Missed opportunity for new, emotional perspectives of the Japanese Occupation, with innovative techniques let down by shaky execution and cohesion. In the Singaporean history and social studies syllabus, portrayals of the Japanese Occupation in World War II have always unequivocally painted them as the villains, where Singapore (then renamed Syonan-to, or ‘light of the South’) lived under a reign of terror, afraid to offend these … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: A Thousand Stitches by Alan Oei and Kaylene Tan

What does it mean to be whole? To be human? These are the fundamental questions lie at the heart of COLONY – a production that intertwines dance, music, film, and storytelling to explore themes of diversity, resistance, and human connection. Featuring dancers, performers and a creative team with diverse abilities, COLONY showcases a story of pain, transformation, and radical empathy, challenging societal ideals of perfection, … Continue reading SIFA 2025: An Interview with Executive Producer Audrey Perera on ‘COLONY – A True Colors Project’

Previously in Singapore in 2017, Chilean playwright and director Manuela Infante returns for the 2025 edition of the Singapore International Festival of Arts with Vampyr, the third part of her trilogy exploring the non-human that started with Estado Vegetal and How to Turn to Stone. Where the two previous shows explored plant consciousness and geology respectively, Vampyr instead turns its attention to something that seems … Continue reading SIFA 2025: An Interview with creator Manuela Infante on ‘Vampyr’

In A Thousand Stitches, a portrait of a Japanese woman, Mizuki, becomes the heart of a haunting narrative about war, propaganda, and human connection. Emma, an art conservation student, restores the painting, and finds herself drawn into Mizuki’s story, enigmatic artist Huang Wei, and the turbulent years of Japanese-occupied Singapore (then Syonan-to). Premiering as part of the 2025 Singapore International Festival of Arts, A Thousand … Continue reading SIFA 2025: An Interview with co-creators Alan Oei and Kaylene Tan on ‘A Thousand Stitches’

When does a house become a home? That is the central question in American theatremaker Geoff Sobelle’s HOME, an innovative, richly imaginative performance and act of theatrical spectacle that sees a house materialise before the audience, rising swiftly like a time-lapse sequence. Over time, the residents inhabit it, move in and out, build and break it, and leave behind traces of their past, present, and … Continue reading SIFA 2025: An Interview with creator Geoff Sobelle on ‘HOME’