Without Reason
Written by Sim Yan Ying “YY”
Directed by Adib Kosnan
August 2017 at Esplanade, Singapore
A classic boy-meets-girl story in modern day Singapore. Or is it? Without Reason explores the challenges of an inter-racial relationship where a Chinese girl and a Malay boy struggle to overcome cultural differences, reconcile religious beliefs, and manage the expectations of friends and family. This coming-of-age story takes you on an unforgettable quest for love and the search for identity.
Production History
Without Reason was originally written and devised under the mentorship of Buds Youth Theatre programme 2014, and received further developmental support from Centre 42. It was subsequently presented as part of the M1 Peer Pleasure Youth Theatre Festival in 2017 by ArtsWok Collaborative, in collaboration with Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay.
Collaborators
Playwright: Sim Yan Ying “YY”
Director: Adib Kosnan
Scenic Designer: Hydhir Ramli
Lighting Designer: Fiona Lim
Performers: Cheryl Tan, Hafidz Abdul Rahman, Noor Effendy Ibrahim, Dalifah Shahril, Fadhil Daud, Rei Poh, Tan Wan Sze, Shermin Ong, Jelaine Ng Sha-Men, Jaisilan Sathiasilan & Izzul Irfan
Photos by ArtsWok Collaborative
Press
“Without Reason is an important play in Singapore’s theatre canon, daring to raise questions about the viability of and challenges to the survivability of an interracial relationship in our judgmental island home. [...] Yan Ying’s bold script does not hold back from showing the ugly side of Singaporeans lying just beneath the surface of our supposedly racially and religiously harmonious country. There’s a conversational quality to her script that’s relatable and could well have been extracted from an actual talk in real life. This was also buoyed by each family’s realistic portrayal of their familiar family dynamics, and Yan Ying has done good research to write each of them as a believable family.”
— Bakchormeeboy
”Central to the strength of the play is its commitment to very human characters who are complex, distinct, flawed, and relatable. Sim and Kosnan have together fleshed out a world in which most characters are both relatable and foreign, likeable and detestable, and that has made all the difference. Though it roots for the two protagonists, it also gives audience members the space to evaluate and interpret for themselves. […] It was a play that shook the audience firmly, and pointed to a place we need to look at. We need to wake, live with awareness, advocate intentionally, and practice active kindness.”
— Kiayee
”Digging deeper, Sim Yan Ying’s play talks about the issues arising from interracial marriages, from misconceptions of the other race, of racism, ignorance and growing up in Singapore. These issues were sensitively dealt with but also bravely, I would say. Ignorance of the other’s religious practices and culture became starkly funny and awkward for the audience, as they recognise the potential disasters that could happen here if the characters on stage were not teenagers/acting [...] I thought it was precisely Yan Ying’s craft in making this lighthearted yet serious that made this piece so wonderful for conversation and discussion.”
— Artsy or not
Interviews & Features
Translation: “Ms Sim, who is studying Theatre and Psychology at NYU, said that this play aims to promote the understanding of each other’s ethnicities while understanding the uniqueness of our own ethnicity. She was inspired to write this play based on the experiences of a close friend who experienced challenges in an inter-racial relationship. Hafidz, when interviewed said, “This play is not just a love story. Yan Ying has managed to discuss issues that are relevant such as, must a person change their beliefs because of love?”
— Nurmaya Alias, Berita Harian
”Racial harmony goes beyond producing a National Day music video painting a utopic version of ethnically diverse Singapore, nor should it be simply gauged by the fact that we’ve never had racial riots since the 1960s. The underlying racial tensions are present in Singapore — we see them erupt on social media sometimes — and just because they don’t manifest themselves in violent ways doesn’t mean that they aren’t as insidious or harmful. Even after we learn how to accept and understand each other — how do we then go beyond merely co-existing, to integrate without losing our sense of individuality?”
— Interview with TODAY
”Most of the time I thrive on being ‘The Other’ [in NYC]. I relish in breaking racial and gender stereotypes in my art and in my life, and in an ironic twist I sometimes even take pride in self-exoticism. I like surprising people. In terms of creating works in the theatre, I am able to draw from experiences that differ greatly from most other artists, and hence provide fresh insights and perspectives. Being an artist who is an ‘Other’ in a place like NYC feels to me more an asset than a curse – if I leverage on it, it can really help me to stand out in a way that’s advantageous, as I’m able to create works that are more interesting and unique.”
— Interview with Bakchormeeboy
What is so unique about theatre as a form for engaging with social issues?
“The fact that it focuses more on the human story than the issue itself – more specifically, how social issues affect people on an individual, personal level. Like news reports, lectures, and statistics on the issues, you can process a play logically and rationally. But more than that, you engage with it emotionally and sometimes even spiritually, which can be very powerful. […] I hope that through my work, people can entertain the possibility of doing or thinking about things in a different way – hopefully in a way that’s more empathetic and compassionate.”
— Interview with ArtsWok Collaborative
”Performing diverse perspectives about how the Other is often excluded, misunderstood and disenfranchised, participants expressed multiple ideas about how to deal with these problems and rethink reductive norms. At times they pointed to glimpses of a utopian future, but more often they enacted the frustration, and at times confusion, of having to steer through paradox and contradiction when thinking about the human condition. The purpose was not to fully resolve these questions but work towards imaginative engagement with complex issues, in the hope that they become less daunting and more comprehensible through the process of dialogue and performance.”