★★★★★ Review: Secondary The Musical by Checkpoint Theatre

Searing critique of Singapore education system identifies the cracks in and those who slip through it. The topic of education has always been a hot one in Singapore. Despite being hailed as having one of the world’s best, the education system has almost always been a trial by fire for any student going through it, rewarding those who excel with the promise of praise and … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Secondary The Musical by Checkpoint Theatre

Preview: Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream by Singapore Theatre Company and Indian Ink

This May, take a wild ride to paradise with Singapore Theatre Company (STC) and Indian Ink’s sensational new play – Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream, about life’s impermanence—where love, ice cream, and the mysteries of death intertwine in unexpected ways. Kutisar is dead, and lost between paradise and hell. On an existential post-mortem journey to correct mistakes of his past, Kutisar joins the … Continue reading Preview: Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream by Singapore Theatre Company and Indian Ink

An Interview with T:>Works Artistic Director Ong Keng Sen on second edition of Per°Form Open Academy of Arts and Activations (POA)

Last Wednesday, the second edition of T:>Works’ Per°Form Open Academy of Arts and Activations (POA) welcomed artist Hira Nabi to deliver an opening keynote, where the filmmaker presented a lecture performance at 72-13. Titled How to Love A Tree, the presentation showcased footage of green landscapes and misty mountains, while Hira spoke of forest time and the spectre of colonialism, drawing us into a dreamscape … Continue reading An Interview with T:>Works Artistic Director Ong Keng Sen on second edition of Per°Form Open Academy of Arts and Activations (POA)

★★★★★ Review: Taha by Singapore Theatre Company

Monologue on Palestinian poet’s life nimbly sidesteps overt politics to encourage hope and empathy in shared humanity. 8,000 kilometres away in the Gaza Strip, a terrible war rages on. It is the culmination of decades of conflict, where countless innocent lives have been lost, key infrastructure and history are stripped away by bombs, and the world watches on, helplessly bearing witness to the loss as … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Taha by Singapore Theatre Company

Taha: An Interview with creator and performer Amer Hlehel on staging the life of Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali

Poet Taha Muhammad Ali is an icon of Palestinian literature, humble in his life yet celebrated for his words that capture the resilience, love, and enduring spirit of his people.​ Adapted from Adina Hoffman’s acclaimed biography and under Amir Nizar Zuabi’s direction, Palestinian artist Amer Hlehel created Taha, which traces the man’s journey from a humble shopkeeper in Palestine to a celebrated poet worldwide. Receiving critical … Continue reading Taha: An Interview with creator and performer Amer Hlehel on staging the life of Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali

T:>Works presents second edition of Per°Form Open Academy of Arts and Activations (POA) this April

Returning for its second edition, T:Works once again hosts Per°Form Open Academy of Arts and Activations (POA) this April, and features the live gathering of 15 Per°Form Fellows from the Global South—Africa, Arab world, Asia, and South America. These fellows, intersectional practitioners across diverse disciplines of activism, film, fashion, design, curation, research, education, visual culture, spoken word, performance, will present their strategies for activating contexts … Continue reading T:>Works presents second edition of Per°Form Open Academy of Arts and Activations (POA) this April

★★★☆☆ Review: Grounded by Singapore Theatre Company

Pride comes before a fall. Among the many male-dominated industries that exist in the world, the military may be among the most skewed, with a much smaller minority of female professionals who exist within the field. In that sense, the women who do find success in the military often seem to have to shelve their femininity, to become ‘one of the boys’ to fit in … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Grounded by Singapore Theatre Company

Pangdemonium’s Falling: An Interview with star Andrew Marko on reprising an iconic role eight years on, and the difficulty of tough love

Maybe it’s because of good genetics, but Andrew Marko is the kind of man you look at and looks eternally youthful. Even in his 30s, there’s something about his demeanour that still suggests a child-like sense of wonder and innocence, while carrying the hidden weight of experiences he’s willing to put onstage. All that makes him the perfect candidate to return to the role where … Continue reading Pangdemonium’s Falling: An Interview with star Andrew Marko on reprising an iconic role eight years on, and the difficulty of tough love

Grounded: An Interview with Oon Shu An on gender roles, identity and staying down to earth

When you think of a fighter pilot, what’s the first image that appears in your head? Is it a strapping young man in aviator shades, not unlike Tom Cruise in his prime in Top Gun? Singapore Theatre Company (STC) is here to subvert those expectations with the first major show of their season, as they bring George Brant’s one-woman show Grounded to the stage. Directed … Continue reading Grounded: An Interview with Oon Shu An on gender roles, identity and staying down to earth

Bakchormeeboy Awards 2023: The Year That Returned To Normalcy, A Time For Reflection

In 2023, Singapore’s theatre scene felt fully ready to take risks and pull out all the stops for the first true season following the pandemic years. We saw the return of blockbuster musical and stage productions, and plenty of new, experimental works filling in the spaces in between, be it through long-awaited collaborations or younger companies having their work see the light of day, or … Continue reading Bakchormeeboy Awards 2023: The Year That Returned To Normalcy, A Time For Reflection