Preview: SSO National Day Concert by Singapore Symphony Orchestra

The 1915 Raffles MarchComposed by A. Dietz, former Director of the Orchestra at the Raffles Hotel. Dietz himself is a mystery, with little is known of him, not even his first name. The work is known to have been performed on 13th September 1922 at the hotel, in a special concert reported in The Straits Times the day before. And in 2017, more than a century … Continue reading Preview: SSO National Day Concert by Singapore Symphony Orchestra

George Town Festival 2019: Screaming in Silence by Parastoo Theatre Team (Review)

Staging the painful truth of forced marriage in Afghanistan.  PENANG, MALAYSIA – Performed by Parastoo Theatre Team, a group of Afghan refugees who are based in Malaysia, Screaming in Silence uses the form of Theatre of the Oppressed to raise awareness about child marriage in Afghanistan, following the life of a young girl forced into marriage with a much older man by her father and the community. Performed in … Continue reading George Town Festival 2019: Screaming in Silence by Parastoo Theatre Team (Review)

Preview: LumiNation 2019 at The Arts House

The Arts House’s LumiNation festival is back this August for its second edition! Held in conjunction with National Day, LumiNation is set to celebrate and explore the Singaporean identity in all its facets through performances, talks and more. Audiences are invited to discover and reconnect with the quieter parts of the Singaporean conversation over a single weekend of thoughtfully curated programmes. In this particular edition, LumiNation is going a step further … Continue reading Preview: LumiNation 2019 at The Arts House

Camden Fringe 2019: The Cardboard Kitchen Project by FK Co-Lab

LONDON – After bringing their interactive installation Dear Cardboard Kitchen to Singapore in May, London based Singapore company FK Co-Lab has further developed the installation into a full length theatre production, set to premiere at Camden Fringe this August. Created by FK Co-Lab co-founders Faezah Zulkifli (director) and Nur Khairiyah Ramli (producer), The Cardboard Kitchen Project follows Jennie, as she moves from Singapore to London. She inherits a … Continue reading Camden Fringe 2019: The Cardboard Kitchen Project by FK Co-Lab

Nine Years Theatre’s First Fleet (第一舰队): An Interview with Director Nelson Chia

Following FAUST/US earlier this year, Nine Years Theatre returns this week for their second production of the year – an original work about the first British fleet to step foot onto what would eventually become Australia, aptly titled First Fleet. Written and directed by Nelson Chia, we posed a number of questions to the Nine Years Theatre Artistic Director to find out a little more about what we … Continue reading Nine Years Theatre’s First Fleet (第一舰队): An Interview with Director Nelson Chia

N.O.W. 2019: Three Fat Virgins Unassembled (Review)

  Almost 30 years on and Ovidia Yu’s classic remains shockingly relevant. One of my earliest memories of coming into contact with local theatre is picking up a copy of Fat Virgins, Fast Cars and Asian Values in the late 2000s, collecting some of the Theatreworks Writers’ Lab’s most seminal plays from the 1990s. Naturally, as its title suggests, this collection contained Ovidia Yu’s Three Fat Virgins Unassembled, a … Continue reading N.O.W. 2019: Three Fat Virgins Unassembled (Review)

Dream Academy’s Broadway Beng: An Interview with Sebastian Tan

In many ways, Broadway Beng seems eternal. Having debuted in 2006, the dapper, Hokkien-spouting, Broadway/West End musical-lovin’ ‘beng’ has become something of a national icon in his own right, winning the hearts of countless aunties, xiao mei meis and men alike with his swagger and charm. But unlike an icon such as say, James Bond and how the character changes actors every few years, Broadway Beng can and will … Continue reading Dream Academy’s Broadway Beng: An Interview with Sebastian Tan

M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival 2019: Dance at Dusk by T.H.E Second Company (Review)

Highlighting communication breakdowns in the light of the setting sun. Returning to the M1 Contact Festival once again since its inception in 2017, Dance at Dusk remains one of the festival’s most important, accessible free programmes reaching out not only to curious families, but also, to the differently abled, who may not be able to appreciate dance in the same way the able do. Working together with … Continue reading M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival 2019: Dance at Dusk by T.H.E Second Company (Review)

Review: Happy Waiting by Grain Performance & Research Lab

Modern homage to Beckett’s works reflects on the crushing despair of mundane routines and walking depression.  Taking both its name and inspiration from two plays by master of absurd theatre Samuel Beckett, Happy Waiting sees Grain Performance & Research Lab attempt to use the absurd medium to confront issues of joy and routine in daily life. Written by Beverly Yuen and directed by choreographer Bernice Lee, Happy Waiting combines elements … Continue reading Review: Happy Waiting by Grain Performance & Research Lab

Neon Lights 2019: Mumford & Sons Announced as Headline Act For 23rd November

Singapore’s premier music and arts festival Neon Lights returns to Fort Canning Park this November, playing for two days (23rd and 24th November 2019) and bringing some of the world’s most exciting acts to Singapore. The first artist to join this year’s host of international and global musicians is Brit and Grammy-Award winning British band Mumford & Sons, where Neon Lights 2019 will mark their first ever show … Continue reading Neon Lights 2019: Mumford & Sons Announced as Headline Act For 23rd November