Category: Voices

After months of preparation, we got to hold our 2023 Voices Production. It was a fantastic evening of shared community over spoken word pieces regarding themes of gender equality and LGBTQ+ rights. I performed 5 pieces in the show (with one even being a song) and it was an experience I am glad to have been part of. I was incredibly nervous and anxious during the performance but I came out of it with greater confidence and strength in the solidarity I felt with the audience and other cast members. It was a lengthy process which required commitment and resilience, especially when it came to my performing skills; but I do not take it for granted. Ultimately, it gave me a platform to advocate for themes which may otherwise be stigmatized but are deserving of attention. I felt that my voice was heard. I grew in my individuality through this production and I am super grateful that I got to work on it with my cast members and teacher facilitators, Emily and Claire. I stepped out of my comfort zone in an effort to re-explore a passion which I had not gotten much opportunity to return to: spoken word. For that, I feel really lucky. I hope to take this with me as a memory going forward.

In Voices, we have come a long way since the start of the year. We are working towards a performance date of March 2nd that includes a script collating student written pieces and other gender justice works from external creators that we’ve found online. We’ve started practicing the whole script together with teachers as well from the English department. The performance will be held in the Black Box and overall, the process has taught me to be more confident with my public speaking and to advocate for a cause that matters to me. It is being held on the evening of the 2nd of March and each ticket will cost $10. This is the final script that we will be performing; I am doing around 5 pieces in total.

This year, I’ve become involved in a new activity introduced to the UWCSEA East community. Voices is an activity inspired by the Vday movement which stands against gender-based violence and inspired by feminism. In the activity, we explore current world affairs and try to compile different spoken word/art pieces that match our theme. We are planning to potentially try and hold a production with varying pieces that we put together. I am proposing to write a piece about the life of a Foreign Domestic Worker in Singapore. There are links to be made for me with my filipino identity in writing about this.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MdbTBu7LKwW6IRkClywtjpaU9KFakWwFkRZPQnXgrkw/edit?usp=sharing

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1QsGuTsj3nfOLMpKXDPlZQH8diWPjj0ZxP0m0pAJz3UY/edit?usp=sharing