The Vault: My Grandfather’s Road 我阿公的路

Two versions of The Vault: My Grandfather’s Road were presented – one written and performed in Singaporean Cantonese by Gary Tang, and one written and performed in Malaysian Cantonese by Tan Cher Kian.

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My Grandfather’s Road was first presented in 2015 as an English-language monologue, a photo exhibition and a book. It was conceived and written by Neo Kim Seng as a way of reconnecting with childhood memories of living on Neo Pee Teck Lane, which was named after his paternal grandfather. In 2017, Kim Seng revisits the text of My Grandfather’s Road, refreshing it in the spoken language of his childhood – Cantonese. He also explores Cantonese as it is spoken on both sides of the Causeway. There will be two versions of The Vault: My Grandfather’s Road – one in Singaporean Cantonese performed by Gary Tang, and one in Malaysian Cantonese performed by Tan Cher Kian. Both versions will be presented with English surtitles.

《我阿公的路》在2015年以英语单人剧，摄影展和书籍的形式首次呈现。作者梁金成借此回顾了在梁丕德巷所度过的童年，该巷是以金成的爷爷命名的。2017年，金成将该作品译成小时候常说的广东语，同时探索新马两地广东话的差异。新加坡版的广东话由本地的邓官洪诠释，马来西亚版的则由陈子健呈现。此两个单人剧皆附上英文字幕。

The text for My Grandfather’s Road was written as fragments of stories and reflections of growing up until 1973 at a road named after my grandfather, Neo Pee Teck. It’s not a nostalgia trip, but a way of reconnecting with the people and events in my life, past and present. I did not set out to research the full histories and stories: selected memories can be nice, half-truths can be more exciting, the whole truth can be difficult.

My Grandfather’s Road is a storytelling session about personal stories and histories. Our little stories all help to create the social fabric that we live in and make us who we are.Neo Kim Seng

REGISTRATION

Performed in Singaporean Cantonese
新加坡广东话演出
| 23 Nov, 8pm & 25 Nov, 3pm |

Performed in Malaysian Cantonese
马来西亚广东话演出
| 24 Nov, 8pm & 25 Nov 8pm |

@ Centre 42 Black Box

Admission: Give-What-You-Can
(Cash only, at the door)

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Neo Kim Seng
Neo Kim Seng is a cross-disciplinary practitioner and has been involved in independent and large-scale projects in Singapore and overseas.

Tan Cher Kian
A middle-aged avid theatre goer who’s finally taking the plunge performing on stage. Be gentle, it’s his first time.

Gary Tang
Gary Tang, a Cantonese, feeds his soul by performing, on stage, for film and in life.

Reading Material

#1: INTERVIEW WITH NEO KIM SENG

#2: ABOUT MY GRANDFATHER’S ROAD (2015)

#3: PASIR PANJANG LAND RECLAMATION

Interview

Recorded on 8 June 2018 in Meeting Room, Centre 42
Conducted by Gwen Pew
Recorded and edited by Daniel Teo

Programme Handout

The Vault: My Grandfather’s Road in Singaporean Cantonese, written and performed by Gary Tang. (40 minutes)

The Vault: My Grandfather’s Road in Malaysian Cantonese, written and performed by Tan Cher Kian. (36 minutes)

We presented the final edition of our Vault programme of 2017 from 23 to 25 November. Titled “The Vault: My Grandfather’s Road”, the monologue was created by Neo Kim Seng as a way to reconnect with his childhood on Neo Pee Teck Lane, a road that’s literally named after his grandfather. The piece was first staged in English in 2015 as part of CAKE’s 10th anniversary celebrations, “Running with Strippers”. This time, he worked with actors Gary Tang and Tan Cher Kian (CK) to refresh the work in the language that he grew up with – Cantonese – so that his mother could understand. Through this project, KS also hoped to explore the regional variations in the language. Therefore, Gary performed his version in Singaporean Cantonese, while CK’s version was presented in Malaysian Cantonese. Photos: Gwen Pew & Daniel Teo.