★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: Retina Manoeuvre by k*hole karaoke – Wang Ping-Hsiang

Taiwanese artist Wang Ping-Hsiang explores the uneasy tension between nationalism and violence in a winding piece of anecdotal theatre. It is difficult to pin down exactly what kind of show Retina Manoeuvre wants to be. Playing at Theatre Practice’s Practice Space as part of the Singapore Fringe Festival, Berlin-based Taiwanese theatremaker Wang presents a relatively stripped-down setup: a desk, a laptop, a microphone, and a … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Theatre Review: Retina Manoeuvre by k*hole karaoke – Wang Ping-Hsiang

Books: Ratna Damayanti Taha’s debut novel ‘Mind the Gap’ awarded 2026 Epigram Books Fiction Prize

The Amara Hotel ballroom is not where literary glamour usually lives. On this January evening, there are no red carpets or flashing cameras, just round tables, polite applause, and the low hum of people who care deeply about books. Editors, writers, publishers, teachers, and industry figures fill the room. It feels, fittingly, like what Edmund Wee later calls “the book ecosystem”. “It is quiet, unglamorous … Continue reading Books: Ratna Damayanti Taha’s debut novel ‘Mind the Gap’ awarded 2026 Epigram Books Fiction Prize

Preview:《杀戮之神》God of Carnage by Nine Years Theatre

This March, one of the sharpest, funniest dissections of modern adulthood comes to Singapore as Nine Years Theatre (NYT) stages God of Carnage, Yasmina Reza’s internationally celebrated dark comedy. Running from 20 to 29 March 2026 at The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre @ Funan, the production promises an evening that begins politely, and ends gloriously unhinged. If NYT’s sold-out run of Twelve Angry Men proved … Continue reading Preview:《杀戮之神》God of Carnage by Nine Years Theatre

Visual Art: Neural Echoes – Enter the Sleep Lab by Tusitala X Artwave Studio

In a dimly lit room, a calm voice welcomes you to SomniTech’s Sleep Lab. You’ve been selected to participate in a cutting-edge clinical trial—one that promises to optimise your rest, enhance productivity, and unlock the hidden potential of sleep itself. But there’s a catch: previous participants never left. This is the unsettling premise of Neural Echoes: Enter the Sleep Lab, a 50-minute immersive, narrative-driven experience … Continue reading Visual Art: Neural Echoes – Enter the Sleep Lab by Tusitala X Artwave Studio

Books: Epigram Books reveals lineup of children’s books and strong local voices in first half of 2026

Despite a shrinking local publishing scene, Epigram Books is doubling down on children’s literature and distinctive non-fiction in the first half of 2026, unveiling nine new titles that span picture books, middle-grade adventures, history, memoir and food culture. Speaking at a media engagement, Epigram founder Edmund Wee framed the new lineup against what he described as a sobering reality for Singapore publishing. With several presses … Continue reading Books: Epigram Books reveals lineup of children’s books and strong local voices in first half of 2026

The Arts House opens 2026 with a celebration of SingLit at VERSE

Kick off the new year with a bold celebration of words, creativity, and collaboration as VERSE 2026 returns to The Arts House at the Old Parliament from 9 to 31 January 2026. Far from a traditional literary festival, VERSE transforms the historic civic space into a multi-sensory playground, where literature meets visual art, music, performance, and digital innovation. Curated by Arts House Group, VERSE 2026 … Continue reading The Arts House opens 2026 with a celebration of SingLit at VERSE

★★★★☆ Review: ENTOURAGE – Murder Amongst Friends by Dramalab

Jit Murad’s lost play transforms The Playhouse into a spiralling night of ’90s excess, nostalgia, and danger, resurrecting his voice with bold direction and an unforgettable ensemble. KUALA LUMPUR – Stepping into The Playhouse, it begins as though the audience has stumbled into a party already in progress: a beautiful, artsy house with a bar, a living room, and the specific kind of lived-in aesthetic … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: ENTOURAGE – Murder Amongst Friends by Dramalab

Celebrating ten years of Sonny Liew’s ‘The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye’ with a three-site exhibition

Ten years after its groundbreaking release, The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye has long established that it’s one of Singapore’s foremost works of literature, a cultural touchstone that may very well claim to be one of the quintessential Singaporean novels, where Sonny Liew’s award-winning work reimagines Singapore’s history through the life of a comic artist, blending fact, fiction, and the very medium of comics … Continue reading Celebrating ten years of Sonny Liew’s ‘The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye’ with a three-site exhibition

Review: We Make Spaces Divine ft. Dey by the Esplanade, Pooja Nansi, Shivram Gopinath, Isuru Wijesoma & RAAJ

Pooja Nansi and Shivram Gopinath’s tongue-in-cheek, electric verse meets sick beats to create a profoundly healing experience. In tiny Singapore, it can be all too easy to feel a creeping sense of claustrophobia. Shared third spaces vanish, and opportunities for uninhibited self-expression grow scarce. For poet Pooja Nansi, the solution is not to wait for transformation, but to seize agency: to uncover beauty in the … Continue reading Review: We Make Spaces Divine ft. Dey by the Esplanade, Pooja Nansi, Shivram Gopinath, Isuru Wijesoma & RAAJ

Kalaa Utsavam 2025: An Interview with Pooja Nansi on what it takes to make spaces divine

We Make Spaces Divine ft. Dey began as a quiet idea in the wake of a pandemic and grew into a riot of sound, poetry, and cinematic memory. For poet and performer Pooja Nansi, the work was a way to finally launch a collection that had been waiting in the wings. “So much of my practice is performance,” she reflects. “I’d already performed every collection … Continue reading Kalaa Utsavam 2025: An Interview with Pooja Nansi on what it takes to make spaces divine