(un)becoming
Co-created by Sim Yan Ying “YY” & Nabilah Said
Devised with Arielle Jasmine Van Zuijlen, Chanel Ariel Chan, Isabella Chiam & Suhaili Safari
July 2021 on Zoom, as part of T:>Works’ Festival of Women: N.O.W.
Extension: @unbecomingstories on Instagram, featuring real-life mother-daughter stories from women across cultures and communities in Singapore today
A millennial mother and her Gen Z daughter grapple with their disintegrating relationship. A doula finds herself trapped in a cycle she can’t seem to break. A little girl walks alone. In between, stories of women across time, space, and reality emerge from Kinder Eggs. What does it mean to mother? Or to be a daughter? And from what perspectives can we understand this bond between them?
(un)becoming explores the complex dynamics of mother-daughter relationships in Singapore today, through an online experience combining live performance, short films, and digital snooping. Created by Sim Yan Ying “YY” and Nabilah Said, and devised in collaboration with the (un)becoming team, this show attempts to uncover what women inherit from their mothers and what they pass down––for better or for worse.
Collaborators
Co-creators (Writers & Directors): Sim Yan Ying "YY" & Nabilah Said
Devisers & Performers: Arielle Jasmine Van Zuijlen, Chanel Ariel Chan, Isabella Chiam & Suhaili Safari
Dramaturgs: A Yagnya & Cheng Nien Yuan
Scenic & Costume Designer: Johanna Pan
Multimedia Designer: Jevon Chandra
Sound Designer: Tini Aliman
Stage Manager: Shivani Rajan
Assistant Stage Manager & Transcriber: Catherine Ho
Filming and Editing: Chimene Khoo
Publicity Designer: See Yongxin
Photos by Sim Yan Ying “YY”
Press
“This writer is still reeling from amazement that the Zoom platform could leave him so emotionally bare. The production leaps into the relatively brave new world of digital theatre and brilliantly showcases the possibilities with how the format could add to storytelling, even with a story that demands — and ultimately delivers — so much raw humanity.”
— Matthaeus Choo, Sinema
”The harmoniously combined efforts of cast and crew make (un)becoming among the most important and revolutionary works of theatre made in the era of the new norm. If anyone should ask me to suggest an exemplary piece of theatre, performed virtually yet succeeding to retain audience attention throughout, I would urge them to study (un)becoming.”
— Sukhbir Cheema, Eksentrika
”You felt cared for and carefully guided in this relatively new terrain of theatre-making. Every artistic and technical choice was so carefully considered that the entire experience, from the moment you were permitted into the session until the moment you left, felt as exciting as it was welcoming. […] This is an astute digital production by a team that is thoughtful of human behaviour in the digital age.”
— Amitha Amranand, Bangkok Post
”Where the work shines is in how it teases out the manifold complexities of mothers and daughters - "mother wounds", as the script puts it.”
— Olivia Ho, The Straits Times
”Despite the cast and crew being in several different locations, the show went so smoothly, never once breaking immersion. I still find myself thinking about the show from time to time, wondering how they pulled it off.”
Interviews & Features
“We tend to see motherhood typified through conventional Hallmark card representations or boxed into categories, such as The Strangers or The Role Reversal. But in reality they often encompass multiple characteristics and complexities, and evolve over the years as well depending on circumstances and phases of life. Some things that we tried to do in this play are breaking away from presenting a certain ‘type’ of mother-daughter relationship, expanding to include non-biological mothers and daughters, and digging deep into what we inherit not just from our mothers but also from the generations of women who come before us.”
— Interview with TheHomeGround Asia
“It has helped me better understand [my mother’s] perspectives and empathise with her struggles in motherhood, as well as consider the direction in which our relationship could grow in the future. It’s also made me see her as more than just my mother and realise that she is a human being with her desires, joys, and sorrows.”