Simply Lambchops: Music and Entertainment

Meet Rochee The Friendliest Cockroach at Esplanade's PLAYtime! 2017

children activities Thursday, February 16, 2017

There are plenty of good theatre performances catered to older kids, but it is always a challenge to find suitable theatre performances for young children who are a little more sensitive to loud music and dark scenes. K is one such kid - she will say "I scared" or look worried when the sound gets too loud for her comfort and will keep asking to leave the room.

But ever since I discovered Esplanade's popular children's theatre series, PLAYtime!, K gets to enjoy children's performances just like all other kids!

Esplanade's PLAYtime! series is interactive and fun, even for the accompanying adults!

PLAYtime! is a fun-filled theatre series specially catered to all children aged two to four. I am so glad that the people behind PLAYtime! also cater to children who have special needs or sensory sensitivities and offer sensory-friendly versions of their productions.

I work quite extensively with different communities and want to see kids with special needs or who are at-risk to have access to quality theatre like everyone else. - Ian Loy, director of PLAYtime! Rochee The Friendliest Cockroach

Our first encounter with Esplanade's PLAYtime! was at their sensory-friendly performance The Bird Who Was Afraid of Heights. The theatre environment was a relaxed one and there was enough space for us to sit on the floor comfortably; the songs were catchy and continued to sing in my head for the next few days, and the cast didn't just perform - they interacted with the audience, a lot! The story chosen was simple to understand, with a strong message of love and friendship that young kids associate well with. And you know what? I felt myself transforming into a little kid, enjoying the beautiful story while singing and dancing to the music!

Rochee: The Friendliest Cockroach

I'm looking forward to bringing K for her next theatrical experience with PLAYtime! From 17 Feb to 5 Mar 2017, Esplanade's PLAYtime! will be presenting Rochee: The Friendliest Cockroach. This play is adapted from the local children's book Rochee: The Friendliest Cockroach which is written and illustrated by Gavin Goo.

I borrowed the book from the National Library Book to read the story and prep K for the show. This story is easy to read (good news for parents who have to read bedtime stories) and K can flip through the beautifully illustrated pages as a quiet activity.

The book tells of a cockroach named Rochee, who is friendly and helpful. However, the roach knows how difficult it is for him to make friends because people find him pesky, just like Glenny the girl. In fact, Glenny is so afraid of cockroaches that whenever she sees one, she either screams and runs away, or she will smack it. The story unfolds in a comical and heart-warming way, with Rochee trying his best to please Glenny, just so that he can be her friend. (Note that for the PLAYtime! performance, Rochee is a female roach.)

I am Rochee...

Mesmerising blue luminous balls that represent Glenny's tears

Glenny and Rochee become good friends!

My favourite parts of the show:

:: Rochee says "Ga-Juak!" (a hokkien word for cockroach). She uses it like an exclamation, during a think-aloud moment, and whenever, wherever.

:: Props that are blown-up versions of household items like the Q-tips, bathing sponge, the "teardrops" which represent Glenny's tears.

:: That song! That song! "I am Rochee... I am lonely ... Come, everybody ... sing with me..." (Tell me if you find that song catchy too!)

Sensory-friendly performances

A sensory-friendly performance is meant to create a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment. All individiuals are welcome regardless of their sensory needs. However, changes have been made to the production and the atmosphere, and the experience might differ from a regular-setting show.

There are 3 sensory-friendly shows for Rochee: The Friendliest Cockroach:

Tuesday, 28 Feb, 11am and 2pm;

Saturday, 4 Mar 11am (all shows are 40 mins long, with no intermission)

If you are wondering what to expect for a sensory-friendly performance, read here for a detailed write-up from Esplanade. You can also download a Pre-Visit Guide for Families and a two-page Activity Sheet to get your child excited for the show.

Timing for the regular-setting shows:

Venue: Esplanade Theatre Studio (Level 4, via the lift near Toastbox)
Pricing: $20/ticket (tickets are required for all patrons, including infants in arms)
Special discount: PIP Club's member gets to buy a package of 4 tickets at $72.

Tickets can be purchased from SISTIC Authorised Agents, SISTIC hotline, and Esplanade Box Office at (65) 6828 8389.

Tickets for the regular shows | Tickets for the sensory-friendly shows

I highly recommend Rochee: The Friendliest Cockroach for all little ones! Be it the regular-setting or the sensory-friendly versions, your children (and you) will be in for many doses of laughs and actions!

Disclaimer: The photos were taken at an exclusive preview of this production.

Share |

The 10th National Piano and Violin Competition - Prize Winners' Concert 2015

media invite Sunday, December 13, 2015

[Media Invite]

It was curiosity that prompted me to attend the 10th National Piano and Violin Competition Prize Winners' Concert & Prize Presentation Ceremony at the Victoria Concert Hall on Sunday. I am no expert listener, and can't tell the difference between great works of Beethoven or Mozart, but I was curious about the performing standards of the prize winners and I was itching for some good classical music that weekend. It has been a long time since I attended a concert too.

My other (secret) agenda was to expose Ch and L to more classical music and hopefully, be able to appreciate why they learn to play the piano and gain some inspiration to be more diligent in their own music-making journey.

A biennial event, the National Piano and Violin Competition is jointly organised by the National Arts Council (NAC) and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). It serves as a talent development platform to discover and nurture young musicians to artistic excellence, and provide opportunities to perform before renowned international adjudicators like Mr Charles Castleman (violin adjudicator) and Ms Anna Jastrzebska-Quinn (piano adjudicator). A total of 25 winners emerged from among 159 participants, and I saw two familiar faces among the group of proud parents that evening.

This year's edition saw a special commission by local composer and 2003 Young Artist Award recipient Dr Zechariah Goh Toh Chai. His pieces - Quinquagenerian celebration and Quinquagenerian Jubilation for piano, Ondeh Ondeh variations and Two Sketches for violin - were used as competition pieces and performed at the Prize Winners' Concert.

Ronan Lim Ziming, 1st Prize Winner of the Violin Senior Category, also bagged the final edition of the Goh Soon Tioe Outstanding Performer Award of $10,000 for his outstanding performing qualities in Ondeh Ondeh and Lutoslawki's Subito (1992).

Luiyi Retallick, 1st Prize Winner of Violin Artist Category

As anticipated, the concert was indeed a spectacular showcase of the top prize winners of all categories who displayed the highest standards of classical music. The concert opened with performances by winners of the Piano and Violin Artist categories, accompanied by the Metropolitan Festival Orchestra conducted by Maestro Chan Tze Law. The two winners played well, but I wasn't particularly impressed for some reasons.

We were very much more impressed with the younger ones. From their performances, the dedication and passion towards excellence in the classical music scene exude strongly from each prize winner. I was most impressed and captivated by Jordan Alexandra JunYi Hadrill's vivacious performance of Wieniawski's Variations on an Original Theme Op. 15.

Jordan Alexandra JunYi Hadrill receiving her prize from
Guest-of-Honour Mr Ng Chee Meng, Acting Minister for Education (Schools)

It was interesting to observe Ch and L throughout the concert - one sat through most parts with an intent gaze, seemingly appreciating the display of talents, while the other fidgeted in the seat and wished to be out of the concert hall. This certainly has to do with the amount of exposure to such concerts, and I hope there will be more of such family outings. It was also the littlest's first exposure to classical music in a formal setting, and she had to be whisked out of the concert hall after the first performance because she talked too much (apologies!).

When asked to name a performer who left the deepest impression that evening, the three kids replied:

"My favourite performer is Wang Huang Hao Jia because he plays the piano very smoothly and his posture when playing is good. He does not slouch like some players when they are playing softly." said Ch.

Wang Huang Hao Jia, 1st Prize Winner (Piano Intermediate Category)

"The best performer in my eyes is Tricia Ng En Lin, [as] the song that she performed was very attractive and lively. She could move her fingers so quickly on the finger board." mentioned Eu, classmate of Ch.

Tricia Ng En Lin, 1st Prize Winner (Violin Junior Category)

Said L, "... favourite performer is Ronan because Ronan got an award and his piece is well-played and nice."

Ronan Lim Ziming, 1st Prize Winner (Violin Senior Category)
& Winner of Goh Soon Tioe Outstanding Performer Award

Well, I do hope they have rubbed off some passion from these prize winners.

The next edition of the competition will be in December 2017. Watch out for it and I would recommend bringing your child along if he is learning either of the musical instruments.

Do hop over to Pianomania for his detailed review of the event if you want to find out more.

Disclaimer: All photos are provided by the National Arts Council, unless otherwise stated.

Share |