★★★★☆ Review: First Fleet (2021) by Nine Years Theatre and Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre

Journey to a brave new world with the power of art.  While most often seen by the general public as a means for entertainment, we often forget about that the arts also has a therapeutic effects on both participant and audience, a theme that’s at the forefront of Nine Years Theatre’s (NYT) First Fleet, restaged at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre this week. Directed by … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: First Fleet (2021) by Nine Years Theatre and Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre

The Banter: An Interview with Cherilyn Woo and Krish Natarajan of SRT’s The Sound Inside

In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic has left many of us keenly aware of how difficult it can be cooped up in our own homes, and how thankful we were once we could have outside human contact and see each other once again. And now, with The Sound Inside, Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) starts their season off reminding us all of the power of the human connection. Written … Continue reading The Banter: An Interview with Cherilyn Woo and Krish Natarajan of SRT’s The Sound Inside

Preview: The Sound Inside by Singapore Repertory Theatre

Fresh off directing Nine Years Theatre’s Mandarin-language adaptation of Sophocles’ Oedipus, Cherilyn Woo is set to direct another project this March, as she returns to Singapore Repertory Theatre to head award-winning playwright Adam Rapp’s The Sound Inside. The first play of SRT’s new season, The Sound Inside is a two-hander that turns the spotlight on an unusual connection forged between a pair of literary-minded people – … Continue reading Preview: The Sound Inside by Singapore Repertory Theatre

★★★★☆ Review: 王命 Oedipus by Nine Years Theatre

Pride and politics. It’s hard to imagine that a Greek play from 429 BC would have any relevance in modern day Singapore, but as Nine Years Theatre has shown time and again, there is good reason why the classics are still read even today. Directed and adapted by Cherilyn Woo (and translated to Mandarin by Huang Suhuai), Nine Years Theare (NYT) opens their 2021 season … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: 王命 Oedipus by Nine Years Theatre

★★★★☆ Review: Bull by Wild Rice

Victoria Chen grabs the Bull by its horns in this fast-paced, hard-hitting play about cutthroat workplaces. 2020 has been a tumultuous year, with surging unemployment and mass retrenchment exercises across the world, thanks to the economic recession and restrictions brought about by COVID-19. It seems then, that Mike Bartlett’s Bull is a timely play to stage at this point. Playing as part of Wild Rice’s Directors’ … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Bull by Wild Rice

★★★★☆ Review: Ghost Light by SRT’s The Young Company

The Young Company explore promenade theatre and uncover ghosts of the pasts, while revealing a talented cast.  In a year where the theatre scene has been forced to change, it makes sense that new productions would attempt to take on new forms and experimentations to adapt to the restricted performance landscape. And so it is for the Singapore Repertory Theatre’s latest batch of The Young … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Ghost Light by SRT’s The Young Company

Review: Schooled by Wild Rice’s Singapore Youth Theatre

The kids are alright, as Wild Rice’s inaugural batch of Singapore Youth Theatre showcases what they’re made of.  For a number of years now, in addition to their regular productions, Wild Rice has offered programmes for potential child actors (First Stage) and older, more experienced theatremakers in their adulthood (Young & Wild). But there’s never really been a similar platform for teens to go under … Continue reading Review: Schooled by Wild Rice’s Singapore Youth Theatre

★★☆☆☆ Review: Candide by Young & Wild

The pitfalls of optimism are explored in Young & Wild 2020’s showcase performance.  According to playwright Mark Ravenhill, the word ‘optimism’ had only been in use for about 20 years when Voltaire wrote his satirical novella Candide in 1759. And interestingly enough, beyond the idea of hope, the word ‘optimism’ was also born from the idea of the ‘optimal’, where one believes that whatever path one’s … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: Candide by Young & Wild

★★★★★ Review: Around The World In 80 Days – A Book Analysis Workshop by Andsoforth

Outdoing themselves yet again, Around The World In 80 Days is a great experience, and a lesson in excellence in spite of the odds. For a couple of years now, we’ve been following local immersive theatre company Andsoforth and their works. From our first encounter at the psychedlic The Imaginarium of Disco David back in 2017, to the more recent, Norse-inspired Valhalla and the Chambers of … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Around The World In 80 Days – A Book Analysis Workshop by Andsoforth

A Woman of the World: An Interview with Lydie Blandeau, producer of Once Upon A Time On The Orient Express

For a project as big as the upcoming Once Upon A Time On The Orient Express, it requires someone of great experience and fortitude to handle negotiations, including the shipping of two cars from the actual Orient Express, and the nail-biting amount of nerve it takes to press on with it even with a global pandemic going on, adapting as the situation changes. That person is Lydie … Continue reading A Woman of the World: An Interview with Lydie Blandeau, producer of Once Upon A Time On The Orient Express