志异 Draft by Drama box december 2013 (english) | Page 63

I could have taken more risks in
focusing more critically on ‘hidden’
stories, for example, on the two
seniors who were single, on the
widow who had an arranged
marriage but is enjoying life even
more now because ‘her duty is
done’. In view of the different
spaces that the memories
negotiated through, I was also
reined in by my own perceptions of
the spaces. While I journeyed with
the seniors through the different
spaces, whose memories was I
really sharing?
This last question will always be on
my mind as I prepare and move on
to my third Reminiscence Theatre
project.

–
i hope that both projects
were not a simple re-telling
of stories, of simply
affirming the status quo,
but a social commentary
of life through personal
narratives.
–

Chang Mei Yee teaches
applied drama at the
Singapore Polytechnic.
She has a Masters of
Arts in Theatre Education
from Goldsmiths College,
University of London.
She enjoys working with
senior citizens and is
grateful for the stories
they have shared. She
hopes these stories
can be weaved into the
narratives of the next
generation.

Notes
1

Henri Lefebvre. The Production of Space. Oxford: Blackwell, 1991.

2

Helen Nicholson. ‘Re-locating Memory: Performance, Reminiscence and Communities of Diaspora.’
in The Applied Theatre Reader, edited by T. Prentki & S. Preston. New York: Routledge, 2009.
Production photos provided by Chang Mei Yee.