As ARTINFO previewed a few weeks ago, “Recalling Mother”, the performance project of Claire Wong and Noorlinah Mohamed is celebrating its 10-year anniversary with a performance at Checkpoint Theatre where the two share the humorous and heartbreaking stories of their relationships with their mothers. Our Asia Contributor Samuel Spencer spoke to them about aging, family bonding, and whether their mothers are allowed to see the piece.Where did the idea for “Recalling Mother” come from?Noorlinah Mohamed: My mother and her husband, my step-dad, moved in to live with my husband and I in 2003. My mom kept falling ill when she was on her own. She would forget to place the phone back in its cradle and we wouldn’t be able to reach them. As an only child, it became all the more urgent that I had her live with me.Stories about living with my mom became part of my conversations with Claire. While telling them, I saw how they were either funny tales or bittersweet ones that reveal adulthood negotiations, the transference of status from "child" daughter to "adult-married-off" daughter to almost having to be mothering your own mother.We realized that both our mothers were uneducated. My mother only had one month of schooling before financial woes made my grandmother pull the girls out of school and only send the boys. Claire and I also became fascinated by our mothers’ crafty negotiations of the literate world. The world is made for people who can read and write. How do illiterate mothers cope? Then in 2006, when we were invited to participate in the Magdalena Project we took the opportunity to try our ideas out.Claire Wong: In the course of sharing stories about our families, we realized there were many similarities between our mothers, and that she and I had complicated relationships with them. We decided to explore these areas of our lives through our art. It wasn’t easy, because the material is indeed so personal and private, but we were prepared to do it even though (or because) it wouldn’t be easy.Why did you think it was important to tell these stories? CW: Each time we have presented this play, almost every member of the audience wants to talk to us after the show about their mothers, grandmothers and fathers. Our “conversation” in turn sparks and inspires other conversations.Our play is about the struggles that a parent has with their offspring, about a child wanting their parent to understand them. How do people connect with each other when each speaks and dreams in a different language? When each have had such different life experiences and opportunities? I speak and think in English, my mother in Cantonese. I have 2 university degrees; my mother barely has any formal education. I have never feared for my life; my mother lived through World War II and the Malayan Emergency. So, the struggle and desire to connect with one of the most important persons in my life is what this work is about.How has the piece changed in the decade you’ve been performing it?NM: Because “Recalling Mother” tracks the ongoing relationship between mothers and daughters, even if some lines are repeated, it can never be performed in the same way, precisely because both us and our mothers are both living and enjoying new experiences and creating new memories.In 2009, we focused on memories that paint a picture of our spirited mothers negotiating life in a contemporary world. We explored the generational and worldview differences between these two women with limited education and their daughters who are educated and very engaged with living and experiencing the world. Our mothers were healthy, mobile and active then.But in 2015, when we re-staged the piece in New York, there were lots to update. After nine years, many things had changed. Our mothers had suffered several falls and broken several bones. My mother was diagnosed with dementia in 2010 in the midst of my PhD. I flew back and immediately assumed the caregiver role. It was a stressful period for the family and the story reflected that. We are now their guardians, their caregivers and still their daughters.What happens to our relationships now with aging and questions of mortality in the mix? What happens to these two very spirited and courageous women?Have your mothers ever seen the piece?NM: I asked my mother to watch it. But she said, “Never mind. It’s O.K.” My mother has never been to any of my theater performances. But her not watching any of my theater pieces does not mean she doesn’t love me. There is a lot of love. It is just shown differently.CW: Mum knows about my work in theater but she has only seen me on stage once. She is aware I have made and am again making a work about her. She has yet to see any version of it. It is difficult for her to travel these days, plus it is mostly in English and it would be hard for her to follow.I may not have been prepared for her to watch the show before, to be honest. Partly because I am nervous about how she would react to the work. This is part of my own journey I suppose; as to when I may be ready for her to actually watch the piece.Do you find yourself having interactions with your mothers and thinking to yourself “this would be a great story for the show”?NM: Yes, often. I will quickly jot it down or sometimes, use my phone to record the moment. It’s a good way to archive our relationship. It's not just for the production, but a good exercise in capturing our moments together. CW: Each time we have worked on this play, the mother I have in my head has become more complex, more contradictory, more fascinating. And it’s really because I have changed, and because I’m interested in knowing her as a person in her own right. It's really been more like "this is a great story" full stop.What is your favorite story about your mothers that you have used in “Recalling Mother”?NM: Every time we re-stage “Recalling Mother,” we add and subtract stories. But some stories stay in all of the versions. One such story is about me teaching my mother to dance. It is one of those moments when my mother and I are sharing an activity that is quite extraordinary.CW: My mum loved to sing so much that she tried to join an opera troupe. However, she was rejected because couldn’t read the song lyrics. A relative then told her of an opportunity to work for the police as a translator. She applied and, because she can speak many different Chinese languages, was given the job. She then traveled to Labis, a small village which was then a hotbed of insurgency and terrorist activities, with the other new recruits. I just marvel at how adventurous she was as a young girl.“Recalling Mother” will run March 24-27 at Esplanade Theatre Studio. Tickets are priced at $35.
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