★★★☆☆ Review: The Prisoner by Toy Factory

Fast fashion conspiracy theory frames corporate greed as the ultimate evil. In this day and age, evil no longer looks like the devil himself, but often arises in much more innocuous, unexpected forms. And for most people, it might be staring you straight in the face, or in some cases, on your body. Bringing Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival to a close is Annie … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: The Prisoner by Toy Factory

★★☆☆☆ Review: Anthropocene by Toy Factory

Heavy-handed messaging about holding on to hope at the end of the world. The anthropocene refers to a time in which human activity has become the primary influence on climate and the environment, where man has fully established control and dominance, as we shape the world in our image. Naturally, playing god when we’re mere mortals has its consequences, something that is explored in new … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: Anthropocene by Toy Factory

★★☆☆☆ Review: The Thieves by Toy Factory

Comedy about student eco-terrorists has a fun concept but muddles the point. The ongoing conversation surrounding climate change may be exhausting and anxiety-inducing, but for theatremaker Rachel Chin, that doesn’t always have to be the case, as she attempts to subvert that with her new play The Thieves. Developed under Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff playwright incubation programme, The Thieves made its premiere last week … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: The Thieves by Toy Factory

Writing About Climate: An Interview with the new playwrights of Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2023

Original plays are always welcome, and with Toy Factory Productions’s The Wright Stuff Festival, the local theatre company has always promised the introduction of fresh voices and new narratives with every edition. Now in its 4th run, the festival is taking on a more ethically-charged slant, with all three of its new plays surrounding the theme of ‘climate’. Following an open call last year, Toy … Continue reading Writing About Climate: An Interview with the new playwrights of Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2023

Preview: The Wright Stuff Festival 2023 by Toy Factory Productions

Returning for a brand new edition, Toy Factory Productions is once again helming The Wright Stuff Festival, returning this September for its 4th season. Created with the intent to nurture and mentor new playwrights, The Wright Stuff Festival 2023 is the culmination of that mentorship, as a graduation showcase for their budding playwrights to present their work as full productions, at the end of the … Continue reading Preview: The Wright Stuff Festival 2023 by Toy Factory Productions

Preview: Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2021

After their last edition in 2019, which saw four brand new scripts from budding young playwrights produced for the stage, Toy Factory Productions Ltd’s The Wright Stuff Festival is back for 2021, once again shining the spotlight on new writing from young scriptwriters in Singapore. This year, the festival focuses on the theme of “Inwards”, which encouraged their playwrights to create and submit new works … Continue reading Preview: Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2021

Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: The Puppet King (玩具王) by Titus Yim

★☆☆☆☆ (Attended 2/11/19, Matinee) Final production of The Wright Stuff 2019 meanders in its exploration of existentialism.  While the characters of Pixar’s Toy Story have always dealt with inherent struggles surrounding ideas of abandonment and purpose, none of the ever faced these ideas head-on, at least, not with quite as much darkness as the one infused into Titus Yim’s The Puppet King. Directed by Renee Chua, The Puppet King is set … Continue reading Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: The Puppet King (玩具王) by Titus Yim

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)

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)

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)