Behind The Strained Heart: An Interview with Singer Jake Bugg

  Seeing Jake Bugg for the first time in person is a little daunting. In so many of the promotional pictures he’s appeared in, he’s wearing a perpetual scowl, a look of world-weariness that translates to his outward demeanour in real life. We approach him about it, and he cracks a smile, relaxing his face and lamenting the journalism in the UK. “Some of the journalists … Continue reading Behind The Strained Heart: An Interview with Singer Jake Bugg

The Studios 2018: Leda and the Rage (Review)

Feathers fly hard and fast in this affecting swansong of agency over one’s own body, and the long road to recovery.  When one has been through a sexual assault, she is not merely a victim, but a survivor. But even when the deed has been done, deep scars are left behind, often leaving survivors lost, confused and unable to come to terms with the immense, … Continue reading The Studios 2018: Leda and the Rage (Review)

St Petersburg Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake: An Interview with Prima Ballerina Irina Kolesnikova and Founding Director Konstantin Tachkin

The St Petersburg Ballet Theatre is no stranger to Singapore, with sold out, well-received runs when they came in 2015 and 2016. In May this year, they’re returning for the third time to perform Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake at Mediacorp’s MES Theatre, and featuring not only their prima ballerina Irina Kolesnikova in the starring role of Odile/Odette, but also an entire company of 60, including a number of … Continue reading St Petersburg Ballet Theatre’s Swan Lake: An Interview with Prima Ballerina Irina Kolesnikova and Founding Director Konstantin Tachkin

Voilah 2018: An Interview with Bellepoque Director Sabrina Zuber (Roots)

Bellepoque is a company that strongly believes in the importance of knowing one’s roots, in order to continue to flourish. More specifically, like their name, they’re committed fully to the Belle Epoque era between 1871 and 1914, where the arts and music flourished in Europe, particularly in Paris. Using the music from that era, the company seeks to create new work, re-defining the styles and … Continue reading Voilah 2018: An Interview with Bellepoque Director Sabrina Zuber (Roots)

The Studios 2018: An Interview with Edith Podesta (Leda and the Rage)

The Esplanade’s 2018 season of The Studios has been a wild ride, and ends off with Life! Theatre Award winning theatremaker Edith Podesta’s latest play Leda and the Rage. Inspired by the Greek myth of Leda raped by the god Zeus in the form of a swan, Leda and the Rage will see Edith explore the concept of trauma through one woman’s journey of recovery. Performed by both Edith … Continue reading The Studios 2018: An Interview with Edith Podesta (Leda and the Rage)

The Studios 2018: How Did The Cat Get So Fat? (Review)

It’s been 11 years since How Did The Cat Get So Fat? was last staged and its message of a hollow pledge still rings true. Besides literally referring to corpulent felines, a fat cat can of course, also refer to corrupt businessmen and politicians abusing their wealth or power. And in Zizi Azah’s play How Did The Cat Get So Fat?, it is these members of the upper class … Continue reading The Studios 2018: How Did The Cat Get So Fat? (Review)

The Studios 2018: An Interview with Siti Khalijah (How Did The Cat Get So Fat?)

First performed in 2006 to critical acclaim, Zizi Azah’s monodrama How Did The Cat Get So Fat? makes a return this April as part of the Esplanade’s 2018 season of The Studios. In this version, the play will be helmed by The Finger Players Artistic Director Tan Beng Tian, who has injected the performance with her signature blend of puppetry. Siti Khalijah Zainal will once again be … Continue reading The Studios 2018: An Interview with Siti Khalijah (How Did The Cat Get So Fat?)

Secret Theatre: An Interview with Founder and Artistic Director Richard Crawford

This May, for the first time ever, immersive theatre company Secret Theatre finally makes its way down to Singapore for a unique, specially curated experience right in the heart of the Lion City! With productions that include adaptations of Tim Burton’s Edward Scissorhands in New York in a disused factory and Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs in a warehouse in London, expect only to be surprised … Continue reading Secret Theatre: An Interview with Founder and Artistic Director Richard Crawford

The Studios 2018: I Am Trying To Say Something True (Review)

‘My name is Risa, which means laughter.’ These are the words that start us off on an intense journey of self-reflection into the mind of 28 year old Risa (Ellison Tan) as she speaks to Dr Robert, her $280/hour psychiatrist about her life. Penned by rising star Michelle Tan, who was nominated for a Life! Theatre Award for Best Script in 2017, I Am Trying To … Continue reading The Studios 2018: I Am Trying To Say Something True (Review)

The Studios 2018: An Interview with T. Sasitharan (I am trying to say something true)

In the third week of the Esplanade’s latest season of The Studios, actress Ellison Tan Yuyang will be performing Michelle Tan’s new work I am trying to say something true. The show revolves around the concept of loss, but does not directly address it, instead considering the distance and spaces between people and places, time and everything between what we know and what we feel. We spoke … Continue reading The Studios 2018: An Interview with T. Sasitharan (I am trying to say something true)