I and You

Written by Lauren Gunderson

Directed by Samantha Scott-Blackhall

[Show Ended]

Starring Evangel Wong and Zulfiqar Izzudin, I and You tackles pressing issues like youth isolation and mental wellness. In a report by The Straits Times (https://str.sg/vwRc), reclusive behavior among young people is on the rise due to factors like bullying, excessive social media use, and gaming. It could not be more fitting that we staged this production during Mental Health Awareness Month.

The play also included a post-show dialogue facilitated by TOUCH Mental Wellness.

Download the show’s E-Programme Booklet for mental health resources.

Synopsis

Caroline is 17. She suffers from a liver disease and misses school a lot. She likes cats, Elvis, and photography.

Anthony is 17. He is charming, confident, does well academically and is the star basketball player on the school team. He likes jazz and plays the saxophone.

Caroline and Anthony could not be more different. Caroline lives with her single mother who spends most of the day working. Anthony’s father is a university professor who spends a lot of time with his son. Caroline lives in a flat, Anthony lives in a condo. Caroline and Anthony are classmates, but they barely know each other.

One afternoon, Anthony arrives unexpectedly at Caroline’s door with a copy of Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, a group project for their Literature class. Through their (initially unwilling) analysis of the text, they discover similarities, share dreams, secrets, argue about music and slowly the walls come down, they bond, and their relationship deepens.