Preview: Bulan Madu – A Double Bill by Teater Ekamatra

Teater Ekamatra celebrates their 30th anniversary this year, and the number of productions they’re putting up just doesn’t seem to stop. This October, as part of Malay CultureFest 2018, they’ll be putting up a double bill of two of playwright Alfian Sa’at’s Malay plays, both of which have received rave reviews when they played across Singapore and Malaysia. Taking a word from the titles of … Continue reading Preview: Bulan Madu – A Double Bill by Teater Ekamatra

Review: Tiger of Malaya by Teater Ekamatra

Interrogating history through a filmic lens. There’s a saying that history is written by the victors, leaving plenty of warped accounts and representations scattered throughout media. Singapore, of course, isn’t exempt from this, with films by foreigners throughout history appropriating both the country and its people to better bring out their own agenda. Given the benefit of hindsight then, if we were to have a chance … Continue reading Review: Tiger of Malaya by Teater Ekamatra

Re-appropriating Film History: An Interview with The Cast and Creatives of Teater Ekamatra’s Tiger of Malaya

This week will see the premiere of Teater Ekamatra’s latest production – Tiger of Malaya. A brand new play written by Alfian Sa’at and Shawn Chua, Tiger of Malaya takes inspiration from the 1943 Japanese film ‘The Tiger of Malaya’, following a group of actors in the present day who attempt to be more accurate in their re-enaction of the film, comically ‘correcting’ history with their portrayal. We … Continue reading Re-appropriating Film History: An Interview with The Cast and Creatives of Teater Ekamatra’s Tiger of Malaya

Preview: Tiger of Malaya by Teater Ekamatra

After a mad July spent taking charge of the 2018 Singapore Theatre Festival as festival co- artistic director, playwright Alfian Sa’at returns to the Singapore theatre scene proper with a brand new play this September. Presented by Teater Ekamatra as part of their 30th Anniversary season, Tiger of Malaya takes inspiration from the 1943 Japanese film ‘The Tiger of Malaya’. Based off the life of Tani Yutaka, … Continue reading Preview: Tiger of Malaya by Teater Ekamatra

Review: Potong by Teater Ekamatra

Memory, mothers and manhood are placed on the chopping block in Teater Ekamatra’s first show of the season. In the absence of a father, what male figures does one have to turn to in order to find out what makes a man? That’s one of the central question at the heart of Teater Ekamatra’s first show of the season. Directed by Irfan Kasban and written … Continue reading Review: Potong by Teater Ekamatra

Preview: Potong by Teater Ekamatra

As they celebrate their 30th Anniversary this year, Teater Ekamatra bursts into 2018 with a brand new show this March. Written by Jonny Jon Jon and directed by Irfan Kasban, Teater Ekamatra presents Potong.  Potong follows the familiar coming of age story as a a boy goes on a rite of passage every Singaporean son does – National Service. But for the Australian born Adam, Singapore is a … Continue reading Preview: Potong by Teater Ekamatra

Review: Angkat by Teater Ekamatra

The word ‘angkat’, in Malay, literally means to ‘carry’. In the context of Teater Ekamatra’s final show of 2017 of the same name, ‘angkat’ specifically refers to the concept of adoptive mothers (or ‘mak angkat’), and attempts to shed a light on these women’s own insecurities and relationships with their adoptive children. Conceptualised by Nabilah Said and written and devised by director Irfan Kasban, along with … Continue reading Review: Angkat by Teater Ekamatra