Creative Capital: The couple that specialises in unique immersive dinner theatre in Singapore

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Creative Capital letter: The couple that specialises in unique immersive dinner theatre in Singapore

Andsoforth attracts a large audience of people that aren't regular arts-goers. Husband and wife team Stuart Wee and Emily Png recognise that it provides a dandy opportunity to engage and convert new audiences to the art form.

Stuart Wee and Emily Png are the husband-and-married woman co-founders of immersive theatre experience andsoforth. ( Photo: Andsoforth)

19 Jan 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 21 May 2022 04:19PM)

When 1 mentions Singapore theatre, the companies that come height of mind are the established players like SRT, Wild Rice, Pangdemonium, and TheatreWorks. Arts lovers volition also rattle off groups such every bit Toy Manufacturing plant, Necessary Phase, Checkpoint Theatre, Cake Productions and Drama Box. Simply the one theatre company that is always overlooked is Andsoforth.

And that's well-nigh likely considering Andsoforth is simply not your usual theatre company. This grouping, founded and run past Emily Png and Stuart Wee, specialises in immersive theatrical dining experiences.

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What's that you might ask? Hither's what it isn't. It isn't your grandmother'southward dinner theatre experience in which you sit down in front end of a stage, eating bad nutrient watching ii-bit performers butcher a script.

And then what is information technology? It'due south a roleplay experience in which you get to enter a novel and inventive world, accept function in and lookout man a story unfold, while as well enjoying good food and drink. Sounds also good to be true? It'southward not. And the fans who accept discovered Andsoforth and their productions are but bursting for yous to know just how much fun you can have at one of their shows.

What'due south especially impressive is that Andsoforth attracts a large audience of people that aren't regular arts-goers. And the fact that Wee recognises that it provides a corking opportunity to engage and convert new audiences makes Andsoforth a pretty important player in the local scene.

SO STUART, Tin can TELL US HOW Y'all AND YOUR WIFE EMILY FIRST MET? WAS IT Love AT First SIGHT?

Emily and I met while playing music in a children'southward church building. I was bass guitar and she was on keys. Nosotros hung out for a year before I finally realised that she was the i I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. We could talk for hours without getting tired and our conversations were e'er virtually the futurity, dreams and goals. I guess she liked me too considering 3 months after we got together she proposed that we sign up to go a HDB and nosotros did.

WHEN DID You lot ATTEND YOUR Commencement IMMERSIVE DINING EXPERIENCE? DID You DO And then TOGETHER?

When I was at Beep Studios as the studio manager, we got a booking with Geoff Pesche (mastering engineer for Coldplay and Kylie) from the famous Abbey Road Studios in London. I asked my then boss, Kevin Foo (who is currently Full general Managing director at Sony Music Entertainment for Taipei Urban center, Taiwan) if Emily could come along because I wanted to propose to her.

He agreed because he is a romantic at heart. Emily, being the curious and adventurous traveller started searching online for interesting events and experiences all over London and discovered world wide web.Gingerline.co.uk. But it was already sold out during our travel dates.

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When we got to London, she connected to check in with them to run across if anyone had given up their seats and finally, we got a reply. We popped our virgin reddish for our first immersive theatrical dining experience. And I proposed in Paris a couple of days subsequently.

WHAT STRUCK YOU Most THAT Kickoff Experience? DID You lot KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING You WANTED TO Exercise?

The combination of actors, gear up design, lighting, audio, theatrical food, cocktails tying in with a theme gave the states the about fun and unique dining experience nosotros've ever had. It was genius and fun.

Nosotros wanted Singapore to take something like this, but we did not know how to do it or if anyone had ever done such a thing. We didn't even know what to call an experience like this.

We went back and did some research and found that in 2001 a eating house called Igor'south had opened simply closed a year after. It was a horror theme restaurant that was successful for three to half dozen months after the opening but started losing business later that.

Nosotros realised that it was probably because there was no reason for customers to come up back again since the theme was constant.SRT also did a themed dinner in 1998 called Ah Kong'southward Birthday Party, created by Ivan Heng and Dick Lee. But that was it. Nosotros couldn't notice our immersive theatrical dining fix in Singapore.

So we said to ourselves that if no 1 is going to practise it, we're going to attempt to. We registered our visitor in 2022 and roped in friends, as well as friends of friends from various industries similar a chef who had only come back from an internship at Noma and Lasalle students, to do our showtime show.

It was called The Hideaway. And, looking dorsum, information technology was a disaster. Still we sold out, considering of the novelty.

DID YOU Gear up THE Company AND Accept THE PLUNGE INTO THIS FULL-Fourth dimension RIGHT AWAY OR DID YOU HANG ONTO YOUR Mean solar day JOBS UNTIL YOU WERE CONVINCED ANDSOFORTH COULD SURVIVE?

Our start two productions were executed while we held on to our full-time jobs. Nosotros phone call that the first yr of Andsoforth. We used what fiddling we made to put into the company. In Jan 2015, we decided to leave our day jobs and work on Andsoforth total time.

Tin can YOU Explicate WHAT Y'all Practice TO A LAYPERSON?

Think of it equally a video game. You could wearable a costume and play a character and escape reality and like in a video game, you'll consume potions and food that the game creators designed. At present translate that video game into an immersive theatrical dining experience.

Andsoforth's goal is to create a world that transports the audience and disconnects them from Singapore and reality. Anybody is in grapheme correct from commencement at the entrance where we bank check for tickets and dietary requirements to the bar staff and even the service crew.

The food is curated and designed to be in theme with the show as are the cocktails. Everything has to have a niggling surprise because as Singaporeans nosotros accept a high expectation for what's on the plate.

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WAS Information technology HARD INTRODUCING THE CONCEPT OF IMMERSIVE DINING TO AUDIENCES HERE?

It took three years to find the balance betwixt food and performance. In the before days, tickets were like shooting fish in a barrel to sell because shows had limited seating and show runs were really short. I remember back so, guests came expecting great food and whatsoever performance was just an after-thought.

Ironically, nosotros were more focused on the performance and fix design. It took u.s.a. 3 to 4 years of both good and very negative feedback to truly identify all the problems and address them.

And then came the next result we discovered. Audiences were interested in themes more than something exciting. That means information technology didn't matter whether it was an immersive theatrical dining experience – if they didn't understand or like the theme, they wouldn't come up.

So we started do adaptions of archetype books. Dinner in Wonderland which is based on Alice in Wonderland, saw our largest turnout to date with vi,000 attendees and a six month run. We had to adapt it six different times after that, including creating children'due south versions besides. We understood that familiarity was what drew audiences to a concept.

WHAT'S BEEN THE Best PART Most RUNNING YOUR OWN BUSINESS?

Being the captain of our own transport. Nosotros become to determine how we want to sheet the sea of life. The 2 of the states love to travel. Sometimes, when nosotros're on someone else's boat we feel helpless not being able to travel where we desire and when nosotros want.

Nosotros need experiences overseas to create what nosotros create; the beautiful landscapes, cityscapes and all the shows we watch inspire the states to be better and accomplish for an international standard for our productions.

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AND WHAT HAS BEEN THE HARDEST?

Seeing an astonishing production that had and then much work poured into it not gaining enough audition attendance only considering people didn't like the theme.

The Imaginarium of Disco David was one my favourite productions only it had our lowest attendance because the full general feedback was that people didn't similar disco. The funny thing was that it only had one disco scene and the people who came had the best time.

HOW BIG IS YOUR Team? I ASSUME FOR SHOWS You lot Employ A LOT OF FREELANCERS AND PERFORMERS. HOW Do YOU Detect TALENT?

Andsoforth started with only the ii of u.s.a. full-time but now we also have a designer and venue rent sales manager. The latter helps to rent out our venue when we are transiting betwixt productions. We have a venue for rent called warehouse16.

We take our get-to freelancers, many of who we encounter through friends. We hold casting calls for actors and usually aim for well-nigh 60 to lxxx people to cast from. Our chef is a rare find and a homo of many talents. Together, we built two kitchens and have fed over 20,000 people.

Our designer for all our collaterals is my cousin Natalie Wee. We engaged her as soon equally she graduated from Lasalle. She has been designing all of our posters and logos since 2014. I cartel say she has since made quite a name for herself – she goes by Cloudhedd on social media. Information technology is possible to say that we accept assembled our own version of the Avengers.

IS CASTING DIFFICULT?

Information technology was actually difficult when we did non know what to await for. After 40 concepts, you learn a lot about dealing with actors and spotting the signs. There is quite a bit of referencing that is required, word-of-oral cavity, and people we trust in the manufacture that have inside news on whether an actor we've cast has any quirks, ofttimes shows up late or doesn't take direction well.

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Of course, nosotros have a couple of trusted and reliable actors but it's non to say we don't give other actors chances to be part of the bear witness. Our runs are long, longer than most theatre productions. For instance, Valhalla and The Chambers of Asgard which started Nov sixteen 2022 runs all the way till Feb 15 2020.

WHAT'S MORE Of import, DELICIOUS Food OR A GREAT THEATRICAL Feel?

Both are equally important. Some guests come focused on the dinner while others like the themes and nutrient isn't as important. Still, guests are paying an boilerplate of South$118 and even though they don't know the breakdown of a ticket toll, subconsciously, they are going to want expert and filling food.

That's what nosotros strive to achieve. That said, when y'all do intermission down a ticket, the sets are the virtually expensive things in immersive theatre. Nosotros take to create a whole other world for guests to enter later all.

ANY HORROR STORIES FROM PREVIOUS PRODUCTIONS Y'all CAN SHARE?

Drunkard guests that are and so drunk even before they've stepped through the doors. And it's even worse when they speak in a foreign language, hash out the actor and accept information technology as if there are no other guests in the room with them.

Because of this, we do have a clause in our terms and weather condition that gives us the correct to remove drunk guests at the door or during the show if the said guest is confusing and touching or endangering our actors.

You lot'VE Now PUT ON 45 CONCEPTS. HOW Practice You lot Come WITH THE CONCEPTS AND STAY FRESH CREATIVELY?

Nosotros believe that we're good trend spotters. For example, The Imaginarium of Disco David was inspired past Netflix's The Get Downwardly and the resurgence of disco during that fourth dimension in fashion and music. Valhalla and The Chambers of Asgard was a combination of Highland Park's Valfather Whisky budgeted u.s. and asking usa to pitch, my own long-fourth dimension desire to practise a viking concept and because History Channel's Vikings has become i of our favourite shows.

Our next concept which will happens in April is Around the Earth in eighty days. It was inspired past the recent arrival of "le petit chef" and the need to claiming the notion of truly taking guests effectually the world in an immersive setting.

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WHAT Percentage OF YOUR Piece of work IS FOR CORPORATE CLIENTS? HOW DIFFERENT ARE YOUR CORPORATE SHOWS FROM THE PUBLIC ONES?

It really depends on what or who comes first. If nosotros accept plans for a certain show, and a client approaches us to do something around that date and we don't have the capacity to do information technology, we wouldn't accept it.

Nosotros don't like to produce sub-par works. Nosotros've done piece of work for Deloitte for their family unit day of 2,500 people. And for that, nosotros erected the first on-sea-water-obstacle-course in Sentosa. After that, Sentosa saw that it was possible and did their own versions. We practise corporate dinner and dances which commonly means entertaining an audition that might not necessarily requite your actors the attention they deserve. For those, we need to work a lot harder to become the audition to loosen upwardly and have fun.

We had also introduced synchronised swimming for the launch of NCO gild's Madame Fan which was an thought to use their dive puddle. This was before the movie Crazy Rich Asians came out. Honestly, we had no idea that would be something rich folk would do.

WHO IS YOUR Audition?

Anyone and everyone! Nosotros've had daughters celebrating their female parent'south 70th birthday at our show. Nosotros accept a lot of locals, many of whom accept never been to a local theatre production before. Only because we've incorporated dinner, they take it as a dinner date.

That gives united states of america the chance to expose them to various art forms and immersive theatre. Expats make up to near 20 per cent of our audience, and about 10 per cent are tourists. We've had guests from New York, Thailand, Republic of indonesia, Shanghai, London and Australia. We've even had people wing down but to catch our productions.

TELL Usa MORE ABOUT ANDSOFORTH Inferior.

ASF JR is our children's partitioning which started out as requests to practise a children's version of Dinner in Wonderland. Our largest product to date was 22 Stories held in a 20,000 square foot warehouse in which nosotros built 22 rooms in a museum mode.

Through the rooms, we brought 22 stories to life, breaking them up into four different lands: Grimmsneyland (named after the Grimm brother's tales of princesses), Wonderland (Lewis Carroll), The Land of Nights (1001 Arabian nights), and Storyland (Hans Christian Andersen).

Children were given maps and they had the freedom to find, meet, interact and listen to a story from whichever character that was there that twenty-four hour period. Unlike Disneyland where the only character interaction is taking a photo, we made certain children could ask the characters whatever called-for questions and really understand the stories they were so used to being told. We saw 35,000 people for this production in April to July 2019.

WHAT'S IN STORE FOR 2020?

Around the Globe in lxxx days in April to August and The Sorcerer of Oz from October to Dec. They should exist rather big productions.

WHAT'S THE ULTIMATE DREAM?

To have Southeast Asia await to Singapore every bit a hub for immersive experiences similar London and Shanghai. And besides be so strong people fly in just to grab a evidence. I'm always praying that Singapore Tourism Board or some other investor doesn't bring in Punchdrunk or Secret Movie house – the big players in the West – every bit information technology would crush smaller, local guys who are trying to go into the immersive experience scene.

We've been to some of these smaller players and they take so much potential. A few need a lilliputian business concern advice but they are definitely not lacking in creativity. We take much to give. But Singapore being Singapore, we tend to cannibalise each other and non requite credit and award to the creators. I hope that doesn't happen to my sector.

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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/entertainment/creative-capital-andsoforth-singapore-immersive-dinner-theatre-177141

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