Despite WhatsApp's new policy controversy, many users in Singapore have not “left the group”. Some are still giving family members blue-tick treatment, leaving them on read (you know who you are). And if one family group chat is not enough, get ready for another.
Hatch Theatrics is back with one of its most collaborative and unconventional pieces to date. The theatre collective is turning WhatsApp into a virtual stage for their new drama Keturunan Ruminah (‘Ruminah’s Family’ in Malay). Told entirely via the messaging platform in real-time on March 6, the show invites audiences to pry into Ruminah’s family group chat, complete with texts in English and Malay, terrible typos, mundane updates, cringey audio notes, and unnecessary visual stimuli. The best part is that you can actually get to leave it on read – just sit back and watch the story unfold into a tension-filled plot at your fingertips.
To tell us more about this innovative play, we chat with Faizal Abdullah of Hatch Theatrics on bringing the concept to life, choosing WhatsApp as its virtual stage, his very own family group chat, and his best memories at The Substation.
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For a theatre lover, what’s your favourite place to catch some staged performances in Singapore?
I’ve always liked watching shows at The Substation. Everything else in Singapore is just a little bit too similar and The Substation is just different.
You must’ve heard the sad news – The Substation has recently announced its permanent closure. What’s your fondest memory there?
Our first show (as Hatch Theatrics) was staged there. In fact, most of our shows were staged at The Substation. And I met my wife at The Substation, so it’s extra special.
Okay, let’s talk about theatre collective Hatch Theatrics.
There are five of us in Hatch – Faizal, Khai, Nadia, Hafidz and Jonny Jon-Jon. We have been a theatre collective since 2012. Currently, Hatch is a collective of cross-functional theatre makers based in Singapore and London.
Our exploration in theatre-making has produced original local narratives that resonate with the global audience. We want to empower others to believe that every story waiting to be told has an audience waiting to be discovered.
Our exploration in theatre-making has produced original local narratives that resonate with the global audience.
Your upcoming show Keturunan Ruminah is unlike any other production. Tell us more about it.
[It’s] something new and novel – and voyeuristic. It’s a family drama that is played out on WhatsApp. It is at times funny, ridiculous, scary, but totally relatable. It will be a new way of experiencing a performance for the audience and we are looking forward to sharing it with them.
What's the inspiration behind creating a "WhatsApp Chat Play"?
The pandemic has forced us [to find new ways of creating] art and performances. This is another way in which we are trying to adapt. And this is also another way for the team, who are based in different countries, to create work together. You can look at the pandemic as having forced us to stop working the traditional way, or embrace the challenge of forcing us to find new ways of creating performances.
How does it work?
Audiences will get a link to join the WhatsApp group chat on the day of the performance. Once they're in, they get comfy, and pry in on someone else’s family group chat. As part of our cybersecurity measures, the WhatsApp group and all numbers will be deleted 24 hours after the end of the performance.
Was it challenging to bring the concept to life?
We’ve been rehearsing via Zoom and on WhatsApp. And everyone has been involved in the creative process and the churning of ideas. But I think logistically and administratively, we are very lucky to have Khai and Nadia who are gamely trying to solve quite unique technical and production issues, despite the different time zones and having to work remotely. It’s really a learning curve for all of us.
The pandemic has forced us [to find new ways of creating] art and performances.
With WhatsApp's new policy controversy, why choose WhatsApp, instead of, say, Zoom?
A family WhatsApp group chat just feels more authentic. Everyone has a WhatsApp group chat. A Telegram or Signal family chat, seems a bit contrived. We did think about not using WhatsApp, but we decided to stick with it. The majority of people out there are still using WhatsApp, so we felt right sticking to it. If someone feels that they are not comfortable using WhatsApp, we respect their choice.
On a lighter note, what's the most memorable message you've received in a family WhatsApp group chat?
It’s not technically a message, so this is cheating a little bit. It’s actually an audio note from one of my nieces. My sister and her husband like to make their children send videos or audio notes to me and my wife to wish us happy birthday, or just to say that they miss us. One time, my niece wished us “happy anniversary” but there was so much pain and anguish in her voice. It was as though she was forced to say it under duress. We laughed the first time we heard it, and we still play it from time to time to get a laugh. I think they will grow up resenting us for the amount of ‘wishes’ they have to send us from time to time.
Keturunan Rumah takes on WhatsApp on March 6, and tickets available from $5 via keturunanruminah.peatix.com.
