I recently had the following email interview with Kathy France, artistic director of the Caravan Theatre, director of "Xpat Blue", which performs at Novotel Lotus Bangkok in Soi Sukhumvit 33 (BTS: Prom Phong), at 8.30pm on Wednesday, May 28 to Saturday, May 31, in addition to Wednesday, June 4 and Thursday, June 5.

Q: The tagline in the press release reads: "Bangkok is beautiful in the morning, ugly during the day, but damn exciting at night"...hmmm...I couldn't agree more...is this your observation? Or, whose is it?

A: It was a line written by one of the cast members:  the Devil is tempting a tourist into a NaNa bar to check out the bar girls.  Actually, the line just recently got cut from the scene, though we still use it for PR purposes.  It was found that the line didn’t actually fit the character of the Devil, but it does say a lot about the play as a whole:  the play looks at the expat experience in Bangkok from all angles.  You see what’s beautiful, ugly and exciting about being here as an expat.

Q: What made you decide it's time to create a play based on expats' experience of Bangkok?

A: I’ve been traveling around the world for 14 years, following my husband’s job.  I can still remember how sad and lonely I was the first time I left Canada to live abroad. And I still revel in the excitement of discovering new countries and cultures.  I can also see how my life as an expat has changed me over the years….how I’ve gotten better at jumping into a new posting and sorting out my life to be just what I want it to be. I’m stronger in my opinions, and have a heart more open to others.  But, at the same time, I’m feeling a bit jaded and weary:  I’m tired of concrete as a building material; I regret that my son knows little of Canada; and I’m tired of missing family milestones back home.  For years now, I’ve been thinking it would be fun to write a play about life as an expat and explore all these issues.

But it was only living in Bangkok that this dream could finally become a reality.  I wanted to work on this piece as a collective creation, having the actors share the writing.  But such a process necessitates a strong, creative and supportive atmosphere amongst the participants. You need trust and the willingness to have your work critiqued without getting defensive.  Those relationships take time to mature.  This is my longest posting to date….coming up to 4 years now, and I’ve finally pulled together a team that can work in this fashion.  Another thing in Bangkok’s favour: there’re just so many expats living here….more than in any posting I’ve been in before.  So, there’re so many experiences and characters to explore.  Bangkok is ripe with great stories!

Q: I assume the play is collectively written from the cast and crew members' personal experience. I guess that's probably harder for you to make a final decision of what stays and what needs to be trimmed or cut, as well as the series of what's before and after. So, what's your criteria?

A: In the beginning, we told endless stories, expressed endless opinions.  From this wealth of collected material, we started to select themes we wanted to explore, and then each of us chose scenes we wanted to write.  Each scene was put before the full group for discussion and workshopping.  In the end, the audience will only see about half of the scenes that were developed.  The decision to keep or cut was never mine alone…it was a shared group decision.  Some scenes we had to let go because they repeated either a theme or a style that was already adequately expressed in another scene.  Some scenes we let go because they didn’t fit the mood of the show, which was clever comedy, with the occasional hint of pathos. And some scenes were great, but interrupted the flow of the whole piece, so were cut. We also needed to find a balance between song and spoken text.  Scenes that were kept often went through numerous revisions….and usually by the full cast, not just the original author of the piece. You could often hear actors moaning, “But I love that line!” in response to someone’s suggestion that it be cut.  If the line could be made to work, then it was saved; if not, it got cut.  It was a long, sometimes painful, process, made easier by the atmosphere of “We’re all working together for the perfect show”.

Q: I also notice that you're using different styles of performances. Could you give a few examples? Like what kind of stories is being presented by pantomime?

A: We’ve got full-blown cabaret songs mixed with gentle ballads.  We’ve got poetic monologue mixed with comic monologue.  And we have comic mime:  an Olympic race through the busy streets of Bangkok, and also, a conversation between a loud, brassy farang girl and her refined and silent Thai classical dancer lover. The miming is hilarious and adds a lot of theatricality to the show.

Q: How did you make these stories come together as one unified piece? Is there a character (the Blue Angel?) that takes the audience through the whole experience?

A: This was the hardest part of the whole process – trying to order the scenes and provide bridges between them.  The character of the Blue Angel is a dead transvestite who acts as the cabaret hostess.  She interacts directly with the audience and some of the characters on stage.  Her monologues serve to link various themes, and she carries the audience along on a journey from start to end, herself undergoing a metamorphosis in the process.  We had to order all the scenes so that the end of one naturally moves into the start of the next.

Q: Would Thai audiences who understand English be able to enjoy the play as well?

 A: Absolutely!  I’m sure Thais spend a lot of time talking about these weird foreigners who take up home here.  This play will bring all those people to life, sending up their foibles and revealing their humanity.  It’s a play to bring Thais and farangs together over a good laugh at the whole expat experience.

parts of this interview were published in Daily Xpress on Friday, May 23, 2008

all photos are courtesy of Caravan Theatre