SEEDLINGS is a programme that seeks to bring together a group of enthusiastic and arts-loving young people, aged 7–12, with diverse experiences and abilities. In 2020, artists Faye Lim and Chong Gua Khee conceptualised and piloted the programme with the intention of developing children-centred artistic experiences, within the context of Esplanade’s cultural role as a national performing arts institution.

In the spirit of growing capacities within the theatre for young adults' ecosystem, Faye, Gua Khee and the Esplanade March On team opened two new facilitator positions for SEEDLINGS 2023. They reached out to artists who had applied to the Esplanade's PLAYlab platform over the years. The open call sought artists who were interested in furthering their practice of working with or making works for children. In addition to the open call, the SEEDLINGS alumni programme, co-facilitated by Gua Khee and theatre practitioner Isabella Chiam, was also open to previous participants who have gone through at least one cycle of SEEDLINGS.

The two new SEEDLINGS facilitators selected during the open call in 2023 were Claris Tan and Jasmine Xie, artists with a keen interest in creating works for young audiences. Upon selection, they began learning the structure and facilitation approach developed for SEEDLINGS by the programme designers, whilst working closely with the group of children towards a final presentation.

In this interview, observer and writer Euginia Tan speaks to theatre practitioners and co-facilitators Claris Tan and Jasmine Xie on their roles in guiding this year's eager participants and how their processes have impacted personal discourses in contemplating theatre for young audiences.

Euginia: Hi Claris and Jasmine! Congratulations on your first successful run as SEEDLINGS facilitators. Before we talk more about your facilitation process, we’d like to get to know each of you better.

Claris: Hello! I'm Claris. I'm an actor and I work mostly in theatre for young audiences (TYA) and musical theatre. I also have a TYA collective called Zip Zap Zoom. With Zip Zap Zoom, we worked on PlayLab with two other creators during the Covid-19 period. I directed a sensory theatre experience called Transportation. Recently, Zip Zap Zoom has also created a few shows with Esplanade, like Collector of Stories (during March On! 2023)

Jasmine: I'm Jasmine, and I was part of The Finger Players (TFP) first batch of acting apprentices. The Finger Players does not just do children's shows, but they also do shows for all age groups, through the medium of puppetry. At that time, I was involved with the F.Y.I series (Feed Your Imagination) in July. It was mainly for students from primary to secondary school. The exposure to children's shows started at that time, and puppetry was a good entry point for storytelling. I think it's good to do a mix (of shows, for different age groups).

Euginia: Thank you for introducing yourselves! What drives your specific interests in TYA and/or theatre-making?

Jasmine: For me, I like to see changes. It can be both good and bad—how do we define changes? I just like seeing changes before and after. For example, when I teach, at the end of a week of workshops, I'm very touched when I see kids transform. Those who were once very quiet suddenly have their time to shine. I get very excited... So, I hope to do shows that create conversations. Hopefully, these shows trigger responses and conversations so that their parents, siblings or friends can also get involved later on.

Claris: I'm similar to Jasmine in terms of wanting to see change. For me, I feel that stepping into various creative roles allows me to make the changes I want to see. In the past, as an actor—and possibly due to the nature of shows I was involved in for the last five years—I was involved in shows created to entertain or spread a government message. Though those were important messages, sometimes it came off superficial.

Euginia: From this, we can hear that a work is dependent on many factors for it to grow. The same thing goes for the SEEDLINGS platform: How did you brainstorm this year's programme flow? What was important to include for the participants?

Jasmine: Claris and I work well together; we've been quite in-line (with each other). For example, if a writer is coming in for a certain week, we would think about how the participants can communicate with them. We would make our warm-up games in accordance with that. These activities stimulate their senses and open them up to the guest presenter for the week.

We agree that although some are not always a hundred percent onboard with speaking, we'll tell them it's okay as long as they attempt the task. Over time, whether it is with experience and confidence, they do get better. So even if there is discomfort, we push through and see the change.

Claris: It was something Faye brought up to us during our briefings, about making learning fun. During the group agreement, a lot of the participants also brought up wanting more games. They always remember the games we said we would play!

Euginia: As newcomers, we’ve got to credit Faye and Gua Khee for setting a strong foundation for all of us to understand the SEEDLINGS programme well. What were some insights and learning points you took away from their past experiences?

Jasmine: For me, it was being child-centric for them. Our role is in facilitating them to grow, not getting them to do what we want. It is a bit different from planning a drama camp. We had to constantly remind ourselves!

Claris: It is about the kids, and what we can offer to each of them. Not every one of them will develop the same way. I learnt a lot about listening to them, and being aware of what works best for them. For us, it was also about learning to adapt to changes.

Euginia: Why do you think there is a shift in facilitation approaches to being child-centric, rather than basing it off their parents' expectations?

Jasmine: In the past, my dad always taught me to ask questions. But I realised that not everyone likes answering my questions! Not everyone likes children, or people in general, asking questions. It may come across as them being challenging or them trying to get things done their way.

But to me, it is only logical to ask if you don't know. Over time, people probably realised that they may have imposed certain ideas on their children as well. It might be awkward at first for family members to realise that their kids can have responses. 

Euginia: That is true! Growing up, I did feel that my interests were centred around what my parents were interested in. It might not have been a bad thing, since they were interested in the arts (laughter). On the other hand, it must be difficult for children whose interests don't align with what their parents want, and who they want to be as their own person.

Claris: As a child, I was taught to ask only the right questions. Don't ask questions that 'don't need' to be asked. Growing up that way made me feel like everything had to be done correctly. I didn't really dare to explore. When I first taught drama education in certain schools, I struggled as an educator. I felt bad asking the kids not to ask certain questions.

Going back to the SEEDLINGS programme flow, it also became about me going back to my inner child. What did I want to ask? I saw a lot of myself in them. These were the questions I may have wanted to ask but could not.

Euginia: On that note, onto our participants! What did you observe about your engagement with them during SEEDLINGS?

Claris: I've never really facilitated like this before, so I wasn't entirely sure how I was going to do it. Coming into the programme, I just kept telling myself that this is not teaching. I'm used to (being instructed to) teach and educate a group of kids. With the participants, I learned to bounce thoughts and ideas with them. I enjoyed a two-way communication that way. At SEEDLINGS, the participants are genuinely curious. As Jasmine and I are also casual with them, we learnt to set boundaries with them in terms of being friendly, but respectful.

Jasmine: For me, I learned about when to address certain issues and encounters. Should we address them right away, or later? Certain matters could be addressed immediately. However, certain things benefited from being talked about a week or two later. There were definitely moments where we thought, oh, we should have responded this way. With different people, different circumstances happen. It's good to know when and what to do, in those instances.

Euginia: As facilitators, it sounds like you were mindful of giving them space to react. What were some memorable moments you discovered alongside the children?

Jasmine: I liked the activity where we explored different areas of Esplanade together. We all got to pick spots and sites to stage a story. They all had a strong justification on why they made certain choices—children do think things through!

Claris: That was memorable for me, as well. They really went for anywhere within a site! Another activity I remember was the  Create-Your-Machine exercise with Jeremy (guest presenter of Zip, Zap, Zoom), where they had to imagine a machine and how it works using their bodies and found objects. When I was studying musical theatre, we played improvisation games like that. However, playing it as theatre students felt less imaginative than the ideas that the children had. They came up with reasons for all their positions, and were great at creating shapes with their bodies without overthinking.

The last memorable moment was the question-and-answer time during their final presentation. When we asked the kids to think about the sort of questions which they wanted the audience to ask them, they were eager for people to think about why SEEDLINGS was held in the Jendela, a dedicated visual arts space in Esplanade.

As an adult, I would answer that it's just a free space for use. But the participants gave answers like how they felt like the space was specially created for kids, with curved walls (and a certain architecture). I was like, wow! That's a detailed answer that was thought of so quickly.

Euginia: How do these discoveries impact your personal practices?

Claris: A teaching artist I met before always told me to assume competence when teaching and interacting with children. They are a lot more capable than we give them credit for. There is a lot of clarity in their understanding, and they are very astute. A lot of times, we forget that. Hearing their reactions makes me think about how they may react to my work. Do I give space as opposed to telling them what to do/feel?

Jasmine: As performers, we are trained not to talk down to children. We don't have to treat them as adults, but we do have to treat them as people. When we go forth this way, we wouldn't be dismissive of their responses. That way, we are attentive to what they are sharing.

Euginia: Faye and Gua Khee talked about artistic literacy and advocating appreciation as part of the basis of the SEEDLINGS programme. How do you feel the final presentation has conveyed that?

Jasmine: We guided them on a lot throughout rehearsals, like how to plan the seating, what to showcase, the lights and curtain calls. The children are curating their own production which they ended up being proud of! They were able to think through the practicalities of logistics.

On top of all that, the audience would see that they are all eloquent and brave. They could lead a group of people in activities. Doing this is scary, even for adults! But the children could do it—this would inform their parents and teachers that their child can manage stress and have fun.

Claris: The children are good at working with many kinds of temperaments and accommodating sudden changes. They were easy to negotiate with. Some of them may have a lot of suggestions, but if we offer to try something else, they will agree too. They are not stuck on their ideas and are very open-minded to new things. That takes a lot of self-exploration. It's intangible, but it's there.

Euginia: Thank you both for your time and insight! What's next for both of you after SEEDLINGS?

Claris: I'm performing in a show called 12 Going On 13. It's similar to The Beginning of Anything, a production that was part of March On 2023. Seeing how the children responded after watching the production (as part of the SEEDLINGS programme, the participants and facilitators got to watch two shows during March On 2023), I can see parallels to how other kids respond to 12 Going On 13.

In terms of creation, I'm making a show about loss (and how to convey themes of loss to young audiences) with another practitioner. After the interaction with the participants, it would help my direction when thinking about young audiences' points of view.

Jasmine: After SEEDLINGS, I realise how important it is to understand what children want to see, or are interested in.

A reflection

Eugenia: As a writer-observer to the programme, a crucial takeaway would be how we allocate time and attention to conversing with young audiences. From my understanding, it is tempting to structure around childrens’ programmes solely through sheer activity and output. It is difficult to invest in giving young audiences time to speak, let alone ponder on the nuances behind their words.

SEEDLINGS has been a platform where I can witness adults and youth at work together, brainstorming as a unified group instead of in separate capacities. Upon reflection as someone relatively new to TYA, this programme has helped me refine the meaning behind listening to younger voices. From here, the curiosity to explore TYA in terms of its potential incubation and content support beckons me further—so I will be exploring more of the form again, both in and out of Esplanade's spaces.

See you around the block!