THE VERSATILITY OF SEE TOO HOI SIANG

                    CHINESE THEATRE CIRCLE
                                                  presents
                   THE VERSATILITY OF SEE TO HOI SIANG
                                DRAMA CENTRE THEATRE
                                ON 25 MAY 2013 AT 7.15 PM

 

See Too Hoi Siang started learning Cantonese Opera under Joanna Wong at the young age of 15. Now,  she has acquired all the skills of both male and female roles of Cantonese Opera. Due to her passion for Cantonese Opera, she quit her job in an American firm in 1998 to join Chinese Theatre Circle Limited (CTC) as a full-time artist in 1998 earning much less in salary. She is now the lead actress as well as Deputy Chairman (Operations) of CTC.

 

For the past 37 years, she has been continuously performing various Chinese Opera roles, and has chalked up an impressive record of having performed more than 2,000 Cantonese Opera performances at home and abroad. Today, she is the only homegrown Chinese Opera actress, nurtured and groomed by Joanna Wong, capable of performing both the civil and military types of Cantonese Opera with equal competence.

 

She has performed in more than eighteen countries; and for her cultural achievements, she won “The Outstanding Young Person In Singapore Award” in 2000, followed by clinching the prestigious “The Outstanding Young Person In the World Award”  in 2001, beating about 200 contestants from more than 180 countries, making her a world class artist alongside with Hong Kong celebrities Jacky Chan, Cheung HokYau, Lau Tak Wah. Today, she remains the only Chinese Opera artist in the world to win such an international award.

 

To celebrate her 37th anniversary, and in recognition of her hard work and contribution towards promotion of Cantonese Opera at home and abroad, CTC  will present a special show for her to showcase her versatility. The programme comprises four excerpts:-

 

(a) Fanfare To A Princess;
(b) “Feigned Insanity” from “Reincarnation Of A Beauty”
(c) “Punishment For Infidelity” from “When The Lioness Roars”
(d) “A Timely Rescue” from “Woman Warrior Liu Jin Ding”

 

In “Fanfare To A Princess”, a traditional Cantonese Opera excerpt depicting peaceful co-existence between two warring States of Zhu and Zhao in the Epic of Warring States in China (722 BC – 481 BC), subject will perform in “bound feet” (a special theatrical skill seldom seen on an opera stage nowadays) as a lady chariot driver carrying the Princess of Zhao back to her State. This is a very colourful spectacle with a cast of 50 in sparkling costumes.

 

In “Feigned Insanity” subject performed the role of a “xiao dan” characterized by cute and comical behaviour.

 

In “Punishment For Infidelity” subject plays the role of “qing yi” a gentle category of “dan” (female roles) specializes in singing.

 

In the finale “A Timely Rescue” subject assumes the role of “dau ma dan” a military role which demands great martial art skills from a performer. In this episode, subject will display her fighting skills with the sabre and acrobatic stunts.

 

The objectives of this project are:-

 

(a) To demonstrate that Singapore is not a cultural desert for Chinese Opera. Singapore can, and has produced a world class performer;
(b) To present top quality Chinese Opera performances for the general public to watch, and in particular, the Chinese Opera enthusiasts to learn;
(c) To attract people from all walks and especially the younger generation, with the use of both Chinese and English surtitles;
(d) To show how to renew Chinese Opera and make Chinese Opera relevant in our modern society;
(e) To provide an example for other opera groups to emulate.

 

To enhance the success of the show, apart from using both Chinese and English surtitles, a veteran Cantonese Opera singer Ms Kwan Siu Ping will be the compere to explain the significance and finer points of each and every excerpt so that the audience will understand and appreciate better. Moreover, she will trace the training journey of See Too Hoi Siang to show the hard effort behind her success.

 

For this show, CTC will work in collaboration with a renowned foreign troupe---the Guangzhou Hong Dow Cantonese Opera Troupe and invite 25 artists from this troupe to come to Singapore to participate in the production. For the purpose of outreach, CTC will also work together with the Kreta Ayer Community Club Cantonese Opera Group, hoping thereby will attract more people to join ranks with CTC to further promote Chinese Opera.

 

To crown the show, Leslie Wong, resident playwright of CTC will write a classical Chinese verse and invite Cantonese Music maestro Mr Bu Can Rong from China to write the music for subject to lead a cast of local and China artists to perform. Joanna Wong will choreograph the dance.