Following their production of Moonlit City, Toy Factory returns with a brand new play this December.

What happens when eight strangers board the same plane, each carrying their own hopes, burdens, and regrets, only to find themselves hurtling toward the unknown? On board Voyage Ksitigarbha, a fictional flight bound for the mystical Trayastrimsa Island, eight individuals from vastly different walks of life—a journalist, an actor, a businessman, a flight attendant, and more—are thrown together by fate. When an in-flight crisis erupts, their journey transforms into something far greater than survival, becoming a confrontation with their deepest fears, past choices, and the very meaning of existence.

Presented by Di Zang Lin Singapore and produced by Toy Factory Productions, the play draws inspiration from the Buddhist teachings of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, whose vow to save all beings embodies compassion in the face of suffering. The metaphor of a plane crash becomes a mirror for the turbulence of human life, where only by facing suffering head-on can one rediscover truth, reconciliation, and hope.

Playwright, director, and set designer Goh Boon Teck (Artistic Director, Toy Factory) helms the production with a bold vision, blending Buddhist philosophy with the language of contemporary theatre. Voyage Ksitigarbha weaves dramatic conflict with chanting, intonation, and ritual, immersing audiences in a meditation-in-motion that navigates faith, desire, karma, and redemption.

Breathing life into the “eight sinners” are a dynamic ensemble of actors: Xuan Ong, Ryan Ang, Alvin Chiam, Yane Tan, Low Wei Loong, Wayne Lim, Li Te, and Chriz Tong. Each embodies a soul grappling with their invisible cages, a girl who hides her prayer beads, a businessman haunted by the cries of a slaughterhouse, a pilot who sees smoke from his childhood kitchen instead of the cockpit controls, and more. Their struggles feel startlingly familiar, mirroring our own.

The design team features Dorothy Png (lighting), Benjamin Kee (multimedia), Vick Low (sound/music), Zennie Casann (hair & makeup), and Josiah Chua (costumes), who together craft an experience that is as visually arresting as it is spiritually resonant. Through multimedia projections, evocative scenography, and bold stagecraft, the stage becomes an immersive canvas of light, sound, and emotion.

Voyage Ksitigarbha is more than an original Chinese-language production—it’s a compelling work of Buddhist theatre created for contemporary audiences and the new generation. Above the sea of clouds, a silver-winged aircraft slices through the sky. As eight fates collide and unfold, the production invites us to confront fragility, rediscover compassion, and awaken to something deeper within ourselves. For anyone seeking art that entertains while stirring the soul, this is one flight you’ll want to board.

Voyage Ksitigarbha 地藏王号 plays from 12th to 14th December 2025 at Victoria Theatre. Tickets available from SISTIC