By CARLOS RUBEN DOURADO
brats@thestar.com.my

MANY of our BRATs have gone on to bigger things in journalism such as journalists Nicholas Cheng and Clarissa Say, and fashion editor Debrina Aliyah.

But some of them have found success in fields totally unrelated to journalism. Take for instance, Roshine Mookaiah, who joined the performing arts scene in 2014.

The Johor Baru 2013 participant did stand-up comedy and has now ventured into theatre productions. For her performance in such as Short+Sweet Musical 2016, she was crowned Best Lead Actor (Female) by Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC). She was most recently in Life Sdn Bhd: People, directed by Datuk Faridah Merican.

Last week, we sat down with Roshinee to ask her about how BRATs has influenced her performing arts career.

Roshinee (left) receiving the award for Best Lead Actor (Female) for Short+Sweet Musical last year from Datuk Faridah Merican. — Handout

Why did you apply for BRATs?

I was looking for a way to improve my writing skills, as well as to gain a deeper understanding of journalism. My friend Denielle Leong was a BRAT from the 2011 Alor Star camp and she always got to go on cool assignments, where she’d meet celebrities or cover amazing stories. So, I wanted in on the fun as well.

What have you learnt from BRATs?

I’ve come out of BRATs with a greater sense of journalistic ethics, and I’ve learnt not to succumb to sensationalism when writing news articles or reading them, for that matter.

At the same time, I’ve been able to learn about the average Malaysian’s stories, especially when BRATs participated in #KeretapiSarong back in 2014, which was quite interesting because that’s when I realised that everyone has a story, if you get to know them.

Why did you venture into performing arts?

I have always been a fan of the stage, and acting is just another avenue to explore that passion. I find performing arts in general to be deeply rewarding because it allows me to play with emotions that I would otherwise be unable to show in real life situations.

More importantly, it is such a strong medium for connecting with other people.

What I love most about theatre is post-show, when people come up to me and relate how much my story touched them.

How has BRATs played a role in your involvement with performing arts?

In 2013, Leong covered Short+Sweet Stand Up Comedy and Song for a BRATs assignment. The following year, she pushed me to join the 2014 installment of the competition, which I did.

I won three awards that year; First Runner-Up, Audience Choice Award and Best Newcomer Award. It was through that fateful experience that I was introduced to the local performing arts scene, specifically theatre in more depth.

Apart from that, BRATs has connected me with so many other bright, young individuals who are out there to do better. I’ve been able to meet some really inspiring people and that has pushed me to venture into caring and offering therapy for children with autism.

How can the performing arts benefit young people?

It is a great place to explore your own emotions and insecurities.

You need great courage to go on stage and to be completely vulnerable to a room full of strangers. This can be intimidating but theatre allows me to overcome that and be completely comfortable with myself.

What values has BRATs instilled in you?

BRATs has taught me to always offer news that is beneficial and substantial to the public, and to not be swayed by the easy route of chasing popularity and sensationalism.

Also, through BRATs, I have learnt the importance of always being accurate and precise in delivering information to others, which has helped me in my career in performing arts, where I make sure I execute my performance properly so the audience can grasp the message I intend to send out.