M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Birds Migrant Theatre on ‘The Troupe’

Comprising a group of theatre enthusiasts who also happen to be migrant workers, Birds Migrant Theatre is back for another edition of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival this coming January. Following Foreign Bodies in 2023, which we described as ‘an unflinching, objectively written story that speaks truth to the limitations of being a migrant in Singapore’, the team is back withThe Troupe, yet another original … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Birds Migrant Theatre on ‘The Troupe’

M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Qabilah on ‘WePushTheSky’

Friends are and have always been a key part of our lives – no man is an island after all, and more than ever, rather than seeking out tribes where we simply see the similarities, it becomes more important to make space for differences, expand our mindsets and welcome others with open arms and nuance. That is what Indian company Qabilah is doing with WePushTheSky, … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Qabilah on ‘WePushTheSky’

M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Noor Effendy Ibrahim and Ruby Jayaseelan on ‘Dancing with the Ghost of My Child’

Can the arts heal pain? In tackling issues such as vulnerability, trauma and the desire to heal, the students of the BA (Hons) in Performance Making programme at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts are attempting to do just that, in Dancing with the Ghost of My Child in January. Playing as part of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2025, the devised work is led by … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Noor Effendy Ibrahim and Ruby Jayaseelan on ‘Dancing with the Ghost of My Child’

M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Siren Theatre Co. on ‘The End of Winter’

‘The End of Winter’ sounds like the stuff of fairytales, something that some kind of supernatural, fantastical villain plots to do away with snow forever. But the truth is, with rapid climate change and global warming, that could well be a reality before we know it, particularly in Australia, where the people truly feel the heat, with warmer and shorter winters each year. How do … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Siren Theatre Co. on ‘The End of Winter’

da:ns focus – Out of Site: An Interview with choreographer Rachid Ouramdane on ‘Corps extrêmes’ and staging the power of the human spirit

In a feature article on French choreographer Rachid Ouramdane, New York Times arts critic Gia Kourlas described him as ‘the choreographer bringing hope to the stage and beyond’. It’s a big title to live up to, but one that Rachid lives up to and carries well, particularly with his work Corps extrêmes. Playing at the Esplanade this weekend as part of their da:ns focus – … Continue reading da:ns focus – Out of Site: An Interview with choreographer Rachid Ouramdane on ‘Corps extrêmes’ and staging the power of the human spirit

da:ns focus – Out of Site: An Interview with choreographer Hwa Wei-An on the power of falling, and what keeps him going

To make art is to live life dangerously and vulnerably, consistently putting one’s creativity and a part of one’s self up and subject it to as much criticism as awe and adoration. For Malaysian choreographer Hwa Wei-An, that danger comes very literally, and plays out prominently in his solo dance piece A Reason For Falling, which plays this December as a part of the Esplanade’s … Continue reading da:ns focus – Out of Site: An Interview with choreographer Hwa Wei-An on the power of falling, and what keeps him going

Film Fanatic: An Interview with Jeremy Chua, General Manager of SGIFF on the state of the film industry

Jeremy Chua remembers his childhood as a lonely one, one primarily spent in what seemed to become a second home – the cinema. Growing up watching films that engaged and enchanted him, he recalls spending time doodling car parks, and in the cars parked within them, he would imagine people sitting inside, and all the little thoughts and stories that made up their lives, and … Continue reading Film Fanatic: An Interview with Jeremy Chua, General Manager of SGIFF on the state of the film industry

Film Fanatic: An Interview with Yeo Siew Hua, director of SGIFF 2024 opening film ‘Stranger Eyes’

Singaporean director and filmmaker Yeo Siew Hua has a longstanding history with the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF). Not only has he been consistently showcasing work he has helped produce or direct, but he looks upon the festival fondly as a key part of his formative years as a teen. But this year, Yeo is making new waves at the festival once again, with his … Continue reading Film Fanatic: An Interview with Yeo Siew Hua, director of SGIFF 2024 opening film ‘Stranger Eyes’

Kalaa Utsavam 2024: An Interview with HuM Theatre’s Subin Subaiah and Daisy Irani on ‘Train to Pakistan’

India’s Partition is often considered one of the most significant historical events of South Asia. Cleaving a nation into two upon India’s independence, millions of families faced displacement and separation from each other, with countless deaths from the violence that ensued over the bitter rivalry, with tensions that continue even into the present day. How then does one even begin to grapple with the massive … Continue reading Kalaa Utsavam 2024: An Interview with HuM Theatre’s Subin Subaiah and Daisy Irani on ‘Train to Pakistan’

The Feelings Farm: An Interview with Amanda Chong on connecting with children and managing emotions

“Like a Pixar film onstage.” That’s how writer Amanda Chong imagines any kind of Theatre For Young Audiences theatre should feel like, rather than talking down or infantilising it in any way, able to connect not just with children, but even with the adults accompanying them by speaking to some fundamental, universal, relatable truths. And in many ways, that is precisely what she’s achieved with … Continue reading The Feelings Farm: An Interview with Amanda Chong on connecting with children and managing emotions