‘Esther’ is about, well, Esther, a young girl who sacrifices everything to save her city, where chaos reigns and rumours of an assassination that’ll threaten thousands of lives abound. We speak to Deborah Tan, an up-and-coming actress who plays the titular character about who she is and how audiences can do their part to make a better change towards their city.
We heard that this is a volunteer-based production. What made you want to take part in this production?
I watched a show by Actspressions called ‘The Tailor Made Man’ and I was pleasantly surprised at how they retold this ancient story in a way that makes you think. Their stories have purpose, rather than just entertainment value without depth. I loved it and told myself that I would volunteer with them if they were having another production. Initially I volunteered to be part of the props team, but I somehow ended up auditioning for the lead role and I got it. I was terrified.
Have you had any acting experience before?
I once played Goldilocks in ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ at my kindergarten graduation. Does that count?
Who is Esther and what’s she like?
Esther is a passionate young lady who loves helping people. She’s an interesting character; you get to see her develop throughout the show, reflecting in some ways how most of us are in real life when we have to make difficult but necessary choices.
Do you think you could relate to her?
I think I related to Esther most when I was asked to just ‘be Esther’. I realised that everything she was going through as a person is similar to the role we all have to play in real life. Sometimes, we’re asked to do something we aren’t used to in order to help change things for the better. It’s always tempting to remain where we are in life even though we know we could do so much better. Making a difference and being a catalyst for ‘change’ doesn’t have to be as dramatic as what Esther had to do. It starts with the small opportunities for change and if we can learn to say yes to them, we’ll be ready when the big ones come.
Another theme in ‘Esther’ is the extent of how much you’re willing to give up for the betterment of your city. How do you think audiences will react to this message?
Your future doesn’t depend on chance; it depends on choice and change. If you want to change something around you, whether it’s your little town or your entire nation, you first have to change what’s within you. I hope that this performance inspires our audience to do things a little differently from now on. Baby steps; every step counts.
Esther plays Sep 30 to Oct 2 at Damansara Performing Arts Centre. For more information, visit www.dpac.com.my.