Against All Odds: An Interview with Alvin Tan, Haresh Sharma and Kok Heng Leun on ‘Opposition 对峙’

In any arts scene, you’re bound to find a sizeable number of big personalities, with headstrong artistic directors and scriptwriters who believe themselves the best and insist on a ‘my way or no way’ approach. It is for that same reason that collaborations between companies tend to be complicated affairs, and require not just a common vision, but also an open-minded creative team willing to … Continue reading Against All Odds: An Interview with Alvin Tan, Haresh Sharma and Kok Heng Leun on ‘Opposition 对峙’

Preview: Opposition 对峙 by The Necessary Stage and Drama Box

Over the last few years, local theatre companies Drama Box and The Necessary Stage (TNS) have been closely collaborating with each other, resulting in two critically-acclaimed productions – 2016’s Manifesto and 2018’s Underclass. Now, the two companies are set to present the final show in their trilogy of collaborations, with Opposition in March. “Opposition is a fascinating blend of live and multimedia performance. The narrative … Continue reading Preview: Opposition 对峙 by The Necessary Stage and Drama Box

Review: Gash Theatre Gets Ghosted by Gash Theatre

Haunted by the fear of modern living. Horror has always been one of the hardest things to introduce in a theatre setting, possibly because of how difficult it is to create jump scares, or create a truly terrifying enough monster to instil fear in audiences. So perhaps the most effective types of scares these days come from the most innocuous of sources – the creeping, … Continue reading Review: Gash Theatre Gets Ghosted by Gash Theatre

★★★☆☆ Review: RevoLOOtion by Intercultural Theatre Institute

Doom is inevitable, but perhaps we can learn how to make things less crappy. When you think of a theatre course’s graduating show, forum theatre isn’t the first medium you might think of. But as far as showcases go, it’s a medium that provides a surprisingly large number of ways by which to challenge graduates, from quick-witted improv skills to the ability to immediately embody … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: RevoLOOtion by Intercultural Theatre Institute

★★★☆☆ Review: You Are Here by Pooja Nansi

A deep dive into the history of what made Pooja Nansi the person she is today. For poet Pooja Nansi, who was born in India and came to Singapore at the age of one, border crossing has always been a part of her family history. ‘Home’ is a word that always bears considerable weight and complications, and the question “are you Singaporean?” only leads her … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: You Are Here by Pooja Nansi

★★★☆☆ Review: By Design by CAKE

Triptych of new work exploring the intersections of performativity and design. CAKE is a company that has always been known for their willingness to find new collaborators, often leading to visually stunning experimental work. That’s a trend that continues in By Design, CAKE’s latest project, which puts graphic design artists front and centre. With By Design, CAKE presents the work of Vanessa Ban, Zach Lieberman … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: By Design by CAKE

Review: Oppy and Professor Communitas by Five Arts Centre

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – Malaysian playwright Leow Puay Tin is perhaps better known for her early scripts, from Family to Three Children. But with the support of Five Arts Centre, Leow is back at the metaphorical typewriter again, as she pens several new plays between 2019 and 2022, to be produced as readings and performances in-venue and online. The latest of these productions is Oppy … Continue reading Review: Oppy and Professor Communitas by Five Arts Centre

Preview: RevoLOOtion by Intercultural Theatre Institute

This April, the newest graduating cohort of the Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) will perform their new devised work, RevoLOOtion, at Goodman Arts Centre Black Box. Directed by veteran theatre practitioner Li Xie, RevoLOOtion is an original production that takes an unvarnished look at the internal conflict and oppression that exists beneath the veneer of a community. Uniquely designed as a performance and workshop, RevoLOOtion attempts … Continue reading Preview: RevoLOOtion by Intercultural Theatre Institute

★★★★☆ Review: Agathi | Refugee by Apsaras Arts

Retelling the story of the refugee crisis through Bharatanatyam. In a first-time collaboration between Apsaras Arts and Wild Rice, the Ngee Ann Kongsi Auditorium played host to Agathi | Refugee. Directed by Aravinth Kumarasamy, with dramaturgy by Ivan Heng, the performance brings together theatre, poetry and the classical Indian dance form Bharatanatyam to spotlight the lives and plight of refugees on the intimate stage. The … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Agathi | Refugee by Apsaras Arts

The Band That Plays Together, Stays Together: An Interview with Pink Floyd Tribute Band Welcome to the Machine

Top, from left: WTTM members Laurence Bucci, David Baptista, and Noel ong Bottom, from left: Jesse Lai, Lim Kiang, Arindam Chatterjee Since the last time we spoke to Welcome To The Machine (WTTM) in 2018, the band has been enjoying moderate success, playing gigs from Beerfest to more modest crowds at underground venues, such as The Lab at Kallang Place, alongside international shows in the … Continue reading The Band That Plays Together, Stays Together: An Interview with Pink Floyd Tribute Band Welcome to the Machine