Singapore has about 1 million migrant workers. But at what point do we think of migrant workers beyond their jobs, and see them as full-fledged human beings with their own lives and desires? Birds Migrant Theatre, a group of migrant workers from Indonesia, Bangladesh, and the Philippines united by their love for theatre, are here to deepen that understanding, and show that migrant workers can … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2023: An Interview with Birds Migrant Theatre members Wiwi Tri and Ak Zilani, co-devisors and performers of ‘Foreign Bodies’

What does a 20th century Czech writer’s short story about an ape in captivity have to do with post-apartheid South Africa? As it turns out, a surprisingly powerful parallel that leads to questions of identity, otherness and humanity, as presented in Phala O. Phala and Tony Bonani Miyambo’s Kafka’s Ape. Adapted from Franz Kafka’s A Report to an Academy, Kafka’s Ape makes its Singapore debut at the 2023 M1 … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2023: An Interview with ‘Kafka’s Ape’ performer Tony Bonani Miyambo

The idea that trees can talk may not be as far-fetched an idea as it may seem – Canadian ecologist Suzanne Simard has spent most of her life dedicated to the study of trees, and discovered that they may in fact, possess their own form of communication and society. What if we could hear what they said? That’s the basis for Tree Confessions, the world’s … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2023: An Interview with ‘Tree Confessions’ director Erin B Mee and writer Jenny Lyn Bader

Puppetry is often thought of as a child-focused art form, often bringing to mind magic, whimsy and happy endings. But in Por Piedad Teatro & The Play Company’s Django In Pain, its title alone already suggests a degree of suffering that will be experienced upon viewing, with a character struggling with depression and suicide ideation. Created by Mexican theatremaker Antonio Vega, Django In Pain is … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2023: An Interview with ‘Django In Pain’ creator Antonio Vega

In Singapore, those of us brought up in strict households were brought up with the idea that anything less than number one is as good as failing, or that we we are simply never meant to be satisfied with what we have. But at the risk of our mental and physical health and so many more sacrifices, at what point should we stop ourselves from … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2023: An Interview with Deonn Yang, writer/director of ‘Why Be Good When You Can Be The Best?’

They say that the idea of a utopia falls dangerously close to a dystopia, where perfection often comes at a cost – that of total control, or the hiding of some deep dark truths from public view. Created in collaboration with students from the BA (Hons) in Performance Making programme at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, new show Less Than Half will explore that … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2023: An Interview with ‘Less Than Half’ co-director Adib Kosnan

The extraordinary overturn of the repeal of Section 377A of the Penal Code feels like a double-edged sword. On one hand, an age-old, colonial-era law which criminalises sex between consenting adult males has been abolished now and forever. On the other hand, a new amendment to the Constitution has been added to protect the definition of marriage as strictly between one man and one woman. … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2023: An Interview with ‘Never The Bride’ creators Rajkumar Thiagaras, Ryan Ang and Fadhil Daud

Over the course of the pandemic, how often have you felt impossibly alone? Even if you were staying with others, are the people you live with your ideal family, or given more options, would you rather be with a chosen family instead? And for the queer readers among you – what exactly is your definition of family? Written, performed and produced by Australian artist Noémie … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2023: An Interview with ‘Mother of Compost’ writer/performer Noémie Huttner-Koros