Everyone possesses different facets of their personality, shaped by the circumstances and individuals they encounter.
Contemporary theatre outfit FSKi (Fiss-Kee) Works’ latest full-length one-woman play, Susan, explores this idea through dark humour and satire.
The production makes its debut at Hush The Theatre in Petaling Jaya from Sept 3-13, with a nine-show run.
Starring Ranessa Theyakaraja, Susan marks her return to the stage. Her last full-length performance was in Indicinelive! 8 in 2023, which went on to win Best Ensemble at the Boh Cameronian Arts Awards 2024.
“I think it’s a common experience for us to never be the same person morning, afternoon and night. We’re not the same person when talking with our parents as we are when we go to the office. We’re not the same person with our partner as we are with our friends. But could that be considered ‘faking it’?” says Ranessa, 35, in a recent interview in Petaling Jaya.
“I know I’m not, but what’s the public perception of that? The play explores this quirk of human nature, while also trying to find the humour in it,” she adds.
The 75-minute play is divided into three acts: in the first, Ranessa plays a woman who has allegedly murdered her two abusive husbands. In the second, she portrays the lawyer defending the client in court against the murder charge. And in the final act, she’s a showrunner pitching a serial killer docu-series to a room full of TV executives.
Expanding the universe
Written by playwright Ian Skatu, Susan began as a 10- minute play staged at the Short + Sweet Malaysia Festival at KLPac in October last year, where it won Best Script and Best Actress.
The festival provided an important platform for the work to be developed, tested and received by an audience before evolving into a full-length production.
The play originated from a WhatsApp conversation between Singapore-based Skatu and Ranessa early last year, which eventually grew into the premise for Susan.
“She was telling me that she wanted to make a comeback to the theatre scene, and this was not long after my play Poly had been staged (last February), so I was ready to work on something new,” says Skatu, the co-founder of FSKi Works, which aims to focus on development of playwriting, producing, and in the future: dramaturgy.
For Skatu, whose playwriting journey spans a diverse range of distinctive productions, Susan presented a new creative challenge.
“This was my first time writing a one-person play, and for Ranessa, it was her first time portraying such a character – so we both had a lot of fun experimenting with this,” says Skatu.
“Fun fact: no one in the team knew that the 10-minute version would be received as a comedy. The roaring laughter we got for the nights that we were on really surprised us.
“You never know how the audience will receive a play, you only can hope for the best. So even with the full-length version, we won’t know until it’s presented to an audience,” he adds.
For audiences who caught the 10-minute version last year, the full-length production offers a markedly different experience.
Director Tharwa Wajihah explains that while the earlier version was driven by a sense of unfiltered feminine rage, the expanded production explores a broader emotional landscape, allowing greater nuance and complexity to emerge.
“Her character is more fleshed out here and you get to see different facets of her, rather than just one,” says Tharwa.
The shorter version, in retrospect, might be viewed as a trailer for the full-length production.
“In the 10-minute version, we just showed you a small part of her world. But in the full-length version, we’re expanding more on the ideas touched on in the play and building out this entire universe,” adds Ranessa.
Facets of the same person
According to Skatu, each of the characters in the play was inspired by a different version of Ranessa.
“We have been friends for over a decade now – we’ve worked together, shared the stage together, started businesses together.
“So there’s a lot that I know about her that I infused into the script. For example, her background in law and finance, and how she’s entrepreneurial,” he says.
For Ranessa, who founded Women’s Circle of Malaysia, an initiative aimed at offering women a safe space to gather and share their life experiences, Susan is a story that resonates with her personally.
“The play is an auto-fictional truth inspired by my life. I have gone through violence in my life, but I have reclaimed those parts and I think that feeds into the show,” she admits.
Though brief, Ranessa’s hiatus from the stage reinforced the importance of stepping away to experience life beyond performance.
“As an actor, there are some experiences you simply have to go through yourself. I broke my leg in three places not too long ago, and while I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, I would not have been able to portray this role the way I have if it hadn’t happened. I needed that anger and frustration from when I was bed-ridden for six months,” says Ranessa.
The allure of the stage is something she continues to hold dear.
“Being away from the stage also made me rediscover that this – theatre, acting – is what I want to do. It’s what I’ve always wanted to do since I was seven years old, watching Julia Roberts in My Best Friend’s Wedding.
“And in a way, through Susan, I’m learning that perhaps you can have it all – just maybe not all at the same time,” she concludes, with a smile.
Susan will be staged at Hush The Theatre in Petaling Jaya from Sept 3-13. More info: cloudjoi.com.
