The Feelings Farm: An Interview with Amanda Chong on connecting with children and managing emotions

“Like a Pixar film onstage.” That’s how writer Amanda Chong imagines any kind of Theatre For Young Audiences theatre should feel like, rather than talking down or infantilising it in any way, able to connect not just with children, but even with the adults accompanying them by speaking to some fundamental, universal, relatable truths. And in many ways, that is precisely what she’s achieved with … Continue reading The Feelings Farm: An Interview with Amanda Chong on connecting with children and managing emotions

Staging Ryuichi Sakamoto: An Interview with Todd Eckert, founder of Tin Drum and co-creator of KAGAMI on technology and friendship in the arts

In March 2023, Ryuichi Sakamoto, one of Japan’s greatest contemporary composers and pianists, passed on after a long battle with cancer. Known for his ambient, sparse compositions that were capable of evoking powerful reactions and emotions from his listeners, his fans mourned him, while also knowing they would never get to see him perform live again. Yet, one of those fans, who also happened to … Continue reading Staging Ryuichi Sakamoto: An Interview with Todd Eckert, founder of Tin Drum and co-creator of KAGAMI on technology and friendship in the arts

Preview: The Silence of All Things: Thus Have I Heard by Siong Leng Musical Association

In their latest concert, the Siong Leng Musical Association is collaborating with Liu Xiaoyi, the Artistic Director of Emergency Stairs, working alongside Siong Leng Artistic Director Lin Shao Ling. Together, they will serve as co-artistic directors for a new trilogy entitled “The Silence of All Things,” using Nanyin and its practitioners as a starting point to explore the deep connections between Eastern philosophy and contemporary … Continue reading Preview: The Silence of All Things: Thus Have I Heard by Siong Leng Musical Association

★★★★☆ Review: PEARLS by Joshua Serafin (CAN 2024)

The non-binary body finds healing and solace in decolonisation and community. To be queer is to resist norms, and to live as a queer person inherently means to stand apart from the majority, incurring curiosity and perhaps even fear in others. The queer existence then is one often fraught with pain and violence, to face prejudice on account of one’s differences, and a constant search … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: PEARLS by Joshua Serafin (CAN 2024)

★★★★☆ Review: Magic Maids by Eisa Jocson and Venuri Perera (CAN 2024)

Collision course of the monstrous and magical elements of femininity, prejudice and Britney Spears. From the moment one enters the Esplanade Annexe Studio for Magic Maids, there is the sense that we are participating in something sacred or ritualistic. Hanging from the back wall is an armoury of brooms of various lengths and types, while above us, white and red string is layered and arranged … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Magic Maids by Eisa Jocson and Venuri Perera (CAN 2024)

★★★★☆ Review: TOTEM – Void and Height by Sankai Juku (CAN 2024)

Finding beauty in horror and grief, as we make meaning against the inevitable. The name of Japanese dance form butoh originates from ‘ankoku butō’, or ‘dance of darkness’. While never conforming to any specific definition, the spirit of butoh is precisely couched in the idea of resistance and counterculture, an avant garde movement that refused to use formal dance techniques, and often dealing with taboo … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: TOTEM – Void and Height by Sankai Juku (CAN 2024)

Connect Asia Now: An Interview with Joshua Serafin on healing, spirituality and the cosmos in ‘PEARLS’

Multidisciplinary artist Joshua Serafin is a force to be reckoned with. The 28-year old is already making waves across the festival circuit, with their provocative, viscerally-charged work often leaving a deep emotional impact on viewers as they reel from the sheer force of it. From performing at the Venice Biennale in 2024, to receiving nominations for the 2023 ANTI Festival International Prize for Live Art … Continue reading Connect Asia Now: An Interview with Joshua Serafin on healing, spirituality and the cosmos in ‘PEARLS’

Connect Asia Now: An Interview with Eisa Jocson and Venuri Perera on broomsticks, witchcraft and domestic work in ‘Magic Maids’

Artists and choreographers Eisa Jocson (Philippines) and Venuri Perera (Sri Lanka) may both hail from the same continent, but it took both of them being at a residency in Switzerland to finally properly befriend and begin working together. “We’ve met here and there in various places over the years, and I’ve been a fan of Eisa for some time now,” says Venuri. “But it was … Continue reading Connect Asia Now: An Interview with Eisa Jocson and Venuri Perera on broomsticks, witchcraft and domestic work in ‘Magic Maids’

Review: Hua Mu Lan by Ding Yi Music Company

Blending theatre and music to tell the story of the legendary female warrior in anti-war concert. Thanks to the popular Disney film adaptations, the legend of Hua Mu Lan has gone far beyond the confines of Chinese culture, an internationally-renowned female warrior who save her father by taking his place in the army. Something about the story of courage and ferocious tenacity never gets old, … Continue reading Review: Hua Mu Lan by Ding Yi Music Company

★★★★☆ Review: This Song Father Used To Sing (Three Days In May) by Wichaya Artamat

A closer look at ordinary life that carries on in spite of the extraordinary. Thai writer-director Wichaya Artamat claims that his play This Song Father Used To Sing (Three Days In May) is an unpolitical play. But can any play truly be completely devoid of any political attachment? Rounding off the Esplanade’s 2024 season of The Studios, This Song Father Used To Sing (Three Days … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: This Song Father Used To Sing (Three Days In May) by Wichaya Artamat