Reflection by Deborah Looi, a passionate supporter of HAGAR. Deborah is currently spending six months of her sabbatical break helping the Singapore office pursue their goals of rebuilding lives.
I didn’t know law students could act, sing and dance so well.
My brother is a lawyer and he is certainly not gifted in this area, so I was doubly impressed by Law IV, the original musical Valediction produced by the 2018 graduating cohort of NUS Law. In keeping with tradition, all aspects of the play – the stagecraft, lyrics, dialogue, makeup – were lovingly crafted by the students to produce the cohort’s swan-song. Importantly it is also a way of giving back: all net proceeds are donated to a chosen charity.
Hagar Singapore is delighted and honoured to be this year’s recipient. Staff and volunteers were also privileged to attend the musical with our HAGAR beneficiary.
Valediction is essentially a coming-of-age story and follows a group of students – Emily, Tehlor, Victoria and Jamie through the lead-up to their graduation. Navigating adolescent life through the perennial themes of identity, friendship and ambition, the four friends confront their inner demons and the changing world around them, all the while trying to reconcile who they are and who they want to be.
We were impressed by how different facets of performance came together as a unified whole to tell this compelling tale. The cast’s infectious energy posited the narrative through clever scriptwriting, impressive vocals and dance choreography. Ten brilliantly hummable musical numbers were brought to life by live ensemble, integrating song with dance. The stage itself underwent several transformations during the two hours – from playground to HDB corridor to classroom and at one stage even transformed into a blue and white boxing ring filled with larger than life Facebook emoticons and icons, ostensibly a metaphor for digital popularity wars through the garnering of “likes”.
While performance ability was inspiring, what was singularly most impressive to us at Hagar Singapore was the graciousness and maturity that belied everyone involved in the night’s production. These are the qualities that inspired the cohort’s sense of needing to give back, and equally the qualities that will continue to inform the chosen paths of these soon-to-be lawyers.
Hagar Singapore expresses heartfelt gratitude and deep appreciation to the entire Law IV production crew with special thanks to particularly, David Aw and Cheryl Lim.
Photo credits: Leung Liwen
Check out the entire photo album here!
If your class, social group or cohort is organising an event and would like to consider nominating HAGAR as a beneficiary for the event, drop us a message!