Next week, young actress Anjana Vasan will be flying back to the United Kingdom to meet her new colleague: A certain award-winning actor-director named Kenneth Branagh.

The 27-year-old Singaporean will start rehearsals for Macbeth, which will be staged for the Manchester International Festival, and is co-directed by and stars Branagh.

“I’m one of the ‘wyrd sisters’ or ‘witches’ so it’s a pretty fun role and some of the scenes would be with him so it’s pretty exciting,” said Vasan, who is currently based in the UK and has landed a couple of nice gigs, including the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Asian take of Much Ado About Nothing last year.

Meanwhile, in New York City, Kenneth Lee is in rehearsals for the possible Broadway version of the musical Allegiance, which stars ex-Star Trek actor and Internet sensation George Takei and Tony winner Lea Salonga.

“It’s my first original musical where I get to create a character ... and I guess working with Takei is pretty cool,” he quipped.

Although few might recognise Vasan and Lee’s names here, they belong to a handful of Singaporean actors who are making a name for themselves overseas.

TAKING THE PLUNGE

Why act abroad? For Lee, it was the lack of opportunities here that prompted him to head to New York back in the ’90s.

“The theatre, film and television scene at that time were also very uncertain, and it wasn’t clear if there would be opportunities to pursue the arts and acting in Singapore in the way that I was interested in,” he shared.

He pursued his undergraduate degree in New York University, stayed put, and now has done a lot across the United States, not just theatre, but also bit part roles on TV and film, including Law & Order, Across The Universe and Deception.

Some see acting abroad as an exciting challenge. Benjamin Wong, for instance, has been plying his trade in London for the past three-and-a-half years. Recently, he was one of the five leads in the play, Paper Dolls, and he’s going to be in two shows at the coming Edinburgh Arts Festival.

“I came to London to continue training and it definitely provided the challenges that I longed for,” he said.

It’s the same case for Windson Liong. The 30-year-old already had a decent career in Singapore (both onstage and TV, where he had a role in Moulmein High) but he went to London in 2010 to pursue a Masters in musical theatre.

It hasn’t been a bed of roses though. Not only are they out of their comfort zones, they are now in a bigger, more complicated arena, where the competition is very fierce.

“It was tough for those born here — how much tougher would it be for me, not having ever lived away from Singapore, much less in a crazy, crowded foreign city like New York?” said Lee.

And then, of course, there are issues such as having an unspoken “glass ceiling” for Asian actors.

“I know there are jobs I didn’t get because they weren’t sure about colourblind casting,” said Vasan. “Or audition scripts I’ve read where the understanding of Asians is akin to every Indian person knowing how to bust out a Bollywood song and dance and every Chinese person knowing kung fu.”

Lee concurred: “Many of the contemporary plays I’ve done have been Asian roles, like M Butterfly or Snow Falling On Cedars, but I tend to be proudest of the work I’ve done when I’ve transcended racial barriers.”

These are little victories to be savoured, he said, “because you have to be twice as tough, twice as good and twice as determined as the next actor”.

DIFFERENT STROKES

Their experience has also been an eye-opener in another way: Revealing the differences in how things work outside of Singapore.

For one thing, the pay can be good. “It’s not just a paycheque at the end of a job. There are weekly rates, overtime pay, concessions, expenses coverage, holiday pay,” shared Vasan.

The presence of unions like Equity in both the UK and US also ensure that actors are taken care of.

“It is an establishment which an actor could go to if he or she faces problems,” said Wong. “There are representatives who you can go to for pension schemes, for example. When one is injured, the theatre would seek out medical care for the actor and the insurance policies for the UK actor is quite comprehensive. Equity also demands a minimum wage and would fight for the actor if he isn’t paid.”

These global centres for theatre are likewise a goldmine simply in terms of exposure. “The creative stimulus afforded by virtue of living in NYC is unparalleled. The opportunities to see every form of arts performed, curated, produced, risked and created at the highest levels the world over on a daily basis do give me a solid grounding to keep me on my toes about remaining competitive and sharp in my craft and relevant in my work,” said Lee.

And over there, acting is a “normal” job.

“One of the great aspects of being a performer in the UK is that I feel normal. Acting, singing, dancing are considered normal career choices and there are many of us around,” shared Wong. “My parents definitely — and rather vocally — wish that I were in a ‘normal’ vocation, with CPF, normal working hours and vacation schemes.”

Added Liong: “To a lot of people (in Singapore) acting means MediaCorp. My relatives or taxi drivers always ask which TV shows I’m in despite me telling them I am acting on stage. In a way, London is more satisfying because the actors, production team and the audience are all hungry for theatre and the buzz can be electrifying.”

A SORT OF HOMECOMING

But their enthusiasm for overseas work, they clarify, isn’t a criticism of the comparatively younger Singapore theatre scene. Many of them pointed out their interest in doing more here. Before she flies back to the UK to meet up with Branagh, for example, Vasan has a couple of gigs this week as one-half of the poetry/music duo Mango Dollies.

And while Liong waits for confirmation for a musical in Europe later this year, he’s taking on the lead role in Pursuant, a new musical by Jonathan Lim for the Singapore Lyric Opera.

As for Lee, he does admit having the itch to, well, speak Singlish onstage. “It sounds silly but it’d be special to me to finally get the chance to say ‘lah’ on the stage again. That, and having the opportunity to perform for my family in Singapore.”

But does Lee think he has “made it” overseas?

“One of the things I’ve learnt being an actor for so many years in a competitive market like NYC is defining what ‘making it’ means. At one point, it was joining the union or earning my first paycheque or appearing with celebrities in a feature film. To many, it means fame or fortune, by which standard I probably wouldn’t qualify,” he said.

“But I believe I have, because I am doing exactly what I want to do. A boy from a tiny island in Asia where a theatre programme barely existed (back then), working now as a paid actor in some of the most prestigious theatres in America and in NYC. What are the odds? That, sadly, is a perspective lost on many loved ones from home, but it’s never lost on me. And I am grateful.”

Catch Mango Dollies tonight, 8pm, Artistry Cafe, 17 Jalan Pinang, and May 23, 8pm, Books Actually, 9 Yong Siak Street.

Pursuant: A Musical runs from May 31 to June 8, 8pm, Drama Centre Theatre. With 3pm weekend matinees. Tickets from S$30 to S$40 from Sistic.