SIFA 2017: And So You See… Our Honourable Blue Sky And Ever Enduring Sun… Can Only Be Consumed Slice By Slice… By Robyn Orlin (Review)

South African choreographer Robyn Orlin is known in her home country as ‘a permanent irritation’. The incredibly inventive Johannesburg-born artist has constantly pushed boundaries and bent genres in her multimedia dance work, often favourably compared to the idea of ‘photo collages’, or colourful visual masterpieces that carefully and certainly uniquely address some of the most difficult and complex issues that surround her country’s history and … Continue reading SIFA 2017: And So You See… Our Honourable Blue Sky And Ever Enduring Sun… Can Only Be Consumed Slice By Slice… By Robyn Orlin (Review)

Review: Human+ by Khairul Kamsani

How will we take our smartphone addicted culture to new heights in the future? Emerging theatre maker Khairul Kamsani brings back his 2014 speculative play Human+ with a new cast, a new script and a new venue. Unlike what you might come to expect of a piece about technology and the future, Human+ is a stripped down, minimalist piece that is reliant almost completely on its actors to draw … Continue reading Review: Human+ by Khairul Kamsani

SIFA 2017: Vegetative State by Manuela Infante (Review)

Are animals really all that different from plants? Or is the way they experience life and stimuli simply a stretched out version of how we see things, due to their considerably longer lifespan? Chilean director Manuela Infante takes the concept of plant intelligence and communication and brings it to life in the polyphonic, poetic Vegetative State. Performed by actress Marcela Salinas, the experimental work brings us on a … Continue reading SIFA 2017: Vegetative State by Manuela Infante (Review)

SIFA 2017: Germinal by Halory Goerger, Antoine Defoort (Review)

If French philosopher Jacques Derrida were still alive today and caught Germinal, one wonders what the creator of deconstruction himself might have made of the show. To deconstruct an object or concept, one essentially takes it completely apart in all its complexities, almost like laying out all the parts of a well oiled machine, reducing it to the sum of its contents. What seems like an act … Continue reading SIFA 2017: Germinal by Halory Goerger, Antoine Defoort (Review)

Review: Eat Locals dir. Jason Flemyng

In his directorial debut, actor Jason Flemyng reunites the cast of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels to bring us vampire action film Eat Locals. Set in a small English town, a council of eight vampire overlords of England gather to meet, discussing vampire administration every 50 years, as they have for centuries. But this year, things are about to take a turn for the strange as … Continue reading Review: Eat Locals dir. Jason Flemyng

Review: Moon Dogs dir. Philip John

The teenage years are always a tough time, particularly on the cusp of adulthood. But when you have a streak of bad luck, it could seem like the end of the world. Moon Dogs follows incredibly unlucky teenager Michael (Jack Parry Jones) as he collapses during his A-levels in truly spectacular fashion, his ex-girlfriend moves to Glasgow, and he works unhappy days in a stinking fishing … Continue reading Review: Moon Dogs dir. Philip John

Review: ETA: 9MIN by Main Tulis Group

No time for epic three hour plays? Think that Shakespeare is a little too dense for an enjoyable night out? All new playwright collective the Main Tulis Group has arrived on the scene to resolve those problems, and debuted nine short 9 minute plays at Centre 42’s Late Night Texting this August. Founded by writer Nabilah Said in 2016, the group consists of an all … Continue reading Review: ETA: 9MIN by Main Tulis Group

Review: Return to Ithaca dir. Laurent Cantet

French auteur Laurent Cantet stunned audiences with his Palme d’Or winning film The Class back in 2008, and returns with a much quieter, contained drama with Return to Ithaca. Return to Ithaca examines the impact of the politically stable state of Cuba as five old friends reunite to party and catch up with one another: there’s the energetic Tanía (Isabel Santos), neocapitalist Eddy (Jorge Perugorría), teacher and failed artist … Continue reading Review: Return to Ithaca dir. Laurent Cantet

Review: forth by make/space

Despite facing numerous setbacks, including a last minute change in performance venue, make/space has managed to produce a short, introspective piece in their third production that offers (to this writer) an abstract interpretation of the realization of how a friendship has changed over the course of time, channeling their pain, heartbreak and obstacles in life to create a deeply personal performance. forth opens with a … Continue reading Review: forth by make/space

SIFA 2017: Dragonflies by Pangdemonium (Review)

In a world where Brexit is reality and Trump the president of the United States of America, how could things get any worse? Plenty, as writer Stephanie Street cranks the apocalypse up to eleven with Pangdemonium’s second original script of the year: Dragonflies, presented as part of the 2017 Singapore International Festival of the Arts. Set in a completely plausible version of the near future, the world of Dragonflies is … Continue reading SIFA 2017: Dragonflies by Pangdemonium (Review)