The latest batch of students from Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) is just about ready to graduate, but before they do, they’ll be presenting one last show, with the Asian premiere of Lie With Me by award-winning playwright Kaite O’Reilly this November at the Esplanade Theatre Studio.
Directed by internationally renowned director Phillip Zarrilli, Lie With Me looks at contemporary life in Singapore through glimpses into the lives of eight young people, exploring issues such as the evolving ‘rules’ of sexual encounters in a ‘swipe right’ culture, and the ways in which people survive and form genuine relationships in an increasingly unstable and consumerist society.
O’Reilly and Zarrilli are acclaimed, frequent collaborators, whose play richard III redux
was one of three finalist scripts for the prestigious James Tait Black Prize in Drama, which celebrates groundbreaking theatre produced worldwide.
Says playwright O’Reilly: “I wanted to look at the challenges and complexities, along with the joys and delights, of being a young person in a big urban environment in the 21st century. I wanted to explore how difficult it is to negotiate this post-truth society where we have alternative facts instead of empirical facts. I also think it’s important to make
something that is really about now. Shakespeare said that theatre’s purpose is ‘to hold, as t’were, a mirror up to nature’. Well, that’s what we’re trying to do now — reflecting back contemporary Singaporean life for younger audiences.”
Adds director Zarrilli: “I think the issues the play raises are very relevant. Are you connecting with people in relationships or are you trying to disconnect? How do you make those choices, and who do you make them with? I think the eight characters reflect a cross-section of young people’s experiences here in Singapore.”
Lie with Me plays from 7th to 9th November 2019 at the Esplanade Theatre Studio. Tickets available from Peatix
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