From 1 to 25 August, Singapore Spotlight will make its inaugural debut at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2025 — the world’s largest performing arts festival. The artist-led, ground-up platform will present six diverse acts, spanning theatre, comedy, dance, street performance, and experimental works, all showcasing the very best of Singaporean performing arts talent. This bold initiative, supported by national youth arts organisation *SCAPE, arrives at a moment of national pride, coinciding with Singapore’s 60th year of independence, and marks a milestone in profiling the city-state’s creative voices on the global stage.

Fuelled by a growing appetite for greater Singaporean representation at the Fringe, and a burgeoning interest among local artists in international touring, festivals, and outreach, Singapore Spotlight was created entirely by artists, for artists. The initiative is organised by six independent producers based in Singapore and the United Kingdom (UK): Lim Shien Hian, Caleb Lee, Mohamad Shaifulbahri, Joanne Tay, Brent Tan and Syania Shaharuddin. Together, they form the collective driving Singapore’s first coordinated presence at the festival. Building on the success of pilot efforts at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024 where Singaporean acts won enthusiastic praise from audiences and critics, they empower Singaporean creatives with the resources, networks, and visibility needed to build a sustainable global presence.

in Singapore and the United Kingdom (UK): Lim Shien Hian, Caleb Lee, Mohamad Shaifulbahri, Joanne Tay, Brent Tan and Syania Shaharuddin. Together, they form the collective driving Singapore’s first coordinated presence at the festival. Building on the success of pilot efforts at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2024 where Singaporean acts won enthusiastic praise from audiences and critics, they empower Singaporean creatives with the resources, networks, and visibility needed to build a sustainable global presence.

The Singaporean acts heading to the Fringe this year reflect the bold range and creative ambition of Singapore’s performing arts scene, spanning experienced practitioners, first-time Edinburgh Fringe participants, and youth artists. Returning to the Fringe are three familiar names already making waves on the circuit. Jonathan Goh, a circus artist and street performer, returns to Edinburgh’s High Street with his crowd-pulling acrobatics and juggling act. Sam See, a stand-up comedian now in his fifth year at the Fringe, continues to fly the flag for Singaporean stand-up by hosting two showcases — The Asian Comedy Showcase and Off With Your Head. Theatre performer and playwright Jo Tan, who has booked a spot with her one-hander KING in Summerhall, one of the most prestigious arts venues in Edinburgh, after her success at the same venue in 2024.

The Singaporean acts heading to the Fringe this year reflect the bold range and creative ambition of Singapore’s performing arts scene, spanning experienced practitioners, first-time Edinburgh Fringe participants, and youth artists. Returning to the Fringe are three familiar names already making waves on the circuit. Jonathan Goh, a circus artist and street performer, returns to Edinburgh’s High Street with his crowd-pulling acrobatics and juggling act. Sam See, a stand-up comedian now in his fifth year at the Fringe, continues to fly the flag for Singaporean stand-up by hosting two showcases — The Asian Comedy Showcase and Off With Your Head. Theatre performer and playwright Jo Tan, who has booked a spot with her one-hander KING in Summerhall, one of the most prestigious arts venues in Edinburgh, after her success at the same venue in 2024.

Performing at the world’s busiest arts festival thousands of miles from home challenges any artist. Singapore Spotlight supports Singaporean artists at the Fringe through a three-pronged approach: building a vibrant community, uniting them under a shared brand for co-marketing, and creating meaningful networking and engagement opportunities. By centralising resources and drawing on the expertise of Fringe veterans within the collective, Singapore Spotlight maximises the impact and visibility of Singaporean talent at this year’s festival. Singapore Spotlight helps emerging artists navigate the festival’s complexities while empowering seasoned performers to deepen connections, spark collaboration, and pioneer new creative possibilities. Months ahead of the festival, the Singapore Spotlight team contacted and organised sessions for aspiring festival participants to learn more about the process, and collectively share resources in preparation for the festival.

In the weeks leading up to and during the festival, Singapore Spotlight employs various marketing tactics, leveraging the Singaporean brand to help local acts stand out among thousands of shows. This includes a dedicated website, cross-marketing campaigns and combined promotional materials on-ground to promote multiple shows cost-efficiently, all designed to boost audience reach and ticket sales.

Networking is key for success at the Fringe, yet individual artists often struggle to be seen or to connect with key industry figures. Singapore Spotlight fills this gap by organising public events and industry gatherings, securing sponsorship under a unified banner, and facilitating introductions that open doors for Singaporean artists to build valuable connections and explore new opportunities.

At its core, Singapore Spotlight was built by artists, for artists. It creates a supportive community that helps emerging artists to navigate the festival’s complexities while empowering seasoned performers to deepen connections, spark collaboration, and pioneer new creative possibilities.

The launch of Singapore Spotlight was made possible with support from key partners, including *SCAPE. *SCAPE has been a game-changer for many within the collective. Beyond just support, *SCAPE has been steadfast champions of young creatives daring to dream bigger. From taking work overseas for the first time, to figuring out how to even start, *SCAPE has supported such dreams through mentorship, guidance, resources, and a belief in the voices of youths. Local programmes like *SCAPE’s COMMA and Music Day Out have also helped ignite the journeys of many artists, equipping them with not just skills and confidence, but tangible access to funding, mentors, and international networks. This is part of *SCAPE’s broader vision to transform youth potential into boundless possibilities, whether at home or on global stages.

“I can feel the room buzzing with anticipation of Singapore Spotlight. At *SCAPE, we ask how to stay relevant, and stay useful to support the youths in society. And providing these opportunities for labs, ground-up initiatives, these are the platforms we champion,” says Ivy Lim, Executive Director, *SCAPE. “At *SCAPE, we believe in the power of youth to shape the future of the arts—not just at home, but on the world stage. Singapore Spotlight embodies the boldness, creativity, and resilience of our young talents. We’re proud to support these artists as they share their stories with the world, and we hope this inspires even more young people to dream fearlessly and create without limits,”

2025 marks the 3rd consecutive year that Singaporean works will be presented at Summerhall, one of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe’s most coveted venues for its focus on innovative, experimental, and hard-hitting theatre. Tom Forster, programmer at Summerhall, says, “The type of work that has been presented over the past 3 years working with Singaporean artists has been of exceptional professional quality in terms of production, tech, set design, performance, new writing… This partnership is going from strength to strength each year and we really hope it continues developing that way.”

Singapore Spotlight is a platform committed to presenting Singaporean talent to international audiences, empowering homegrown artists with the visibility, networks, and resources needed to build sustainable global careers. It serves both as a launchpad for local talent and a window for the world to experience the breadth and vibrancy of Singapore’s arts scene. Led by dedicated artists and producers, many of whom are independent and are taking the risk to forge their way in the global scene, the Singapore Spotlight initiative welcomes support from the public, partners, and stakeholders, including through its ongoing fundraiser here.

For the latest updates, follow @singapore.spotlight on Instagram.