What is one surprising thing about a theater director’s work that the general public doesn’t know?
Andrew Sinclair: I think most of the general public doesn't understand what a director does. I know some think that we stop the singers bumping into each other on the stage by devising a traffic pattern. In fact, we have to decide the shape the production is to take—visually and dramatically—how the characters are to be played, which means interpreting both text and music carefully and working with the singers and conductor to achieve this. It also means working in detail with the set, costume and lighting designers. It's a huge job and it makes me angry when people think we are only “traffic cops”.

Is Madam Butterfly your favorite Puccini work?
AS: I can certainly say that it is one of my favorites. It is not just a romantic opera but a clash of two cultures that do not understand the other.

What do you think accounts for the enduring appeal of Puccini’s operas?
AS: Puccini's music makes his pieces so well-loved. But he was also a great man of the theater. Half the time, audiences are taken on an emotional journey through his music without realizing it. Very few members of an audience remain dry-eyed when Butterfly carries her child into the room in Act 2. It gets me every time: Puccini's extraordinary use of music coupled with dramatic situation.

What would you like audiences to take away from the show?
AS: Hopefully, it will make us think about our behavior towards each other so we try to understand each other better.

Madama Butterfly is on February 1-2, 4-5, 8pm at the Esplanade Theatre.

Tell us what’s behind Ex-Libris?
The title is Latin for “from books.” During my primary school years I didn’t have many friends, so I always spent time in the library. I used to be a librarian, too. This inspired me to create artworks from my favorite books that I read when I was little. The installation is like a 3D book sculpture using mixed media, paintings, and collages. Since it’s not in an art gallery, I had to try fitting my quiet library theme into a lively restaurant atmosphere.

How do the artworks in this exhibition reflect you?
The books that I chose to cover share the same characteristics: a boy is the main character and it’s not a happy ending. I can relate to them as I’ve learned that in reality there is no such thing as happily ever after. For example, there is a piece from There’s a Boy in the Girls’ Bathroom by Louis Sachar. The main character is naughty Bradley, he is trying to find a standpoint in school, and I see a similarity between him and I because I was naughty, too. It’s a coming-of-age book and I think many kids have been in a same situation. Reading those books was also a way to build my own identity; I was part of the adventure with the main characters. The story doesn’t end with the book, our imaginations keep them going.

What inspires you to create art?
I create artworks in various styles and formats; I especially like emotional and thoughtful works. My work is mostly about identity, asking questions like “Why am I who I am?” I’m very honest in my work. If the feeling is not right, I will work on it until I’m satisfied. My work process takes from one week to a few months. Right now I’m doing a drawing for A Day Magazine under the concept of teenagers that change the world. I’m enjoying it a lot because I can relate many characteristics to myself.

Who is your favorite artist?
I’m very inspired by the English artist William Blake. I love his prints and color tone. Although his works were not popular during his lifetime, he kept on doing things the way he liked. He believed in his instincts.

What is your next plan?
After closing this exhibition at Mellow Thonglor in Feb 2013, I will hold it at The Book Club in London in May. I haven’t really planned beyond that. I prefer to focus on the present and do the best I can.
 

I grew up on a boat as my family went up and down the Chao Phraya River selling sand. I was sent to live in the Klong Toey slum with my grandmother when I was six so I could attend school.

I just wanted to keep studying. Even though I got a scholarship, my parents didn’t have enough money for my daily expenses so I had to leave school in the ninth grade at age 14.

I started working at a garment factory because my sister had worked there. I really hated it but I didn’t know how to find other work. I ended up staying there for seven years before I quit to help my husband’s relative at her cooked-to-order shop.

I knew so many Thai recipes because I was made to cook by my mom and grandma since I was a little girl. At the time, I complained and kept asking them why we had to cook while others bought instant food.

It’s cheaper to cook. I stopped complaining when I realized how poor we were. We only had enough money to buy raw ingredients to cook and feed eight family members. If we had bought prepared food, it would only have fed half of us.

Cooking is my blessing. I am thankful to my mom and grandma for teaching me everything. I didn’t have to take an expensive course at a culinary school.

Launching a business is hard. When I started my own cooked-to-order shop, people would always come to eat then not pay because they had no money. They saw me as a young woman who didn’t dare ask them to pay their bill.

The food price hike in 2008 was my turning point. I was struggling to support my family as food prices skyrocketed. Anji Barker, a friend I’d known for a long time from her charity work with Helping Hands, offered to help me to open a charity cooking school in the slum.

There is nothing more foolish than believing yourself to be a fool. I was afraid to teach foreigners at the cooking school because I felt that my English wasn’t good enough.

Having someone believe in you is important. Though I rejected their offers of help many times, I still got huge support from my friends, especially Anji. They believed in me so I finally overcame my fear.

Everything is hard at the beginning. We went to a lot of churches to give away free meals and raise awareness of our school, but we were victims of the political turmoil when protesters seized Suvarnabhumi Airport. Students canceled all their classes and I had no income for three months.

The fear of running out of money kept me fighting. Seeing my family struggling and in debt pushed me to not give up. We slowly got more customers as Cooking with Poo gained international recognition.

My nickname is actually Chompoo (rose apple), not Poo as everyone remembers. I used to hate being called Poo, because it has a funny meaning in English and even Chinese. But now I really love it. It’s my brand.

Drugs and gambling are big problems for poor people. When people start gambling, they accumulate debts and then they have to sell drugs to pay back those debts. It’s a vicious circle.

Poverty clouds our expectations of a better life. The money is too limited to learn new things. Many are afraid of being rejected because they are from the slum.

It’s with resentment that people judge us for living here. They assume we must be junkies or thieves. They know nothing about us, still they look down upon us simply for where we live.

Our community is changing rapidly. Lots of parents are working hard to send their kids to university and more and more people are getting good jobs.

I have no wish to live anywhere else. I love living here. But everyone is afraid that the government will force the slum people to move elsewhere as [Thai Port’s] 20-year rental contract is already over.

Sharing is happiness. I’m so proud that our charity can create jobs for the community through handmade jewelry, food delivery, catering and now Munjai Café [Confident Café], which is all about giving our children the chance to advance their skills in the service industry. We hope it will give them the confidence and abilities to work in hotels and restaurants in the future.

Confidence is everything. I always tell the children who work with me that they are beautiful and assure them that they can be whatever they want to be. They just need to fight for it.

Teach your kids through hard work. I bring my kids to work at the school every weekend. I tell them to do everything from taking care of customers to cleaning the toilets so that they learn the value of money.

To continue giving is my dream. I was given a chance by Anji and it changed my life. Now I dream of making others’ lives better. It’s about endless giving.

When did you start to take an interest in golf?
When my mom was still pregnant with my sister. Deciding to give my mom some space, my dad introduced me to the sport and gave me some golf clubs. My inspiration in golf would probably be Thongchai Jaidee; watching him play made me want to do the same. When I was just starting out, he taught me the essentials from swing technique to putting and before I knew it I had grown to love the sport.

What did it feel like to start out on the tour?
It was different. I was nervous at first since I was new to the pace of professional golf. Moving from country to country was exhausting. I would be playing four to five tournaments straight. There would often be another tournament in another country the week after the last tournament I finished. Compared to amateur golf the schedule is tightly packed and back in college I was carefree. The TV crews would also be following you around the course which was really nerve-wracking.

How much do you train?
Between tournaments I train every day. Sometimes I go to the gym and then take about three to four hours practicing technique, or I take five to six hours just training on a specific skill I am struggling with. Like how most golfers train, really. I just try to make myself as consistent on the course as possible.

What are the best and worst experiences you have had in golf?
I’ve probably hit millions of shots that have turned out badly so there is no specific moment that was terrible, but it’s very frustrating when I get injuries, mostly to my back, and have to sit out a tournament. Great moments would be when I was playing college golf at the University of Florida—I hit my best shots on that course on the last day and won the tournament. This gave me confidence as it proved that I was able to compete at the college level and I went on to win more tournaments. But my best experience in professional golf was recently winning the King’s Cup. I managed to pull off a 64 on the last day—everything just went right for me. I just went out there and played golf and I was fortunate enough to sink the birdies. I wasn’t thinking about winning until those last three holes.

Any perks to being a golfer?
I guess it’s just having the opportunity to do what I love and getting paid for it. I’m not stuck in an office and it’s very rewarding.

What’s your dream and who would you most like to go up against?
Tiger Woods, but we never know when that might happen. In the future I hope to win the Asia tour, enter the Euro-Asian tournament and go back to the US for the PGA tour. Eventually I want to compete in the Masters, since it is heaven on earth for any golfer and I love the way that it is always held at the same golf course. 

How do you reconcile with “street”/freedom of expression credentials with working on a project for OCBC?
Slac Satu: Of course, working with a client is a little different from painting a personal artwork, but OCBC pretty much gave us that freedom on the hoardings.
CLOGTWO!: It was a pleasure to be working with OCBC. They are open to our sense of humor and jokes, so we can express these into visuals.

What inspires your work?
SS: I always keep an open mind to anything and everything around me and I can say most artists that I came across inspire me. They change the way I look at and appreciate art, whatever the medium.
C: My works are constantly based on social interactions and my day-to-day life experiences, be it bitter or sweet.

Share a memorable incident that happened while you’re creating art on the streets.
SS: We were halfway through a mural in Bandung when I was told it's illegal if there was no permission granted. Soon after, the owner of the building came out, saw what we were doing and gave us the thumbs up. I don't think you'll get that in Singapore.
C: We had a few glitches when creating the mural for OCBC, like figuring out the proportions and height of the elements to be put up. So three of us (Skl0 and Slac Satu) tried many ways to recompose the position of the mural, and we manage to solve our problems!

Why street art?
SS: Not everyone has the time to visit art galleries, so doing it on the street really helps to educate society and make people more aware of their surroundings.
C: With street art we're able to play with different mediums in the urban landscape as a canvas. This helps us become more conceptual, creative and interactive in our works.

What are your hopes for the local arts and culture scene?
SS: I hope to see more legal graffiti walls in Singapore, as well as more street art exhibitions and more opportunities to travel for art exchange programmes.
C: The local arts and culture scene is building up slowly but surely. Singapore needs to have a better foundation and appreciation for arts in order for it to grow.

Check out the murals by Slac Satu, CLOGTWO! and Skl0 (aka Sticker Lady) at the hoarding outside OCBC Centre.

How does it feel to be the antagonist of the show?
It can be very stressful to be an antagonist coming up against so many protagonists in a multi-layered drama like The Crucible. However, I love the liberty I am given to explore psychotic, morally-questionable characters that force me to think from a different, almost deviant perspective. I find enjoyment from creating a genuine interpretation of any character, regardless of whether they are “good” or “bad”. But generally the “bad” ones are more fun.

If you weren’t playing Abigail, which role would you want?
Elizabeth Proctor. I think she is the biggest protagonist in the play. I feel her character truly captures the zeitgeist of our generation as well as the victims of McCarthyism who experienced grave suffering and oppression in the 1950s, inspiring Miller to write The Crucible. Elizabeth Proctor is definitely a great role that many actresses have sought after.

What’s the most challenging part of playing Abigail?
It has to be standing by and defending my character without judgment, and bringing myself to question my own preconceived notions of good and evil.

What drew you to the role?
I was drawn to Abigail’s obsession with love.

What do you think motivates Abigail?
I think John Proctor is a key figure in motivating Abigail to accuse innocent villagers of witchcraft. I also believe that he triggers most of Abigail’s insanity. She is relentlessness in her warped “love” for him and belief that her accusations and playacting will help John find his true self. However, the town’s emotional response of delirious hysteria and hyper-disillusionment also feeds and encourages Abigail to abuse her power to a state of no return.

Jean Toh performs in The Crucible on February 7-23 at The Drama Centre.

Growing up in Hong Kong was really quite insane. Especially after visiting UK, I found out the UK was so behind with technology and how slow things moved there.

I was pretty lucky to live in a block with loads of kids who always played outside. You know, regular little block party for 8-year-olds. Good times.

I first got into weird shit when computers came out. Playing old video games, hanging out at gaming arcades. Then I started discovering alternative cinema, sci-fi and B-movies. I loved everything about them.

I am a classic case of someone shaped by ’80s pop culture. I ate fast food and listened to Madonna and Jellybean.

As a kid I wanted to be a magician on a cruise ship. I also wanted to design swimming pools. Now I just want to be a kid.

I always felt that the big giant billboards around every city in the world would be ideal platforms for spreading good, positive messages. I feel they are abused a lot these days, adding very little value to communities and cities.

Good art to me is when it reflects my life, forcing me to see it from a new angle. I am more a fan of figurative art, rather than abstract art. Abstract art is really hard to pin down. You either think it looks cool, or not. I like art when it tells me a story.

When I first visited Singapore in the early ’90s, I was struck by all the social messaging I saw around the city, spreading important messages about AIDS or famine.

I loved how billboards communicated very quickly an idea by using a single image. Today, this visual language is something very close to my heart, and it is what I am constantly trying to analyze and refine every day.

I’m generally quite a happy person when I’m out and about. It’s easy to focus on negative things, but it also requires the same skill to focus on the positive things. I find that when I am lazy, I am not as happy as when I am busy.

I am an upstanding, law-abiding citizen, guilty of a few fashion crimes occasionally.

I have absolutely no routine. I would say I stand more than I sit as I’m constantly outside visiting factories, suppliers and printers. Lots of time spent up on ladders too.

People who don’t say “please” and “thank you” make me sick.

I am seeing a lot of greed recently. Not cool.

There is a real problem with landlords hiking rent here so high it is forcing out small independent businesses. We are being replaced by chain stores and monocultural mediocrity.

There is not much philanthropy around. It would be great if more public buildings offered gallery space and subsidized rents for indie designers and businesses. This problem has plagued Hong Kong for years, but is now being addressed—it is fashionable to be a supporter of the arts, and patrons are recognized for their contribution to society.

Find what you love doing, and who you love doing it with. Try and be involved in life rather than watching it from the sidelines. Learn other languages, enjoy all cultures. Learn some history. It can be quite interesting.

Don’t eat yellow snow.

Daniel Buys: Some of The Four Seasons’ harmonies are tricky and mastering the style of their era is a challenge.

What’s the practice and rehearsal schedule like?

JVR: Our training has been compared to that of an athlete. There’s a morning warm-up when you wake and then the actual rehearsals start: dancing, singing and acting. Separate at first (when you learn the new material) and then all at once, marrying the words of the songs to the choreographed steps. Later at home, you learn more lines and work on scenes you’re not comfortable with. The next morning it starts again.

DB: It’s their beautiful simplicity, wonderful four-part harmony and catchy melodies.

DB: I love the food here and have already seen some amazing food markets and malls. I’d also like to play golf on Sentosa Island.

What’s the concept behind Fat Live?
Holding a concert is the most direct way Fat Radio can interact with our listeners. Fat Live generally happens more than once a year. It gives us the chance to showcase interesting bands of our own choosing. When we do these concerts, we focus on the artists’ strengths and who they are. We’re not putting them on to do anything that’s not true to themselves. We present them in a way that turns the artists’ weak points into strong ones and frees them up to do what they have never done before.

why did you call an end to the Fat Fest?
Fat Fest started in 2001 and continued for over ten years. We were surprised that it was so successful for so long. But we knew it couldn’t go on forever. It had reached the point where we thought we’d rather stop and leave our audience with a good impression.

What’s special about Fat Live Smallroom?
This time around, we picked Smallroom Records because they represent something more than just songs or artists. They are more like our friends that we’ve grown up with. I believe that Smallroom is the music of today, and the future, too. They have a firm standpoint, do what they believe in, and don’t change their style to suit the mainstream. Nowadays that’s rare and admirable. Music lovers will understand this.

How will it be different from the last concert?
We received really good feedback from Fat Live Friday, our last concert held in May this year. Of course, production is different every time; in this case we are bringing together 17 bands, so we’re focusing on quantity and quality to ensure the happiness of our audience. The bands include Tattoo Colour, The Richman Toy, Slur, Yarinda, Superbaker, Penguin Villa, Greasy Café, The Jukks, The Yers, Polycat, Lomosonic, Lemonsoup, Spoonfulz, Gene Kasidit, Barbies, Somkiat and Summer Stop. You can expect four to five hours of non-stop fun.

What do you think about today’s indie rock scene?
Indie music is productive. If an indie song is gets popular, it’s because of the song, unlike with mainstream pop songs, which have all these other factors contributing to their success. Such songs are used as marketing tools and people are forced in a way to listen to them. However, people still seek those real songs that make you feel good when listening to them. And when we look back after five to ten years, it’s the indie songs that stick with us. This is because the musicians and producers are working according to their beliefs.

Where did the idea of a GTH stage play come from?
They launched a series of special projects to celebrate their 7th anniversary, including the movie Seven Something, but they wanted to do something different so they asked me to remake the play Lamsing Singer.

How did you come up with this plot?
Actually, I wrote and directed the stage play Lamsing Singer when I was a Communication Arts student at Chulalongkorn University. It is a tribute to my childhood memories when I was young and enjoyed listening to molam music. The plot [in this version] is pretty close to the original with some changes to make it more intense and add a bit more comedy.

What about the choice of characters?
Ter (Chantawit Thanasewee) and Opal (Panisara Phimpru) play their original roles. For the female lead, I wanted someone who had not acted on stage or in a comedy before to surprise the audience. I decided on Pancake (Khemanit Jamikorn) because she’s known for being a beautiful actress on Channel 7. It was a real challenge for her to play a character that’s the very opposite to her, but she does it very well.

What is the difference between directing a stage play and TV series?
There are so many people involved in a stage play. The tool to communicate the story is the actors. I have to ensure those sitting in the back row enjoy the show as much as the ones at the front. With a TV sitcom, it’s just going on between the screen and the audience at home.

What are your favorite and least favorite things about directing a stage play?
I love the atmosphere. Unity is very important, everyone needs to put a lot of effort in. It’s like a new family; you need to connect. There is nothing I don’t like about it, because even the struggles are just a challenge to make us grow up.

What struggles have you encountered?
People are key to a stage play, so they need to be stable. The work doesn’t end when the cameras stop like a sitcom. We have to trust each other. It’s been three months since we first rehearsed and it’s my job to ensure everyone is involved and OK emotionally from the beginning till the end. Real life is the drama behind the drama.

What is your favorite stage performance?
It’s Avenue Q from Broadway. But I didn’t take it as my inspiration. I always try to develop my own ideas because I won’t enjoy my work if I know it’s like someone else’s.

Would you like to direct more stage performances?
Yes, I also want to make a movie because I studied film and I’ve never done it. However, I think it depends on the subject to determine which medium you want to use, whether it’s stage, sitcom or film. It’s more about the subject than the timing.