Tapping low points in pandemic to put on NDP show about gratitude

The first rehearsal for the National Day Parade (NDP) show with all the different groups of performers was a mini-disaster that nearly went up in flames, said its creative director Adrian Pang.

Things that were not supposed to catch fire did, he said.

"I was horrified. Watching that first rehearsal was a big kick in the gut and slap in the face," he added.

When he was approached last year to direct the NDP show, Mr Pang was "very amused".

"I was persuaded that I had to at least try it out once," he said.

Directing the show for the first time, he wanted to throw a "birthday bash" for the nation by tying "millions of different stories into one thread", but soon found that he could not give voice to all Singaporeans, or please everyone.

He cast about for ideas and hit upon a dark period in his life.

Mr Pang, 56, was emotional during the interview as he recounted how his family had helped him get through a months-long deep depression during the pandemic.

"It was a really tough time. I really didn't see it coming. My family saw me through it, they lifted me up and kept my head above water.

"And I know I had it easy, compared with many, many other people. I still had a home to be safe in and I had a loving family. I was able to keep Pangdemonium (his theatre company) intact somehow.

"I know many, many people, many of my colleagues who had to resort to quite desperate measures just to get by. People's lives have been changed, irrevocably."

That inspired him to put together a show about gratitude.

The Story Of Us kicked off with a portrait of Singaporeans living in stability and safety before their lives were upended by Covid-19.

Over 2,000 performers rehearsed for months for the spectacle. It was not easy for the theatre veteran, who was used to full creative control in Pangdemonium, to have to think about pleasing everyone in the 25,000-strong audience at the Marina Bay floating platform, and many more watching at home.

He had to make some parts more "palatable" to the audience while trying to stay true to his vision.

It was a challenge having so many cooks serving up a nine-course meal - five live chapters and four film episodes, he added.

"I was under a lot of pressure. You have voices in your head. As the months wear on, the voices get louder and louder, and about three months from (the show), they really start screaming in your ear."

He is grateful for the team of creatives - in film, multimedia, lighting, music, sound - who helped him put the show together.

He was also moved by how Singaporeans had volunteered their time to be audience motivators, ushers or performers. "It made me think about the times when I was churlish enough to watch any parade and criticise or complain, or just be cynical about it," he said.

"It was quite an interesting challenge to keep my cynicism quiet for a little while, and to make sure, while trying to imbue the show with a lot of heart, that it didn't tip over into 'cringe-worthiness'."

On the song You Will Be Found from the US musical Dear Evan Hansen, performed by singer-songwriter Aisyah Aziz, he said: "The symbol and image of this phoenix rising from the flames was something I insisted on injecting into the song, into the last chapter, into little pockets of the storytelling.

"If life tries to burn you down, you rise from the flames and become a new version of yourself."