Review: Off Centre (2019) by The Necessary Stage

A Singaporean classic through and through, as disturbingly relevant now as it was then. There’s good reason why Off Centre is considered one of the most important works of the Singapore literary canon; the hallmark of a classic play lies primarily in its ability for both story and characters to transcend time, and Off Centre achieves all of these in spades, triumphantly returning to the stage as bold as it … Continue reading Review: Off Centre (2019) by The Necessary Stage

Crazy Poor Sita: An Interview with Sharul Channa On Her Newest Show

Comedian extraordinaire Sharul Channa may be better known for her acid-tongued acerbic wit and jabs, but last year, surprised us with a series of dramatic monologues presenting the stories of various women in the Indian community at Kalaa Utsavam 2018. Now, Sharul is back to kickstart her 2019 season with a brand new show that continues to build on that craft, with Crazy Poor Sita premiering in … Continue reading Crazy Poor Sita: An Interview with Sharul Channa On Her Newest Show

Toy Factory’s The Transition Room: An Interview with Stanley Seah and Goh Boon Teck

This February, Toy Factory opens their 2019 season with a brand new production. Written and directed by Toy Factory Associate Artistic Director Stanley Seah, The Transition Room will be making its premiere at the Drama Centre Black Box, after previously having had a dramatized reading held at Toy Factory’s space at NOWplaying@17. Originating about 4 years ago as a school play, Stanley elaborates more on how The Transition … Continue reading Toy Factory’s The Transition Room: An Interview with Stanley Seah and Goh Boon Teck

London’s VAULT Festival 2019: 10 By Joyous Gard and Snatchback (Preview)

LONDON – As part of the VAULT Festival 2019, Joyous Gard returns for the third year to the festival to co-present a brand new play by Lizzie Milton. Titled 10, the play is set to celebrate ten unsung heroines from history when it premieres in the final week of the festival in March. 10 stories, 5 performers, 1 riotous celebration of history’s heroines. Pick up your average history textbook … Continue reading London’s VAULT Festival 2019: 10 By Joyous Gard and Snatchback (Preview)

In London’s (Off) West-End 2019: Of Our Own Making by Something Underground (Preview)

LONDON – Award-winning London theatre company Something Underground launches a brand new play this January, Set against the Syrian refugee crisis, and after years of young people being radicalised into terrorist groups, groomed into drugs gangs in London, or Far Right groups across a post-Brexit Britain, the play, titled Of Our Own Making, asks what role society has in creating “monsters”. Written by Something Underground artistic director Jonathan Brown, … Continue reading In London’s (Off) West-End 2019: Of Our Own Making by Something Underground (Preview)

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)