Activities > 2008 > Let Me Off!
| < Inside Out II |
14 December 20008
The Arts House Play Den, 1 Old Parliament Lane
Directed by Rei Poh & Sha Najak
Co-facilitated by Sha Najak & Kok Heng Luen
Supported by The Lee Foundation
Mrs. Liew a mother who is going back to the workforce after 10 years of being out of it. She is all ready to go back to the rat-race but she needs help at home. Someone to clean her house, do the dishes, walk the dog and take care of her daughter. She hires Ira, who loves her job and is happy with the family she is with and has Sundays off. One day, she got the news that her favorite movie star was coming to town for a one night only performance. Will Mrs. Liew let her go?
"Let Me Off!" is a fun-filled interactive theatre piece featuring a talented cast of both Singaporeans and migrant workers from Indonesia, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Nepal and India. It explores how we interact with migrant workers - especially the ones in our homes. Filled with tears, smiles, anger and laughter, look forward to dramatic moments and some serious booty shaking, with a special appearance by Hassan.
This production was organized to commemorate International Migrant's Day 2008, in association with Dramabox. It is adapted and extended by Kok Heng Leun from an original piece by The Necessary Stage called "Let Me Off!".
The script for this production is available for re-staging. If you are keen to adapt or re-stage this script, please email us at support@migrantvoices.org
Click here to download the programme booklet.
Click here to download the script. This copy of the script is for viewing only.
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Characters
Mrs. Liew is 32 years old and married with one child. She has now entered the workforce to become a working mother now that her eight-year old daughter has safely settled into primary school. She was offered a job as a Human Resource Executive at an MNC and her starting salary is higher than when she first entered the job market. With this in mind, Mrs. Liew decided to hire a helper to assist in her daughter’s day to day needs. At the same time, she would like for someone to do basic cleaning for her two-storey household located at Telok Kurau Road.
Catherine is 8 years old and loves to draw. Her favourite drawings are of flowers and she always draws them in twos – one for her mother and one for Ira.
Ira is 23 years old and she hails from Medan, Indonesia. This is her first time working out of Indonesia since graduating from school. She speaks English well and was chosen to be a fitted candidate for employment at Robson Employment Agency. Ira’s parents feel that she can learn a lot from experiencing the outside world and also be able to help them save for their retirement. Her other sibling who is still in school, would benefit from her help when she remits money over each month.
Hassan is 30 years old and has been in Singapore for the past six years. He works on a construction site but was later promoted to a supervisor. He manages other workers on site and provides translations into Bengali for his employer. Hassan misses his homeland of Bangladesh but know that he is needed to work in order to allow his parents to retire. His two other brothers are also working overseas, one in Saudi Arabia and the other in Korea. He currently works at a site in Telok Kurau to supervise the construction of a childcare centre.
Karen has just entered the workforce and currently looking for a job. She was not able to find one that fits her bill but because she had applied for all vacant positions that she sees fit, Robson Employment Agency called her in for an interview and a month later, she was offered to position of Human Resources Executive. Karen knows little about foreign domestic workers and this is her first time working in such a place.
Norma De Souza has been working with foreign domestic workers from all over Asia for a year now. She meets all sorts of employers and domestic workers are her agency. Norma sometimes would get calls from helpers seeking a transfer or help at their employers’ place. She would assist the best way she can but often finds, some things are beyond her job description.
Rosalinda is not new to working overseas. She had experience working in Canada before with an employer who is liberal. She attended courses on Sundays and have chances to hang out with friends even on weekdays. After finishing her contract, Rosalinda went back to Philippines for a year to see her children to school before signing on to work overseas once again. This is her first time in Singapore.
