A history of violence, corruption and cover-ups, buried in paper and archives. Of all the places to discover violence, one would least expect to find it within the four walls of a tiny basement office of archival documents. But that is precisely what Noma Yini does with their work Commission Continua, which made its world premiere last week at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival. Last … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Commission Continua by Noma Yini
Incendiary play that shows you exactly how people are pushed to extreme measures. It is only human to want to connect, to reach out and share in the friendship of others. It makes sense then that in Qabila’s WePushTheSky, playwright and performer Nisha Abdulla greets us when we first enter the theatre, her voice warm and welcoming as we settle into our seats. Behind her, there … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: WePushTheSky by Qabila
Ambitious attempt at tackling issues of xenophobia and the ever-growing refugee crisis. When we last saw Birds Migrant Theatre at the 2023 M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, the team of migrants and theatre enthusiasts had put on a deeply personal show about their lived experiences as foreign workers in Singapore. Since then, the group has continued to pursue their passion for the arts, and in 2025, … Continue reading Review: The Troupe by Birds Migrant Theatre
Students grapple with trauma and pain in a physically-demanding work led by Noor Effendy Ibrahim. Back in 2011, Noor Effendy Ibrahim performed a durational work titled Dancing with the Ghost of My Child at the Substation, in which he engaged in a form of ritualistic self-flagellation and masochism for an unspecified amount of time. For those familiar with Effendy’s work, this visceral image is par … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Dancing with the Ghost of My Child by Noor Effendy Ibrahim, Ruby Jayaseelan, ANTARMUKA & Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
In search of a soon-to-be-lost lost season, in the form of an evocative letter of love and unfathomable grief. In the mindscapes of so many Singaporeans, the idea of winter is an utterly foreign one for a tropical island that experiences sweltering heat all year round. To us, the season of snow takes on almost a mythic quality to it, where the only way to … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: The End of Winter by Siren Theatre Co.
The arts can be enjoyed and performed by anyone of any age, whether you’re a teen or an octogenarian. This January, Grain Performance & Research Lab is proud to present the results of their training, where a cast of five generations, aged 18 to 84, will be performing brand new show Whispering Tiger, Hidden Essence. Directed by Beverley Yuen, Whispering Tiger, Hidden Essence blends physical … Continue reading Preview: Whispering Tiger, Hidden Essence by Grain Performance & Research Lab
There are a few things that make good theatre and live performance so uniquely powerful, but perhaps the greatest factor that leads to us appreciating it that much more lies in how it is quite simply, temporal. No two nights are the same, whether it is due to a difference in the audience members present, a change in actors’ delivery, or even something that seems … Continue reading Bakchormeeboy Awards 2024: Revivals, restagings and hope for the future
HONG KONG – The stress of living in an expensive, cosmopolitan city can get to you all too easily, leading to burnout, or perhaps even worse – the sacrificing of your own values for the sake of your own success, as you step on others to get ahead in the rat race. That is the core message at the heart of Windmill Grass Theatre’s The … Continue reading Arts of Hong Kong 2024: An Interview with Windmill Grass Theatre co-founders Edmond Tong, Joey Leung and Luna Shaw on new show ‘The Restaurant’
Following their sold-out debut with Christopher Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus, emerging theatre collective The Winter Players (TWP) is taking to the stage next January with their sophomore production, Henrik Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler at the KC Arts Centre. In line with their Company-in-Residence tenure at Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT), TWP’s selection for SRT’s Resident Company Programme is a significant milestone for this young collective, whose mission is … Continue reading Preview: Hedda Gabler by The Winter Players
An unexpected, roller-coaster journey that brings two strangers to the highest of highs and lowest of lows. Some of the most rewarding experiences in life come from chance encounters, where two complete strangers come into each other’s trajectory for no discernible reason other than pure dumb luck. As fate would have it, for the two protagonists of Prem John and Chandi Perera’s Frenemies, they receive … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Frenemies by Prem John and Chandi Perera
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