★★☆☆☆ Review: Animal Farm by The Finger Players

All puppets are equal, but some are more equal than others, in The Finger Players’ messy adaptation of Orwell’s classic. Ever since it hit bookstores, George Orwell’s Animal Farm has risen to fame as a ferocious allegory of the Russian Revolution and the rise of Stalinism, now studied across schools and touted as a timeless, universal cautionary tale about how revolutions may lead to the … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: Animal Farm by The Finger Players

SIFA 2025: An Interview with creator Manuela Infante on ‘Vampyr’

Previously in Singapore in 2017, Chilean playwright and director Manuela Infante returns for the 2025 edition of the Singapore International Festival of Arts with Vampyr, the third part of her trilogy exploring the non-human that started with Estado Vegetal and How to Turn to Stone. Where the two previous shows explored plant consciousness and geology respectively, Vampyr instead turns its attention to something that seems … Continue reading SIFA 2025: An Interview with creator Manuela Infante on ‘Vampyr’

SIFA 2025: An Interview with co-creators Alan Oei and Kaylene Tan on ‘A Thousand Stitches’

In A Thousand Stitches, a portrait of a Japanese woman, Mizuki, becomes the heart of a haunting narrative about war, propaganda, and human connection. Emma, an art conservation student, restores the painting, and finds herself drawn into Mizuki’s story, enigmatic artist Huang Wei, and the turbulent years of Japanese-occupied Singapore (then Syonan-to). Premiering as part of the 2025 Singapore International Festival of Arts, A Thousand … Continue reading SIFA 2025: An Interview with co-creators Alan Oei and Kaylene Tan on ‘A Thousand Stitches’

SIFA 2025: An Interview with creator Geoff Sobelle on ‘HOME’

When does a house become a home? That is the central question in American theatremaker Geoff Sobelle’s HOME, an innovative, richly imaginative performance and act of theatrical spectacle that sees a house materialise before the audience, rising swiftly like a time-lapse sequence. Over time, the residents inhabit it, move in and out, build and break it, and leave behind traces of their past, present, and … Continue reading SIFA 2025: An Interview with creator Geoff Sobelle on ‘HOME’

SIFA 2025: An Interview with Rizman Putra, Zul Mahmod and thesupersystem on ‘Umbilical’

In an age of rapid progress, history can slip through our fingers. Premiering as part of the 2025 Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), Zul Mahmod, Rizman Putra, and thesupersystem (Heider Ismail) invite us to Umbilical, a multi-faceted performance that invites us into the depths of memory, identity, and the subtle violence of separation, excavating the history of the Causeway as Singapore turns 60. Umbilical … Continue reading SIFA 2025: An Interview with Rizman Putra, Zul Mahmod and thesupersystem on ‘Umbilical’

SIFA 2025: An Interview with Lebanese artist Ali Chahrour on ‘Told By My Mother’

Being a mother has never been an easy task, but what about a mother who tries to be good, to protect her children amidst a country torn apart by conflict? In Told By My Mother, making its Singapore premiere this May as part of the 2025 Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA), Lebanese artist Ali Chahrour draws from his own family history—and from the fractures … Continue reading SIFA 2025: An Interview with Lebanese artist Ali Chahrour on ‘Told By My Mother’

Arts of Hong Kong: ‘Trevor Yeung – Courtyard of Detachments’ at M+

HONG KONG – M+, Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture in the West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) in Hong Kong, and the Hong Kong Arts Development Council (HKADC) are pleased to co-present Trevor Yeung: Courtyard of Detachments. The exhibition is an adaptation of Yeung’s solo show representing Hong Kong in a Collateral Event at the 60th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia. The exhibition … Continue reading Arts of Hong Kong: ‘Trevor Yeung – Courtyard of Detachments’ at M+

★★★★★ Review: SALINA by Teater Kami

Faithful adaptation of Malay literary classic is a nostalgic triumph and pertinent reminder of the struggles of our forebears. A. Samad Said’s SALINA has never been an easy novel to adapt for the stage. Teater Kami artistic director Atin Amat knows this, having previously adapted it twice back in the ’90s, when resources were far more limited. Now, commissioned by the Esplanade for the 2025 … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: SALINA by Teater Kami

★★★★☆ Review: My Name Is (Not) Khan by Hafidz Rahman

Whether a Khan or a Rahman, this is a show that calls for the unabashed celebration and embrace of one’s own multicultural identity. Over the last few years, theatremaker Hafidz Rahman has shot to fame for his viral videos he’s posted on social media, whether as a lovable tudung makcik, or for sharing creepy ghost stories. But how many people out there know the real … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: My Name Is (Not) Khan by Hafidz Rahman

Arts of Hong Kong: M+ announces Asian Avant-Garde Film Festival 2025 – Time Will Tell

HONG KONG – M+, Asia’s global museum of contemporary visual culture in West Kowloon Cultural District (WestK) in Hong Kong, proudly presents the second edition of the Asian Avant-Garde Film Festival (AAGFF), supported by CHANEL. This dynamic three-day programme celebrates independent moving image practices and histories that have shaped Asia’s artistic landscape over the past six decades through the lens of visual culture. Held between Friday, 30 May to … Continue reading Arts of Hong Kong: M+ announces Asian Avant-Garde Film Festival 2025 – Time Will Tell