Beverly Yuen, Artistic Director of the newly formed Grain Performance & Research Lab does not have enough of rice. In addition to redeveloping “Mandala” she first created in 2003 into “A Walk into the Mandala”, she named her new physical theatre collective “Grain”.
In A Walk into the Mandala (8-9 December 2017), Beverly will be playing with 20kg of rice. The mandala signifies the different stages of life a quintessential urban being would experience. A 3-metre-wide rice Mandala progressively forms on stage as the protagonist journeys through the urban life.
“Grain is a staple food of Asia, and yet it is found in many other cultures. Grain is an icon for hard work, growth and harvest. It also shows what Grain Performance & Research Lab (Grain PR Lab) is about— traditions in modernity, transculturality, and humanity,” said Beverly.
Beverly was the founding member of Theatre OX (led by Ang Gey Pin from 1995 to 1999) and Artistic Director of In Source Theatre from 2001 to 2013. She first directed Mandala in 2003, which highlights the drawing of a 3-meter-wide rice mandala on stage that symbolises the psychological expression and transformation of mind.
Some of the key challenges in the latest rendition of the production are that Beverly, the sole performer drawing the rice mandala, will have her face swaddled while creating the circular 3-meter-wide pattern on the floor, and she will be in heels most of the time throughout the piece while executing taichi and yoga moves.
Contemporary, traditions and Grotowski. These are what Grain PR Lab stands for. Having received intensive performer training at the Workcenter of Jerzy Grotowski and Thomas Richards (Italy) for a year, Beverly’s arts practice incorporates traditional elements of tai chi, yoga and rituals in contemporary theatre.
A Walk into the Mandala will be presented at The Arts House Play Den from 8 – 9 December 2017. Tickets at $20 and $15 (concession) are available at http://walkmandala.peatix.com.
TIME
8 – 9 December 2017
(8pm for both dates, 3pm for 9 Dec)
VENUE
Arts House Play Den
1 Old Parliament Lane
Singapore 179429
TICKETS
$20, $15 (Student, NSF, Senior Citizen)
http://walkmandala.peatix.com
Connect with Grain PR Lab:
facebook.com/GrainPRLab
instagram @grain_pr_lab
