BAD girl director Beatrice Chia-Richmond, known for staging R-18 plays such as Shopping And F*cking (2001) and Fireface (2002), is no stranger to the pressures of economics.
'Everyone is constantly breathing down my neck about making a family-friendly show that would bring in the crowds,' the 34-year-old tells Life!
'But that is not necessarily the right thing to do. One of the best advice given to me was to direct with passion. Don't try to put on a piece just to please the crowd, it would ring hollow. You have to believe in the story you are going to tell.'
At first glance, her latest musical with Toy Factory Productions, Sleepless Town, looks like the very type of family friendly show those well-meaning advice-givers would love her to stage.
Its publicity images feature the 12-year-old protagonist and wacky superhero figures in colourful costumes. But the original musical, penned by her husband Mark Richmond, has an NC-16 rating due to its sexual content.
Read the full report in Thursday's edition of The Straits Times.
