"La Salle can only start the spark, we must kindle the fire on"
The Heritage Play, a one-night only production, was performed and produced by the Organising Team of APLYC8. Held at the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) of St Joseph’s Institution, a Lasallian secondary school in Singapore, the Heritage Play showcased La Salle’s life through drama and song. In addition to La Salle’s life, the story of Father Beurel was weaved into the plot. The play thus presented both the history of De La Salle and the heritage of our Lasallian family in the Asia-Pacific.

The audience was treated to a night where we went back in time as the cast brought the Heritage Play to life. Over 300 years may have passed, but last night, we celebrated the proliferation of La Salle’s dream, a dream that transcends time, space, race and religion.

Behind The Scenes

After the Heritage Play, we managed to make our way backstage to find out more about the cast members and the Production Team. Marc Van Huizen, a Singaporean delegate of and member of the cast, played the character La Salle. His role was a pivotal one as it portrays the cornerstone of our Lasallian mission: perseverance and selflessness.

This play was not, however, a production without hard work, sore throats, and long hours. Rehearsals started about a week ago, and Marc revealed to us how the cast spent almost 24/7 on the set (minus the time for sleeping, eating and other personal agenda). One of the greatest challenges was singing. Many of our actors were amateurs at singing; definitely not Broadway material. In his now hoarse and raspy voice, Marc commented that one particular challenge was singing the song ‘This is The Moment’, but also jokingly added how he thanks God for “transposition and microphones”.

The Heritage Play also had a lasting impression on individuals such as Marc. “In times of trouble, (Marc) derives strength” from the story of La Salle. The story also motivates Marc to continue challenging his boundaries and helping out in Lasallian programs. However, he also feels that these programs “pale in comparison to overseas projects initiated by our friends from the region”. APLYC8 thus provides the medium for countries to share their experiences and ideas.

In a slight twist, the play featured La Salle’s life through the eyes of Father Beurel instead of focusing solely on La Salle. The decision to write the script in this way was influenced by the desire to portray the “origins of the Lasallian movement in Asia-Pacific”, since APLYC8 itself was a “gathering of the Asia-Pacific Lasallian family”, as scriptwriter Tan Wei Kann pointed out.

Through this juxtaposition, the play showed the parallel paths of La Salle and Beurel’s lives. These two life stories aptly brought out the moral coda of the play, which Wei Kann believes to be that “if we persevere, and if we have the spark, then we can live La Salle’s dream” to “pass on the passion”.