The following provides a snapshot of the exchanges between Lim Chor Pee and M.E. Constant (member of Stage Club), sparked off from a Radio Forum in 1964 about amateur theatre in Singapore:
M.E. Constant: “Amateurs on stage: a defence” (Straits Times Saturday Forum, 10 Oct 1964). View.
“I really must take issue with members of radio “Forum” about amateur theatre in Singapore. ….. On the whole, amateur theatre in Singapore is a thriving and highly competent organisation, which deserves every support from people who profess to have the best interest of the theatre at heart…Finally may I respectfully suggest that the gentlemen of the panel, instead of spouting critical clichés and defeatist jargon, come and join, say, the Stage Club, or at least see some of their plays before passing damaging and ill-informed judgements.”
Lim Chor Pee: “Amateurs and critics” (Straits Times Saturday Forum, 17 Oct 1964): . View.
“I was pleased to note that our discussion on the amateur theatre in Radio Malaysia’s Forum of the Air has generated the wrath of some listeners, particularly that of M.E. Constant. The is nothing like wrath to arouse the feeble interest of the public in amateur theatre.”
“Perhaps M.E. Constant has missed the whole point. At the Forum, I particularly stressed the phrase “Malaysian English-speaking theatre,” not expatriate amateur theatre…To say that this is the full flower of the amateur theatre is like saying that the people are perfectly satisfied with colonisalism, why have anything else?”
M.E. Constant: “Balanced theatre criticism” (Straits Times Letters, 10 Nov 1964). View.
“Surely it is the duty of any Radio panel is to give a lively, balanced and well-informed discussion with constructive critism [sic] thrown in for good measure. Not, as in this case, to hold a post-mortem.”
“Let local clubs not be too proud to learn from expatriate clubs.”
Lim Chor Pee: “Stage Club and the critics” (Straits Times Saturday Forum, 14 Nov 1964). View.
“We are not too proud to learn from expatriate clubs. It is our desire to fill the vacuum created by expatriate clubs that led us to form our [Experimental Theatre] Club. I think it is time that people like M.E. Constant realise that it is not only the expatriate club that has something to teach.”
By Daniel Teo
Published on 16 September 2014
The Vault 1.1 – Nineteen Sixty-Four revisits When Smiles Are Done (written by Goh Poh Seng) and A White Rose at Midnight (written by Lim Chor Pee), refreshes and retells the stories in them through the eyes of four artist-collaborators on 22 September 2014, 8pm at Centre 42 Black Box. Admission is free.
Find out more here.
