Preview: da:ns focus 2023 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Originating in 2005, the Esplanade’s annual da:ns festival is making a change this year, going from a full fledged festival within a specific month, to da:ns focus, with five weekends of dance programmes throughout the year, each focusing on a particular theme or genre. Offering a variety of programmes, experiences and activities each weekend, the Esplanade hopes this new version of the festival will offer … Continue reading Preview: da:ns focus 2023 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Preview: Flipside 2023 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

In the upcoming May/June school holidays, the Esplanade will once again be organising the annual Flipside festival, where the performing arts centre will be playing host to a plethora of local and international circus, comedy, physical theatre and puppetry acts. Running from 26th May to 4th June 2023, Flipside is set to celebrate the lighter side of the arts, and put a smile on attendees’ … Continue reading Preview: Flipside 2023 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

★★★☆☆ Review: No Particular Order (TRIP 2023)

Sim Yan Ying attempts to make sense of the chaos of war and conflict in this mood piece. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Sim Yan Ying “YY”) 6 Script (Joel Tan) 6 Performance (Arielle Jasmine Van Zuijlen, Karen Tan, Pavan J Singh and Shrey Bhargava) 6 Set Design (Hella Chan) 6 Lighting Design (James Tan) 6 Sound Design (Lee Yew Jin – Ctrl Fre@k) … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: No Particular Order (TRIP 2023)

Preview: SIFAS Festival of the Arts 2023 by Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society

The Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS) Festival of Arts returns in 2023 for its 19th edition from Thursday, 20th April 2023 to Monday, 1st May 2023 at SIFAS and Esplanade– Theatres On The Bay. Curated with the theme Kalpana, meaning ‘imagination’ in Sanskrit, the Festival presents original highlight productions by teachers, alumni, students, and international partners such as Home, Kathambam, and Jaya Ram in … Continue reading Preview: SIFAS Festival of the Arts 2023 by Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society

Preview: Pesta Raya 2023 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

With the end of Hari Raya comes another special event in May – the Esplanade’s annual Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts. Running from 18 – 21 May 2023 at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, Pesta Raya 2023 celebrates and presenting the best of the arts in the Nusantara, thought the art of stories. One of the oldest art forms, storytelling is a … Continue reading Preview: Pesta Raya 2023 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

★★★☆☆ Review: Quest – The White Hare by Toy Factory Productions

One last, mishmashed hurrah for a fast-disappearing art form. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Goh Boon Teck) 6 Script (Goh Boon Teck) 6 Performance (Gwee Lay Hua, Clement Yeo, Doreen Toh, Tiara Yap, Timothy Wan, Wayne Lim, Wendy Toh, Asher Kang) 7 Music Composition (August Lum) 7 Lighting Design (Gabriel Chan) 7 Set Design (Goh Abigail) 7 Sound Design (Sandra Tay) 7 Costume/Make-up Design … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Quest – The White Hare by Toy Factory Productions

TRIP 2023: An Interview with Renee Yeong, director of ‘I am trying to say something true’

Singaporean theatremaker Renee Yeong (she/they) spent her undergraduate years at NYU in America before returning in 2019, and had initially planned to return to the States on a freelance artist visa after spending some time with family and friends. That plan was put on indefinite hiatus once the pandemic struck, and she’s since been based in Singapore, working a corporate role by day to make … Continue reading TRIP 2023: An Interview with Renee Yeong, director of ‘I am trying to say something true’

TRIP 2023: An Interview with Sim Yan Ying “YY”, director of No Particular Order

Over the course of the pandemic, Sim Yan Ying “YY” (she/her) established herself as an early-career director unafraid to experiment with form and boldly tackle new, never-before performed scripts. To that end, she’s probably one of the most exciting young directors to look out for in Singapore, and makes a perfect candidate for the first batch of the Esplanade’s inaugural TRIP programme, which empowers early … Continue reading TRIP 2023: An Interview with Sim Yan Ying “YY”, director of No Particular Order

NUS Arts Festival 2023: An Interview with director Chong Tze Chien and performer Jo Tan of ‘The Future Show’

Predicting the future is all but impossible, but that’s never stopped all of humanity from speculating the infinite possibilities tomorrow might hold. It stands to reason then, that it makes for a rather exciting, experimental type of show, one that Canadian performance artist Deborah Pearson has crafted with her work The Future Show. Adapted by director Chong Tze Chien and writer/performer Jo Tan, The Future … Continue reading NUS Arts Festival 2023: An Interview with director Chong Tze Chien and performer Jo Tan of ‘The Future Show’

Review: Tri Ka Tsai – A uniquely trilingual Hong Kong cabaret by Yuri Ng X Anna Lo X Rick Lau

The Hong Kong term Tri Ka Tsai specifically refers to a trilingual Gen X or millennial living in post-colonial Hong Kong who speaks Cantonese, English and Putonghua (Mandarin). While some people may see that as a mishmash of cultures, Hong Kongers and artists Yuri Ng, Anna Lo and Rick Lau have instead chosen to embrace their status as proud tri ka tsais themselves, and come together … Continue reading Review: Tri Ka Tsai – A uniquely trilingual Hong Kong cabaret by Yuri Ng X Anna Lo X Rick Lau