Ad Nauseam

Hey everyone,

The show opens in 45 minutes. As I'm sure everyone's aware, we had a front-page story in Life! today, by Hong Xinyi. We also had an interview with Reuters last night from a very cool Egyptian lady who's covering arts and lifestyle for the whole of East Asia. (I agree: wah lau.)

AND - we're sold out.

I know. I couldn't believe it when I heard the news. 15 shows, including matinees.
I hadn't even bought the discounted tickets for my siblings and my best friends. Which means that only strangers are going to watch my piece.

I am a bundle of nerves. I mean, it's illogical - the actors have far more right to be paranoid than I. But I feel cut off, impotent from the development of the play from now on - I was so nervous last night, I woke up at 5am and couldn't sleep. I feel like vomiting and pushing my face into a meat grinder (although come to think of it, that means my brains and my puke would get mixed into the same protein shake, which seems unbecoming somehow). I was biting my own arms last night while watching bits of the run.

The very least I can say, though - is that all this publicity has been a theatrical experience in itself. And going by ticket sales, it's been a very successful one.

God, I hope everything goes well. Cross my heart and hope to swallow if I blow chunks.

Ooh, here's the article from Reuter's, plus a bad photo of the nice journalists:

Whore or hero? Singapore porn star's life on stage
By Miral Fahmy

SINGAPORE, April 5 (Reuters Life!) - Few Singaporeans have courted controversy like sex star Annabel Chong, but a new play about her life which opens on Thursday aims to reveal the person behind the pornography.

"251" is named after Chong's most famous film, "The World's Biggest Gang Bang", in which she set a world record for engaging in 251 sexual acts with around 70 men over a 10-hour period in January 1995.

Starring, produced and directed by Singaporeans, the play also marks a milestone for this city-state which has long
considered Chong a pariah and where oral and anal sex, as well as pornographic films, are banned.

"Singapore has definitely opened up much more in terms of what it's willing to allow on stage," said playwright Yi-Sheng
Ng, who has been fascinated by Chong's life since he heard about her infamous film as a teenager.

"She's an icon, a figure of the taboo, of doing that which is forbidden and scandalous in Singapore, she's one of our country's great anti-heroes," he told Reuters.

Chong, born Grace Quek, was born in 1972 to a conservative Christian family in Singapore, where she excelled at some of the country's top schools. While studying law in London on a government scholarship, she was gang-raped in a rubbish tip.

Aged 21, she went on to do graduate studies in California and then started working in adult films. Today, she still lives in the United States, where she is a Web designer, and refuses to talk to the media about her days as Chong.

"251" is the second biographical production about the actress, who is perhaps one of Singapore's best-known exports.

In 1999, a U.S. film student produced a documentary titled "Sex: The Annabel Chong Story", which was nominated for a Grand Jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival the same year.

The film, which highlights her substance abuse and tendencies towards self-harm and depression, is also banned in Singapore.

Loretta Chen, the director of "251" which is produced by Toy Factory, said government authorities had vetted the script and laid down some "guidelines" that included toning down some of the language as well as ruling out nudity and scenes that depicted group sex.

But she said the staging of the play showed Singapore's government was also changing with the times.

"Ten years ago, this would not have happened, but with the Internet and the accessibility of porn today, this forces the authorities to address such issues," she said.

Chen, who got Quek's blessings, hopes audiences will come out of the play realising that Chong was a product of Singaporean values, as well as "a person with family, friends and feelings".

"When I started researching, I got intrigued with the idea of her being a national hero ... someone who dared to break boundaries," she said. "The only reason she is not considered a hero is because what she did was a sexual act and we don't consider that to be heroic in any way."

Queer eyes

Incestuously, I've got my gay and lesbian homies down to do reportage on 251 on the pan-Asian queer website Fridae.com and Singapore's "juiciest" gay-themed podcast, Queercast.

Fridae news editor Sylvia Tan's done a news story and e-mail interview with us, here. Watch out - Loretta and I typed our mouths off.

Meanwhile, Nicholas Deroose (whom I profiled in SQ21) agreed to do an interview with us for Queercast last Saturday... Sorry about the sound quality; I got hungry and Loretta was late, so we were munching at Glutton's Square... then Lor and I had to rush off to "King Lear: The Avoidance of Love", a performance lecture/experiment by our multimedia designers Ho Tzu Nyen and Fran Borgia, featuring our actress Amy Cheng... wah lau, the arts community here is damn small, man!

Anyway, the podcast itself is here. Enjoy!

TODAY, 29 March 2007, plus section, p32-33

Lovely interview by David Chew... :)

Art Jam, March issue, p23-25

This NTU arts magazine features an interview with Loretta. Cannot scan leh...

AP, Friday 16 March 2007

Stage group to tell story of Annabel Chong, Singapore's most infamous porn star
By GILLIAN WONG
Associated Press Writer

SINGAPORE (AP) _ A play about the life of local porn star Annabel Chong _ who gained international notoriety for her 1995 film showing her perform 251 sex acts in 10 hours _ is likely to push the envelope of public tolerance in conservative Singapore.

The play's producers hope that it will challenge some of the preconceptions of Singaporeans, who have long professed a love of traditional "Asian values," even as the government tries to portray a slightly more liberal image.

The video of Chong's antics, which the producers billed as a world record at the time, has never been available in Singapore's stores because pornography is banned here, and Chong has since retired from the industry.

But now Singapore's Toy Factory Productions, an independent stage group, is revisiting the X-rated actress' brief but controversial career in a play titled "251" that opens next month.

"251" explores a little known side of Chong _ including her troubled experience with religion as a teenager, a violent sexual assault as a college student overseas, and the intellectual premise of the video that earned her a spot in porn history.

"Whether we like her or absolutely hate her, we can't deny the fact that she is very much part of our national psyche," said director Loretta Chen. The cast includes local actress Cynthia Lee-MacQuarrie and four others.

But "251" has already been criticized even before its April 5 opening.

"I think its cheap and vulgar to use Annabel Chong as (a) play production," one user named "Tommy" wrote in an Internet online forum last month.

Playwright Ng Yi-Sheng, who wrote "251," said the criticism was unsurprising.

"Annabel is iconic to all Singaporeans because she's a force of sexual chaos," Ng said. "Just to say her name is to suggest a taboo."

In one scene, the Chong character encounters a childhood friend to whom she reveals that her exploits have perhaps affected her self-esteem.

"You never sold out," the friend says.

"I sold my body to everyone - to the church, to the strip club clientele, even the lonely men and women in their homes in front of their video screens," the actress responds.

Director Chen said there would be partial nudity in the play, but declined to detail how they would depict the stunts that earned the play its name.

Annabel Chong was the stage name of Grace Quek, 34, who is now said to be leading a quiet life as a Web designer in the United States since leaving the porn industry in 2003. Quek has since declined media interviews and attempts to contact her were unsuccessful.

Born into a middle-class Christian family, Quek was a top student in Singapore before she went to London to study law on a scholarship. There, she was reportedly gang raped one night.

Quek began working in adult films when she moved to the United States for postgraduate studies. Her stunt led to several media appearances, and in 1999, a documentary about her life was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

Quek later admitted only about 70 men were involved in the shooting of the video, though 251 sex acts were shot. She said that she had been partially motivated by her experiences growing up in Singapore - a wealthy financial center with sometimes harsh social and political controls _ a theme Chen said "251" would also tackle.

"The notion of sex is still controversial even though we say we're opening up," Chen said.

The play, which is restricted to an over-18 audience, is being staged amid efforts by the government to boost tourism and cater to a generation exposed to overseas influences. Pornography is still banned, but more films depicting nudity have been screened uncut to restricted audiences, and racy magazines such as "Cosmopolitan" are on sale - though sealed in clear plastic to avoid browsing minors.

Grace's Anatomy

Did I mention that we're in the latest issue of FHM? Check out the March issue of FHM, p64-65. There's an interview with our dear directrix, as well as photos of our press conference - which means photos of *all of us*.

E-mail with da She-male

The Sunday Times today ran its weekly "E-mail Interview" with our director Loretta Chen - who is anatomically female, of course; it's just that she resembles a drag queen in every other way. :)

Check the main section today, just behind the back page - "Who says only women go topless", p43, interview conducted by Kelvin Wong.

Lianhe Zaobao, e@News, Friday 19 January 2007, p9

Some coverage from the Chinese press! The title reads, "Cynthia Lee: This isn't the first time I'm going topless on stage". Sigh, how come everyone thinks this play's about sex? ;-D

Topless okay, but no full frontal

That's the title of the New Paper article that ran last Thursday:

Acting the part of former porn actress Annabel Chong will be challenging, Cynthia Lee-Mcquarrie tells SHEELA NARAYANAN
January 19, 2007

THE first thing Cynthia Lee-Mcquarrie did when she got the lead role in Toy Factory Theatre Ensemble's production, 251, was tell her mother about it.

The 26-year-old actress told The New Paper: 'I said to her, 'Ma, I tell you first ah, I am playing Annabel Chong (ex-porn actress)'.

'I had to prepare her before the relatives found out.'

Cynthia is an old stage hand at tackling sexy roles. She took off her top as Bunny the prostitute in the stage version of Eric Khoo's film Mee Pok Man, and was one of the Kit Kat Klub girls in last year's raunchy historical musical Cabaret.

Which prompted her to joke that every time a hot role was up for grabs, she would inevitably get offered the part.

She said: 'I don't know what it is. If it's a sexy role, call Cynthia.

'And my poor mother will always get questions from relatives asking her, 'Why your daughter always play sexy roles?' It was best to warn her about this one.'

So why is she doing it?

'I was curious about why they were bringing her back. When (director) Loretta (Chen) explained it to me, that it was about her role in our society, I understood it was offering people a different way of seeing the same picture.

As for being typecast in sexy roles, Cynthia said: 'I rather be typecast than not be cast at all.'

251 is based on the life of former porn actress Annabel, a persona created by Singaporean Grace Quek, now 35. (See report on facing page.)

The title is a reference to Ms Quek's claim of setting a record in 1995 by having sex with 251 men in 10 hours.

251's cast includes veteran actor Lee Weng Kee and Amy Cheng, who play Ms Quek's parents, as well as Cheryl Miles who plays Asia Carrera, a porn actress and Grace's friend.

While there have been many references to Annabel's sex video in other local plays, this is the first time a full-length production is being made about her life.

Annabel, as Cynthia found out after she took on the role, still polarised people.

She said: 'When I told my friends that I was going to play Annabel, I had two reactions, they were either horrified or fascinated.

'One person told me, 'Oh no, why? This is going to be a career breaker'.'

Loretta, 30, an associate lecturer at LaSalle-SIA and a research fellow at the National University of Singapore, agreed that Annabel is still a somewhat controversial topic, even 10 years on.

She said the idea for the play came up during a discussion with Goh Boon Teck, the artistic director of Toy Factory, about the video sex scandals that have hit headlines here, such as the Tammy video.

This is the infamously-circulat ed video clip where a polytechnic student used a camera phone to film herself and her boyfriend having sex. When she lost the phone, the clip ended up on the Internet in February last year.

Loretta said: 'When I read about these sex videos like Tammy, I realised Annabel Chong, in a way, pioneered it 10 years ago.

'And then I thought about her record and how this country is so obsessed about breaking records and all the discussions in the media last year... I wondered how someone like Annabel would be received today?

'Whether we understand it or not, what she did was impactful and still reverberates in our collective psyche.'

Loretta said she wants to focus on the person behind the persona, instead of Ms Quek's sensational career.

She said: 'She is such an urban legend in a way. It seems everybody knows somebody who knew her in school - like a six degrees of Annabel.

'I wanted to present a different perspective to what we know of Annabel from that sensational video. Why this intellectual young woman did what she did.'

However, she denied that she was taking advantage of, or cashing in on, the myth of Annabel Chong.

She said: 'It is controversial, it will always be controversial but it is worthy of interest and discussion.'

Loretta added that she has watched Annabel's infamous orgy video in LA and described it as 'the most anti-porn porn video' because it was shot in such 'a documentary- like manner, it wouldn't arouse anybody'.

So, will 251 contain that infamous orgy scene from the video?

THIRD DRAFT

Loretta said it is still being considered as the script has not been finalised yet and is currently
undergoing a third draft. Even if it is included, the scene will be stylised, she explained.

Likewise, she couldn't give any indication whether there'll be nudity.

251 has received an R(A) 18 rating because of its theme and subject matter.

Loretta said she never expected a PG or G rating from the onset but one of her concerns was whether they would be allowed to even stage the play at all.

Cynthia said she was okay with going topless but not full-frontal.

Helming the script is newbie playwright Ng Yi-Sheng. He took over the reins from veteran Tan Tarn How, who had been unable to commit to the project due to his tight schedule.

Yi-Sheng, 26, a recent literature and creative writing graduate from New York's Columbia University admitted the project is daunting.

But he emphasised that he was not out to vilify or glorify Ms Quek.

Does Ms Quek know about this play on her past?

Toy Factory said it made numerous attempts to reach her via e-mail and through her friends.

It eventually contacted her in December through author Gerrie Lim, who declined to be interviewed for this article.

According to Loretta, Ms Quek gave her blessings for the production.

She said: 'She was in town last month to visit her family and we were meant to meet up. Then it didn't happen as she changed her mind.

'She told Gerrie that we could do whatever we wanted. She said her Annabel days are over.'

Ms Quek still lives in the US, working as a web designer and consultant.

Cynthia believes that meeting Ms Quek might actually not help her in her role.

She said: 'I would like to play her as a fictional character as the play is fictional anyway. It's just
based on a real person.'

Her bigger worry is bracing herself for the onslaught of public comments that will eventually appear.

'I don't want my portrayal to offend Ms Quek's family and friends, but I don't think I need to explain why I am doing this part.

'I won't say that I'm not worried but I am going to deal with it when it comes.'

The story behind Annabel Chong

SHE attended top schools Raffles Girls Secondary and Hwa Chong Junior College before moving to London as a law student in 1994.

At 21, Ms Grace Quek moved on to study photography, art and feminist studies at the University of Southern California.

Her involvement with the pornography industry started when she answered an advertisement in an LA magazine.

She met porn director John T Bone - whom she once described in an interview as 'sleazy' - and her career as Annabel began.

In 1995, Annabel made headlines around the world, when she starred in a video directed by Bone, where she reportedly had sex with 251 men over a 10-hour period
to break a previous record of 121.

She later told online magazine Spike in 2000 that the actual number of men was only 70.

Singaporeans first heard about Ms Quek's exploits when the video began circulating on the Internet.

EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW

In an exclusive interview with The New Paper in January 1997, she said: 'I was brought up in a
conservative society. I went through a serious identity crisis and a phase of finding out who I
really was.

'I found that the more I talked about who I really was and what sex meant to me, the less I wanted to hide the real me.'

Ms Quek's life later became the subject of a documentary entitled, Sex: The Annabel Chong story, which was a hit at the 1999 Sundance Film Festival.

In the documentary by filmmaker Gough Lewis, which was never released here, she claimed she was gang-raped by four men while studying in London.

Ms Quek continued working in the porn industry for about six years, acting in as well as directing her own films.

She also set up her own adult website. In May 2003 she shut it down declaring, 'Annabel Chong is dead', and retired from the industry.

Press

Incidentally, we got coverage yesterday in The New Paper and Life!. Will scan in the articles soon.

The conference went well... reporters turned up late, as usual, and the weather was a bit wet, but everyone was fabulous. Many thanks to our volunteer cast and crew.