If Chinese-language theatre were to die on the spot before our very eyes, should we scatter flowers or burn incense? With this sharp question, acclaimed local director Liu Xiaoyi joins forces with the inaugural graduating cohort of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts’ (NAFA) BA (Hons) in Contemporary Chinese Theatres to present their latest work, Temporary Chinese Theatres, from 20 to 23 November at the NAFA Studio Theatre.

In an era of dwindling audiences, scarce original work, and blurring linguistic boundaries, this group of young artists, standing at the threshold of the industry, has chosen to courageously confront the most pressing existential questions facing Singapore’s Chinese- language theatre alongside their mentor, Liu Xiaoyi.

Temporary Chinese Theatres is not a play with a traditional linear narrative. It is more akin to a field research report born from a collective creation; a deep reflection on the very concept of “the contemporary.” The work explores whether all the structures, aesthetics, and ideologies given the name “contemporary” will eventually crumble into transient, temporary ruins. It asks if “contemporary Chinese theatre” is, in the end, nothing more than a fluid, brief, and ephemeral “on the spot” moment (dang chang).

This performance is co-presented by the local boundary-pushing arts company Emergency Stairs and NAFA, UAS, continuing their shared philosophy of positioning arts education at the forefront of experimentation and innovation. NAFA’s BA (Hons) in Contemporary Chinese Theatres is Asia’s first undergraduate programme of its kind with Mandarin as the primary language of instruction, created with the high hope of nurturing a new generation of theatre talents for the region. As the graduation work of its first-ever cohort, the significance of Temporary Chinese Theatres is particularly profound. It is not just a performance, but a courageous act of self-analysis and a sincere public dialogue.

It is neither a thesis nor a manifesto. Temporary Chinese Theatres is a love letter to the theatre, a “not-quite-dead” obituary, and a theatrical experiment by six young people about liveness, transition, and chaos. We invite all who care for the local cultural ecosystem and love the art of theatre to enter the theatre and experience this dialogue on the immediate, the transitional, and the disorderly.

Temporary Chinese Theatres plays from 20th to 23rd November 2025 at the NAFA Studio Theatre. Tickets available from Peatix