Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: Random Access Memory by Mark Cheong (Review)

Techno thriller collides with family drama and spells the future of humanity.  What are humans if not an organic computer? With Mark Cheong’s Random Access Memory, the age-old question of what it means to be human is explored as a group of anthropomorphic computer parts attempt to resolve over the course of the 75-minute play. Directed by Stanley Seah, Random Access Memory feels a little like a cross between … Continue reading Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: Random Access Memory by Mark Cheong (Review)

Preview: Lie With Me by Intercultural Theatre Institute

The latest batch of students from Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) is just about ready to graduate,  but before they do, they’ll be presenting one last show, with the Asian premiere of Lie With Me by award-winning playwright Kaite O’Reilly this November at the Esplanade Theatre Studio. Directed by internationally renowned director Phillip Zarrilli, Lie With Me looks at contemporary life in Singapore through glimpses into the lives … Continue reading Preview: Lie With Me by Intercultural Theatre Institute

Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: Ashes, Ashes by Rajkumar Thiagaras (Review)

Some things are better left fed to the flames.  Two years ago, the Straits Times reported on the demolition of Lakshmi Villa, a generations old family home that had grown too costly to maintain, with the land sold off for development of new condominiums. Taking inspiration from this story, Rajkumar Thiagaras wrote his debut play Ashes, Ashes, presented as part of Toy Factory’s Wright Stuff Festival 2019. Directed … Continue reading Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: Ashes, Ashes by Rajkumar Thiagaras (Review)

Preview: A Fiend’s Diary by The Finger Players + An Interview with Oliver Chong

There are some people who have lost touch with society, or rather, no longer find meaning in life. They find their existence to be absurd. If that’s the case, is their existence meaningful, if at all? A man does not shed a single tear during his mother’s funeral. He commits an irreversible act, deemed unforgivable under the judicial system. Witnesses take to the stand, each … Continue reading Preview: A Fiend’s Diary by The Finger Players + An Interview with Oliver Chong

Review: Dear Elena (青春禁忌游戏) by Nine Years Theatre

Worst birthday ever makes for one of the best shows of 2019. Growing up in Singapore, the hard and fast path to ‘success’ has always been made abundantly clear to each and every child: study hard, get into a good school, rinse and repeat, and you’ll lead a happy life. But for those who don’t follow exactly as the system dictates, the consequences could be … Continue reading Review: Dear Elena (青春禁忌游戏) by Nine Years Theatre

Review: Merdeka / 獨立 /சுதந்திரம் by W!ld Rice

Uncovering Singapore’s untold history we were never taught in school. ‘Merdeka’ is a Malay word that roughly translates to freedom or independence in English. To most Singaporeans, it’s also a word synonymous with late founding father Lee Kuan Yew, who frequently employed it as a rallying cry to unite against colonialism in the years leading up to the 1963 merger, inextricably linked to our own … Continue reading Review: Merdeka / 獨立 /சுதந்திரம் by W!ld Rice

Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: Permanence by Gina Chew (Review)

A party girl’s fears of a life less romantic. Marriage is terrifying. There’s good reason why people love to joke that it’s like a ball and chain, clamped to you like a weight you can’t shake for your entire life. And for those who’ve lived their entire lives freely and with reckless wild abandon, it’s a prospect that may well result in nothing but unhappiness … Continue reading Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: Permanence by Gina Chew (Review)

Review: Emily of Emerald Hill by W!ld Rice

A stellar performance from Ivan Heng at W!ld Rice’s new home.  In many ways, Stella Kon’s Emily of Emerald Hill should be considered one of W!ld Rice’s most signature productions. Each time the company has staged it (including as their debut production back in the Jubilee Hall in 2000), W!ld Rice artistic director Ivan Heng has risen to the iconic role, one that he may perform in … Continue reading Review: Emily of Emerald Hill by W!ld Rice

Nine Years Theatre’s Dear Elena: An Interview with Nelson Chia, Mia Chee and Timothy Wan

Near the start of 2019, local theatre company Nine Years Theatre (NYT) announced their new season, starting with FAUST/US in February, original play First Fleet in July, before rounding off with a restaging of SIFA 2017’s Art Studio in October. But midway through, due to unforeseen circumstances, Art Studio was unable to proceed as planned, and the team had to find an alternative production to round off their year. Enter Dear Elena … Continue reading Nine Years Theatre’s Dear Elena: An Interview with Nelson Chia, Mia Chee and Timothy Wan

Preview: Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019

If the Singapore theatre scene is to continue to grow, then it must lay the groundwork for the next generation of theatremakers to inherit it when the time comes. For local theatre company Toy Factory, they’ve taken on that responsibility in the form of The Wright Stuff Festival, making its return this October as they mentor the playwrights of tomorrow. The Wright Festival began with … Continue reading Preview: Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019