By Design: An Interview with Professor Erwin Viray

Professor Erwin Viray has led one heck of a colourful life. Born in the Philippines, Professor Viray has been constantly going against the grain and out of his comfort zone to arrive at his current position, leading the Sustainability Initiatives in SUTD to address the university’s approach to environmental responsibility with the goal to minimize environmental impact. But even before that, Professor Viray has already … Continue reading By Design: An Interview with Professor Erwin Viray

★★★★☆ Review: MILIEU 2022 by Frontier Danceland

Double bill of new introspective dance work looking at coexistence and cultural traditions. In the new edition of Frontier Danceland’s signature MILIEU programme, veteran female choreographers Low Mei Yoke (Singapore), Irene Kalbusch (Belgium) and Loke Soh Kim (Malaysia) produce and choreograph two intimate reflections on the interconnections of identity, place and culture, as they look towards the future, paying attention to what’s happening on the … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: MILIEU 2022 by Frontier Danceland

★★☆☆☆ Review: For My Highness by Toy Factory Productions

Weak direction and a script still in its infancy leave this play about drug abuse bereft of an emotional anchor. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Adeeb Fazah) 4 Script (Shaleihin Pi’ee) 4 Performance (Zulfiqar Izzudin, Ong Xue Min, Wilfred Lee Kim Chye, Fadhil Daud, Jayden Lim Jun De) 4 Lighting (Fazree Azharie) 5 Sound (Vick Low) 5 Set (Vivien Lau) 4 Total 26/60 (43%) … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: For My Highness by Toy Factory Productions

★★★★★ Review: Stream of Memory by Papermoon Puppet Theatre and Esplanade – Theatres on The Bay

Excellent puppetry immerses audience members in a mystical river. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Maria Tri Sulistyani) 9 Performance 9 Puppet Design / Puppet Engineers (Iwan Effendi / Anton Fajri and Muhammad Alhaq) 10 Choreography (Dapheny Chen) 8 Music and Sound Design (Yennu Ariendra) 8 Lighting Design (James Tan) 8 Multimedia (Gilang Kusuma) 8 Costume Design (Retno Intiani) 8 Total 68/80 (85%) Final Score: … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Stream of Memory by Papermoon Puppet Theatre and Esplanade – Theatres on The Bay

★★★★☆ Review: Lewis Cornay’s ‘Daddy Issues’ at Seven Dials Playhouse

Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Jane Moriarty) 7 Script (Lewis Cornay) 8 Performance (Bebe Cave) 8 Set Design (Andrew Exeter) 7 Lighting Design (Andrew Exeter) 7 Sound Design (Christopher Reid) 7 Costumes (Sophia Pardon) 7 Video (Lewis Den Hertog) 7 Total 58/80 (73%) Final Score: ★★★★☆ LONDON – Written by Offie award-winner Lewis Cornay and starring actress, writer and podcast host Bebe Cave, Daddy Issues is a devilishly dark … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Lewis Cornay’s ‘Daddy Issues’ at Seven Dials Playhouse

★★★★★ Review: Kumar XXX by Dream Academy

Celebrating 30 years of being an icon, Kumar tackles sex, politics and current affairs in his signature, quintessentially Singaporean style. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (George Chan) 9 Additional Writing (Gabrielle Evelena, Jo Tan, Malcolm Oei and Janis Goh) 8 Performance (Kumar) 10 Dancers (Aidil Fitrah, Charmain Ho, Francesca Harriman, Hafeez Hassan, Rocio Yap and Kim Eusope) 10 Choreography (Francesca Harriman and Hafeez Hassan) … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Kumar XXX by Dream Academy

★★★★☆ Review: Between 5 Cows and the Deep Blue Sea by A Yagnya (Kalaa Utsavam 2022)

Interrogating the confused, multi-faceted identity of the modern Indian woman in a meta, self-reflexive play. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (A Yagnya and Alvin Tan) 6 Script (A Yagnya) 6 Performance (Indumathi Tamilselvan and Kewal Kartik) 8 Costumes (Max Tan) 8 Set (Chan Silei) 7 Lighting (Faith Liu Yong Huay) 8 Multimedia (Jevon Chandra) 9 Sound (Jevon Chandra) 8 Total 60/80 (75%) Final Score: … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Between 5 Cows and the Deep Blue Sea by A Yagnya (Kalaa Utsavam 2022)

★★★★☆ Review: Chestnuts – Sibeh Strange in the Multiverse

Singapore’s longest running parody returns with a vengeance after 7 years, spoofing everything from Marvel to The LKY Musical. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Jonathan Lim) 7 Script (Jonathan Lim) 7 Performance (Jonathan Lim, Judy Ngo, Audrey Luo, Timothy Wan, Nelson Chia) 8 Music (Elaine Chan) 8 Sound Design (Bob Wong) 7 Multimedia Design (Genevieve Peck) 7 Lighting Design (Tai Zi Feng) 7 Costumes … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Chestnuts – Sibeh Strange in the Multiverse

By The Book: An Interview with Karim Alwadi, co-author of new book ‘ChinaPhobia – A Wasted Opportunity’

Entrepreneur Karim Alwadi is a man of multiple cultures. Born in Damascus to a Syrian father and a Russian mother, he moved to Moscow in high school, and then to China when he was 18. Since then, he’s received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in International Relations, focusing on Sino Arab Relations, at Ren Min University, and a PhD in International Politics from China Foreign … Continue reading By The Book: An Interview with Karim Alwadi, co-author of new book ‘ChinaPhobia – A Wasted Opportunity’

By The Book: ChinaPhobia – A Wasted Opportunity by Karim Alwadi and Mohammad Kheir Alwadi

A lecture in book form by father-son experts in Sino relations. Dr Karim Alwadi is an entrepreneur and political scientist based in Beijing. His father, Dr Mohammed Kheir Alwadi, is an acclaimed journalist and former ambassador from Syria to China. Together, the two men’s shared knowledge and experiences span enough material to co-author a book, something they’ve done over the last three years, resulting in … Continue reading By The Book: ChinaPhobia – A Wasted Opportunity by Karim Alwadi and Mohammad Kheir Alwadi