Preview: March On 2022 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

With the March school holidays just around the corner, it’s time to take the kids out for a little arts appreciation – and no better place to do that than Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay’s annual March On! festival!

Playing from 9 – 13 Mar 2022, the festival focuses on creating participatory arts experiences and multi-disciplinary programmes for children, families and schools, starting with this year’s festival commission, titled I Have Something to Say. Directed by Edith Podesta and written by Jean Tay, the work explores the topic of bullying in the safe space of theatre, and uses music, movement and multimedia to invite children to build empathy, and gives children and adults alike a common language to speak honestly about bullying. There will also be two ticketed workshops for children and families on this topic.

On the dance front, Scotland’s Barrowland Ballet presents Family Portrait, an interactive experience featuring a dance video installation created during the pandemic. Surrounded by four screens and seated on swivelling stools, audiences are brought on an immersive journey into the Scottish highlands with Barrowland Ballet’s Artistic Director, Natasha Gilmore, and her children as they create precious memories while exploring nature. With space to roam, the children encounter rabbit skulls, converse with spiders, make war paint with berries and discover the fun of playing with their mum.

Facilitated by arts practitioners Chong Gua Khee and Faye Lim, SEEDLINGS features a panel made up of children between 7 to 12 years old who attend a series of arts-based workshops, dialogues and performances as part of the March On festival programming. They will have exclusive behind-the-scenes access and eventually share their own perspectives on topics close to their hearts, offering audiences the unique opportunity to hear more about the process and participants’ experiences, as the Esplanade further develops their children-centred artistic experiences.

Such children-centric work also features in work such as Void Deck Games’ Magic Circus – Monster Hunt, Tak Takut Kids Club and 3Pumpkins’ participatory photography experience This is What We Eat At Home, DJ Cherry Chan’s (co-founder of Syndicate.sg) Beats and Doodles and more.

Also featured are works created under Esplanade’s PLAYlab—a developmental platform targeted at budding artists and collectives that are interested in Theatre for Young Audiences (three- to six-year-olds), such as Huang Nadim and The Garfish and work-in-progress showcases for the upcoming PLAYtime! production Together.

This year, let the durian come alive with joy and cheer, as the kids (and their families too!) return to play and experience all that arts has to offer, at March On 2022.

March On 2022 runs from 9th to 13th March 2022 . Registration and tickets available here