Inspired by the true story of Bophana, who coped with torture at the hands of the Pol Pot henchmen by retreating into the rich imaginative and spiritual world of the Ramayana and imagining herself to be Sita.
Where do some extraordinary individuals find the reserves of strength to withstand physical pain and mental torture? I was very drawn to the idea that a self-created inner world of the aesthetic imagination could be a source of such a spiritual strength and sustenance. For Bophana, the Ramayana epic that is so knitted into her culture's aesthetic expressions is no mere adult fairy-tale, but an experience of near-religious intensity.
Director: Elizabeth de Roza
Playwright: Sonny Lim
Choreographer: Kuo Jing Hong
Set Designer: Elizabeth de Roza
Costumes: Radiah Aljunied
Set Construction: Goh Seng Lai & Co.
Production Managers: Kuo Jing Hong, Serena Pang
Stage Manager: Serena Pang
Sound Operator: Patricia Toh
Crew: Cass, Gim Sin, Harold Teng, Jean, Kim Seng, Qiu Luan
Cast:
Elizabeth de Roza
Chester See
Ng Bong Na
Lee Yong Wei
Mohan Sachdev
Philip Marcelo
Loy Chin Ian
Arthur Wong
Toh Han Shih
(Source: Asia In Theatre Research Centre Programme)