★★☆☆☆ Review: No Man’s Land by The Necessary Stage

The message is lost in this uneven and confusing exploration of masculinity, its title aptly representing the wasteland and vacuum of modern manhood. In 2025, men find themselves in an interesting new era of their gender, where stereotypes and roles are being questioned, and it seems that we now need new definitions, new ways of seeing and defining where exactly masculinity stands today. Promising that … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: No Man’s Land by The Necessary Stage

No Man’s Land: An Interview with the creative team behind The Necessary Stage’s new show tackling modern day masculinity

What makes a man today? That is the central question at the heart of The Necessary Stage’s new play No Man’s Land. Co-directed by Alvin Tan and Sim Yan Ying “YY”, and written by Danial Matin, the new work is a devised, interdisciplinary production exploring the tensions, confusions, vulnerabilities, and inherited weight of masculinity; what it means, how it’s shaped, and who, if anyone, owns … Continue reading No Man’s Land: An Interview with the creative team behind The Necessary Stage’s new show tackling modern day masculinity

Preview: No Man’s Land by The Necessary Stage

Dive into a raw and unflinching exploration of masculinity in No Man’s Land, a thought-provoking devised interdisciplinary experience that sees the team at The Necessary Stage boldly ripping away the veneer of manhood, to immerse audiences in an arena where traditional masculinity collides with contemporary reality. In No Man’s Land, we are thrust into a shifting landscape where four men grapple with primal rituals, battle … Continue reading Preview: No Man’s Land by The Necessary Stage

★★★★☆ Review: I Am Seaweed by MASHH (Mm and Something Happens Here)

How much is too much when we live in a culture where exhaustion and burnout is worn like a badge of pride? In a world where we’re constantly told to work hard if we want to make our dreams come true, countless hustlers have made it their life’s mission to do all they can to make it happen, going into overdrive to work around the … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: I Am Seaweed by MASHH (Mm and Something Happens Here)

★★★☆☆ Review: Eclipse (2025) by The Necessary Stage

Learning to leave history behind to find the light at the end of the trauma. For most Singaporeans, India’s Partition is stuck firmly in the past, and having taken place in a land so physically distant from our island city, seems like it would have little impact on us in the present day. But for those with relatives or ancestors living in India or Pakistan, … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Eclipse (2025) by The Necessary Stage

★★★★☆ Review: Commission Continua by Noma Yini

A history of violence, corruption and cover-ups, buried in paper and archives. Of all the places to discover violence, one would least expect to find it within the four walls of a tiny basement office of archival documents. But that is precisely what Noma Yini does with their work Commission Continua, which made its world premiere last week at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival. Last … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Commission Continua by Noma Yini

★★★★☆ Review: WePushTheSky by Qabila

Incendiary play that shows you exactly how people are pushed to extreme measures. It is only human to want to connect, to reach out and share in the friendship of others. It makes sense then that in Qabila’s WePushTheSky, playwright and performer Nisha Abdulla greets us when we first enter the theatre, her voice warm and welcoming as we settle into our seats. Behind her, there … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: WePushTheSky by Qabila

Review: The Troupe by Birds Migrant Theatre

Ambitious attempt at tackling issues of xenophobia and the ever-growing refugee crisis. When we last saw Birds Migrant Theatre at the 2023 M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, the team of migrants and theatre enthusiasts had put on a deeply personal show about their lived experiences as foreign workers in Singapore. Since then, the group has continued to pursue their passion for the arts, and in 2025, … Continue reading Review: The Troupe by Birds Migrant Theatre

M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with MASHH (Mm and Something Happens Here) on ‘I Am Seaweed’

Growing up in fast-paced Singapore with its high expectations gets to even the most resilient of people. There always comes a breaking point for everyone, yet, we keep telling ourselves we can take on more and more and more. For Cheryl Ho, Rachel Lee, who form theatre collective MASHH (Mm and Something Happens Here), they liken it to the unusual metaphor of seaweed, and how … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with MASHH (Mm and Something Happens Here) on ‘I Am Seaweed’

M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Noma Yini Pty Ltd on ‘Commission Continua’

Everyone knows that bureaucracy and paperwork is the bane of any civil servant. But look hard enough into the abyss of red tape and jargon, and you’ll start to uncover darkness like never before. Investigating the depths of paperwork and commissions of inquiries is South Africa’s Noma Yini Pty Ltd with their work Commission Continua, which makes its Singapore premiere at the M1 Singapore Fringe … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Noma Yini Pty Ltd on ‘Commission Continua’