Huayi Festival 2019: The Way of Zhuang Zi (庄子兵法) by Story Works (Review)

Nerve wracking thriller of a play that keeps you guessing every step of the way. Happiness is the absence of striving for happiness. I do not know whether I was then a man dreaming I was a butterfly, or whether I am now a butterfly dreaming I am a man. Of the many Chinese philosophers we grew up learning from our scholar of a Chinese teacher … Continue reading Huayi Festival 2019: The Way of Zhuang Zi (庄子兵法) by Story Works (Review)

In London’s (Off) West End 2019: The Institute of Nuts by Matchstick Theatre (Preview)

LONDON – In their second collaboration with Director-Writer team Edwina Strobl and Mark Daniels, Matchstick Theatre presents a brand new otherworldly dark comedy as part of their Spring Season, aimed at showcasing emerging London playwrights in a new performance space in Deptford/New Cross.  Matchstick Theatre welcomes you to The Institute of Nuts, a crazy school-cum-retreat-cum-prison where people’s names are letters and their reasons for being … Continue reading In London’s (Off) West End 2019: The Institute of Nuts by Matchstick Theatre (Preview)

Review: The Transition Room by Toy Factory

Waiting rooms can feel like hell.  Over the years, purgatory onstage has taken a great many forms, from the horrific to the mundane. With Stanley Seah’s The Transition Room, the face of limbo takes an absurdist approach towards the middle ground, as we open with four characters finding themselves in a bare, abstract room, each dressed in shades of grey, with no memory or knowledge … Continue reading Review: The Transition Room by Toy Factory

In London’s (Off) West End 2019: Awkward Conversations with Animals I’ve F*cked at King’s Head Theatre (Preview)

LONDON – Awkward Conversations with Animals I’ve F*cked comes to the King’s Head Theatre where it is set to push, prod and poke at the impermissible and the unmentionable. Following sell-out shows at Edinburgh Fringe, Awkward Productions present this critically-acclaimed, darkly comic production all about love, acceptance and boundaries. One-night stands are awkward. One-night stands with animals are more awkward. And when you’re as desperate … Continue reading In London’s (Off) West End 2019: Awkward Conversations with Animals I’ve F*cked at King’s Head Theatre (Preview)

In London’s (Off) West End 2019: Twelfth Night by OVO Theatre at The Rose Playhouse (Preview)

LONDON – Marking the 30th anniversary of the discovery of The Rose Playhouse, St Albans-based company OVO now journeys to London presenting their modern take on Twelfth Night. In this new and exciting musical version, Shakespeare meets Postmodern Jukebox in a remix of one of his best loved comedies, set on a cruise liner at the height of the roaring twenties. On the SS Illyria, … Continue reading In London’s (Off) West End 2019: Twelfth Night by OVO Theatre at The Rose Playhouse (Preview)

Preview: Not In My Lifetime? by The Finger Players

The Finger Players open their 2019 season with an all new inclusive theatre performance this March. Titled Not in My Lifetime?, the production will be staged at Gateway Theatre’s Black Box and explores the special education system in Singapore as experienced by teachers working within the sector. Conceived by director Tan Beng Tian in collaboration with a diverse team of creatives, the production aims to cater … Continue reading Preview: Not In My Lifetime? by The Finger Players

In London’s (Off) West End 2019: Tom Ratcliffe’s Circa Announces Cast (Preview)

LONDON – Tom Ratcliffe’s debut play Circa, about gay relationships in the modern age, plays at the Old Red Lion Theatre this March, and will be led by a cast starring Thomas Flynn, Daniel Abelson, Antony Gabriel, Joseph Rowe and Jenna Fincken. After premiering at the Theatre de Meervaart, Amsterdam in 2016, work.Theatre returns with Tom Ratcliffe’s Circa in a co-production with Harlow Playhouse. Exploring the blurred identity … Continue reading In London’s (Off) West End 2019: Tom Ratcliffe’s Circa Announces Cast (Preview)

Huayi Festival 2019: FOUR FOUR EIGHT (四四八) by Emergency Stairs (Review)

Warning: This review may contain spoilers Journey to the centre of the self…and Liu Xiaoyi. Over the years, Emergency Stairs Artistic Director Liu Xiaoyi has made it abundantly clear that the work he puts out staunchly refuses to conform to theatrical standards, having created work that subverts the norm, be it a piece of anti-theatre deliberately attempting to crush audience expectations or even performing in unusual … Continue reading Huayi Festival 2019: FOUR FOUR EIGHT (四四八) by Emergency Stairs (Review)

Preview: Anak Melayu by Teater Kami

In conjunction with their 30th Anniversary celebration this year, Teater Kami is set to restage Anak Melayu – a play that was first staged in 1992 at The Substation, as written and directed by a then 18 year old Noor Effendy Ibrahim. Anak Melayu follows six Malay teenagers going through a tumultuous period in their lives as they attempt to find themselves and discover those around them in … Continue reading Preview: Anak Melayu by Teater Kami

In London’s (Off) West End 2019: Nothing to Fear at the Blue Elephant Theatre (Preview)

Around 40% of the world population has an internet connection today. In 1995, it was less than 1%. LONDON – Nothing to Fear is a collaboration between technology and the human voice. Throughout, Benjamin explores our relentless relationship with the internet and why taking ownership of our data is now more important than ever. Part gig, part lecture, with a blend of beatboxing and experimental … Continue reading In London’s (Off) West End 2019: Nothing to Fear at the Blue Elephant Theatre (Preview)