Meet Shanice who is from Singapore and brings Mail Ordered to this year’s Festival. In our latest vlog, we will learn more about the difficult issue through the lenses of humor, music, and dance.
Briefly introduce yourself/your company…
‘Mail Ordered’ is created by Singaporean performing artist Shanice Stanislaus. Trained in dance, theater and clowning, Shanice enjoys creating works that provide opportunities for dialogue on difficult issues through the use of humor, music, and dance.
This show is made up of a Singaporean and Canadian creative, design and production team including the cast members.
‘Mail Ordered’ is directed by Calgary-based Canadian director, Aaron Coates.
The music and sound design are created by Singaporean music director, Eugene Yip and sound designer Yen Yu Ting of GRYD Studio. Produced by Singaporean producer Michele Lim and production managed by Canadian Production Stage Manager, Caaryn Sadoway.
What is it that makes your work/company unique
‘Mail Ordered’ is an interactive comedy performance with a touch of parody, use of Asian melodrama tropes, rituals, music, and dance numbers you can groove to.
Theater-goers who like being part of a performance will enjoy this show. Audience members will have the opportunity to assist Lila in her attempts to find a man in Canada who is looking to buy a bride from South East Asia.
The performance uses comedy, dance, and music to share a delicate story. As an artist, Shanice often uses humor in her work as a form of access and preparation for audiences to receive stories that are often difficult to tell. This show sheds some light on the realities of human trafficking through the mail order bride business from Asia to North America, Lila’s story being one of them.
What kind of experience do you hope audiences will have during your show?
We hope for the audience to be entertained, and enjoy an evening of storytelling with music and dance numbers set to western-inspired Asian beats they can groove to.
As this is an interactive show, we hope the audience will want to help Lila find her happily ever after. Every show will be also be different since it depends on the audience’s responses and the choices they make.
Without spoilers, tell us what you think audiences will remember most about your show?
The audience will remember being Lila’s first real friends in Canada as they help her through various tasks, changing her luck, participating in a lottery (audience members might win money!), and eventually helping Lila navigate her way in Canada as she tries to find a husband to buy her, and maybe even find love…
The music and dance numbers in the show with Southeast Asian and Western influences will be fun and catchy, and hopefully, will be etched in their minds after the show.
What do you think is the best thing about the Fringe?
The Fringe allows artists like us to present original devised work to a new audience. It also allows opportunities for such cross-cultural collaborations and to present stories from across the world to cities like Vancouver.
What is the most important thing you hope audiences will take away from your show?
We hope that they had a great time at the show, that they learnt something about the mail order bride business, and that they will want to find out more about theater and music from Singapore.
Tickets for Mail Ordered are on sale now, taking place at Waterfront Theatre from 8 – 18 Sep. Book your spot today for just $15 per person!
