Taylor’s Society of Performing Arts (SPART) Club’s Visionary Stagecraft: LOVESTRUCK

By Zeinab Morshed

SUBANG JAYA - Taylor’s SPART Club, tapped into the sinister psyche of the audience with their latest play LOVESTRUCK. Staged at Taylor’s University’s Experimental Theatre from May 2nd to 4th, the play inspired by the game “Yandere Simulator” and others alike, told the story of Audrey, an emotionless girl whose world turned on its head the moment she met the hot new guy Jasper. Unfortunately for Audrey, Jasper already had a girlfriend Alice, but Audrey was willing to do whatever it took to make him hers. 

LOVESTRUCK is novel in its format, as it is SPART Club’s first-ever interactive play, where the audience dictates the narrative and controls Audrey’s actions. By allowing the audience to step into Audrey’s shoes, they vicariously make the decisions they might never act on in real life, echoing Co-Director Bianca Joelle Theseira’s (Bachelor of Law) belief that “love makes you do crazy things’” and that Audrey’s obsessive choices are, in a way, relatable. “I’ve thought of these things before,” she admits, “even if I wasn’t psychotic like she was. I truly believe that everyone has a small voice that’s exactly like Audrey’s mind.”

The idea of LOVESTRUCK was not initially conceived as an interactive play but a theatre play with a fixed narrative.” But as I was racking my head trying to finalize the plot, I found myself stuck. That’s when my co-director suggested a few ideas, one of which was to make it interactive, allowing the audience to decide what happens.”, stated Director Hong Min Thong (Bachelor of Mass Communication).

Taking centre stage in LOVESTRUCK are Minori Grace Vincent (Bachelor of Business in International Business and Marketing) as Audrey, Lim Ming Wing  (Bachelor of Pharmacy) as Jasper and Liong Xenyi (Bachelor of Design in Creative Media) as Alice completing the intense love triangle. Supporting characters include Audrey’s mother Elizabeth, best friend Mia, and Jasper’s sister Amelia—portrayed by Tan Qi Qian  (Bachelor of Mass Communication (Digital Media Production), Raasheda Azim (Bachelor of Fashion Design Technology), and Ong Xiao Wen (Bachelor of Performing Arts) respectively, who add depth to the story.

From left to right: ⁠Lim Ming Wing (Jasper), Ong Xiao Wen (Amelia), Raasheda Mubeenul Azim (Mia), Minori Grace Vincent (Audrey). Photo Credit: Bianca Joelle Theseira

LOVESTRUCK introduced fresh talent alongside seasoned performers, which presented its own challenges, Thong revealed. He said, ”Being new to directing and working with a script that required last-minute changes was difficult. The interactive nature meant actors had to make decisions on the spot, which wasn’t easy, especially with limited rehearsal time. Still, I’m very proud of everyone’s dedication and the outstanding performances they delivered.”

When asked whether any of the audience’s choices surprised him, Thong pointed to a pivotal moment during the final show. In the scene, Audrey is trying to act in line with Jasper’s wishes. After he expresses, in a moment of frustration, that he wished his sister Amelia would just disappear, tired of her clinginess and inability to grasp the reality of her surroundings, Audrey is left to decide how to respond.

“I was surprised on the last show date of LOVESTRUCK.,” he admitted. “The first two days, the audience made the same choices, but on the final day, they chose differently. I didn’t expect them to console Amelia instead of pushing her away. I designed her to be a character most people would find annoying or overly attached, so seeing that change in response really stood out to me.”

During the course of production, some major obstacles the team faced was when Thong sustained a leg injury due to a bouldering trip, rendering him unable to attend much of the remaining rehearsal process. In his absence, Theseira stepped in to guide the team forward with immaculate precision. She noted,”I’m a very attention-to-detail person. I made sure everything, from where books were placed to the kind of props used, felt intentional and true to the story.” On top of these challenges, limited rehearsal time and tight deadlines added to the pressure. In spite of these obstacles, the team successfully carried out the show during its entire run.

Director Hong Min Thong and crew. Photo Credit: Bianca Joelle Theseira.

When asked what a potential spin-off might explore, Theseira shared that she would be interested in diving deeper into the story of Audrey’s mother, Elizabeth, a character who appears only briefly onstage but leaves a lasting impact on Audrey's actions. Thong had echoed a similar sentiment during the cast introductions, who remarked that although Elizabeth appears briefly, her presence heavily influences Audrey’s actions throughout the story.

Looking back on the journey, Thong reflected, “Directing LOVESTRUCK. has given me a newfound appreciation for performing arts with the amount of effort everyone poured into the play. My hope for the future as a director is for this art to innovate new ideas, experimenting and trying out something new.”