Category: The Necessary Stage

Arts, Review, The Necessary Stage, Theatre

★★★★☆ Theatre Review: Invisible by ART:DIS & The Necessary Stage

Unexpectedly tender production offers an accessible, educational glimpse at hidden disabilities. As much as Singapore has made visible efforts to dispel myths around disability and create space for greater awareness, the hard truth is that many persons with disabilities (PwDs) still feel out of place in a world designed primarily for the non-disabled. Being labelled ‘disabled’ often comes with the fear of being perceived as … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Theatre Review: Invisible by ART:DIS & The Necessary Stage

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Arts, Review, The Necessary Stage, Theatre

★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: Celup by Sofie Buligis

One girl’s whimsical quest to reconnect with her Malay roots leaves more pressing, problematic issues unanswered. Celup, Sofie Buligis’ interactive one-woman show, is a playful, ambitious, and at times perplexing exploration of identity, belonging, and what it means to be Malay in contemporary Singapore. From the moment the audience enters, they are greeted by kueh kueh on a table, a P. Ramlee playlist, and Sofie … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: Celup by Sofie Buligis

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Arts, Review, The Necessary Stage, Theatre

★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: Retina Manoeuvre by k*hole karaoke – Wang Ping-Hsiang

Taiwanese artist Wang Ping-Hsiang explores the uneasy tension between nationalism and violence in a winding piece of anecdotal theatre. It is difficult to pin down exactly what kind of show Retina Manoeuvre wants to be. Playing at Theatre Practice’s Practice Space as part of the Singapore Fringe Festival, Berlin-based Taiwanese theatremaker Wang presents a relatively stripped-down setup: a desk, a laptop, a microphone, and a … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: Retina Manoeuvre by k*hole karaoke – Wang Ping-Hsiang

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Arts, Review, The Necessary Stage, Theatre

★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: A Lesbian Love Story – The Musical by Woody Avenue

A metatheatrical musical discovering love beyond the romance it promises. It’s a known fact that there is simply not enough lesbian representation in media And far too often, when it does appear, it comes freighted with emotional torture, tragedy, and pain. When, one wonders, do the lesbians finally get their happy ending? That’s a wrong Woody Avenue hopes to make right with its debut production, … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: A Lesbian Love Story – The Musical by Woody Avenue

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Arts, Interview, Preview, The Necessary Stage, Theatre

Singapore Fringe Festival 2026: An Interview with Sofie Buligis on being and representing ‘Celup’

“You very celup sia.” The moment her partner said it, Sofie Buligis laughed, but she also felt something click into place. “I was like, yeah, I am,” she remembers. “My friends and family have called me that, and actually it’s quite a snappy name for a show.” That idea became Celup (literally, ‘to dip’, and loosely translates to a desire to be more ‘mixed’) her … Continue reading Singapore Fringe Festival 2026: An Interview with Sofie Buligis on being and representing ‘Celup’

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Arts, Interview, Preview, The Necessary Stage, Theatre

Singapore Fringe Festival 2026: An Interview with Wang Ping-Hsiang on representing violence in performance and karaoke in ‘Retina Manoeuvre’

When audiences first encountered Retina Manoeuvre in its early work-in-progress, few could have guessed that the performance would later tour Europe, gathering deeply personal responses from audiences who recognised themselves, despite having no connection to Taiwan at all. The project began far from the solo, autobiographical form it eventually took. Taiwanese artist and creator Ping-Hsiang Wang recalls that the original proposal involved three performers and … Continue reading Singapore Fringe Festival 2026: An Interview with Wang Ping-Hsiang on representing violence in performance and karaoke in ‘Retina Manoeuvre’

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Arts, Interview, Preview, The Necessary Stage, Theatre

Singapore Fringe Festival 2026: An Interview with Woody Avenue on normalising queerness and representing love in ‘A Lesbian Love Story: The Musical’

When theatre-makers Rosie McGowan and Kluane Saunders first started writing a musical about a woman trying to create the happiest lesbian love story ever put on stage, they didn’t realise they were also building a company. “The idea for the production came first and the company came after,” Rosie laughs. “A lot of people asked who was the company behind it, and we thought, oh, … Continue reading Singapore Fringe Festival 2026: An Interview with Woody Avenue on normalising queerness and representing love in ‘A Lesbian Love Story: The Musical’

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Arts, Interview, Preview, The Necessary Stage, Theatre

Singapore Fringe Festival 2026: An Interview with Haresh Sharma, Grace Kalaiselvi, and Jaspreet Kaur Sekhon on representing disability onstage in ‘Invisible’

Set against the seemingly ordinary backdrop of a hotel workplace, Invisible begins with a simple premise: Malini, a young disabled woman, starts her new job as a cleaner determined to do well. When a guest’s prized possession goes missing, the incident sets off a chain of events that reveals the hidden struggles, quiet tensions, and unseen disabilities carried by those involved. Written by award-winning playwright … Continue reading Singapore Fringe Festival 2026: An Interview with Haresh Sharma, Grace Kalaiselvi, and Jaspreet Kaur Sekhon on representing disability onstage in ‘Invisible’

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Arts, Preview, The Necessary Stage, Theatre

Preview: Singapore Fringe Festival 2026 tackles representation across four productions

The Singapore Fringe Festival returns in January 2026, now as a crowdfunded independent festival. Now in its 22nd edition, Fringe 2026 will feature an inspiring and thought-provoking line-up of events by Singapore and international artists that address the theme of Represent, both as an issue explored in the works, as well as a play on the representation of the Fringe. Since its inaugural edition in … Continue reading Preview: Singapore Fringe Festival 2026 tackles representation across four productions

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Arts, Review, The Necessary Stage, Theatre

★★☆☆☆ Theatre Review: SG Insecure by The Necessary Stage

TNS’ attempt to subvert the SG60 celebrations is a patchy collection of stories about government surveillance and control that instead reveals its own insecurities. If there’s one thing Singaporeans crave, it’s control, whether over order, and how we’re seen by others. SG Insecure, The Necessary Stage’s (TNS) latest work, sets out to question that national impulse. Framed as a subversive take on the SG60 celebrations, … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Theatre Review: SG Insecure by The Necessary Stage

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