City Harvest’s Drama Ministry presents the gospel message on stage every season. City News goes backstage with four of the team’s most prolific actors who appear on stage this Sunday.
Contributed By Nicolette Ng
On May 30 at the Asia Conference, delegates will get to watch the CHC Drama Ministry in action with a specially commissioned Asia Conference drama. Behind the slick productions and powerful acting are actors who have a day job. Come meet some of the most familiar faces on CHC’s stage.
ANNE NG, 26
CN: What do you work as?
I’m the Communications Manager for the Singapore Grand Prix. My job scope entails promoting the world’s only Formula One night race in Singapore amongst local and international press.
We’ve seen you on stage as …
Jenny, an aspiring beauty queen in PVC Rocks, a take on High School Musical; and as Mary in the Christmas drama the last two years.
What are some of your favorite roles?
I absolutely love musicals—if I had been born at a different time and in a different city, I would have been a Broadway actress. My role as Jenny in the musical PVC Rocks where I had to dance and sing was one of the most memorable for me. Acting alongside a very talented co-lead like Lucas Chia also made the whole experience really fun. My other favorite role would have to be playing Mary in the 2009 Christmas drama, who was misunderstood by her fiancé and betrayed by her sister. I loved the emotional complexities of the character—she wasn’t just a simple girl with an angel-like personality but she felt real anger, pain and sorrow which made her very relevant to the female audience.
Which was the toughest role for you?
Definitely playing Mary last year. I had to play someone many years younger than my actual age and cry in multiple scenes. I also had to do a “kissing” scene, which took us hours to perfect the right posture so that the kiss looked real! (It wasn’t!) One moment, we’re in a lovey-dovey scene and in the next, I had to scream, fight and cry. Getting one’s heart “broken” over and over again in six services can be very emotionally, mentally and physically draining. I had to dig very deep to bring forth my most painful memories at each rehearsal and actual run. By the time we had our last run, my husband could not recognize me as he felt I had turned into a different person! It took me at least a month to separate my real self from the character. That’s the sacrifice actors sometimes have to make so you need to have a certain amount of mental tenacity and spiritual steel.
What are you most remembered for?
I guess I’ve been typecast as the saccharine sweet Mary because I’ve played her twice. I need to clarify that I’m not so sweet in real life—I do have a little bit of chilli padi spice in me!
Do you have any former background in drama/acting?
I’ve never received any professional training though I’ve always been acting, directing and writing scripts for class plays in secondary school. I would have chosen theater as my full-time vocation had my dad not said I would be a penniless and starving artist! So I became a journalist instead—if you can’t have the best, you pick the next best, don’t you?
Who are your favorite actors and actresses?
I have so many favorites! Ashley Judd, Audrey Hepburn, Nicole Kidman, Drew Barrymore, Charlize Theron, Meryl Streep, and Renee Zellweger. They are all women! I guess I’m quite the feminist.
Which are your favorite characters in a movie/play and why?
Oh this is easy! I adore Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady played by Audrey Hepburn. In fact, I’ve watched this classic a hundred times and can sing every song in the musical by heart! I see myself in the silly but cute tramp of a girl who transforms into a lady, thanks to an arrogant professor’s coaching. It is kind of like Cinderella with an academic twist.
If you could choose, which Bible character would you want to play?
I would like to play a character who is more devious, unlike the sweet, angel type roles I’m usually given! Perhaps a villain who looks deceptively innocent but is thoroughly ruthless. Of course, I would have to bribe the directors to make that role mine. But you know, Kate Spade bags and Christian Louboutin shoes are not cheap …
NELSON TONG, 35
CN: What is your day job?
I’m a primary school teacher. During drama sessions, it is a good opportunity to impart skills to them. The most fulfilling part of the job is that when the kids graduate at the end of the year and they still remember you.
We’ve seen you on stage as …
Lucas’ father in the recent Mother’s Day drama and Pontius Pilate in the Easter production this year. I play mostly the “father” roles, and I’m always Santa Claus in the Christmas drama.
What was your most memorable role?
Mother’s Day 2010 was my first time playing a father opposite (fellow actor) Lucas Chia. One of my lines went like this: “I tried to be there for you but you misunderstood my intentions.” This left a deep impression on me. I told myself that, as a dad myself, I want to do that for my own son in my life—it was a role that I really identified with!
Which was the toughest role for you?
Playing the father of Mary last Christmas. The father had a conflict with Mary who had become pregnant—you know the story! In this telling of the Christmas tale, Mary had a sister who was jealous of the attention her parents showered on Mary. It was new to me to be in a position where my “other daughter” misunderstood me when I showed concern for Mary—especially when this other daughter had a sudden, scary outburst. It took me some time to figure out what kind of emotions I needed to experience to play that role believably.
What are you most remembered for?
Definitely Santa Claus. People remember me for that, and kids still come up to me and say, “You’re Santa Claus”! Offstage, I guess people know me as the guy who can cook. In my cell group we cook a lot. Many of them come to me saying, “You should be a cook and not a teacher.”
Do you have any former background in drama/acting?
I was in a drama interest group in Ngee Ann Polytechnic. We put up public performances at drama theatres. I have also had opportunities in the movie industry with a few minor roles, including some for director Jack Neo.
Who are your favorite actors and actresses?
Robin Williams and Glenn Close.
Which are your favorite characters in a movie/play and why?
Sylvester Stallone in the movie Rocky. The relationship that he had with his son was extremely touching. I love movies that tug at my heartstrings and Rocky definitely did.
If you had a chance to dictate, what Biblical character would you play in the next Easter or Christmas drama and how would you make that role “yours”?
I would love to be Joseph if it is to be a fatherly role in the next Easter drama. Alternatively, I’d love play the devil. It is a good role to “go all out” and show my acting potential!
SHEILA THER, 27
What’s your day job?
I am a secondary school teacher. The best thing about my job is getting to meet teenagers from different kinds of backgrounds.
We’ve seen you on stage as …
The mother during this year’s Mothers’ Day drama, Mary’s mother during last year’s Christmas drama, the “diva” angel at Christmas 2008, and Kefira, the lead role in 2006—I was a talkshow host ala Oprah Winfrey!
What was your most memorable role?
Playing Kefira. The story was set in biblical times, yet it had a modern age twist to it. It was presented in a new perspective, and was a very refreshing Christmas story as I had to do a live report on the birth of Christ. The other role that was memorable was playing a mother at this year’s Mother’s Day drama. A friend said to me that even if I touched the heart of one single mother sitting in the audience it was all worth it. That was very powerful to me.
Which was the toughest role for you?
Kefira! I had to lose about 11kgs in two months, and there were many lines to memorize for that role. Kefira was an interesting persona to put on as she was a successful talkshow host, yet her personal life was in jeopardy. She had to put up a strong front every time she was on screen, while facing issues with her husband behind the scenes. It was personally difficult to match the two facades yet at the same time, I realized it was very relatable for many women who are working.
What are you most remembered for?
On stage, it is definitely the motherly roles that I play and I take it as a compliment that the directors trust me enough to give me the role every time, and believe that I can best portray the character. In real life, I hope that I am remembered as a person who is committed to the craft of acting and not just enjoying the moment on stage. The last thing an actor should want is to be purely a celebrity. People who want to join the drama team should join it for the craft of it and the passion to see how they can spread God’s love through drama.
Do you have any former background in drama/acting?
I was in the drama club in junior college and I majored in Theater Studies in NUS. I loved every moment that I was doing Theater Studies. It was exactly what I wanted to do—we get to lead different characters’ lives in every session.
Who are your favorite actors and actresses?
Sean Penn, Cate Blanchett and Jennifer Saunders—these are who I get my inspiration from. Acting is a lot about imitation and we need to get inspiration to see how many different people portray the same emotion.
Which are your favorite characters in a movie/play and why?
Sean Penn in I Am Sam. He really portrayed the character of an intellectually-challenged adult man very well. The audience was convinced that he really had special needs. Every single action that he did, especially the simplest idiosyncrasies, made him so convincing. He was so good at picking up and playing these little details that made all the difference.
If it were up to you, which biblical character would you play in the next Easter or Christmas drama?
I would love to play Esther the beautiful queen! Even though that is a far-fetched dream, it is very interesting that a person with such great looks and wealth would risk her life to serve. She had everything laid out in her life yet she was willing to discredit all that she had. I would definitely portray her in a local context— Bible stories must be realistic, modern and down-to-earth, so that Singaporeans can relate to them.
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BERNARD LOH, 30
What is your day job?
I am a professional emcee.
We’ve seen you on stage as …
Benny the Bumbling Angel at the Christmas 2008 production. Most people would know my face from Harvest Highlights, our weekly video announcements at church. You’ll also have seen me as the disciples Peter or John in some of the Easter dramas, as a himbo in PVC Rocks, as a reporter/son in Tonight With Kefira, as a host of The Amazing Race in the Father’s Day drama, as Willy Wonka in ChristmasLand, and as the creator of a social networking website in the recent Easter drama LifeBook.
What are some of your favorite roles?
It would definitely be as the son in Tonight With Kefira and the lead role as Andrew in this year’s Easter drama, LifeBook. They are my favorites because they were the two toughest roles.
Why were they tough?
In Tonight With Kefira, I had to lose a lot of weight since I needed to look young and like a university freshman. I was 74kg during the auditions and in two months and by the time I appeared on stage that Christmas, I was 60kg. That was tough! The recent Easter drama, LifeBook, was challenging because it was the most emotionally demanding role I’d ever done and we only had 10 days to rehearse because we had just finished another drama! It was a mad rush, and I memorized all my lines by the fourth day. I lived, thought, dreamed, bathed, breathed and prayed nothing but Easter for 10 days solid!
What are you most remembered for?
At the end of the day, I think I’m remembered mostly for the video announcements on Harvest Highlights. That’s because I’ve been doing it for the past five years, ever since its beginning when we started with outdoor shoots.
You’re such a pro. What’s your background in drama?
Nil! Nothing! Zero! Nada! Zilch!
