#SHOWBIZ: One woman takes to the stage with 'Susan'

In one woman's stage performance of the play "Susan", there is a red chair and three characters. The play, which began as a 10-minute offering for Short+Sweet Malaysia, won awards for Best Script and Best Actress. The playwright, Ian Skatu, drew inspiration from actress Ranessa, a law and finance student, and founder of the Women's Circle of Malaysia.

The full-length script was workshopped with women in Malaysia and Singapore. The play is set for nine days starting September 3, and is billed as a mature audience piece with depictions of violence, murder, and strong language.

Ranessa, who prefers her stage name, has been performing for 16 years and has built a career in journalism, graduate education, and a women's organisation. She has a background in theme park acting and found her break with the play "Bollywood Dreams". The actor describes the challenge of sustaining three distinct women on stage with no one to catch her if she falls.

She emphasizes the importance of the stage demanding the complete person, not just a professional or public version of oneself. Ranessa is also a theme park actor, which she believes taught her stamina and training.

Director Tharwa Wajihah acknowledges the difficulty in giving a full-bodied portrayal of the character Susan, who has made her choices and is not boxed in. The play has humor, including a courtroom scene, and the Shah Alam native trained in traditional dance. The character Susan is raceless and represents any woman who has ever been spoken for on someone else's terms.

The most demanding aspect of the role is its lack of ceiling, as the script dictates the character's progression and the actor must execute it. For more details and tickets, visit www.cloudjoi.com.