Off Centre by Haresh Sharma

12 participants turned up for Open Roads on Saturday 24 July 2010 to discuss Haresh Sharma's Off Centre. We were fortunate to have the playwright himself join us for a conversation at the end of the session.

The next meeting for Open Roads will be on 21 Aug 2010, 2pm - 4pm, Substation Classroom 1 and we will be looking at Jean Tay's Everything But The Brain. A review of the 2007 production of the play can be found here.

To register, email us at admin@inkpotreviews.com. The fee is $5 which you can pay on the day itself.

(There will not be a session of Open Roads on 7 Aug 2010 due to the National Day weekend)

Off Centre by Haresh Sharma

As per our reading schedule, we will be looking at Off Centre by Haresh Sharma for our second Open Roads reading club session on Sat 24 July 2010, 2pm, The Substation Classroom 1. We still have a few vacancies left - email us at admin@inkpotreviews.com to register. (More information about Open Roads is in our first post below - 11 Jun 2010)

The idea behind a reading club is to allow a free-flow of ideas to be shared but, as with our first session, here are some things you might want to think about before the session while reading the play:

1. What are the issues surrounding the topic of mental illness raised in Off Centre? How are these connected – if at all - to the play’s larger commentary about other aspects of Singapore society?

2. To which character – Vinod or Salmoa - are you more drawn? Which character’s journey resonates more powerfully with you?

3. How does your emotional response to Off Centre change at different points of the play? Which specific lines and scenes do you find particularly memorable?

4. How do you feel about the supporting characters such as Emily, Razali, Charlie, Denise and especially Mak? What do they contribute to the play?

5. How do you feel about the unconventional structure of the play, specifically the use of a narrator and the fact that the play's timeline is non-linear? What is your reaction to the way the play opens and closes?

6. To what extent do you think Off Centre is a uniquely Singaporean play?

7. To what extent do you think someone reading or watching the play today will have a different experience from someone in the early 1990s when the play was first written and performed?

8. Why do you think Off Centre was selected as the first local play to be used as an N and O level Literature text in Singapore?

Off Centre by Haresh Sharma

Here are four reviews of Off Centre productions that you might be interested to take a look at in advance of our second Open Roads session on 24 July 2010:

1. The Straits Times - original 1993 production

2. The Straits Times - 2007 production

3. The Business Times - 2007 production

4. The Flying Inkpot - 2007 production

Reading Schedule from 24 July 2010 to 27 Nov 2010

We had a group of 13 participants at the first Open Roads session this afternoon (10 July 2010) to discuss Stella Kon's Emily of Emerald Hill and I'm happy to say that the feedback was overwhelmingly positive:

Productive, energetic discussion - loved how much we managed to cover. Time actually seemed too short. Would like to come for more.

Love that it's small and intimate. Love that it's participative and encouraging. Might have to extend beyond 2 hours.

Enriching, thought-provoking, gained some different views. Good session.

Very energizing session - inspired me to really look into reading the oeuvre of Singaporean plays.

We've also settled on the reading schedule for the next nine sessions:

24 July: Off-Centre (Haresh Sharma)
No session on 7 Aug
21 Aug: Everything But The Brain (Jean Tay)
4 Sep: Those Who Can't, Teach 2010 (Haresh Sharma)
18 Sep: The Coffin is too Big for the Hole and No Parking on Odd Days (Kuo Pao Kun)
2 Oct: Three Fat Virgins Unassembled (Ovidia Yu) - available in the collection Fat Virgins, Fast Cars and Asian Values
16 Oct: Homesick (Alfian Sa'at) - available in the collection Alfian Sa'at: Collected Plays One
30 Oct: P.I.E. (Chong Tze Chien) - available in the collection P.I.E. to Spoilt
13 Nov: Mergers and Accusations (Eleanor Wong) - available in the collection Invitation to Treat
27 Nov: Nothing (Natalie Hennedige) - availability to be confirmed

**Please note the change in date for the Kuo Pao Kun double-bill**

Please drop us a line at admin@inkpotreviews.com if you would like to register for any of the sessions.

All sessions are $5 each - Saturday (fortnightly except 7 Aug), 2pm - 4pm, Substation Classroom 1.