Macao Arts Festival 2018: An Interview with Choreographer Cheng Tsung-lung (Cloud Gate 2)

Closing off the 29th edition of the annual Macao Arts Festival is Taiwanese dance company Cloud Gate 2 with their performance 13 Tongues. First commissioned for the Taiwan International Festival of Arts in 2016, the work is inspired by the 1960s performer “Thirteen Tongues”, a street artist from Taipei’s oldest district. As an artist known for portraying multiple roles as he performed characters of all ages and genders, 13 … Continue reading Macao Arts Festival 2018: An Interview with Choreographer Cheng Tsung-lung (Cloud Gate 2)

The Finger Players 2018: An Interview with Citizen Dog Director Oliver Chong and Puppeteer Ann Lek

This June, The Finger Players return with a brand new season of theatrical productions to be staged at the Victoria Theatre. Each playing for a single weekend over two weeks, witness the return of their new shows with Citizen Dog and Framed, by Adolf, helmed by Finger Players resident director Oliver Chong and company director Chong Tze Chien respectively. In the first of a two part series, we … Continue reading The Finger Players 2018: An Interview with Citizen Dog Director Oliver Chong and Puppeteer Ann Lek

Preview: Masterpieces by Gu Guan Ren 《蓝色畅想》by Ding Yi Music Company

  Ding Yi Music Company presents their latest show this June as they join forces with renowned composer Gu Guan Ren (顾冠仁) and present some of his best known works at the at the SCO Concert Hall for one night only! Titled Masterpieces by Gu Guan Ren, the concert has been organised as part of Ding Yi’s new “Composer Series” initiative, and will comprise of two segments – the … Continue reading Preview: Masterpieces by Gu Guan Ren 《蓝色畅想》by Ding Yi Music Company

Preview: OFFSTAGE by Emergency Stairs

Following their production of new work Einstein in the Carpark at the Huayi festival earlier this year, experimental theatre company Emergency Stairs welcomes audiences into their home in an industrial estate in Mattar as they present OFFSTAGE. Staged by members of Emergency Stairs’ training arm, Emergency Shelter, OFFSTAGE is an all new work that examines the various roles behind the scenes of every theatre production. From the creative team of … Continue reading Preview: OFFSTAGE by Emergency Stairs

Review: Masters of Comedy by Toy Factory

A loving tribute to Chinese comedians and comedy in all its forms.  In our childhood, we recall many nights glassy eyed and glued to the television while wolfing down our dinners. There’s a keen sense of nostalgia associated with the act of watching television, remembered mainly as a family activity and one of the few times we truly get to kick back, relax and just … Continue reading Review: Masters of Comedy by Toy Factory

Review: Pissed Julie (茱莉小解) by Nine Years Theatre

Strindberg’s classic is re-appropriated to complicate issues of identity and the mutability of class in this new adaptation. In watching Nelson Chia’s adaptation of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie, there’s a scene from late animator Satoshi Kon’s film Paprika that came to mind: in the opening sequence, we see the title character’s reflection split across multiple mirrors, each displaying a different expression. In a similar way, Nelson has made the unusual choice … Continue reading Review: Pissed Julie (茱莉小解) by Nine Years Theatre

Toy Factory’s Masters of Comedy: An Interview with Judee Tan and Sugie Phua

As part of the Singapore Chinese Culture Centre’s Cultural Extravaganza, local theatre company Toy Factory has been specially commissioned to create opening show Masters of Comedy 《天才谐星》, premiering this week! Directed by Goh Boon Teck and written by Johsen Ong, the 90 minute show will be performed in Mandarin, and pay tribute to some of our most iconic local comedians, from Bai Yan all the way to Jack … Continue reading Toy Factory’s Masters of Comedy: An Interview with Judee Tan and Sugie Phua

Preview: Pissed Julie (茱莉小解) by Nine Years Theatre

Fresh from a successful premiere at the 2018 Macau Arts Festival, Nine Years Theatre (NYT) is flying back to Singapore to present their newest production Pissed Julie.  Initially proposed by artistic director Nelson Chia as an interesting project to embark on with Macau and performed in both cities, Pissed Julie went from a festival commissioned play featuring Macanese actors directed by Nelson, to an all new co-production between … Continue reading Preview: Pissed Julie (茱莉小解) by Nine Years Theatre

SIFA 2018: An Enemy of the People by Schaubühne Berlin (Preview)

An Enemy of the People is perhaps one of Henrik Ibsen’s most recognizable plays, following the tale of Dr Stockmann, a man who discovers that the drinking water in his spa town has been contaminated by industrial waste. A classic story of one against the mob, Stockmann finds himself under fire for attempting to reveal the inconvenient truth, and put the town’s  and the persecution he faces … Continue reading SIFA 2018: An Enemy of the People by Schaubühne Berlin (Preview)

SIFA 2018: A Dream Under The Southern Bough – The Beginning by Toy Factory (Review)

原来只是一场梦。 Inspired by Tang Xian Zu’s 16th Century Kun Opera 《南柯记》, A Dream Under The Southern Bough – The Beginning marks the first part in a planned theatre trilogy that will be staged over the next few years, and the start of an incredibly ambitious project from Toy Factory. Adapting the opera for a contemporary audience, director Goh Boon Teck and script editor Zhu Xin Chen have in … Continue reading SIFA 2018: A Dream Under The Southern Bough – The Beginning by Toy Factory (Review)