NUS Arts Festival 2023: An Interview with director Chong Tze Chien and performer Jo Tan of ‘The Future Show’

Predicting the future is all but impossible, but that’s never stopped all of humanity from speculating the infinite possibilities tomorrow might hold. It stands to reason then, that it makes for a rather exciting, experimental type of show, one that Canadian performance artist Deborah Pearson has crafted with her work The Future Show. Adapted by director Chong Tze Chien and writer/performer Jo Tan, The Future … Continue reading NUS Arts Festival 2023: An Interview with director Chong Tze Chien and performer Jo Tan of ‘The Future Show’

When cloud catches colours: An Interview with writer/director Chng Yi Kai

The rainbow has become a globally recognised symbol of the LGBTQ+ community, representing not only the spectrum of identities and varied stories across the board, but in its simplest form, hope at the end of the storm. That’s a symbol that presents itself prominently in thetaremaker Chng Yi Kai’s new production When cloud catches colours. Produced by Drama Box, When cloud catches colours‘ title is … Continue reading When cloud catches colours: An Interview with writer/director Chng Yi Kai

Old Gaze: An Interview with writer/director Haresh Sharma, and cast members Kumar and Hossan Leong

In a rainbow landscape that’s constantly changing with the times, the speed at which we move forward and ideals evolve, it’s all too easy to forget the queer pioneers that were there from the very beginning, survivors and champions before some of us were even born. As we look towards a post-377A future and wonder what’s next, perhaps it’s time to turn our attention towards … Continue reading Old Gaze: An Interview with writer/director Haresh Sharma, and cast members Kumar and Hossan Leong

Teater KAMi’s Kemas: An Interview with writer/director Moli Mohter

Life can often get a little messy – that’s why every once in a while, we might need to perform an act of ‘kemas’, or ‘tidy’ in Malay. That’s what theatremaker Moli Mohter did in 2018, as a sudden thought gripped her – “what if I died, and somebody came by to clean my house, what would they find?” “I was staying by myself at … Continue reading Teater KAMi’s Kemas: An Interview with writer/director Moli Mohter

Across The Causeway: An Interview with Liver & Lung’s Shafeeq Shajahan, writer and director of Melur The Musical

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Theatremaker Shafeeq Shajahan has a dream: to be there when Malaysia becomes a creative hub within Asia, and to be a key driving force towards that. “Back when I was studying in London, I kept trying to play their games, and directed cabarets and other shows the Western audience would respond to,” says Shafeeq. “But when I went into various youth … Continue reading Across The Causeway: An Interview with Liver & Lung’s Shafeeq Shajahan, writer and director of Melur The Musical

Review: The Drought Goddess · Dream of the World by La Cie MaxMind

A sacred myth and traditional music is brought into the present for new audiences. The Chinese legend of Hanba is a tragic one, where the central drought goddess, after helping her celestial father win an epic war, loses her divinity and is banished to Earth. Forced to wander from village to village, she is shunned wherever she goes as she dries out the land with … Continue reading Review: The Drought Goddess · Dream of the World by La Cie MaxMind

The Paiseh Pieces: An Interview with writer/director Adeeb Fazah, composer Bennett Bay and lyricist Stephanie Phang

The paiseh piece – the very last item left on the plate people are afraid to take, for fear of offending everyone else, and looking like a selfish person. As a result, that paiseh piece remains untouched, the sole survivor that is left alone. Could there be such paiseh pieces living among us, in their own lonely existences? That’s the basis and inspiration behind The … Continue reading The Paiseh Pieces: An Interview with writer/director Adeeb Fazah, composer Bennett Bay and lyricist Stephanie Phang

Huayi 2023: An Interview with Lee Yi-Hsiu and Hsu Shu-Hui of La Cie MaxMind

The most fragile of cultural heritage is often the intangible, lying in customs, traditions and art forms that need to be passed down from generation to generation for survival. And as time goes by, too many of these practices are lost. Taiwanese arts company La Cie MaxMind hopes to preserve at least one of these traditions with the shows they put on. This week, they’re … Continue reading Huayi 2023: An Interview with Lee Yi-Hsiu and Hsu Shu-Hui of La Cie MaxMind

Review: Foreign Bodies by Birds Migrant Theatre

Big-hearted, honest work about the plight of migrant workers in Singapore. Far too often, migrant workers in Singapore are seen only as cheap expendable labour or worst of all, subjects of crime articles splashed over newspapers. This act of othering migrant workers constantly demeans their humanity, and reduces them to mere statistics. At what point do we begin to treat them with respect as equals, … Continue reading Review: Foreign Bodies by Birds Migrant Theatre

★★★☆☆ Review: Why Be Good When You Can Be The Best? by Deonn Yang

Modern fable about the productivity trap of the endless rat race. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Deonn Yang) 7 Script (Deonn Yang 6 Performance (Chng Xin Xuan, Eve Voigtlander, Mitchell Fang, Sindhura Kalidas, Suhaili Safari) 7 Lighting Design (Emanorwatty Salleh) 7 Set Design (Wong Chee Wai) 7 Total 34/50 (68%) Final Score: ★★★☆☆ Over the course of the pandemic, the idea of work has … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Why Be Good When You Can Be The Best? by Deonn Yang