Growing Together, Growing Apart: An interview with co-directors Haresh Sharma, Adib Kosnan, and the cast of The Necessary Stage’s ‘3 Queens’

“When you start, you start with yourself,” says actress Munah Bagharib. “And sometimes there’s no way of controlling the levels and layers of the character.” It is an apt description of how 3 Queens came to life. The Necessary Stage’s newest production may centre on three women: sisters Bedah and Zeina, and their close friend Aida, but the characters audiences will meet onstage did not … Continue reading Growing Together, Growing Apart: An interview with co-directors Haresh Sharma, Adib Kosnan, and the cast of The Necessary Stage’s ‘3 Queens’

Preview: 3 Queens by The Necessary Stage

How far can love stretch before it begins to fray? That question lies at the heart of 3 Queens, The Necessary Stage’s newest original production, which arrives this September with an intimate portrait of three women navigating family, friendship and the expectations that shape their lives. The play follows sisters Bedah and Zeina alongside their lifelong friend and neighbour Aida. Having grown up inseparable, the … Continue reading Preview: 3 Queens by The Necessary Stage

Singapore Fringe Festival presses on and returns in January 2027

There’s good news for lovers of boundary-pushing, socially conscious art: the Singapore Fringe Festival is officially set to return from 13 to 24 January 2027. Organised by The Necessary Stage (TNS), the Festival’s comeback reflects not just resilience, but the strength of a community that continues to rally behind meaningful artistic expression. Following a three-month fundraising campaign, the Festival raised $59,592 through the generosity of … Continue reading Singapore Fringe Festival presses on and returns in January 2027

★★★★☆ 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

★★★☆☆ 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

★★★☆☆ 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

★★★☆☆ 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

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’

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’

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’