Pesta Raya 2018: TARAKUCHA! by Sean Ghazi and Ida Mariana (Preview)

Created by and starring Malaysian singer and actor Sean Ghazi, TARAKUCHA! is described as “the Terrer-Menerrer Big Band with a Malaysian twist”, and essentially continues Sean Ghazi’s fascination with the Malaysian songbook, after the release of his AIM award-winning album ‘Semalam’. In TARAKUCHA!, expect a night of music from Malaysia’s greatest composers and songwriters, ranging from P. Ramlee to Sudirman to Jimmy Boyle. But know that these won’t be straight covers … Continue reading Pesta Raya 2018: TARAKUCHA! by Sean Ghazi and Ida Mariana (Preview)

Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: An Interview with Festival Co-Artistic Director Alfian Sa’at

W!ld Rice’s 2018 Singapore Theatre Festival has just completed its first weekend, starting off with a strong note with three fantastic new plays and peripheral activities as they once again dive deep into the very heart of the human condition, and specifically, the Singaporean human condition. With two weeks to go and five more new, almost completely sold out plays set to premiere, we asked playwright and 2018 … Continue reading Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: An Interview with Festival Co-Artistic Director Alfian Sa’at

Review: dead was the body till i taught it how to move by Bhumi Collective

Proof that theatre provides a safe space for anyone to tell the most heartwrenching of stories. There’s a saying that all stories are worth telling, if only one knows how to tell them. In dead was the body till i taught it how to move, Bhumi Collective presents the story of an ordinary boy going through extraordinary trauma and grief. While going through university in Warwick, ex-Ministry … Continue reading Review: dead was the body till i taught it how to move by Bhumi Collective

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Interview with Director Daniel Yang and Cast Members Jin Shi Jie and Pu Xueliang

Based off the memoir that shot American author Mitch Albom to fame, Taiwan’s Godot Theatre Company will be presenting their smash hit stage adaptation of Tuesdays with Morrie at the Esplanade next week! As a memoir, Tuesdays with Morrie found resonance with audience members worldwide when it was first published in 1997. Tuesdays with Morrie follows Mitch as he spends every Tuesday with his college professor Professor Morrie Schwartz, … Continue reading Tuesdays with Morrie: An Interview with Director Daniel Yang and Cast Members Jin Shi Jie and Pu Xueliang

Dream Academy’s Happy Ever Laughter 2018: An Interview with Selena Tan

Happy Ever Laughter, Dream Academy’s biennial standup comedy spectacular, returns for its fourth outing this week, and Dream Academy artistic director Selena Tan has decided to rock the boat with a twist – a comedic battle to the death as two teams of Singapore’s best and most promising comedians vie for the rights to call themselves the nation’s funniest! Says Selena: “We started Happy Ever Laughter … Continue reading Dream Academy’s Happy Ever Laughter 2018: An Interview with Selena Tan

Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Building A Character (Review)

Stripping back the layers to reveal actress Rebekah Sangeetha Dorai at her most vulnerable, while still showcasing all her talents.  All her life, Rebekah Sangeetha Dorai has been playing roles. From spending long hours as a child parked in front of Channel News Asia emulating the broadcasters, to changing her accent to fit in, to her current career as an actress becoming a different character each … Continue reading Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Building A Character (Review)

Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Press Gang (Review)

Seven years on from Fear of Writing, Tan Tarn How makes a welcome return with this politically-charged, incisive commentary on the death of local journalism.  Over the years, mainstream media has seen countless changes transform its purpose and perspective. From being seen as the fifth estate to becoming a government mouthpiece, to the advent of new media and alternative news sites to even today’s proliferation … Continue reading Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Press Gang (Review)

Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Supervision (Review)

A successful second outing for Thomas Lim in this gripping domestic drama touching on national themes.  George Orwell’s novel 1984 may have predicted a future where he believed our every action and movement will be placed under surveillance, but never could he possibly have imagined that the perpetrators would be ourselves. That dystopian future has unwittingly become a startling reality in Singapore, where not only are there CCTV … Continue reading Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Supervision (Review)

Pesta Raya 2018: An Interview with Zulfadli ‘Big’ Rashid (Alkesah)

Just as one’s ears prick up for a story the moment one hears the magical words ‘once upon a time’, storytellers of Malay folklore begin their tales with an equally powerful opener – ‘alkesah’, or ‘as the story goes’. And celebrating that long history of oral tradition then, is the aptly titled Esplanade commissioned musical Alkesah, opening the Esplanade’s 2018 Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of the … Continue reading Pesta Raya 2018: An Interview with Zulfadli ‘Big’ Rashid (Alkesah)

Because I Love You: An Interview with Shen Tan and Tan Shou Chen of Theatreworks’ 13.13.13

Theatreworks is having a busy July, dedicating the entirety of the month to activities surrounding their Writers Lab programme, from dramatised readings of plays born out of the Lab to the annual 24-Hour Playwriting Competition to be held at Haw Par Villa. But amidst it all, they’ll also be premiering their first mainstage show of the year in the form of Shen Tan’s 13.13.13 in her professional … Continue reading Because I Love You: An Interview with Shen Tan and Tan Shou Chen of Theatreworks’ 13.13.13