Preview: Off Centre (2019) by The Necessary Stage

26 years since its premiere in 1993, The Necessary Stage (TNS) is once more bringing back one of their most well known plays to the stage in 2019 – Off Centre. Written by TNS Resident Playwright Haresh Sharma and directed by TNS artistic director Alvin Tan, Off Centre was a bold new step forward for Singapore theatre as it cast an honest and unflinching spotlight on the stigma of … Continue reading Preview: Off Centre (2019) by The Necessary Stage

Review: Underclass《贱民》by The Necessary Stage and Drama Box

Disclaimer: The following review contains plot information for Underclass The Necessary Stage and Drama Box present a rich script about the poor and destitute, discomforting as it shines a spotlight on the invisible people we turn a blind eye to. How often do you have to think about whether you can afford your next meal, or how much you can save by taking a series … Continue reading Review: Underclass《贱民》by The Necessary Stage and Drama Box

The Necessary Stage and Drama Box’s Underclass: An Interview with the Cast and Co-director Alvin Tan

Following their overwhelmingly successful collaboration with Drama Box with Manifesto back in 2016, the two theatre companies are teaming up once again for their new show Underclass. Tackling, as the title suggests, concepts of class and social conditions in Singapore, this multilingual work will feature a cast of some of Singapore’s best actors, with a script by Haresh Sharma and co-directed by Kok Heng Leun and Alvin Tan. We … Continue reading The Necessary Stage and Drama Box’s Underclass: An Interview with the Cast and Co-director Alvin Tan

Preview: Underclass by The Necessary Stage and Drama Box

After the runaway success of Manifesto in 2016 to a sold out run, The Necessary Stage and Drama Box return for a second collaboration this May! Following on from Manifesto, Underclass sees the two companies producing an all new multi-lingual work that takes a critical look at issues of social inequality and human dignity in Singapore. Written by Haresh Sharma and directed by Alvin Tan together with Kok Heng Leun, Underclass tells the story of … Continue reading Preview: Underclass by The Necessary Stage and Drama Box

untitled cow number one: A Cata Odata X The Necessary Stage X WAFT-LAB Collaboration

The Necessary Stage is starting their 2018 season with plenty of collaborations, having kickstarted Phase 1 of their forthcoming collaboration with Canada and with their new main season work Underclass in May, produced in collaboration with Drama Box. But before all that, this March, they’ll be treading new ground as they embark on an all new project with Cata Odata, a Balinese art space led by creative director … Continue reading untitled cow number one: A Cata Odata X The Necessary Stage X WAFT-LAB Collaboration

M1SFF 2018 Previews Part 3: Questioning Perfection and the Patriarchal Gaze

In the final part of our previews for the 2018 M1 Singapore Fringe Fest, we look at four works that tackle the complexities of the female form and the emphasis on female beauty. These pieces question the validity of succumbing to the patriarchal gaze and reject the emphasis on traditional ‘aesthetic beauty’, as they bring alternative takes on femininity across age and history. Read our … Continue reading M1SFF 2018 Previews Part 3: Questioning Perfection and the Patriarchal Gaze

M1SFF 2018 Previews Part 2: Redefining Individuality and Identity

As we looked at the pressure to conform to societal norms in part 1 of our 2018 M1SFF previews, we follow up on the theme with another aspect of Amanda Heng’s Let’s Walk – redefining individuality and identity. In our increasingly chaotic world, it becomes more important than ever to hold on to some kind of meaning, and that is best gleaned from confidence and assurance in … Continue reading M1SFF 2018 Previews Part 2: Redefining Individuality and Identity

M1SFF 2018 Previews Part 1: Battling Societal Influences and Pressures

The annual M1 Singapore Fringe Festival kicks off this year with an all new theme, as artistic director Sean Tobin takes it in a new direction – celebrating some of the most influential Singapore artists and taking inspiration from their most iconic works. In 2018, this theme begins with artist Amanda Heng and her seminal work Let’s Walk, created in 1999 as a response to women losing … Continue reading M1SFF 2018 Previews Part 1: Battling Societal Influences and Pressures

Review: Sanctuary by The Necessary Stage and HANCHU-YUEI

There’s always something innately exciting about watching a collaborative devised work. Providing fertile ground for seeding new ideas and pushing collaborators beyond their creative comfort zones, there was plenty of hype surrounding The Necessary Stage’s latest collaboration, this time with young Japanese theatre company HANCHU-YUEI with their newest work: Sanctuary. Ending off their 30th Anniversary season with Sanctuary in many ways feels appropriate for TNS. The eponymous title … Continue reading Review: Sanctuary by The Necessary Stage and HANCHU-YUEI

Of Digital Cats and The Future of Social Media: Sanctuary by The Necessary Stage & HANCHU-YUEI (Preview)

This November, The Necessary Stage will be rounding off their 30th Anniversary with an all new-collaborative work with contemporary Japanese theatre company HANCHU-YUEI and we couldn’t be more excited. In previous collaborations, The Necessary Stage has always had a chance to push their work to new limits, exploring new aesthetics and themes most of their main season wouldn’t otherwise. Much like their earlier work Frozen Angels, which … Continue reading Of Digital Cats and The Future of Social Media: Sanctuary by The Necessary Stage & HANCHU-YUEI (Preview)