SIFA 2026: LACRIMA – An interview with director Caroline Guiela Nguyen on painstaking, invisible labour and craftsmanship

What fascinated French artist Caroline Guiela Nguyen about the fashion world was never the glamour of haute couture itself, but the invisible human machinery that sustains it. LACRIMA, which comes to Singapore this week as one of the opening shows of the 2026 Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), may begin with the commission of a royal wedding dress, the kind of object typically associated … Continue reading SIFA 2026: LACRIMA – An interview with director Caroline Guiela Nguyen on painstaking, invisible labour and craftsmanship

Preview: Scaredy Kat Presents by Gateway Arts

There’s something quietly powerful about watching your fears play out in front of you—especially when they’re wrapped in story, light, and imagination. This May, Singapore audiences will get exactly that with Scaredy Kat Presents, a new youth theatre production by Gateway Arts. But this isn’t just another stage show, it’s an immersive, multimedia experience that transforms anxiety into something tangible, and ultimately, something hopeful. Inspired … Continue reading Preview: Scaredy Kat Presents by Gateway Arts

Preview: Flipside 2026 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Presented by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Flipside 2026 returns from 29 May to 7 June as a bold celebration of risk, play and artistic daring. Known for its vibrant mix of circus, physical theatre, puppetry and comedy, the festival invites audiences into a space where uncertainty becomes part of the experience and the thrill. Flipside has always been a festival built on the … Continue reading Preview: Flipside 2026 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

★★★★☆ Theatre Review: Teater Normcore – Odisi Romansa by Ridhwan Saidi

Ridhwan Saidi crafts a haunting, cosmic space drama about androids to remind us what it means to be human. Ridhwan Saidi’s Teater Normcore: Odisi Romansa begins with surveillance. Before the theatre fully settles into darkness, before language and philosophy take over the stage, a grainy video emerges onscreen like recovered memory. Through the detached gaze of a CCTV camera, we follow a man and woman … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Theatre Review: Teater Normcore – Odisi Romansa by Ridhwan Saidi

Preview: Broadway Beng 20th Anniversary TWENTY POON PIPI by Dream Academy

If there’s one Singaporean stage icon who has managed to outshine sequins, satire, and even the most dramatic Broadway crescendos, it’s Broadway Beng®. And this July, the larger-than-life persona returns—older, glitzier, and arguably more fabulous than ever. At the centre of it all is Sebastian Tan, the man who has spent two decades perfecting the art of being unapologetically “Beng”, equal parts cheeky, heartfelt, and … Continue reading Preview: Broadway Beng 20th Anniversary TWENTY POON PIPI by Dream Academy

Arts of Malaysia: An interview with writer/director Ridhwan Saidi on Teater Normcore – Odisi Romansa

There is something fitting about the long journey of Teater Normcore: Odisi Romansa, a play about distance, time, and memory that itself had to wait years before reaching the stage. First written in 2019, the production was disrupted by the pandemic, before finally returning in 2026. And for playwright-director Ridhwan Saidi, that passage of time was never something to erase. “I wrote Odisi Romansa back … Continue reading Arts of Malaysia: An interview with writer/director Ridhwan Saidi on Teater Normcore – Odisi Romansa

Singapore Fringe Festival presses on and returns in January 2027

There’s good news for lovers of boundary-pushing, socially conscious art: the Singapore Fringe Festival is officially set to return from 13 to 24 January 2027. Organised by The Necessary Stage (TNS), the Festival’s comeback reflects not just resilience, but the strength of a community that continues to rally behind meaningful artistic expression. Following a three-month fundraising campaign, the Festival raised $59,592 through the generosity of … Continue reading Singapore Fringe Festival presses on and returns in January 2027

Theatre Review: godategod by Intercultural Theatre Institute

Spiritual sequel to Haresh Sharma’s godeatgod explores faith, identity and belonging through a modern, foreign lens. Presented by the Intercultural Theatre Institute’s graduating class of 2026, Haresh Sharma’s godategod acts as a spiritual successor to his earlier godeatgod, originally written as a theatrical response to the devastating events of 9/11 and how to carry on in the face of the existential and spiritual crises it … Continue reading Theatre Review: godategod by Intercultural Theatre Institute

★★★★★ Theatre Review: The BFG by the RSC, Chichester Festival Theatre, Roald Dahl Story Company, co-presented with Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and SRT

A splendiferous invitation to dream big, in this magical adaptation of a beloved children’s classic with masterful puppetry and a giant heart full of hope. What if a single dream could change the world, and all it took was one small, brave “human bean” to believe in it? That spirit lies at the heart of The BFG by Roald Dahl, now reimagined in a breathtaking … Continue reading ★★★★★ Theatre Review: The BFG by the RSC, Chichester Festival Theatre, Roald Dahl Story Company, co-presented with Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and SRT

Preview: Cultural Extravaganza 2026 by Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre

If you’re looking to refresh your cultural calendar this May, there’s one event quietly shaping up to be a highlight of the season. The Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) is bringing back its annual Cultural Extravaganza, and this year’s edition feels less like a formal showcase and more like a vibrant, living snapshot of Singapore’s evolving Chinese arts scene. Running from 7 May to 7 … Continue reading Preview: Cultural Extravaganza 2026 by Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre