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

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2019: Catamite by Loo Zihan (Review)

A moving lesson on the life-cycle of objects. There is a belief in the Japanese Shinto religion that everything, including everyday household objects, possesses a life force of its own. From umbrellas to notebooks, clothes to food, each of these items, while seemingly non-living, have the potential to mean and be so much more than what they initially appear to be to the right person. … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2019: Catamite by Loo Zihan (Review)

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2019: Q&A (the 36 questions) by Rachel Erdos and Dancers (Review)

Falling in love with dance. In a 1997 SUNY Stony Brook study, psychologist Arthur Aron and his colleagues explored whether intimacy between two complete strangers could be accelerated by having them ask each other a set of 36 questions. While the questions begin innocently and playful enough, postulating about an ability one might like to wake up to the next day or if one would like … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2019: Q&A (the 36 questions) by Rachel Erdos and Dancers (Review)

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2019: precise purpose of being broken by Koh Wan Ching (Review)

but precisely what is the purpose of this piece? Adapted from a collage of texts by Haresh Sharma, precise purpose of being broken presents 9 excerpts from the award-winning playwright’s most obscure texts, some of which have never been published or even performed. Directed and conceptualized by Koh Wan Ching, the multi-lingual movement work presents a collection of varied characters who are each broken in their own … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2019: precise purpose of being broken by Koh Wan Ching (Review)

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2019: ANGKAT – A Definitive, Alternative, Reclaimed Narrative of a Native by Nabilah Said and Noor Effendy Ibrahim (Review)

A Definitive, Alternative, Reclaimed Narrative of a Native? In a decidedly different version from the one staged by Teater Ekamatra in 2016, Nabilah Said’s ANGKAT gets a new lease of life with this brand new script and production directed by Noor Effendy Ibrahim. ANGKAT retains two characters from its previous rendition – tudung makcik Mak (Moli Mohter) and her adopted daughter, the beautiful and distinctly ‘ang moh’ Salma (Shafiqhah … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2019: ANGKAT – A Definitive, Alternative, Reclaimed Narrative of a Native by Nabilah Said and Noor Effendy Ibrahim (Review)

In London’s (Off) West-End 2019: Evolution Festival 2019 by Lyric Hammersmith (Preview)

LONDON – The Lyric Hammersmith’s Evolution Festival returns for its fourth edition this March! Acting as a showcase for young artists aged 18-25, the Evolution Festival celebrates these youths’ groundbreaking work in all forms, shining a spotlight especially on underrepresented artists. This year’s edition especially places women in the spotlight, taking on the theme ‘Who Run The World?’ as its participants are encouraged to be bold, to … Continue reading In London’s (Off) West-End 2019: Evolution Festival 2019 by Lyric Hammersmith (Preview)

London’s VAULT Festival 2019: Feed by Theatre Témoin (Preview)

LONDON – As part of the VAULT Festival 2019, the acclaimed Theatre Témoin are bringing in Edinburgh hit Feed to London, combining their signature, vibrant visual style to the world of click-bait culture, fake news and cyber gluttony. Enter the stimulating world of Feed, where emotions are currency and your passions and fantasies will be indulged. For a price that is. A Palestinian woman takes a … Continue reading London’s VAULT Festival 2019: Feed by Theatre Témoin (Preview)

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2019: Above the Mealy-Mouthed Sea by Unholy Mess (Review)

Memory can be a fishy thing. Let’s get this straight right off the bat – Above the Mealy-mouthed Sea is an odd kettle of fish. The premise is simple enough – emerging from a four panel frame with a hole resembling a black silhouette (perhaps representative of the holes in our memories), performance poet Jemima Foxtrot plays herself, recalling going up to a pub in Somerset, taking … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2019: Above the Mealy-Mouthed Sea by Unholy Mess (Review)

In London’s (Off) West End 2018: Divine Proportions by Shotgun Carousel (Review)

LONDON – You may have been to parties before, but have you ever been to one thrown by the gods themselves? Taking inspiration from Greek mythology, Shotgun Carousel presents a positively heavenly immersive dining experience with Divine Proportions, transforming The Vaults completely into celestial party central. Conceptualized by Laura Drake Chambers, directed by Celine Lowenthal and with a script by Cressida Peever, hedonistic revelry is the name of … Continue reading In London’s (Off) West End 2018: Divine Proportions by Shotgun Carousel (Review)

Season in Preview: Drama Box 2019 Season

  In 2018, local theatre company Drama Box has created some of the most poignant productions both in and out of the conventional theatre space. From reflections on death to a self-directed return to one’s past, a collaboration with The Necessary Stage to a  surprisingly powerful theatrical tour of Chinatown,  2019 will see the company continue to develop some of the themes raised in 2018 through brand new … Continue reading Season in Preview: Drama Box 2019 Season