Circumcision as a rite of passage opens up difficult conversations about family ties. Severance of any form can be a source of great anxiety. Whether it’s separation from the only family you’ve ever known, or even the prospect of removing a part of your body, can the act of having something cut off from you no longer be seen as a necessary rite of passage? … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Potong (2023) by Teater Ekamatra
Teater Ekamatra, one of the longest running ethnic minority theatre companies, has appointed Managing Director, Shaza Ishak, as their new Artistic Director. She succeeds Mohd Fared Jainal, who will step down after a decade in this position. With this new appointment, effective 1 April 2023, Shaza will relinquish her role as Ekamatra’s Managing Director. “It is with the utmost pleasure that I welcome Shaza as Ekamatra’s new Artistic … Continue reading Shaza Ishak appointed Artistic Director of Teater Ekamatra
Carrying on her grandmother’s torch. There’s a long-held belief that in growing up, there are certain elements of our personality that will always remain the same. For Suhaili Safari, it seems that she was always destined to be an artist, so rooted in her that it’s practically passed down through her bloodline. In Kepaten Obor, Suhaili not only gets to tell a deeply personal and … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Kepaten Obor – Igniting A Withered Torch (Pesta Raya 2022)
Initially set for a fantastic season, with stagings of plays such as a Malay version of Chong Tze Chien’s Poop!, like much of the industry, Teater Ekamatra was hit hard by the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions on entertainment venues, seeing a near complete cancellation of all their shows for 2020. Now, more than ever, they need your help to get through these tough times, as they … Continue reading Help Teater Ekamatra raise $10k with their AMBOI! fundraising challenge and unlock a Zoom mini theatre festival!
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, Berak has been cancelled. Originally written by Chong Tze Chien and presented as Poop by The Finger Players, this March, Teater Ekamatra adapts the play into Malay, presenting it as a brand new production at the Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre at W!ld Rice. Berak chronicles the aftermath of a suicide: A grandmother bargains with divine powers to release her … Continue reading Preview: Berak by Teater Ekamatra + An Interview with the Creatives [CANCELLED]
Remembering those we’ve forgotten via two tales of the dispossessed. As much as the Bicentennial celebrations claim to remember the some 700 years of recorded history of Singapore and the people who lived here back then, it tends to forget that those same people aren’t extinct, and in fact, still walk among us today. With Drama Box’s incredibly ambitious two part play Tanah•Air 水•土 then, the … Continue reading Review: Tanah•Air 水•土 – A Play In Two Parts by Drama Box
Tanah Air: A phrase in Malay that means ‘homeland’ in English, and forming the overarching theme of Drama Box’s newest work – Tanah•Air 水•土：A Play In Two Parts, premiering this week as part of Malay Culturefest 2019. Perhaps beyond all the Bicentennial plays this year that’ve sauntered past the history of pre-Raffles and into modern Singapore history, Tanah•Air might just be the only one that dives deep … Continue reading An Interview with the Creatives Behind Tanah•Air 水•土 – A Play In Two Parts by Drama Box
As Singapore’s Bicentennial celebrations carry on throughout the year, local theatre company Drama Box has taken the opportunity to raise questions about our own history and the way it is recorded, wondering what stories and narratives have been left out in the writing of the history of our land, and its surrounding waters. Helmed by Drama Box artistic director Kok Heng Leun, in collaboration with … Continue reading Preview: Tanah•Air 水•土 – A Play In Two Parts by Drama Box
A timely reminder of the genius and timelessness of Jit Murad in this reflection on the Malaysian identity. KUALA LUMPUR – It’s been 13 years since Jit Murad’s Gold Rain & Hailstones was last produced in his own home country of Malaysia. So it’s about high time then that a revival is in order by the Instant Cafe Theatre Company this March. Gold Rain & Hailstones follows the outspoken and … Continue reading In Kuala Lumpur 2019: Gold Rain & Hailstones by The Instant Cafe Theatre Company (Review)
The sold out Malaysian musical continues to swell with nationalistic pride as it returned for a rematch for an even stronger performance this year. KUALA LUMPUR – After enjoying a sold out run in 2018, Ola Bola the Musical, the ‘best Malaysian musical’ (according to Malaysian PM Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad himself) returned to the Isatana Budaya in Kuala Lumpur this February to wow even more … Continue reading In Kuala Lumpur 2019: Ola Bola the Musical (2019 Version) by Enfiniti Productions (Review)
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