M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2024: An Interview with the creators of Matter.Less’ forum theatre show ‘Here Where You Were’

In the 2020s, suicide rates in Singapore rose to an all-time high. Is it because we live in a fast-paced, high stress nation? Is it that it often feels like there is no way out? And even when a suicide is completed, can we summon up enough courage to go past the shame and guilt surrounding it to talk about the aftermath, and how we … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2024: An Interview with the creators of Matter.Less’ forum theatre show ‘Here Where You Were’

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2024: An Interview with creator Noor Effendy Ibrahim on ‘Motherland’

Amidst even the most brutal of wars, there exists the possibility of love that can be kindled. That’s the central plot point at the heart of Noor Effendy Ibrahim’s Motherland, where two unknown soldiers on opposing sides of a violent war find themselves in love. Unable to do anything beyond hugging tightly at the border, how does one then navigate loyalty to one’s country and … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2024: An Interview with creator Noor Effendy Ibrahim on ‘Motherland’

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2024: An Interview with Karine Ponties, choreographer of absurdist dance ‘SAME SAME’

Does work set us free, or does it chain us? For far too many people, between being bored to death or burnt out, it’s the latter, and the very concept of labour for survival brings to mind questions about absurd routines and the complex relationship colleagues have with each other, from resemblance and dissemblance, domination and submission, superficiality and depth. From Belgian dance company Dame … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2024: An Interview with Karine Ponties, choreographer of absurdist dance ‘SAME SAME’

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2024: An Interview with director Edith Podesta and choreographer Yarra Illeto on ‘THOM PAIN (based on nothing)’

To span the length of the human experience in a single production sounds like an impossibility, but when THOM PAIN (based on nothing) premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2004, critics remarked that the deceptively simple one-man show about a man and his suffering in life. Now, that show will be performed in Singapore, by students of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts’ BA (Hons) … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2024: An Interview with director Edith Podesta and choreographer Yarra Illeto on ‘THOM PAIN (based on nothing)’

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2024: An Interview with choreographer J’Sun Howard on ‘aMoratorium’

Starting its journey as a commission by the Art Institute of Chicago, in response to the work of visual artist Charles Wilbert White, Chicago-based dancemaker, poet, writer, curator, and all-around Renaissance artist J’Sun Howard, aMoratorium was born as a way to coalesce White’s exploration of African American history, culture, and lives. Through the dance-theatre piece, Howard explores Black male identity, visibility, temporality, and its absence, and … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2024: An Interview with choreographer J’Sun Howard on ‘aMoratorium’

Dance with Me: An Interview with Converge Studios co-founder Nash Tan on Converge Recital 2023 and the dance community

Setting up a dance studio is never an easy task – not only is it already financially demanding and requires full commitment from all involved, but the highly competitive environment means that the studio has to stand out in some way above the rest, and take time to patiently build up its own community and loyal fanbase of students and dancers. One studio that has … Continue reading Dance with Me: An Interview with Converge Studios co-founder Nash Tan on Converge Recital 2023 and the dance community

Music Is: Staying true in life and music with Johnny Orlando

In a world where TikTok tweens are taking over before even coming of age, Johnny Orlando seems to represent the last of a generation of young artists who made it big the classic way – amassing fame via YouTube. Despite being just 20, the former YouTuber turned professional musician had previously garnered over 25 million international fans and totaled over 500 million YouTube views, and had … Continue reading Music Is: Staying true in life and music with Johnny Orlando

A Boey and His Dogs: An Interview with Daniel Boey on writing and curating dog rescue stories with ‘We Adopted Too!’

Daniel Boey loves dogs. From growing up with his beloved Ah Hock, to adopting his first rescue dog Leia, Daniel is a proud paw-rent to all his fur children, and has dedicated his life to bettering theirs. Besides treating them like family, spending quality time with them and giving them well-deserved rewards, he’s also constantly advocating for animal rights across Singapore in the way he … Continue reading A Boey and His Dogs: An Interview with Daniel Boey on writing and curating dog rescue stories with ‘We Adopted Too!’

Arts of Malaysia: An Interview with playwright Adriana Nordin Manan, director Ghafir Akhbar and star Putrina Rafie of new play ‘Fault Lines’

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA – A fault line refers to the geographic phenomenon of fractures in the Earth’s crust, potentially leading to earthquakes. Metaphorically speaking, this would then refer to cracks in the relationship between two parties, and perhaps if left unresolved, potentially result in disaster. That happens to be the issue at the heart of new play Fault Lines, which makes its premiere this Thursday … Continue reading Arts of Malaysia: An Interview with playwright Adriana Nordin Manan, director Ghafir Akhbar and star Putrina Rafie of new play ‘Fault Lines’

Kalaa Utsavam 2023: An Interview with choreographer Aditi Mangaldas on feminine desire in her solo dance show ‘FORBIDDEN’

Sexism has been a problem since time immemorial, and one of the most problematic perceptions that continue to dog women everywhere is the gatekeeping of their sexuality, where society feels the need to dictate the way a woman’s desires should be expressed or contained. And one of the most prominent countries where this continues to remain an issue is India. Realising how these taboos and … Continue reading Kalaa Utsavam 2023: An Interview with choreographer Aditi Mangaldas on feminine desire in her solo dance show ‘FORBIDDEN’