After smashing her work computer in the office pantry in an uncharacteristic fit of rage, Risa is now sat in a room with Dr Robert, her newly acquired therapist. She cannot go back to how she was living before. Risa must look back on her own life to look forward.

What caused her to end up at this exact spot? Was it her Catholic ah ma whose funeral she skipped, her ex-girlfriend whom she loved deeply but broke up with, or her tendency to feel too much? Or maybe… something else entirely?

So instead, this is a story about distance: the spaces between people and places, the gaps between past and present; and about living in the gulf between what we know and what we feel.

First commissioned for the 2018 season of The Studios, Michelle Tan’s deeply intimate script explores the complexities of personal truth and emotional vulnerability.

A programme of TRIP—a platform to showcase work by early-career directors. Director: Renee Yeong Playwright: Michelle Tan Performer: Sabrina Sng Lighting Designer: Gabriel Chan Sound Designer: Jing Ng Set Designer: Petrina Dawn Tan Production Manager: Lam Dan Fong (The Backstage Affair) Stage Manager: Celestine Wong (The Backstage Affair) Assistant Stage Manager: Chong Wee Nee (The Backstage Affair) Photo Credit: Crispian Chan