Rising Son, part one of the Family Trilogy, is written by Dick Lee. Set against the backdrop of the Japanese occupation, it tells the coming-of-age stories of his father, aunt and a Japanese army lawyer next door.

Through the play, Dick hopes to offer the younger generation an insight into how everyday life was during the Japanese occupation, and the older generation, a different perspective of the period.

Synopsis

Rising Son is set during the Japanese invasion and occupation of Singapore between 1941 and 1945. 18 year-old Sunny (Tan Shou Chen) is enlisted as an ambulance orderly when the bombing starts, and does his best to protect his naïve, but headstrong, younger sister Ruby (Song Hui Xuan) from the horrific realities of war.

When the occupation begins, and Singapore becomes Syonan-To, the siblings meet a young Japanese army lawyer (Caleb Goh) who has moved into the house next door. An awkward friendship develops between the three in the years that follow, which affects their experiences of the war.