★★★★★ Review: Famous Puppet Death Scenes by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop

Fictional puppet history showcases a myriad of forms, styles, and dark, adult-oriented humour that leaves a powerful sense of catharsis. For so many people, death can be such a terrifying prospect because it seems so mysterious, so sudden, and most of all, inevitable. After all, nobody escapes death – not even puppets. But given that puppets never truly die, it stands to reason that they … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Famous Puppet Death Scenes by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop

★☆☆☆☆ Review: NEW-ILLUSION by Toshiki Okada/chelfitsch (SIFA 2023)

Too much restraint turns an innovative breakup narrative into a snoozefest. In an edition of the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) that has focused so much on formal experimentation and exploration, it’s always exciting when a company like chelfitsch comes in with a new form they’ve been developing for several years, seemingly promising an original work that feels more established in style. Enter EIZO-Theater, … Continue reading ★☆☆☆☆ Review: NEW-ILLUSION by Toshiki Okada/chelfitsch (SIFA 2023)

★★★★☆ Review: Humans 2.0 by Circa (SIFA 2023)

Circus acts elevated to art in a performance that shows the necessity of care. In an already crowded arts and entertainment industry, it can be difficult to stand out and offer something new to the scene. Enter Australian circus company Circa, who show that there is still room to innovate and elevate the circus arts to new heights with their work Humans 2.0. Directed by … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Humans 2.0 by Circa (SIFA 2023)

★☆☆☆☆ Review: The School by Jean Ng, Li Xie and Joavien Ng (SIFA 2023)

A series of exercises in self-reflection that leaves audiences wandering. How much do you remember from your time in school? Most people are likely to tell you – not much, as we complained about the stress of exams and the pointlessness of learning certain subjects. But with participatory performance The School, the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) offers audience members a potential alternative education … Continue reading ★☆☆☆☆ Review: The School by Jean Ng, Li Xie and Joavien Ng (SIFA 2023)

★★★★★ Review: Doubt – A Parable by Pangdemonium

Taut, thrilling battle of truth, faith and conviction. “What do you do when you’re not sure?” That is how John Patrick Shanley’s play Doubt: A Parable opens, in a sermon by the popular and charismatic parish priest Father Flynn. It is a strange question, particularly one that is raised by a man of the cloth who should embody total and complete faith. Yet Father Flynn … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Doubt – A Parable by Pangdemonium

Review: LOVE DIVINE by SUKKI, Daniel Kok and Luke George (SIFA 2023)

Knotty forms of love and social commentary, and titillating forms of subversive entertainment. The Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) has never shied away from unusual presentations and venues. But while grunge or nature has often characterised the surprise space, this year, they’ve gone a little higher – literally, with CÉ LA VI on the 57th floor of the iconic Marina Bay Sands. This wasn’t … Continue reading Review: LOVE DIVINE by SUKKI, Daniel Kok and Luke George (SIFA 2023)

Preview: RENT by Sing’theatre Academy

Following his successful direction of I Love You You’re Perfect Now Change, TJ Taylor is set to direct the latest batch of “The Showstoppers”, the top students of Sing’theatre Academy, to perform one of the most popular musicals of the 21st century…RENT. RENT debuted off-Broadway in 1996, one day after its composer and playwright Jonathan Larson died of an aortic aneurysm at the age of … Continue reading Preview: RENT by Sing’theatre Academy

SIFA 2023: An Interview with Circa Associate Director Ben Knapton, and Tour Manager Todd Kilby, for ‘Humans 2.0’

Death-defying acrobatics, the human body stretched to its extremes, and intimate choreography that makes us feel for the performers – who doesn’t love the circus? In Circa’s Humans 2.0, the Australian circus company is taking the species to the next level, and blends movement, dance, theatre, and circus together to explore how we connect, attract, repel and attach, how we commune and how we isolate. … Continue reading SIFA 2023: An Interview with Circa Associate Director Ben Knapton, and Tour Manager Todd Kilby, for ‘Humans 2.0’

SIFA 2023: An Interview with Toshiki Okada, playwright and director of ‘NEW-ILLUSION’

In the realm of theatre, what is real and what is not? That’s a line further blurred in Japanese theatre production NEW-ILLUSION. Utilising chelfitsch’s innovative EIZO-Theater style, watch as life-size projections create dynamic illusions that live actors play with. In NEW-ILLUSION, projected images of a man and a woman begin talking about a play that was performed in the theatre, a play set in the … Continue reading SIFA 2023: An Interview with Toshiki Okada, playwright and director of ‘NEW-ILLUSION’

SIFA 2023: An Interview with Thanapol Virulhakul, director of ‘INTERMISSION’

In INTERMISSION, traditional Thai music and contemporary dance practice intertwine to examine the body as a political site and the sociopolitical power of dance. Stuck in the state-enforced past and unable to see the future of his own country, choreographer Thanapol Virulhakul proposes Thai postmodern dance as a method to navigate Thailand’s socio-political power structure that infiltrates all areas of a citizen’s life. A single … Continue reading SIFA 2023: An Interview with Thanapol Virulhakul, director of ‘INTERMISSION’