring George Brant’s one-woman show Grounded to the stage.

Directed by Renee Yeong and starring Oon Shu An, Grounded follows an unnamed elite fighter pilot as she undergoes a dramatic life change – once high in the skies where every day is an adrenaline rush, an unexpected pregnancy grounds her, and she ends up stationed in a windowless trailer, redeployed to fly military drones remotely, her identity thrust into crisis. Speaking to star Oon Shu An, we found out more about the preparation that went into the role, her own experience with change, and gender roles, before Grounded premieres this week.

“My base and foundation has always been theatre, from growing up in it and studying it, so returning to the stage again feels like a homecoming,” says Shu An. “Sometimes people ask me whether I prefer working in television and film, but to me, each medium is different and has something to enjoy about them, so I don’t think it’s a matter of preference, just a matter of enjoying them for what they are and how they determine how we approach each work.”

Speaking on how she got involved in the production, Shu An explains how she was invited to try for the role. “When Gaurav (Kripalani, artistic director of STC) called me and told me about the script, I was a little nervous, because it seemed out of my comfort zone, but STC has always done amazing scripts, and I remember having such a great time the last time I performed with them in Lungs,” she says. “STC’s works always finds creative approaches towards addressing very human topics, and they’re always challenging but so layered, giving you so much potential to keep excavating them.”

“Part of the joy is figuring out how to break down the script. For one thing, it has barely any punctuation in it, which gives us more opportunity to play with different interpretations and takes of what could be, expanding on the script and the ways in which to see this, and what these words can potentially show about the character at each point in time,” says Shu An. “I love working with Renee – we have such great discussions as we unpack the layers and nuance of the play, and it really is such a joy to just discuss the directions we can go in, as we bounce ideas off each other, clarify our biases and assumptions, and see what options work best to share with the audience.”

Shu An goes on to talk about how unusual the role is, even beyond putting a female fighter pilot front and centre (when one often thinks of it as a very male-coded job instead). And rather than focusing on the glory and action behind being a pilot, Grounded instead gives us insight into the inner workings of a pilot’s mind, and how it feels like a fall from grace in being relegated to what is a far less glamorous job of drone pilot. “I don’t think she ever wants to be a mother, and she becomes affected by how changed she feels, and how foreign everything suddenly seems, with this loss of identity,” says Shu An. “Her entire life is tied to her job, and I think it’s something I think we can all relate to, this idea of struggling to make sense of change, suddenly feel that this isn’t me when your identity is displaced, and the struggle that comes with that.”

Speaking of identity, our conversation shifts to the topic of pigeonholes and stereotypes, something that remains ever prevalent. Especially considering how on social media at least, Shu An is often styled and presented in a rather put-together way, more feminine way, a far cry from her role in Grounded. “I’m excited to take on a role like this, where you really see someone in a very male-dominated environment and how she adapts to that,” says Shu An. “In our research process, we watched so many videos of female fighter pilots, and there’s really such a variety and diversity to them – some of them wear full hair and makeup, others are more ‘masculine’ in the way they present, and we had to think about where this character sits on that gender spectrum, compared to my usual, more stereotypically feminine roles.”

“There was this video we found of an American female fighter pilot, and she talked about how her superior honestly didn’t want her there because of her sex, and she had to work so hard to prove him wrong,” she continues. “I do think that we can’t help but make snap judgments, because it’s part of the survival instinct to make sense of a place or person the moment you see them. But it’s also important to take time to see past those first impressions, and push back against the reinforced messages from social media and the people around you, and have conversations about that.”

On the idea of the binary, Shu An shares how frustrating it can be to be expected to conform to very specific stereotypes and characteristics. “Actually, when I was younger, I think I always wanted to be a boy, because growing up, I really wanted to be treated like them, or allowed to do what they did and how they behaved, and how they got away with so many things,” says Shu An. “After all, not everyone fits neatly into a very clean binary – do we have to speak softly to be acceptably ‘feminine’ in the world? I think a lot about how when you cook something, often you mix all these flavours together to create something much more complex but enjoyable, where there is beauty in the diversity. Identities are not set in stone, and we have to be open to the idea that identity shifts and changes and is far more complicated than we give it credit for – and at no point should we have to shapeshift into someone we think others want us to be.”

“So during this play, I found myself tackling a lot of these thoughts and looking at all these female fighter pilots, I wondered if I was doing enough to challenge assumptions, or thinking hard enough about what they had to do in that environment to survive or get ahead. It really was a process of thinking that I’m not playing a ‘woman’ so to speak, but beyond that and get to the heart of this person, and her character beyond her gender,” she adds.

Shu An is no stranger to the one-woman play, having done her very own show #UnicornMoment back in 2014, itself a play about identity and self-worth. On her own changes and transitions over the years, Shu An explains: “Sometimes I look back at who I was a decade ago and I don’t necessarily recognise that person anymore. Part of me is still the same, but I think I also want to become someone who’s much more open to the unknown as I face new versions of myself at each stage of my life, with more grace, compassion and curiosity, and most of all, accept that this is still true to who I am.”

“I feel I’ve changed a lot in terms of handling boundaries, and these days I feel like I know I can make it through difficult moments, and gained more emotional literacy after going for therapy, but most of all, hope that I am a better friend and daughter,” she continues. “Sometimes I think I’m not necessarily very present in the lives of people I love, and I think I’ve become more conscious in needing to carve out time for that, and to ensure when I do, I’m also present and engaging with them. To me, that connection is so important, and to appreciate them for that.”

“I do think staying grounded is important, and I do that via my friends and these days, about finding community in people with shared values and a shared interest in how you approach life, to allow you to talk about difficult things with honesty and find joy even in the difficult times, so that we may support each other and move towards hope,” says Shu An, on how overwhelming the weight of it all can seem sometimes. “We are living in very difficult times, and sometimes it can be overwhelming thinking about what we can do about any of it. And sometimes we have to remember that we do indeed have agency and are able to do things and make change, no matter how small. We were never meant to solve problems completely alone, and it’s important to find strength in each other, imagining a world we want and believing that it’s possible as we work towards it.” 

“I genuinely am very excited to work with STC again and the whole team, and I’m really looking forward to both Grounded and the season ahead, with these beautiful shows about current topics that are very relevant to the world we’re in,” she concludes. “I want to do justice by approaching this show with as much courage and honesty and vulnerability as I can, and hope that it brings up questions and resonates with different people, who can have.a good conversation after the show, perhaps about the systems we live in, and becoming more awareness of that and how we live in such a society.”

Photo Credit: Singapore Theatre Company

Grounded runs from 7th to 23rd March 2024 at the KC Arts Centre. Tickets available here