THE PATRONS

ANTHONIA HUI AND LEONARDO DRAGO, WILD RICE ARCHANGELS

There are angels, and then there are archangels. For Wild Rice, Anthonia Hui and her husband, Leonardo Drago, come under the latter category of beings—topped only by philanthropist Kay Kuok, who is its “guardian angel”. The three are among Wild Rice’s founding patrons and its biggest supporters since the early days. (The title of “Wild Rice Angel” is bestowed upon patrons who have made generous contributions to the company.)

Hui’s affinity with Wild Rice started when she met co‑artistic director, Glen Goei, in London when he starred alongside Anthony Hopkins in M Butterfly. The two reconnected when Hui moved to Singapore from Hong Kong almost 20 years ago, during which time, Goei had asked her for a favour—to coach actress Pam Oei on her Hong Kong accent for her role in the 2002 production of farcical comedy, Boeing Boeing. Hui thoroughly enjoyed the show as well as subsequent productions that followed. “When I first arrived, I though Singapore was a ‘cultural desert’, just like Hong Kong. But I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of Wild Rice productions and their ability to integrate local material with a Western script. Watching the shows gave me a very different perspective about the performing arts scene in Singapore.”

More than that, the productions have “helped me to integrate into Singapore much faster and easier as a foreigner. Through the shows, I’ve learned so much about the country, the local humour, the way people see and do things—good or bad, it doesn’t matter. What’s portrayed is real, they don’t actually twist the facts. So when I went back to work, I could understand my colleagues better and felt that I should give allowances to certain things that was perhaps not agreeable to my own upbringing or value system. I’ve learnt how to adapt,” said Hui. The couple has since become Singaporeans.

Hui’s interest in performing arts has rubbed off on her husband. Drago shared: “I’ve actually never gone to the theatre before in Singapore. While the first Wild Rice production that we saw was a comedy, there are also the more serious plays, which tackle a lot of important issues. Wild Rice puts on a fantastic show every time, so we are quite happy to support them.”

In 2014, Hui was invited to join the Wild Rice board of directors, and she is also on its development board, which was set up specifically to raise money for the new theatre. Having seen first-hand the impact that Wild Rice productions have on its audiences, the duo’s support for the theatre company has been unwavering “especially since this is a homegrown entity that actually has been working hard for the past 20 years to remain sustainable and viable. They are not here to make money. They are here to serve the community”, enthused Hui.

Wild Rice’s Grand Opening Season continues from October 10 with Merdeka, a thought-provoking riposte on Singapore’s bicentennial commemoration; and from November 21 with Peter Pan in Serangoon Gardens, an original musical take on the classic favourite, at The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre @ Wild Rice.