Glossolalia 2024

Glossolalia decor. Photographed by Author, and Pang Jing Yi (23S37) from VJC Photography Society. 

This year, Glossolalia had a record turnout of around 62 total attendees. Amongst them were the tutors in-charge of Writers’ Circle, Mrs. Celine Leow Siew Yin and Mr. Teo Gene-En, as well as senior EXCO (Executive Committee) members from the 2022 and 2023 batches. For a brief while, a few of the Theatre Studies and Drama tutors also popped by to watch. 

Many friends of the performers came down to show their support, with a few bringing handmade signboards.

The Glossolalia attendees. Photographed by Krystal Loo Chuan Rui (23A13) from StudioV, Pang Jing Yi (23S37) and Muhammad Danish bin Hanafi (23S51) from VJC Photography Society, and Mr. Teo Gene-En, tutor in-charge of Writers’ Circle.

However, the impressive turnout was not the only thing that made this year’s Glossolalia special. This year, half of the 10 performances centred on feminine experiences. These included ‘Skin & The Beast’ by Pearl Kiong Yi Ching (23A12), which followed a woman processing infidelity within her marriage that subverts the classic fairytale, ‘Beauty and the Beast’. 

Audience members may remember how even the thunder outside complemented her piece as she lit and blew out candles in the darkened room. 

A quote from the candlelit performance of ‘Skin & The Beast’. Photographed by Pang Jing Yi (23S37) from VJC Photography Society.

Portia Tan Hui Man (23A12)’s ‘Ash-Eater’ and Alexis Kwek Lexin (24S33)’s ‘a vow to my mother’ also distinctly highlighted female relationships. The first was a commentary on purity culture within the Singapoeran dating scene, criticising men for their double-standards on women. Meanwhile, the latter was a reflection of a daughter’s relationship with her mother. 

Tan (left) and Kwek’s (right) performances. Photographed by Mr. Teo Gene-En, tutor in-charge of Writers’ Circle, and Pang Jing Yi (23S37) from VJC Photography Society.

Even Kaydren Tang Kai Wen (23S63) empathised with women’s issues in his piece. ‘You will love Me’ told the story of a person who increasingly starved and wrecked their body out of desperation for love. 

‘You will love Me’. Photographed by Pang Jing Yi (23S37) from VJC Photography Society.

Most tear-jerking was Lim Huan Xi Lovie (24A11)’s piece, ‘Wisteria, will you come for me?’ Decorated with references to flowers and nature, it followed the gut-wrenching anger and pleas of a girl clawing for her innocence after it was stolen by a man who took advantage of her. 

One of the EXCO members recalled how “everyone was emotional” when Lovie explained her piece’s inspiration at the first rehearsal. For her, it was a step in the process of healing from a very personal incident that robbed her of her bodily autonomy and her dignity. 

Lovie’s piece. Photographed by Pang Jing Yi (23S37) from VJC Photography Society.

“As a speaker, it was rather challenging for me to find the courage to share my piece on stage, especially since I’ve written about a sensitive topic to me,” Lovie recounted. “I’ve never been exposed to performing, let alone reciting my poems in front of an audience. So it was definitely a big step for me.”

“I’m glad to have my fellow writers and such a supportive and warm Writers’ Circle family by my side,” she concluded.

“Writers’ Circle family”. Photographed by Author before Glossolalia 2024.

The ability for performers to dive into rage, grief, and peace on uniquely feminine social issues was something only Glossolalia could do, according to the Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson of Writers’ Circle. Wang Ray Kit (23S63), the Chairperson, highlighted how Glossolalia was a platform for Victorian writers to exercise their freedom of expression. 

He compared Glossolalia to the events hosted by the performing arts CCAs, such as the recent ‘CHOPE!’ Drama Night performance put together by Drama Club. In his opinion, unlike the bigger events within the Concert Series (which Glossolalia is not considered part of), there was less pressure for Glossolalia to self-censor its performers.

In this case, Glossolalia can be considered a fringe event. 

A fringe event is an event that occurs at the same time as the main event (in this case, the VJC Concert Series) to supplement it. According to Oxford Languages, it can also refer to something peripheral or not part of the mainstream. 

Fringe events often have smaller numbers of attendees than the main event, and can be platforms for speakers to address sometimes radical views on deeper socio-cultural issues.

The other 5 performances. Photographed by Pang Jing Yi (23S37) and Muhammad Danish bin Hanafi (23S51) from VJC Photography Society, and Mr. Teo Gene-En, tutor in-charge of Writers’ Circle.

In addition to the pieces on women’s issues, Glossolalia’s other performers also related their pieces to pertinent challenges in modern society. For example, the devaluation of the arts in a culture dominated by STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) in Woo Jie Rui Ambrose (24S36) and Muhammad Danial Tan Tong Sian (24S55)’s ‘A Seeker’s Vow’, parasocial relationships and stalkers within celebrity fandoms in ‘Airhead’ by Wan Allyna binte Wan Mahmood (23S34) and Elaine Wong Xin Yi (23A13), and even the temptation and pursuit of something you know will wreck you in Loic Lee Ming Hao (23A12)’s ‘Lactose Intolerance’.

If not immediately relatable to social issues, the pieces were exploratory or delved into a personal struggle faced by the author. This was seen in Lea Nisha Quah (23S63)’s ‘Primum non nocere’, a doctor’s descent into breaking the Hippocratic Oath, and Ian Tang En Yee (24A12)’s ‘taxidermy’, which described the frustration in bridging the communicative gap of understanding using mere words. 

“The vulnerability, honesty, and sincerity of the pieces presented work to… [make] things that are often left unsaid—because they were deemed “inappropriate”—less taboo,” said Pendyala Sreshti (23S63), Vice-Chairperson of Writers’ Circle. “It helps spark conversations and normalises each individual’s differing experiences.”

The performers’ panel. Photographed by Muhammad Danish bin Hanafi (23S51) from VJC Photography Society.

This was aided by Glossolalia’s unique Panel Discussion segment. After emcees, Naisha Gautam (24S39) and Goh “Liz” Xin Zhi Elizabeth (24A12), handed the time over to panel moderators, Sneha Susan Thomas (24A13) and Neyati Umamaheswar (24A13), the performers organised themselves into 2 rows onstage and the moderators fielded them questions from the audience.

The Panel Discussion segment allowed the audience to learn of the inspiration and performance choices behind their pieces, as well as get to know their performers better, occasionally in hilarious ways.

Loic’s famed, and unfortunate, Freudian slip. Photographed by Pang Jing Yi (23S37) from VJC Photography Society.

“I think it makes us feel okay to be human,” said Sreshti. “Even all the dirty, ugly parts of it can be seen as beautiful in their own ways. And that’s what Glosso[lalia] shows us.”

Ray Kit and Sreshti’s closing address. Photographed by Pang Jing Yi (23S37) from VJC Photography Society.

This year, she described how the EXCO worked to focus on building a community in Writers’ Circle, making it a safe space for writers to freely express what they want. 

From the Panel Discussion, it was clear that the group was very supportive of each other, as they took the time to compliment one another and lift each other up.

The performers answering the question “What was your favourite piece?” Photographed by Pang Jing Yi (23S37) from VJC Photography Society.

“I believe Glosso[lalia] is a night where Writers’ Circle can extend this atmosphere to the rest of the school, taking them on magical journeys and making them feel a wide range of emotions,” Sreshti continued.

“This is a place where you do not have to be scared or lonely.”