Spotlight On YAFies: 24:7:365 Main Cast

WestK x HKYAF: Miller Performing Arts – 24:7:365 Main Cast
Jaelen Keith Basbas, Matthew Ho, Charlotte Lee, Sylvia Yum, Dionysia Bizos, Jasmine Haynes, Rafael Aidan Santos, Emilia Oliver, Tayla Siswojo (from left to right)

Are there any interesting facts about the character of Harper that you portray?

Sylvia Yum: The Harper that I play is quite obsessive, judgemental and distrustful. However, as the play develops, we start to see that her behaviour is influenced by the way she grew up and how secluded she felt.

Dionysia Bizos: What I love about Harper is that she experiences exaggerated versions of my own anxieties. It’s been incredibly interesting to explore them through the safety of a character. I think she provides an important voice for people who suffer as a consequence of stress induced by the Covid-19 pandemic and the restrictions in Hong Kong.

Jasmine Haynes: Harper is quite outwardly distant. But as we’re shown little glimpses into her mind, we come to see her as a more sensitive and emotional character.

Are there any habits that you personally identify with Harper?

Jaelen Keith Basbas: One habit I have that makes it easy to relate to Harper is constantly checking my bag. I can get really careless with my belongings. 

Matthew Ho: Though I don’t struggle with OCD, I empathise with Harper's morphing obsessions – the subconscious urge to lose yourself in a topic or activity.

Charlotte Lee: I can very much relate to Harper’s overwhelming feelings of FOMO – I sometimes find it hard to look through Instagram because of it!

Please share your favourite scene/song/quote from the musical.

Rafael Aidan Santos: One of my favourite scenes has to got to be the first scene! What I love is how Lindsey, our director, sets this incredible dynamic tone for the rest of the show, illustrating the intensity and commotion inside Harper’s head. It’s brilliant!

Emilia Oliver: My favourite song is Who You Are. It’s a song I grew up with and love very much. It’s such a powerful ballad. The collective emotional power from our ensemble just brings it to life.

Tayla Siswojo: My favourite scene is when Harper finds out she has FOMO – (sadly) I relate to this on an intimate level. It was also extremely humorous and fun to practise.

Which moment stands out the most in your memory from the rehearsals?

Jaelen Keith Basbas: One unforgettable moment was when we first put together the harmonies for the songs. Everyone sounded so good!

Matthew Ho: One unforgettable moment would be the “Hot Seating” improv activity in one of our first rehearsals, when we were split into groups of 5 or 6 to describe our interpretations of Harper. Facing an audience composed of everyone else in the studio that night, I had to answer questions while role-playing my group’s Harper. It was quite a challenge to act out Sia as my favourite singer and Colleen Hoover as my favourite writer, and to play someone I couldn’t initially envision. It’s an incredible memory to look back on, filled with laughter and applause.

Charlotte Lee: Something that sticks with me is the moment I heard everyone’s singing voices for the first time. I’ve always been passionate about singing and hearing others sing, so when Amuer put us all together for the first time I was blown away by how beautiful everyone sounded as a whole! It made me very excited for the days to come with such a talented bunch!

Dionysia Bizos: One unforgettable moment was when everyone else was split into groups of 4 or 5 in order to create a short sequence of movement about FOMO. Over the movement, members of the main cast deliver cheesy lines that reflect Harper’s insecurities about missing out. I spend the scene centre stage, listening and reacting to everyone’s lines, so the first time I was introduced to the finished sequences I had to focus really hard on remaining in character. When we got to the final line, Jaelen delivered it with a trans-Atlantic accent and I couldn’t hold in the laughter anymore. It’s small moments like that that bring a really fun, open atmosphere to rehearsals, even though we’re dealing with relatively heavy subject matter. 

Sylvia Yum: The most unforgettable moment so far was when we first pieced the opening movements together. It looked so unreal and amazing. I was shocked and overwhelmed at the potential and talent that was in the room.

Jasmine Haynes: I remember rehearsing the bag checking sequence in Scene 3, which involves listing out a series of items, each coupled with a specific movement. At first, memorising both the words and the movement seemed like a daunting task for all of us, but through some serious drilling we were finally able to get it down. I remember the moment we finally got it slick was like a sigh of relief for all of us. It’s a feeling I like to carry with me when going through slightly more stressful moments of rehearsal.

Emilia Oliver: The most unforgettable moment for me was when we first sang together as a cast. It was really magical to hear how all of our voices blended, and the harmonies that Amuer had created sounded amazing. It was a reminder of how much I love singing in a musical. 

Rafael Aidan Santos: So, two things about the first scene: one, everyone needs to be silent and focused; two, there’s a confusing sequence where almost everyone is doing something different. It was 10 counts of 8 beats. Harvey and I had similar movement sequences. When we were doing it for the first time with the music, we both started off okay but I slowly lost count. Coincidently, Harvey also lost count, and without realising it, we ended up both copying each other until the end. We knew that we’d finished on the wrong move and messed up, but Lindsey said “Oh my gosh... That looked amazing!” We just turned to each other in awe. Crazy!

Tayla Siswojo: There are so many unforgettable moments but one of the most unforgettable ones was when we rehearsed our opening song Serotonin by Girl in Red for the first time. I’ll never forget the first time all our harmonies came together to create a beautiful melody.

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What’s the most significant thing you’ve learnt from 24:7:365?

Jaelen Keith Basbas: The most signficant thing I’ve learnt is how OCD can affect a person’s life, like the constant need to stay as clean as possible. 

Matthew Ho: The most significant thing I’ve learnt would be the power of unison. Even though I sang in a choir and a school musical when I was younger, there’s nothing better than hearing the harmonies we've practised, and the aural beauty that surges through the room. (It feels like Jacob Collier's in the room with us!) With everyone putting their focus and energy into their voice, we become something. In that moment, the group transcends the abilities of any individual. Music is a wonderful thing that's even better shared.

Charlotte Lee: OCD is definitely a lot more severe than it seems on the surface. After immersing myself in the mind of Harper and her compulsions, habits and worries, it’s become very apparent to me that OCD is a mental illness that’s trivialised and misrepresented in the media. This is why 24:7:365 is a crucial step in terms of raising awareness about OCD in Hong Kong.

Dionysia Bizos: It would be the value of collaboration. We’ve brought so many prompts to life just by hearing each other out and persevering, even when things don’t work out the first time. I think that the trust and work ethic we’ve fostered over such a short period of time has been really inspiring. I hope my future projects have similar levels of productivity and passion.

Sylvia Yum: How to work on my physical theatre skills, and the benefits of devising in a simple and concise way. This has helped elevate my stage presence and performing range. Before we started rehearsals, I hadn’t experimented much with physical theatre and acting through movement. This intrigued me about 24:7:365 because it was something I had never done before. Whenever I see the rehearsal outcomes, I am amazed and so excited for everything else that is about to come.

Jasmine Haynes: As a lot of our movement pieces are built on a foundation of group collaboration, I’ve learnt a lot about mixing and matching different ideas and movement styles from every member of the ensemble. I love seeing the very different approaches people take when devising movement. Sometimes, when you feel blocked, it can really help to see how other people create and build on that.

Emilia Oliver: The most significant thing I’ve learnt is the power of creative people. Having lots of people in a room together, who are passionate about theatre and creating and coming up with ideas, brings such an exciting energy. It’s a unique and valuable experience.

Rafael Aidan Santos: Definitely the importance of preparing – doing the hard work before coming into the rehearsal room. Whether it’s getting a movement down, building my character, or just simply learning my lines, it always goes a long way to making sure my future self can say “Golly gee, thanks past Rafa!” 

Tayla Siswojo: The most significant thing I’ve learnt is how complex OCD is. It’s not just about being “tidy” or “clean” as we usually think. It’s also about obsessive, unwanted or intrusive thoughts, anxiety, compulsion, distress and so much more.