A series of exercises in self-reflection that leaves audiences wandering. How much do you remember from your time in school? Most people are likely to tell you – not much, as we complained about the stress of exams and the pointlessness of learning certain subjects. But with participatory performance The School, the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) offers audience members a potential alternative education … Continue reading ★☆☆☆☆ Review: The School by Jean Ng, Li Xie and Joavien Ng (SIFA 2023)

Knotty forms of love and social commentary, and titillating forms of subversive entertainment. The Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) has never shied away from unusual presentations and venues. But while grunge or nature has often characterised the surprise space, this year, they’ve gone a little higher – literally, with CÉ LA VI on the 57th floor of the iconic Marina Bay Sands. This wasn’t … Continue reading Review: LOVE DIVINE by SUKKI, Daniel Kok and Luke George (SIFA 2023)

Money makes the world go round…or does it? Making a name for themselves with their innovative immersive and participatory performances, Belgium-based theatre company Ontroerend Goed arrives in Singapore to present a game-like theatrical experience – £¥€$ (LIES). As its title suggests, £¥€$ (LIES) is all about money, where audience members become members of the super rich in control of the global economy, where the world … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: £¥€$ (LIES) by Ontroerend Goed (SIFA 2023)

Haunted by the spectre of cultural imperialism and linguistic violence. In the modern world, where the West has long been seen as the cultural capital, English remains the primary language of communication, seen as a necessity if one is to succeed. For many Asian countries, this has manifested in making it the lingua franca, to the extent that it becomes a source of pride and … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Lolling and Rolling by Jaha Koo (SIFA 2023)

Talking rice cookers tell of the death and despair in high pressure Korean society. In Jaha Koo’s Cuckoo, one of the main selling points is the Cuckoo-brand rice cookers in the show, programmed to speak and sing on command. But don’t let the quirky gimmick fool you into thinking this is a cute show about talking cooking appliances. The truth is, Cuckoo is a pitch … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Cuckoo by Jaha Koo (SIFA 2023)

Intense, high energy production depicting the brutalities of the world cruel world children grow up in. There’s the old saying that ‘tough times don’t last, tough people do’. But shouldn’t we at least try to ensure that the world is in a better place for the next generation, precisely because we don’t want them to suffer in the same way we did? Choreographer Botis Seva … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: BLKDOG by Botis Seva (SIFA 2023)

An attempt to bring robotics into art making proves the human touch still necessary. Touted as a one-of-a-kind performance bringing together visual art, music, performance and technology, Canadian artist Sougwen Chung’s Realm of Silk breaks convention and genre to explore how art can be created using algorithms and robotics. Inspired by the beauty of silk, Realm of Silk is all about transformation and metamorphosis, as art … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: Realm of Silk by Sougwen Chung (SIFA 2023)

In Arthur Yap’s poem ‘there is no future in nostalgia’, the Singaporean poet considers that it is better to leave the past behind, as urbanisation comes into play and continues this exhausting process of erasure, over and over again. In response to this, the resident playwrights of crafted new plays inspired by the poem, and were presented as a staged reading in Studio, part of … Continue reading Review: There is no future in nostalgia – Studio A by Centre 42 (SIFA 2023)