★★★★★ Review: Cuckoo 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)

★★★★☆ Review: BLKDOG by Botis Seva (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)

★★☆☆☆ Review: Realm of Silk by Sougwen Chung (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)

SIFA 2023: An Interview with SUKKI, Daniel Kok and Luke George, co-creators of ‘LOVE DIVINE’

Ever imagined an arts event taking place at an elite club? This May, as part of the 2023 Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), Singapore’s Queen of Burlesque, SUKKI joins forces with performance artists Daniel Kok and Luke George to present LOVE DIVINE, a truly unique performance taking place at the lush CÉ LA VI at Marina Bay Sands. Over the course of the evening, as … Continue reading SIFA 2023: An Interview with SUKKI, Daniel Kok and Luke George, co-creators of ‘LOVE DIVINE’

SIFA 2023: An Interview with ‘BLKDOG’ director/choreographer Botis Seva

The black dog of depression very rarely leaves. And for today’s youth, it seems to follow them everywhere, what with having to cope in a world that’s constantly at war, a place that’s seemingly not built for them. Addressing this issue is Botis Seva’s BLKDOG, a hip hop theatre performance that asks us – How do we fight through our vices and inner demons to … Continue reading SIFA 2023: An Interview with ‘BLKDOG’ director/choreographer Botis Seva

Review: There is no future in nostalgia – Studio A by Centre 42 (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)

★★☆☆☆ Review: MATERIA by Andrea Salustri (SIFA 2023)

Object theatre performance more focused on experimentation and play than making a point. Better known as styrofoam to most people, polystyrene has become the most abundant plastic manufactured around the globe, used across the world primarily as food packaging. Gaining a bad reputation for being harmful to ecosystems and environments if disposed of incorrectly, is it possible that we’ve been too harsh towards it all … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: MATERIA by Andrea Salustri (SIFA 2023)

SIFA 2023: An Interview with Samir Veen of Ontroerend Goed, on interactive theatre piece ‘£¥€$ (LIES)’

For the ordinary person going about our lives, it’s already enough of a headache just keeping our finances in order. But if you were suddenly given a chance to join the super-rich and mess around with the world economy, wouldn’t you leap at the opportunity? At this year’s Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), Belgian theatre collective Ontroerend Goed arrives on our shores to present … Continue reading SIFA 2023: An Interview with Samir Veen of Ontroerend Goed, on interactive theatre piece ‘£¥€$ (LIES)’

★★★★☆ Review: Angel Island by Brian Gothong Tan and Huang Ruo (SIFA 2023)

A visually stunning, sobering history lesson of Chinese discrimination in America told through music and song. Across history, the United States of America has always been seen as a haven for immigrants, welcoming a diverse group of foreigners from around the world with nothing but the dream of a better life. But amidst such glories, America has also been plagued by a nasty streak of … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Angel Island by Brian Gothong Tan and Huang Ruo (SIFA 2023)

★★★★★ Review: Abyss by Hyerim Jang (SIFA 2023)

an orchid standing by the windowhas beautiful scent of leaves and branchesonce it fronted the Autumn wind,fades by the frostalthough lost its flowerthe scent lasts foreverit breaks my heartwipe the tears with my sleeve Sorrow and pain are difficult feelings to escape, often embedded within the body and subconsciously passed down from generation to generation, growing to dangerous levels if not dealt with. In Hyerim … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Abyss by Hyerim Jang (SIFA 2023)