DIRECT ENTRY, the biannual director-mentorship programme of Toy Factory Productions Ltd, is finally ready for its second season featuring the theatre director, Adeeb Fazah.
With the timely and original script written by the said director, For My Highness will spotlight issues of abuse, addictions and societal rejections – the reality of the LGBT community in Singapore.
Being the Artistic Director of The Second Breakfast Company, a not-for-profit theatre company founded by youths for the youths, Adeeb Fazah is a proud advocate for young talents on professional stages. He is known for expressing the Singaporean narratives in a raw and truthful way.
With the help of DIRECT ENTRY, the mentorship guides Adeeb’s perspective on a more taboo topic for this original script. For My Highness will undoubtedly maximize the director’s artistic capabilities, for it requires edgy and psychedelic understanding.
Goh Boon Teck, an award-winning director and DIRECT ENTRY’s mentor, said that his goal for this director-mentorship programme is to instil creative confidence among young artists and nurture them into capable theatre directors.
When asked why he chose Adeeb Fazah for this 9-months long mentorship, Goh stated: “I have seen Adeeb’s work, and I observed that he’s a calm and composed director whom often push the audiences to think critically. He’s good at solving dramatic equations, and this script will further expand his creative arsenal as a director.”
More so, when Adeeb Fazah was asked about his DIRECT ENTRY journey and inspiration behind For My Highness, he said: “It has been an honour to be selected and mentored by Goh Boon Teck. He has been very forthcoming with his guidance, and has pushed me to go beyond stage conventions, which I can appreciate. Taking on an original script that is peppered with opportunities to go wilder in my direction is definitely a challenge, as “For My Highness” is a play that demands balance whilst still capturing both spectrum of abstractionism and realism.”
Shaleihin Pi’ee will be the playwright. He is deeply inspired by the collective stories from a Malay/Muslim perspective and a gay man’s journey to navigate life as an LGBT in Singapore.
“I feel that it is about time that we give voice to the marginalised people who have fallen through the cracks of society, and emphatise as a community on what we can do better to support these individuals. It’s even more important that we address this on stage with the rising numbers of substance abusers facing jailtime and even those sentenced with death penalty recently,” the playwright shared.
For My Highness casts a team of young actors with a one-of-a-kind stage presence. Altogether, they will perform an ensemble piece that will portray themes of intimacy, loneliness, substance abuse, and religion while also taking in various characters that live inside the protagonist’s hallucinations. The chosen actors are Zulfiqar Izzudin, Ong Xue Min, Fadhil Daud, Wilfred Lee and Junde Lim.
This English-written show is set to open its curtains on Nov 25-27 at the Stamford Arts Centre, Blackbox. The time duration will be 1 hour and 10 minutes. Show times are 3pm and 8pm.
The ticket price is $43 excluding the booking fee. The audience may avail of their tickets at https://for-my-highness.eventbrite.sg.
Ratings for For My Highness is M18, with trigger warnings regarding homosexual themes, substance abuse and coarse language.
DIRECT ENTRY is under Toy Factory Productions Ltd, which continuously generates a body of original and unique stories for Asia and beyond.