Who exactly are the Mak-Mak Menari and why should we care about Bhumi Collective’s latest show of the same name? In short, the 23-member group of veteran Malay dancers have been around since the early 2010s, and by virtue of their very existence, are pushing boundaries and subverting expectations of the middle-aged Malay woman. Premiering at the 2020 M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, Mak-Mak Menari is … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020: An Interview with Soultari Amin Farid and Grace Lee-Khoo (Mak-Mak Menari)

In the not so distant future of 2075, the world is at its end. Three people – a political exile, a former radical and a climate refugee go in search of a virtual utopia, in the hopes that they find some form of shelter away from everything else. But what results is an absurd game, as Square One Collective’s No Place emerges as a social experiment that … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020: An Interview with Square One Collective (No Place)

Female, Jewish and an Israeli living in Germany, Reut Shemesh’s background is certainly one that offers up a myriad of perspectives by which to see the world. At the 2020 M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, Reut will be bringing in her work ATARA – For you, who has not yet found the one, investigating femininity, religion and personhood with a mixed cast of Orthodox and secular dancers. … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020: An Interview with Reut Shemesh (ATARA – For you, who has not yet found the one)

If there’s one thing Singapore theatre seems to lack, it’s more companies willing to go down the irreverent route, having fun with their craft and taking theatre to its extremes. For Spacebar Theatre, comprising Eugene Koh and Lee Shu Yu, the NUS Theatre Studies graduates are about to do just that with The Utama Spaceship, playing this January as part of the 2020 M1 Singapore Fringe … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020: An Interview with Spacebar Theatre (The Utama Spaceship)

If you grew up in Singapore, then you’d probably know that of all the currencies viewed as most important to getting ahead in life, the most valuable one is education. But in spite of having a world class education system available to all citizens, there are plenty of other factors that gives some students an unfair advantage over others, from a stable home environment to … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020: An Interview with Jelaine Ng and Jeramy Lim (The Shadow Curriculum)

It’s becoming increasingly common these days to feel a sense of displacement amidst our fast-changing world. Life itself often feels surreal, with the sheer amount of tragedy highlighted in the news, while the daily routine works its way into a droll, to the extent we begin to disconnect from our physical bodies and the world around us. It may not always be obvious, but certainly, … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020: An Interview with .gif (Beside Ourselves)

How closely tied is heritage to place? Local playwrights Kuo Pao Kun and Alfian Sa’at explored this concept of space and identity in their works Kopitiam and Anak Bulan di Kampong Wa’ Hassan respectively, wondering about how beyond the physical, what else would be lost in our relentless move towards national development and progress. Is it really worth it to leave everything behind as we strive to reach the future? … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020: An Interview with Oliver Chong (Contemplating Kopitiam and Kampong Wa’Hassan)

se Secretive Thing is a collective that’s…well, secret. While they’ve done a number of productions in the past, they’ve kept their identities a tight-lipped secret, something few to no people can do in this day and age. Known only by their monikers Lemon and Koko, they’ll be presenting their new work Secretive Thing 215 at the 2020 M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, inviting audience members to join … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020: An Interview with Secretive Thing (Secretive Thing 215)

After making their debut as a collective at the 2017 M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, ATTEMPTS is back for another show at the 2020 M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, this time with a brand new storytelling meets gamification experience in A Tiny Country. In the work, audience members take on the role of members of a community living in a tiny country, while also playing as social scientists … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2020: An Interview with Rei Poh (A Tiny Country)