..the beads and p*sses of dumbo-no-more

william and acting

i like to act. i think i really enjoy getting into roles and perform.
there is something in me- a performing streak- that spurs me to want to present to an audience, so as to tell a story.

no one in my family seems extraverted enough to want to share, to want to display, to show...
but i inherited from them a safe environment to dare to show such flair- strangely, not to them but to an audience.

i often remember when i was younger i would move with the beats from songs, that was when i was still a toddler. during primary school, i asked one of the teachers i/c of teacher's day celebration if i could go on stage and dance and i did...and well, my face was so thick i kept dancing and influenced a few more pp to join me on stage.
i was active in choir for about 10yrs. under the baton of mr nelson kwei, i sang songs that praise my God whom i didn't know, i travelled overseas and performed to audiences and competed under the 'watchful' eyes and 'sensitive' ears of judges.
there was tkd demonstration and i was thrilled with the ideas of showing stunts and kicking planks so as to draw members to the activity.

wow, i thought going on stage was fun, exciting, nervous...

came sec1 beijing immersion trip... i had my first taste of role playing.
a baddie, 一个使枪的枪匪。。。威胁客站的老板...an armed robber who threatened the innkeeper. then on, i had a kick in playing baddies, aka ah-beng. 很放。。可以大声。。应该大声。。来恐吓好人。。 (the streak of ah-bengness starts here)

for a while i aspired to be an (tv/stage) actor. yea, even for someone short, yet rather candid... like 辉哥, there was also 周初明。搞笑。。。 i told my MEP teacher and she remembered until these few years i told her that i will be a social worker and NOT an actor.

i didn't get hold of any roles in school choir performances. maybe i shouldn't. that kept me in check. Nope. i wasn't good enough for nelson to hand me a role in les mis and horrotorio.

came BMT and i was the company mascot. a short man in a huge jack-daniel's whiskey bottle made outta cardboard. well... till date, i am still amused i wore that thing and paraded during games day at tekong which somehow triggered a slight brawl between my sect comm and another spec from T coy.

in NS, through my recruits' lives, i saw the impoverished side of what is commonly and often mistakened as a good society, singapore. I saw how hard lives were when my trainees had to sell hardpack, joined gang becos they dun find nothing from dysfunctional homes; living conditions were minimal, parents outta job, gf about to give birth while he is in camp... nah, not all singaporeans grew up like me. (to prepare my heart to do social work)

God was gracious; He grant me an opportunity to study in NUS. most importantly, that's where i (re-)met chek. there, i also met friends who are like-minded.

During my uni days, i went thailand for mission trip (twice) and i role-played characters from the bible.(who arh? i cannot rmb)

i also was involved in the clown musical, an evangelistic musical. that musical was the first major performance after a 3-4 yrs hiatus. thank God He knew i could commit the role of a blind man whom Jesus healed. "I can see! I can see!!" not only did the blind man was healed physically, his heart and mind saw the Light. that was a revelation; something i didn't know until i acted that role.
never had i imagined to get a role in a MUSICAL, what more i sang and leapt, and act. hallelujah!
in between, i sang with heartdrive and there i have it, an album called First Love.
With a heart of thankfulness, You have used my talents to speak to me and assure me;teach me and humbled me.
during easter last yr, i was thrilled acting as the Enemy in the mime at church. i was glad that the impact was there. got kick!

In my course-social work, students role-play as clients and social workers. I enjoyed my classes that has such element. experiential learning.

posted by WILLIAM @ 2:54 AM