SIFA 2023: An Interview with Hyerim Jang, choreographer behind ‘Abyss’

The concept of ‘han’ in Korea refers to a feeling of multiple layers of sorrow and sadness that represents the suffering of Korean lives from wars and colonialism. These days, it still persists, even if more removed from its historical context, and continues to plague even the modern Korean person with its sadness. Artistic director of 99 Art Company Hyerim Jang seeks to address that … Continue reading SIFA 2023: An Interview with Hyerim Jang, choreographer behind ‘Abyss’

SIFA 2023: An Interview with Brian Gothong Tan and Huang Ruo, co-creators of ‘Angel Island’

With its continued mention across history books, film and other media, most people would be familiar with New York’s Ellis Island, a symbol of the American Dream that welcomed European migrants to America searching for a new hopeful life, along with its proximity to the Statue of Liberty. But few know about Ellis Island’s counterpart – Angel Island in the San Francisco Bay, which instead … Continue reading SIFA 2023: An Interview with Brian Gothong Tan and Huang Ruo, co-creators of ‘Angel Island’

Preview: SIFAS Festival of the Arts 2023 by Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society

The Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS) Festival of Arts returns in 2023 for its 19th edition from Thursday, 20th April 2023 to Monday, 1st May 2023 at SIFAS and Esplanade– Theatres On The Bay. Curated with the theme Kalpana, meaning ‘imagination’ in Sanskrit, the Festival presents original highlight productions by teachers, alumni, students, and international partners such as Home, Kathambam, and Jaya Ram in … Continue reading Preview: SIFAS Festival of the Arts 2023 by Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society

Preview: Singapore International Festival of Arts 2023, The Anatomy of Performance – Some People

Following a successful 2022 edition of the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), the annual international arts festival returns from 19th May to 4th June 2023, where a plethora of art takes over the city for three weekends. This year’s title is The Anatomy of Performance – Some People, and marks the second year of Natalie Hennedige’s three-year tenure as Festival Director. Across Hennedige’s tenure, … Continue reading Preview: Singapore International Festival of Arts 2023, The Anatomy of Performance – Some People

★★★★☆ Review: Offstage 3.0 by Emergency Stairs

Unpacking the absurdity of the arts scene, and the need to keep pushing at our invisible walls. Even before forming Emergency Stairs, Liu Xiaoyi has always been interested in challenging the norm, and provoking thought by asking difficult questions. With his Offstage series of work, he’s managed to put the results of those discussions into performance, reimagining how much importance we ascribe to offstage roles, … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Offstage 3.0 by Emergency Stairs

★★★★☆ Review: Pandan by Rupa co.lab

Examining the hard truths that hurt most. There are always two sides to every person – the public self we present to the world, and the private one we keep to ourselves. And for many of us, these secret selves could spell disaster if they became known, from being shunned by society, to crushing entire careers. But really, why is it that we’re so quick … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Pandan by Rupa co.lab

Review: I, Frida by Ay, Caramba! Theatre

Heartfelt one woman show of a Hispanic family’s struggles as migrants in Canada. In Carol Ann Duffy’s poem Foreign, the Scottish poet invites readers to imagine themselves as a migrant in a strange country, where ‘You think/in a language of your own and talk in theirs’. Unless you’ve lived in a country with a vastly different culture from your own for an extended period of … Continue reading Review: I, Frida by Ay, Caramba! Theatre

Review: Snow Whitening Revisited by New Cambodian Artists

Haunting, moving dance work embodying what it means to hold on when everything is falling apart. When a country has no contemporary arts scene to speak of, it would be easy for one of the only contemporary dancers to use it as an excuse to produce less than stellar work. But for the New Cambodian Artists, Snow Whitening Revisited is more than enough proof that … Continue reading Review: Snow Whitening Revisited by New Cambodian Artists

★★★★☆ Review: WAN BELANTARA – Enjet-Enjet Semut by Saiful Amri & Anwar Hadi Ramli

Political problems abound in the animal kingdom. From ancient fables passed down from generation to generation, to modern day nature documentaries, there’s always been something about using the animal kingdom as a medium for telling stories about the human condition. And as part of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, director Saiful Amri and playwright Anwar Hadi Ramli are only adding to that canon, with the … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: WAN BELANTARA – Enjet-Enjet Semut by Saiful Amri & Anwar Hadi Ramli

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2021: Liu Xiaoyi goes on the record about ‘Offstage 3.0’

Liu Xiaoyi has always been a man determined to think out of the box. And as a theatremaker, perhaps one of the biggest boxes he finds himself in is literally the theatre itself, where we’ve often limited our perception of what theatre is. For a long time now, Xiaoyi has been chipping away at what it means to create theatre, from the Southernmost Festival’s prioritising … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2021: Liu Xiaoyi goes on the record about ‘Offstage 3.0’