June’s YP of the Month is…

Shian Choong!!!

Shian’s journey with CYPT may have only spanned the past year and a half, but what a wonderfully hWhimsical worthwhile year and a half it has been! Being somewhat of a late bloomer within the world of theatre, they held big dreams, with little experience. Yet, CYPT provided an incredibly warm and welcoming place for them to grow and improve as a performer. 

They were first introduced to CYPT’s stage as Gael in the 2023 Cannonball Festival’s AS YOU WERE. This spooky scary thriller taught them how to embrace and engage in a sense of formidable peculiarity, which helped pave the way for their attention to physicality and confidence.

They later returned as The Hat in WHIMSY, from the 2023 Outpatient Collective. This show was a particularly special opportunity, as they got to incorporate aerial silks into the performance. Since the ripe old age of ten, Shian has been performing in circus aerial arts. They never would have discovered their love for the theatrical stage without their love for circus first. Being presented with the incredibly niche circumstance to combine acting and aerials will forever be one of the most memorable highlights of their theatre career.

Their concluding CYPT show is PAROXYSM from the 2024 Cannonball Festival, in which they play A/Adrian. This show is written and directed by one of Shian’s closest friends, Molly Corkey Flatters, who coincidentally was also the one who first introduced Shian to CYPT. This show was a woefully wondrous wacky exploration into the depths of Molly’s epileptic brain, and Shian is honoured to be trusted with such an autobiographically complex and personal role. 

Although Shian will be graduating this year, they won’t be disappearing from CYPT’s presence anytime soon. They are a part of the 2024 Outpatient Collective, so look out for THE SMOKIN’ GUN next season!

Ultimately, CYPT has consistently provided Shian with a safe space to explore their limits, talents, and abilities. This company has formulated an incredibly supportive community, in which Shian could not express enough gratitude for the friends they have made, and for the mentors who raised them up.