Blog Posts - The Singapore Monologue Slam

SMS 2017 Thespian: Meet Ashni Anand!

25/12/2017

Ashni Anand, 13, Student

"I joined because I used to do musical theatre and I did a lot of acting classes, but my dad would always get upset about me because I didn't think about what I was acting. They'll just give me a script and [I'll] just act. So my dad want me to be more strategic when I performed on stage, so that's why I'm here.

I love performing because I really like being in the limelight, I don't know why. I like being in the centre of attention, it's very fun for me, because I love being dramatic, I don't know why, but that's just me, my personality.

One challenge that I think I'm really gonna have to overcome is that I'm one of the youngest here, and I'm going to be performing for people who are like older than twenty, so it's gonna be really scary 'cos normally when I'm performing I'm with a group of people, and I'm with maybe people around my age, but now I'm with people who are older than me, and not like a little older, like really really a large gap older than me. So I think I'm really gonna have to try to mingle a bit, try to make some friends, and see what connections I can do and make, so I can have someone, you know, by my back during the competition.

I think that for aspiring actors, it's really important to remember that, just have courage, because you're always gonna say I can't do this and all that. That's always false, because you always can, you just need the mentality that you can."

SMS 2017 Thespian: Meet Muhammad Hanif!

24/12/2017

Muhammad Hanif bin Mohd Hussain, 23, Assistant Floor Manager

"I joined SMS because I needed a new challenge I guess. It's something that I'm interested in, and I've love experimenting with different art forms, so this is something new for me.

What I love about performing is the adrenaline rush while you perform, the high you get when you're performing in front of thousands of people you don't even know. It gives me a high and I like the feeling, even though I have stage fright.

What do I think about SMS? I think it's a very interesting concept, I don’t think many people know a lot about monologues. People know more about the general theatre and all that, but monologues aren't very out there, even though it's a very straightforward concept. This is actually my first time hearing about SMS and I think it's a very interesting concept, and I hope that it progresses further in the future.

My challenges would be my pacing. I get nervous a lot, it's just me, I stutter a lot, I guess, and I have horrible anxiety attacks sometimes. So these are few challenges I have to face, and hopefully I get through them."

SMS 2017 Thespian: Meet Shairah Rohaizam!

23/12/2017

Shairah Rohaizam, 18, Student

"I joined the SMS because honestly I miss acting, it's been awhile since I acted, and I just want to get experience and exposure, so I thought maybe the SMS is the perfect place for me to really go out there.

What I love about performing is that I can be whoever I want to be, whoever I'm not.

Well, I have stage fright, so that's a challenge.

[My advice to aspiring actors is] just a lot of preparation. Just have fun!"

SMS 2017 Thespian: Meet Amit Vijayapur!

22/12/2017

Amit Vijayapur, 14, Student

"I joined the SMS because I wanted to try different forms of acting, like monologues, because I have done a couple of plays this year and last year. I wanna try monologues, I've not really done many of them.

I think the SMS is a great place for new actors to try out their skills and showcase them to the audience and actually get a rating.

My challenge would be, like, sometimes I lose focus, and I stutter, I kind of stutter at times, and I fidget. I think that if I overcome those challenges, I'll have a better monologue piece to give.

My advice for aspiring actors would be, just try something new, don't be scared, just try any form of acting, acting's just fun, don't worry. Don't be worried of memorisation and all that. Just go out, have fun and remember to do your best, and you should be fine."

SMS 2017 Thespian: Meet Eigil Johansson!

21/12/2017

Eigil Johansson, 14, Student

"I joined SMS because of the shirt, and I wanted to try something new, because I have never tried monologues or any competitions.

What I love about performing is that you can express yourself in any way that you want, so there's no one there to, like, tell you "This is horrible," but you can just show it out, you don't have to write it down, you can just act it out and show whatever you like.

I think SMS is a very fun, diverse place, where you just have fun with others. It is a competition, but you just have more fun and learn more things. The competition's at the back of your head, but the more you're thinking is about making new friends and learning new stuff.

The challenges I would have is basically just acting, making things logical and projecting what I'm trying to say.

My message to aspiring actors is, just jump in and go with the flow, and you'll eventually end up where you want to be."

SMS 2017 Thespian: Meet Elle Cheng!

20/12/2017

Elle Cheng, 17, Student

"I joined SMS because I love theatre. I take Theatre as a subject in school, but I also think that theatre is so much more than just about what you study, and it's about meeting new people, it's and getting to know about people and their experiences, which can therefore add to your craft. And also, it's about sharing stories too, beyond the classroom.

What I love about performing is the fact that I feel like I'm part of a bigger story, that I can share stories of other people, and it's also really nice to feel that you can connect with someone on a much deeper level. You can put yourself in their shoes and extend that to the rest of the world, and hopefully other people will understand and empathise as well.

What I think of SMS, this monologue slam? It's an amazing initiative, and it's pioneering other events that I think will pop up soon. It's such a great thing for Singapore, especially because our drama and thatre space or talent is kind of low-key, so I really think this will really help to shine more light on the art of theatre, and also encourage more people to get into it.

I think the biggest challenge for me would be confidence in my acting. Even though I really like this, I'm still very unsure of myself, and I question myself alot, and I'm scared of failing, and I'm scared of being in front of an audience and not doing the best that I can, so I have to learn to get over that."

SMS 2017 Thespian: Meet Felicia Tan!

19/12/2017

Felicia Tan, 17, Student

"The reason why I joined the Singapore Monologue Slam was because I wanted to do something crazy this year, and this was the perfect thing considering I love acting and theatre, and also because I wanted to meet new people in this industry.

What I really love about performing or acting in general is that I get to be someone that I'm not, I get to see different perspectives, and force myself to think in another person's shoes.

The SMS, to me, is something terrifying, something completely new. To be honest, when I first signed up, I had to do it quickly so that I didn't give myself time to back out. But in the end, I did it, and at this point I'm very excited for the event itself, and I really hope that everyone in this competition does really well.

My advice for actors is, just put yourself out there, you never know what's going to happen, and what do you have to lose?"

SMS 2017 Thespian: Meet Koh Hekang!

18/12/2017

Koh Hekang, 16, Student

"I joined SMS because I felt pretty disconnected from theatre. After I joined Junior College, I am currently in two sports CCAs, and I wanted to act again, so I figured, you know what, why not.
What I love about performing is that I think it really helps you understand another character. It's a point where you really know who you are and what you are doing, as opposed to everyday life.

What do I think about SMS? I guess that it's a nice platform for people to showcase their talents, and I guess for me, I just wanna have fun!

I think my challenges would be, I guess, time management. Right now, in Junior College, schedules are pretty tight."

SMS 2017 Thespian: Meet Lareina Tham!

17/12/2017

Lareina Tham, 22, Student

"Why I joined Singapore Monologue Slam is because I find that there are dance and music performances outside, but not theatre competitions. So I found this out, and thought, hey, why not just join, I mean, it’s no harm.

What do I think about the SMS? I find that it's a very good platform for anyone who wants to challenge themselves, who wants to push their monologues further, because there are so many things in the text that you can work on and fresh ideas, so I find that this will actually encourage and push you to do that.

I think my greatest challenge would be solidifying the character, and have a very clear line of the stereotypical character that I'm playing and her real self, because there are two contrasting characteristics in this character."

SMS 2017 Thespian: Meet Megan Sim!

16/12/2017

Megan Sim, 14, Student

"I joined Singapore Monologue Slam to improve my confidence, my onstage confidence.

What I love about performing is just the whole experience. There are all the other people performing, and then you practice with them, you have your own little inside jokes with them, and then when you're on stage it's just a whole different experience where you just perform and you just go for it, and it's so in the moment.

My advice for other actors would be just practice whatever you're performing a lot, and that really builds your confidence. And then, practice it in front other people. If you're not confident about that, then you could like, film yourself. So you set up a camera and film yourself, and then you can look at what you did, and then you know what you wan to do better, because then you know what you did wrong and what you did right.

I think the SMS is a really cool competition where you get to interact with a whole bunch of other people that may have the same goals as you. Some people just come for a fun thing, some people want to put it in maybe their resumes for other things, to get into schools or get a role in a play. All in all, everyone came here to act for the passion of acting and the passion of performing. And when you come to SMS you get to interact with other people who have the same passion as you.

I think my challenges would definitely be confidence mostly, because I don't have a lot of onstage confidence, and I think that coming into SMS can really help me develop that."