★★★☆☆ Book Review: Chronicles of a Circuit Breaker by Joseph Chiang

An on-the-nose digest of comics adding a dose of humour to Singapore’s circuit breaker.  Thanks to the pandemic and our very own circuit breaker measures, 2020 has been a truly strange year for everyone. From masking up whenever we step outside, to working from home, or simply the heightened paranoia of unhygienic practices, the new normal seems to have firmly entrenched itself into our lives, … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Book Review: Chronicles of a Circuit Breaker by Joseph Chiang

★★★☆☆ Review: You Are Here by Pooja Nansi

A deep dive into the history of what made Pooja Nansi the person she is today. For poet Pooja Nansi, who was born in India and came to Singapore at the age of one, border crossing has always been a part of her family history. ‘Home’ is a word that always bears considerable weight and complications, and the question “are you Singaporean?” only leads her … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: You Are Here by Pooja Nansi

★★★☆☆ Review: By Design by CAKE

Triptych of new work exploring the intersections of performativity and design. CAKE is a company that has always been known for their willingness to find new collaborators, often leading to visually stunning experimental work. That’s a trend that continues in By Design, CAKE’s latest project, which puts graphic design artists front and centre. With By Design, CAKE presents the work of Vanessa Ban, Zach Lieberman … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: By Design by CAKE

Review: Oppy and Professor Communitas by Five Arts Centre

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Malaysian playwright Leow Puay Tin is perhaps better known for her early scripts, from Family to Three Children. But with the support of Five Arts Centre, Leow is back at the metaphorical typewriter again, as she pens several new plays between 2019 and 2022, to be produced as readings and performances in-venue and online. The latest of these productions is Oppy … Continue reading Review: Oppy and Professor Communitas by Five Arts Centre

Review: TM by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and Ontroerend Goed

Dissolving the borders between us and them with a reassuring, hopeful personality quiz. In a year where physical performances are slowly but surely becoming the norm once again, it can be off-putting or daunting to go back to the world of digital productions, unless there is something truly special about the piece. For Belgian theatre company Ontroerend Goed however, there is something enticing enough about … Continue reading Review: TM by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and Ontroerend Goed

★★★★☆ Review: Adventures of Temporal Displacement Agency by Void Deck Games

Time traveling shenanigans abound in this WWII-themed LARP experience. If it’s one local company that knows how games can be used to tell great stories, it’s Void Deck Games. Known for their immersive roleplaying experiences, the team has finally had the chance to return to real spaces, after primarily dabbling in the digital realm during the early stages of the pandemic, with Adventures of Temporal … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Adventures of Temporal Displacement Agency by Void Deck Games

★★☆☆☆ Review: Voyagers dir. Neil Burger

Journey to nowhere. They say that if you stare at the abyss long enough, it stares back at you. And one place you’re sure to find it is in the darkness of the human soul. The inherent horror of returning to our base nature is explored once again in Neil Burger’s Voyagers, as a group of young men and women, bred for intelligence and obedience, … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: Voyagers dir. Neil Burger

★★★★☆ Book Review: Ace Agent Spycat and the Mayonnaise Mayhem by Darren Lim

Crime-fighting cats return to save the world’s landmarks from thieving racoons. When we read the first book in Darren Lim’s Ace Agent Spycat Series, we were charmed by our flawed but likeable heroes, as they saved the world from freezing over using their wits, cool gadgets, and the power of teamwork. Now, Spycat and Rockcat are back for a brand new adventure, as thieving racoon … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Book Review: Ace Agent Spycat and the Mayonnaise Mayhem by Darren Lim

★★★★☆ Review: Model Citizens (2021) by The Necessary Stage

Women without men. Singapore is a nation that has always been proud of its pristine city, seemingly flawless to the rest of the world. But underneath its facade lies a tangled mass of quashed tensions, constantly threatening to break past the surface.  Such is the case in The Necessary Stage’s (TNS) Model Citizens, where a Member of Parliament (MP) is stabbed by an unhappy citizen, … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Model Citizens (2021) by The Necessary Stage

★★★★☆ Review: Agathi | Refugee by Apsaras Arts

Retelling the story of the refugee crisis through Bharatanatyam. In a first-time collaboration between Apsaras Arts and Wild Rice, the Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium played host to Agathi | Refugee. Directed by Aravinth Kumarasamy, with dramaturgy by Ivan Heng, the performance brings together theatre, poetry and the classical Indian dance form Bharatanatyam to spotlight the lives and plight of refugees on the intimate stage. The … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Agathi | Refugee by Apsaras Arts