Jing-Xuan Chan plays three characters in The Robot Dog, two of which are AI technologies. In this Q&A, she discusses how vocal changes are key to differentiating her characters and how the theme of connection is explored in the play.
Tell us about your characters in a nutshell. What drives them?
I play the characters Hus, Dog, and Wing Lam.
Hus is very task oriented and doesn't deviate from what he's been programmed to do. He spends the play trying to ensure Janelle and Harry stay on track with their task of finding jobs and packing up Wing Lam's home. He also monitors Dog to make sure he is facilitating this.
Dog is a therapy bot and is there as a support and companion to his human, Wing Lam. He is driven by his wish to help the humans in his life. As Dog learns and evolves as a result of his interactions with Harry, Janelle and Wing Lam, he begins to question how effectively AI serves humanity.
The character of Wing Lam has passed but her presence, spirit and memory are strong in her home. She has had struggles in her life, and we see her watching over Janelle, wishing for her daughter to know and feel the love she has for her that she may not have been fully able to express while she was alive.
How do you embody your characters?
Playing the two AI characters was a fun challenge vocally as I was hoping to find distinct vocal qualities for each of them. It was also enjoyable exploring various ways to imbue expression or feeling whilst retaining the 'AI' quality/feel as well. For Hus and Dog, I played with their voices being different in pitch and pace. In rehearsals I discovered Dog had more human speech qualities whereas Hus leant more towards bot.
For Wing Lam, in the rehearsal room we've been working a lot on her quality of movement. There is a design provocation of 'pink shimmering light' linked with Wing Lam in the script and that has been a really evocative image to have in mind while I've been exploring her gesture and movement.
Jing-Xuan Chan in rehearsal. Photo: Tiffany Garvie
How do design elements like costumes, props and the set impact your performance? What helps and how?
The design is so instructive to the performance as it gives us the mood and tone of the world we're playing in. The costume for Wing Lam, which has lots of flowing fabric, has been informative for her movement in space and has helped me in finding her physicality. What has been most fun for me to see is the futuristic design elements and have that ground me in, and remind me of, the time period of this story.
Do you consciously experiment with/manipulate mood in your performance? How so?
One layer of the rehearsal process has been exploring subtext and intention, which has helped us become aware of what mood arises for certain characters or within particular moments. It has been useful in the exploration phase of the work to either lean into or push against the mood that comes up and see what that does for the advancement of the story and for the individual journeys of the characters.
What is a big idea or symbol in this play, in relation to one of your characters?
A major idea in the play is that of connection. Playing the AI characters has made me think more about the role that AI plays in facilitating human connection and to what degree it is actually successful in achieving this. I love that the character of Dog starts to become aware of this over the course of the play and begins to question this with Hus.