Lim Jun De’s Experience (Participant) [he/him]
Entering SPLIT as a fresh newbie actor in 2019, SPLIT has played a huge part in my development as an actor as well as a human being. Right from the first training session, I knew that this was a theatre collective (back then) that did things very differently from other companies. The approach towards the acting craft and the space it created for us to explore the different facets of ourselves is liberating. It gave me a lot of control over my own practice, stretching me in ways that I didn’t expect to come out from a theatre collective. I am both proud and grateful to be part of its development and seeing it grow from a collective to a full fledged theatre company.
Throughout the years, I have seen the company grow artistically and the consistent refinement of its unique voice in the industry. Every single moment at SPLIT surprises me. There are so many times when I enter rehearsals or training with a certain perspective of what the training will be only to be pleasantly surprised by its creativity. I leave rehearsals with more questions about my craft, the world and my own voice - each one testing me to continue to find better, complex and interesting answers. For instance, SPLIT encourages the ensemble to draw inspiration from our personal stories - focusing on specificity and personal truth. Memories, by their nature, are unstable and ever-changing. The brain literally manufactures the memory recalled from different parts of itself, resulting in us remembering the same differently each time. This results in a possible fabrication, exaggeration or reduction of the actual event. SPLIT makes us see the memory as itself, in whatever manifestation it appears to us, without any pushing or forcing the memory to appear in a certain well. The training allowed me to strip away the lies, emotions and fear I manufactured, resulting in an organic, more truthful response to the memory. This has greatly influenced the way I carry my craft as an actor, as well as connect with others as a human being. It is the way SPLIT training makes you face yourself, not like a mirror or staring into the abyss of your soul, but to truly see yourself as you are - not the manifestations or impressions of yourself.
The most important moment I experienced during the programme was the conceptual revision of the acting craft. I am a very cognitive and academic-oriented person so I love to soak up new knowledge when it comes to acting. During training, there was the introduction of the “I-thou” concept and resigning into a space. When we practised the exercise, it blew my mind as I have always struggled to ease into my scenes and make a connection with my scene partner. Yet, with a simple change of mindset and the right vocabulary (which I think came from tons of research), I am able to experience Stanislavski’s Public Communion and ease without much issues. It is the contemporary revisions of old concepts that makes me come back to SPLIT every time as it really rejuvenates my own craft.
I have also made a lot of valuable friendships in the ensemble. We all create a safe space for each other to play, experiment and be vulnerable in our work. The truth spoken by my ensemble members always inspires me to tell my own truth, adding warmth to a very busy and hectic life.
As I continue my journey as an actor and a human being, the training at SPLIT will always remind me of the fundamentals of theatre making - building an organic truth and the intimate connection between people.
