Esplanade’s The Studios 2023: An Interview with assistant director Deonn Yang, and the cast of The Necessary Stage’s ‘Three Years In The Life and Death of Land’

Dysfunctional families are a staple in theatre and film, and are often the basis for tension, conflict, and understanding differences. In The Necessary Stage’s (TNS) Three Years In The Life and Death of Land, past pain and trauma are what threaten to tear a multiracial family apart. But in many ways, isn’t that precisely the struggle of the average Singaporean family, as they do whatever … Continue reading Esplanade’s The Studios 2023: An Interview with assistant director Deonn Yang, and the cast of The Necessary Stage’s ‘Three Years In The Life and Death of Land’

Esplanade’s The Studios 2023: An Interview with Silke Huysmans and Hannes Dereere, creators of ‘The Mining Trilogy’

In November 2015, a dam containing toxic mining waste collapsed a few miles away from theatremaker Silke Huysmans’ childhood home in the South of Brazil. Not only did a devastating flood of mud destroy several villages below the dam, but in the next couple of days, poisonous sludge flowed into the river Rio Doce and eventually reached the Atlantic Ocean, causing massive ecological impact and … Continue reading Esplanade’s The Studios 2023: An Interview with Silke Huysmans and Hannes Dereere, creators of ‘The Mining Trilogy’

Preview: The Studios 2023 – Landings by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Celebrating their 20th edition, the Esplanade’s The Studios series takes on a newer, expanded format, responding to the ever-changing world and continuing to programme work that challenges our notions of what art can be and do. Starting off this new version of The Studios, from 2023-2025, the programme will explore notions of Land. With works performed across various venues in the Esplanade, including the new … Continue reading Preview: The Studios 2023 – Landings by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

★★★★★ Review: Famous Puppet Death Scenes by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop

Fictional puppet history showcases a myriad of forms, styles, and dark, adult-oriented humour that leaves a powerful sense of catharsis. For so many people, death can be such a terrifying prospect because it seems so mysterious, so sudden, and most of all, inevitable. After all, nobody escapes death – not even puppets. But given that puppets never truly die, it stands to reason that they … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Famous Puppet Death Scenes by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop

★★★★★ Review: Chimpanzee by Nick Lehane

The hell of animal experimentation is keenly felt in this devastating work of puppet theatre. The beauty of puppetry lies in how easily we project our own feelings onto an object, given breath and life through puppeteers. And for animal puppets in particular, there is a dual layer of suspension of disbelief required, where not only do the puppeteers have to create empathy for a … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Chimpanzee by Nick Lehane

Flipside 2023: An Interview with Pityu Kenderes, co-artistic director of The Old Trout Puppet Workshop and co-creator of ‘Famous Puppet Death Scenes’

Everyone knows the best part of tragedies are the epic, bloody, melodramatic death scenes. So why not craft an entire show that gives you the best of the best, with an entire series of death scenes one after another? Enter Famous Puppet Death Scenes, where puppets will do just that for you, showcasing gruesome, shocking, silly, and ultimately, cathartic deaths of puppets. Created by Canada’s … Continue reading Flipside 2023: An Interview with Pityu Kenderes, co-artistic director of The Old Trout Puppet Workshop and co-creator of ‘Famous Puppet Death Scenes’

Esplanade’s Flipside 2023: An Interview with Nick Lehane, creator of ‘Chimpanzee’

Award-winning puppeteer and theatremaker Nick Lehane is a sensitive man, who feels for the world and its inhabitants, and wants you to think about them too. In his critically-acclaimed puppet play Chimpanzee, Nick invites audiences to consider the plight of a primate whose DNA is surprisingly close to ours, yet is put through the wringer and subject to cruelties such as being locked in a … Continue reading Esplanade’s Flipside 2023: An Interview with Nick Lehane, creator of ‘Chimpanzee’

★★★★★ Review: Potong (2023) by Teater Ekamatra

Circumcision as a rite of passage opens up difficult conversations about family ties. Severance of any form can be a source of great anxiety. Whether it’s separation from the only family you’ve ever known, or even the prospect of removing a part of your body, can the act of having something cut off from you no longer be seen as a necessary rite of passage? … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Potong (2023) by Teater Ekamatra

Pesta Raya 2023: An Interview with ‘Potong’ director Mohd Fared Jainal

What does it mean to be a Singaporean Malay man? Is it having gone through National Service? Is it simply by virtue of being brown? Or could it be the quintessential rite of passage for Muslim males – circumcision? Those are key questions that will be addressed and more in Johnny Jon Jon’s play Potong, which receives a new staging next week as part of … Continue reading Pesta Raya 2023: An Interview with ‘Potong’ director Mohd Fared Jainal

★★★★★ Review: Revisor by Kidd Pivot

Gogol’s satirical comedy becomes a spellbinding movement piece about truth, lies, and power. Category Score (out of 10) Direction/Choreography (Crystal Pite) 10 Writer (Jonathon Young) 10 Music / Sound Design (Owen Belton, Alessandro Juliani, Meg Roe) 10 Performance (Renée Sigouin, Doug Letheren, Rakeem Hardy, Rena Narumi, Ella Rothschild, Brandon Alley, Jennifer Florentino, Gregory Lau) 10 Scenic Design (Jay Gower Taylor) 10 Costume Design (Nancy Bryant) … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Revisor by Kidd Pivot