As part as our Edinburgh Fringe 2024 coverage we are running a series of interviews with artists and creatives that are taking part in the festival.
In this interview we speak to Amanda Chong about her show Psychobitch.
Where did your arts career begin?
Like most writers, I was obsessed with writing short stories and poems in school. My teacher submitted a story I wrote to the Commonwealth Essay Competition, and I ended up winning the first prize as a fifteen year old. I also won the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Competition and got to spend a week in Shropshire being mentored by UK poets George Szirtes and Colette Bryce. Those experiences in my teens were formative enough to give me the audacity to want to be a writer.
I ended up studying law in Cambridge which drained the creativity from my brain. I only picked up poetry again upon returning to Singapore and getting stuck in to the literary scene here. I published a poetry book “Professions” in 2016 which was shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Prize and never dreamt of writing a play until I was serendipitously commissioned out of the blue to write a play for Esplanade Theatres in Singapore by a persistent and plucky producer.
What can you tell me about your show?
is a one woman show that tells the story of Anya Samuel, an overachieving journalist who has perpetual levels of excellence and nil levels of chill. Her tech CEO fiance asks her to explain the four times she’s cried in public in the course of their relationship to prove that she’s not an “emotional person”. Ever the go-getter, Anya brings her full suite of professional skills to this task and creates the slickest slide deck, complete with infographics of her menstrual cycle. The audience meets Anya at her fiancé’s tech bro office, where she is preparing to give the presentation of her life. They will follow Anya on a journey unpacking the subtle shades of toxic relationships and the concessions we make in our search for love.
How would you describe the style of the show?
It is a dark comedy told with a slide deck on steroids. Be prepared to laugh and then cry.
How have you approached developing the piece?
I knew I wanted to write a one woman show for Sindhura Kalidas who is one of my best friends from drama club in secondary school. She’s fabulously talented and equally adept in comedy and drama. We both had weathered rather traumatic break ups together which culminated in a soul-searching sisters trip to Vietnam, and I thought it would be cathartic for us to create art from all that heartbreak.
I wrote Psychobitch under veteran Singaporean playwright Haresh Sharma’s mentorship as part of The Necessary Stage’s Playwrights Cove programme. He has experience writing monodramas for specific actors, so he gave me fantastic guidance. It was also great that since Sindhu and I are friends, I got to send her bits to read along the way to make sure nothing got to crazy for a single performer.
How do/will you prepare yourself for a run at the Fringe?
As the playwright, I think I get the easy deal, since my work is long done before we arrive. I will be looking to support the performer Sindhura, the director Pam, our producer Shien and Stage Manager Anne in any way I can - which may mean anything from grocery runs to carrying bits of our set.
Other than the show, what’s something you’re looking forward to doing in Edinburgh this year?
I’m looking forward to watching the other fantastic shows by other artists. I hope that I might get some inspiration for my next play along the way.
I’m looking forward to watching the other fantastic shows by other artists. I hope that I might get some inspiration for my next play along the way.
A curiosity about dissecting the power dynamics in the world around us that leads to inequalities and a deep interest in listening to the rich and varied stories of others.
What do you hope an audience takes away from seeing the show?
I hope that the story of Anya Samuel, a woman from the Tamil Christian minority in Singapore, will resonate as universal a universal message about the deeply human craving to be fully known and fully loved
Where can audiences see the show?
7:45 pm at Tech Cube Zero in Summerhall from 1-26 August (except 12 and 19 August) (https://festival24.summerhall.co.uk/events/psychobitch/)
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