Huayi 2018: I came at last to the seas by The Theatre Practice (Review)

It is perhaps fitting that the Esplanade’s 2018 Huayi Festival kicked off on Friday (Feb 23) with a local production starring one of Singapore’s largest breakout stars in China of 2017 – Joanna Dong, who placed third in the reality singing contest Sing! China. I came at last to the seas – directed by Kuo Jian Hong, written by Chinese playwright Wu Xi and featuring an … Continue reading Huayi 2018: I came at last to the seas by The Theatre Practice (Review)

Huayi 2018: Blood & Rose Ensemble by Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group (Review)

The Taiwanese theatre group ramp up the soap opera potential in Shakespeare through their farcical and madcap adaptation of the Bard’s history plays.  Think it’s hard keeping up with the Kardashians? Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group will have you know that they’ve got nothing on the House of Plantaganet. Directed by Wang Chia-Ming, the entirety of the War of the Roses is charted in a loose, 2-hour adaptation of … Continue reading Huayi 2018: Blood & Rose Ensemble by Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group (Review)

Huayi 2018: Blood & Rose Ensemble by Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group (Preview)

East meets West in the Esplanade’s 2018 Huayi Festival as Taiwan collaborates with Singapore in an all new adaptation of Shakespeare’s history plays. A co-commission by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and The National Theater & Concert Hall, Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group reimagines the bard’s Henry VI and Richard III for a fresh, modern audience as they play out the War of the Roses in an all new … Continue reading Huayi 2018: Blood & Rose Ensemble by Shakespeare’s Wild Sisters Group (Preview)

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018: Displaced by Ground Cover Theatre (Review)

Ground Cover Theatre tackles the refugee crisis in an intimate, polished piece brimming with theatrical magic. In Displaced, Ground Cover Theatre boldly tackles the topic of the refugee crisis in a play that tells of three women from different time periods who all escape to Canada. Mary (Jacqueline Block) flees from Ireland’s Great Famine in 1847, Sofia (Anna Mazurik) leaves war-torn Germany in 1947, and Dara … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018: Displaced by Ground Cover Theatre (Review)

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018: One Thousand Millennials Crying by Kenneth Chia and Mitchell Fang (Review)

An absurdist storm of buzzwords and punchlines that feels birthed straight from the mouth of a millenial social media influenza.  In Kenneth Chia and Mitchell Fang’s new play One Thousand Millennials Crying, we’re given an opportunity to observe millennials in their natural habitat; too poor to go out drinking, a group of friends gather for a Halloween house party with homemade mixes and share their fears of … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018: One Thousand Millennials Crying by Kenneth Chia and Mitchell Fang (Review)

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018: Walking In Beauty by Petrina Kow (Review)

Petrina Kow showcases the empathetic effect of storytelling in this simple yet impactful session from six incredibly beautiful women.  Petrina Kow is a woman who has been blessed with the gift of an incredible voice and knowing exactly how to use it. And as with the best gifts, it’s one that she’s learnt to share in her fullest capacity – through the power of storytelling, … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018: Walking In Beauty by Petrina Kow (Review)

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018: A Beginner’s Guide To Walking In Beauty with Petrina Kow and Anita Kapoor (Interview)

Petrina Kow is a storyteller. And we don’t mean that metaphorically – she is, after all, a co-founder of storytelling platform Telling Stories Live,  and as a vocal and speech trainer, not to mention a former top radio deejay, she’s basically a master of the spoken word. So when she was approached by M1 Singapore Fringe Festival artistic director Sean Tobin to do a show this year, naturally, … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018: A Beginner’s Guide To Walking In Beauty with Petrina Kow and Anita Kapoor (Interview)

Preview: Esplanade presents Huayi Festival 2018

February is fast on our heels and you know what that means? The Esplanade’s annual Huayi Festival is back with a smorgasbord of new productions to feed your spirit and soul with art! There’s a whole range of options available this year, from theatre to music to dance and everything in between, and we’ve summarized what you can expect from this year’s festival, set to be … Continue reading Preview: Esplanade presents Huayi Festival 2018

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018: An Interview with Kenneth Chia and Mitchell Fang (One Thousand Millennials Crying)

Lazy. Entitled. Selfish. Shallow. Narcissistic. These are probably some of the most common generalizations about the millennial generation (loosely defined as those born between the late 80s and early 2000s). So what happens when you ask an actual millennial to respond to those accusations? You might just get something like One Thousand Millennials Crying, as co-creators and theatremakers Kenneth Chia and Mitchell Fang premiere this self-reflexive, comedic … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018: An Interview with Kenneth Chia and Mitchell Fang (One Thousand Millennials Crying)

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018: All In by ATRESBANDES (Review)

EDM, North Korea and storage space collapse into an absurdist reflection on the difficulty of remaining an individual in an already overcrowded world.  Two figures clad in black zentai suits discuss getting a self storage space in distorted voices. A man finds his opinions constantly silenced and quashed whenever he raises them to his ‘friends’. A ghostly figure meets a red suited, Japanese-speaking man in … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018: All In by ATRESBANDES (Review)