THE moving solemnity behind the National Pledge drove theatre veteran Ivan Heng to use it as the theme for this year's National Day Parade (NDP).

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'It's such a very simple, yet powerful, promise encapsulated in only 38 words,' he said of the statement penned by the late Cabinet minister S. Rajaratnam.

The creative director for this year's show said he began working on the idea in May last year.

'I was reading about the Pledge, cutting it up, drawing pictures around each phrase...then deciding with the rest on how to pull this whole thing together in song, dance and video and projections.'

It is the first time he is setting the creative direction for the show, the job having been previously taken on by theatre practitioners Glen Goei and Goh Boon Teck. Mr Goh helmed the creative team in 2007 and last year.

Mr Heng lauded his predecessor's concept, although he felt last year's show was 'a bit distant'. He explained that as an artist, he wanted to do something to tug at the heartstrings more or to make people laugh.

The 44-year-old has been working with choreographers, music and technical directors, and the more than 6,000 participants on the show.

With 37 days to go, the hardest work comes now, he said, with all the elements coming together during weekly rehearsals.

'I think our hearts are in the right place, and we want to do a show that will inspire, touch and entertain, and be meaningful for a birthday celebration for Singapore,' he said.

JERMYN CHOW