​Just recently, the winners of the Singapore Monologue Slam were invited back once again to perform their winning monologues in a fantastic show during Singapore Writers Festival! The event was an opportunity for people to watch a slew of amazingly diverse stories come to life. Hosted at The Arts House, the event was an opportunity for those who missed the Singapore Monologue Slam competition or just wanted to relive a night of a rollercoaster of emotions.
 
Speaking of the devil, the show was opened with the youngest winner, 17 year old Brian Nai with, ‘A Warm Welcome’, a monologue performed by the devil himself. As the show went on, the audience got to experience stories that made them laugh, tugged at their heart strings and made them feel a weird mix of both. There were stories of loss in the figurative sense - losing your way in life in ‘The Real Pretty Woman’ by Marilyn White, (winner of Best Original Monologue) -  and there were stories of loss in the literal sense. One such monologue was ’Voodoo Vagina’ performed by Kristina Pakhomova, about a neurotic lady losing a homemade felted vagina. 

​At the end of the performances, the winners of The Singapore Monologue Slam were presented with their Thespis awards. It was a particularly special moment. Not only was this the first ever award ceremony for Singapore Monologue Slam, it was the debut of the Grand Thespis Cup, presented to overall winner of the slam, Sunita Chiu.
 
2016 has been an eventful year for The Singapore Monologue Slam and hopefully marks the beginning of many Singapore Monologue Slams to come in the future.

​Reading Singapore Monologue Slam was held in partnership with Singapore Writers Festival, held at The Arts House on 6 Nov 2016.
 
Order of Performances & Performers for Event
1. “The Devil in Hell” by Rowan Atkinson
Scene: “A Warm Welcome”
Performed by Brian Nai
 
2. “Life Choices” by Ovidia Yu
Scene: Prologue
Performed by Joanne Su
 
3. “Romantic Fools” by Rich Orloff
Scene: “Nice Tie”
Performed by Cassandra Spykerman
 
4. “Nuts” by Tom Topor, Darryl Ponicsan and Alvin Sargent
Based on the play by Tom Toper
Performed by Sunita Chiu
 
5. “Loose Ends” by Michael Weller
Performed by Kristina Pakhomova
“Italian American Reconciliation” by John Patrick Shanley
 
6. Performed by Joanne Su
“Rocky Balboa” by Sylvester Stallone
Performed by Brian Nai
 
7. “AUTOBAHN” by Neil Labute
Scene: “Bench Seat”“
Performed by Cassandra Spykerman
 
8. “The Real Pretty Woman”
Originally written by Marilyn White (2016)
Performed by Marilyn White
 
9. “Furiously Happy” by Jenny Lawson
Scene: “Voodoo Vagina”
Performed by Kristina Pakhomova
 
10. “People” by Joel Tan
Performed by Sunita Chiu

Everybody has a type. I mean everybody. We all have preferences for and judgements on the people, places and things that resonate with us. We do it all the time consciously and subconsciously. From an arts and indsutry perspective, the question “what’s your type” almost always comes with the associated topic of typecasting. Some have even come to see it as a “bad” thing. Others have learnt to embrace it as another opportunity to keep working and keep their acting tools sharpened.
 
As I understand it, a “type” is to me a combination of the required criteria when casting a role: gender, age range, physicality (e.g. race or the basics: short, tall, thin, heavy, light, dark), role title (e.g. mom, lawyer, cop, spy, teen, criminal), personality trait (quirky, serious, intellectual, sexy, loud innocent). Actors who know their type(s) will know how to market themselves appropriately and therefore give themselves a leg up in audition situations.
 
How to Figure Out Your Type
Here are some simple objective questions to ask as many people as possible (yourself, your family, your friends, neighors or yes, even strangers). The more data your have, you can begin to sharpen your self-perception and how others perceive you.
 

1. Based on how you look AND sound, what's your age range?
2. What sort of roles could you play based on how you look AND sound?
3. What ethnic types do you pass for? (Certain roles are geared towards specific ethnicities)
4. Based on how you look and sound, what sort of occupations do you look like you might hold? Start with archetypes and then get even more specific with probing questions. E.g. Do I look white collar or blue collar? High end or low end? Understand the difference in the look and feel between e.g. a retail assistant at Gucci versus a retail assistant at Giordano. (High end blue collar Vs. low end blue collar). A lawyer at a high powered law firm vs a clerk in a legal office (High end white collar Vs. low end white collar).
5. What unique physical or emotional traits do you have that makes you, you? E.g. character, charisma, personality 
6. The more objective you are in asking questions, you will see a pattern emerge.

 
Once you identify that pattern, you can begin to watch movies, TV shows, plays, read scripts, book etc. that help you to hone in on that character type, what their inner and outer motivations are and how you can find ways to immerse yourself in the world of that character type.
 
Actors  are also entrepreneurs. Their work is what generates revenue. The better prepared they are for work (e.g. training, knowing the business, networking etc) the more ready they are to work.
 
Whilst colorblind and genderblind casting is still something the industry worldwide is coming to terms with, perhaps it might help to understand what “typecasting” is. Then we can figure out how to play to it or subvert it. Actors go through several auditions in a month so why not spend your time efficiently instead of wasting it on the parts you simply do not fit.
 
Going against typecasting for the sake of it (which usually only works when you are an established name in the industry) is probably not the wisest thing to do when you’re still navigating your way through the entertainment industry. I’d dare say when you’re just starting out, all the more you DO want to be be typecasted and be known for certain things in the entertainment industry.
 
When you know your actor type you will:
§  Be more effective at marketing yourself.
§  Present yourself more accurately during online submissions;
§  Know exactly what parts to go for and raise your chance of booking them;
§  Avoid wasting your time and others’ time with auditions for parts you are not suitable for.
 
Of course, you always want to explore the full range of roles that your acting abilities allow you to play. The downside of being limited by a particular type (i.e. casting agents and directors keep putting you in the same few roles) is that you very quickly get tired and unmotivated to play the same roles. Actors in these situations often rely on a bag of finely honed tricks. Preparation for the character deteriorates, and the work ultimately suffers. This is why it is very important for any actor, from all backgrounds, to constantly challenge himself or herself and try other character types.
 
The Singapore Monologue Slam is a platform for all actors to do just that – challenge themselves. You pick the material you want to work with, and present them to a live audience. Performances like these become a statement for the actor, and an opportunity to expand the actor’s acting range.
 
With Hope Towards the Future,
Kamil Haque 
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