Reclaiming gender in this new adaptation of a classic Greek tale. In its various adaptations, Ifigenia at Tauris has seesawed between two perspectives. In Euripedes’ original play, like its title, the priestess Ifigenia took centrestage, the protagonist in this drama about a sister who has to make a choice between obeying the law and sacrificing her brother Oreste to the gods, or rebel and save him. … Continue reading SIFA 2019: Oreste by Ifigenia by Tan Shou Chen and Ng Tian Hui (Review)

Last weekend, local artists Tan Shou Chen and Ng Tian Hui will be presenting their brand new work, Oreste by Ifigenia, as part of the 2019 Singapore International Festival of Arts. Crafted as a response to Handel’s opera Oreste, Shou Chen and Tian Hui’s version differentiates itself by placing the enigmatic Ifigenia as the protagonist instead, the sister of Oreste and forced to choose between saving or sacrificing him. … Continue reading SIFA 2019: An Interview with Tan Shou Chen and Ng Tian Hui, Creators of Oreste by Ifigenia

Often considered one of the world’s most exciting living composers, it’s a rare treat to be able to come face to face with Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto before his performance at the Esplanade Theatre next Tuesday, which was also the first show at SIFA 2019 to completely sell out its tickets, within the first hour of ticket release in February. In both the SIFA shows Fragments and ST/LL, Sakamoto … Continue reading SIFA 2019: Ryuichi Sakamoto and Shiro Takatani in Conversation