Taking Flight: Catherine Meng
Catherine Meng, 2T3 MAM
Let’s begin by talking about your experiences with Daffy. Tell us a bit about your role and how you initially got involved with the musical.
I played someone called Olivia, a character who experiences a lot of growth and self-discovery throughout the musical. I think a lot of students can resonate with her because she starts off uncertain of who she is and who she needs to be to get into medical school, but ends up finding herself through her experiences and is “leveled up” at the end. I’ve gotten to know the character very well, and I think a part of her will always be with me.
How I got into it… Last year, we talked about extracurriculars during O-week, and Daffy really stuck out to me, even though at that point in time, I never thought I would get involved in a musical. I forgot about it and didn’t think I could do it because it seemed so out there. When auditions started happening, I thought that maybe I should audition for the musical, as a challenge to grow as a person.
That sounds really brave of you, especially coming into first year. Did you have an experience like this in the past or was this completely new to you?
Aww thanks! I’ve been singing for fun when no one was around since I was little, because I was very shy then. I became involved in high school choirs and a chamber choir in university, that’s where I discovered how much I loved singing. Apart from that, I didn’t have a lot of theatre experience before, other than a short musical theatre class in undergrad. I really wanted to explore acting, because I think it’s something that requires you to expand your perspectives and pushes you out of your comfort zone. I tried out, gave it my best and it was amazing. I can never stop talking about how incredible it was!
What did you find different between your classic choir experience compared to a musical theatre experience?
They’re similar in the way that everyone involved has worked hard toward common goal, but in a choir you’re trying to blend as best as you can to sound like one voice. If you don’t want to be heard, you can just sing quieter. In this musical, it’s like telling a story using a series of voices, with each person contributing a unique part. Everyone must be bold, confident and supportive of each other because every single person has an important role to play, whether they are on stage or not.
Also, in a performance, the audience sees the choir and that’s everyone involved. In a musical only a fraction of people get the spotlight, but there are so many other super talented, dedicated people working behind the scenes. The exec. team, pit orchestra, stage crew, makeup & costume artists, sound, lighting…the success of Daffy would not have been possible if everyone didn’t give it their 100%.
It was cool to see so many different people with diverse personalities working towards the same goal. If it weren’t for Daffy, I might not have had the chance to meet these unique individuals and build new friendships. I feel so grateful that I had that opportunity.
How do you think being part of Daffy has impacted your first year of medical school?
Daffy has been one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in my life! People ask me how I balanced Daffy with med school, but I think Daffy actually energized me and made the balance easier. Without an arts aspect to balance the science-heavy aspect in medicine, I think I would have been mentally worn out. Art provides another perspective on medicine, and really enriches my experiences. I think balancing your passion in science and in something non-med related gives you the best experience in medical school. Of course, it wasn’t easy at certain points because it is a big commitment and I found it difficult to keep up with academics at times. I was also commuting a lot from Mississauga to rehearsals downtown while balancing my first year, but everything worked out in the end.
We’ve interviewed the director and other cast members of Daffy in the previous issue and they mentioned that when they were choosing roles, they tried to fit the personality of the character to the personality of the actresses/actors themselves. How do you feel you relate to Olivia as a character? Are there any parallels or differences?
For sure. I do think there are a lot of parallels, although, with time, you see that there are also many differences. When we started rehearsing, I saw people, who, from the way they presented themselves, embodied their character. I resonated with Olivia’s development. In the beginning of the play, Olivia was timid and more uncertain. She grows in the musical, just as I strive for growth as a person.
Many characters are multidimensional; the writers did a great job of giving them more than one defining trait. Olivia’s not timid for long, and the audience gets to see her grow stronger. She’s also a very caring person, and only got into the whole predicament because she was trying to help others. I’ve learned a lot about her as a character. Olivia’s personal growth mirrored my experience in Daffy in that we both came from a place of uncertainty and became more confident.
You mentioned commuting to downtown. Could you elaborate your experience as a MAM student?
In previous years, I heard there wasn’t a lot of MAM involvement in Daffy. I’m so proud to say that there were a lot of MAM students involved in this year’s production. It kinda puts MAM on the map. For me, it was difficult at times, because it almost doubled the commitment time. Rehearsals were twice a week, we had to commute, and we often got home very late. It was tiring, but I found ways to fill in the time, like talking to friends, sleeping or doing work on the shuttle. The commute became a therapeutic experience, a way for me to relax from school, step back and take a break. At first, it was quite the adjustment, but everyone was very open to helping us during show week by offering their places to stay over if needed (for that I could not be more grateful!). I hope that in the future more MAM students are involved in Daffy, because it is such an amazing opportunity and it was worth every minute on the MAM shuttle.
I know you also submitted a visual arts piece to Palette’s last issue, and I’m wondering how visual arts fit in with your interests, especially among your other artistic involvements, such as musical theatre and singing?
I really like creating new things and that manifests itself in different ways. I have really enjoyed drawing since a young age, as a way to express myself without putting myself out there. I could put what I felt on paper and then show it to people when I was ready. With music, it’s a very open experience that requires you to be more vulnerable and have a better understanding of what you want to express. I channeled my creativity into visual arts before I realized how energizing and freeing it was to sing. Singing and music helped me to open up. Being involved in groups like Daffy has given me many valuable friendships and performing in front of audiences helped to build my confidence. That being said, I really do enjoy visual arts and am hoping to get back to drawing soon.
What were some challenges you had to overcome during Daffy?
Because my character had many parallels to my own personality already, it wasn’t too hard to act, but there were a few of emotional components to that as well. When you’re acting, you put yourselves into that character’s head - how would they react, what would their body language looks like etc. – and you recall past experiences that can contribute to your acting. That was draining at times.
I also doubted myself in the beginning; I didn’t know if I had what it took to play the role. Getting used to acting and being expressive in front of so many amazing, talented individuals was a big learning curve for me. But I put my trust in the directors, the skilled cast, and above all, myself. And it worked better than I could have ever imagined.
We talked about Daffy being a good experience for growth, what were your specific learning points and take home points, looking back at it now?
I learned that a little bit of trust in yourself can go a really long way. Having confidence and not doubting everything that could go wrong works better than preparation and drills alone. I thought I’d be nervous during the performance, but being confident in what I could do, and knowing that making one mistake won’t mess up the entire performance made me less nervous. It’s a lot of pressure to want everything to be “perfect”, and it effects how much fun you could be having. Through this experience, I learned to trust myself more and to be more certain about my abilities.
If you had to pass on a message that you can pass on to an incoming student next year who might be interested in Daffy, what would you say to them?
At the beginning, many of us weren’t sure if we should audition or not. My advice is that if you even have an inkling of possibly auditioning, go for it! Auditions are scary, but you go in there, you give it your all and you never know what you might be capable of. Doing an audition in itself is an accomplishment, in my opinion. And even if it doesn’t work out, there’s always next year. This is something that you do not want to miss out on!
How would you see yourself being involved with Daffy next year and how do you see arts/music being a part of your career in the future?
Music and the arts in general keep me grounded. In the long term, I definitely want to incorporate music into my life. I’ve been exploring some song writing in the past year or so, so I’m hoping to continue that and maybe join a choir. Being a doctor and practicing medicine can be difficult, but I think coming back to music will help me through tough times in the future.
Next year, I’d love to be able to be involved in the theatre experience in some way, maybe by exploring community theatres, we’ll see. But there’s nothing quite like Daffy; I’m not sure anything can top this years’ experience. I don’t know what’s going to happen with Daffy in terms of my involvement—it’d be nice to take on a leadership role and to help create the production next year, but acting is also so much fun. We’ll see what happens next year!
Do you have any recommendations for music or art that you’d want to share with the UofT Med community?
This might be a bit of a different answer than usual. To whoever’s reading this right now - instead of looking for art or music externally, why not try to make your own? Personally, I find that I am always consuming so much media, which often leaves me feeling empty afterwards. Making something that comes from inside is a really meaningful and therapeutic experience. Turn a blank canvas into a painting that is yours, express yourself through music or dance, create something from nothing.
Whether you have experience or not, put yourself out there and create something. It might not be amazing at first, but it will be with time. Paint, do arts and crafts, compose, sing, write. Freely express your thoughts and emotions, you never know what you are capable of creating.
