By The Book: ChinaPhobia – A Wasted Opportunity by Karim Alwadi and Mohammad Kheir Alwadi

A lecture in book form by father-son experts in Sino relations. Dr Karim Alwadi is an entrepreneur and political scientist based in Beijing. His father, Dr Mohammed Kheir Alwadi, is an acclaimed journalist and former ambassador from Syria to China. Together, the two men’s shared knowledge and experiences span enough material to co-author a book, something they’ve done over the last three years, resulting in … Continue reading By The Book: ChinaPhobia – A Wasted Opportunity by Karim Alwadi and Mohammad Kheir Alwadi

★★★☆☆ Review: Offending The Audience by Emergency Stairs and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Flawed revival of Handke’s classic fails to find a place in the contemporary world. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Ang Gey Pin) 6 Script (Peter Handke and devised parts by cast) 6 Performance 7 Lighting Design (David Li) 7 Total 26/40 (65%) Final Score: ★★★☆☆ Since premiering in Germany in 1966, Peter Handke’s Offending The Audience has gained a reputation for being a quintessential … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Offending The Audience by Emergency Stairs and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

★★★☆☆ Review: Dream School by Emergency Stairs and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Oversimplification of problems in arts education makes this less of a forum than it is another angry shout into the void against the system. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Li Xie) 5 Script (Devised by Li Xie and Cast) 5 Performance 7 Lighting Design (David Li) 7 Total 24/40 (60%) Final Score: ★★★☆☆ Presented as part of Emergency Stairs and NAFA’s Industry Project 2022, … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Dream School by Emergency Stairs and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Six outstanding arts practitioners honoured for their pursuit of artistic excellence with Singapore’s top arts accolades

The National Arts Council (NAC) has conferred two Cultural Medallions and four Young Artist Awards today at the Istana. The distinguished awards recognise outstanding artists for their artistic excellence, distinctive body of works and contributions to developing our nation’s arts and cultural landscape. This year’s awards celebrate a diverse group of artists specialising in different fields, who have contributed to enhancing the vibrancy of our … Continue reading Six outstanding arts practitioners honoured for their pursuit of artistic excellence with Singapore’s top arts accolades

Wild Rice announces An Inspector Calls, The Butterfly Lovers and Hotel as first three shows of 2023

With the end of 2022 comes the beginning of 2023, and with that – a brand new theatre season for leading Singapore theatre company Wild Rice, who’ve just announced the first three shows of 2023 – a new staging of J.B. Priestley’s An Inspector Calls, the arrival of the first English-language opera adaptation The Butterfly Lovers, and the restaging of their critically-acclaimed Hotel. A thought-provoking … Continue reading Wild Rice announces An Inspector Calls, The Butterfly Lovers and Hotel as first three shows of 2023

★★★★★ Review: Pinocchio by Wild Rice

Italian fairytale proves powerful inspiration for Wild Rice’s annual pantomime. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Pam Oei) 10 Script (Thomas Lim) 9 Performance (Mae Elliessa, Ebi Shankara, Siti Khalijah Zainal, Dwayne Lau, Michelle Ler, Vester Ng) 9 Music – Composition/Lyrics (Julian Wong / Joel Tan) 9 Live Music (Joel Nah, Feri Susanto, Colin Yong, Brandon Wong, Rizal Sanip) 9 Choreography (Gino Babagay) 9 Set … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Pinocchio by Wild Rice

★★★★☆ Review: A Singaporean In Paris (2022) by Sing’theatre

Light-hearted musical revue rings in the holiday season with joy and laughter. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Hossan Leong) 8 Script (Alison Jean Lester) 7 Performance (Amin Alifin, Ethel Yap, Gaby Rae, Hossan Leong, Peter Ong) 8 Choreography (George Chan) 9 Set Design (Wong Chee Wai) 9 Lighting Design (Reuben Ong) 8 Sound Design (Shah Tahir) 8 Costumes/Hair (Theresa Chan/Ashley Lim) 8 Music (Elaine … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: A Singaporean In Paris (2022) by Sing’theatre

Review: Playwrights’ Cove 2022 by The Necessary Stage

From featuring promising young theatremakers at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, to the creative jamming of The Orange Playground, in recent years, The Necessary Stage (TNS) has been increasingly moving towards the developing of new works and setting the foundations for a new generation of theatremakers. This year, TNS has also brought back Playwrights’ Cove, a playwriting training and mentorship programme led by Resident Playwright … Continue reading Review: Playwrights’ Cove 2022 by The Necessary Stage

An Interview with Gangguan Theatre’s Edward Eng, Writer/Director of new play ‘The Change’

In a year where we have finally begun to move beyond the shadow of the pandemic, new global problems begin to rear their head in our face once again, with the most prominent of those being climate change. But in the face of a global crisis, how do we keep our chin up and do something useful about it? New theatre company Gangguan Theatre will … Continue reading An Interview with Gangguan Theatre’s Edward Eng, Writer/Director of new play ‘The Change’

Preview: The Change by Gangguan Theatre

While negotiators at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt race to strike a strong climate deal, Singapore playwright-led collaboration Gangguan! presents The Change, an original new work. The one-actor production starring Dennis Sofian (Tartuffe, W!LD RICE) draws upon playwright Edward Eng’s (dead was the body till I taught it how to move, Bhumi Collective) personal experience working on climate policy and difficulty in … Continue reading Preview: The Change by Gangguan Theatre