Nine Years Theatre’s Lear Is Dead 李尔亡: An Interview with Nelson Chia and Timothy Wan

There is more than a passing similarity to Shakespeare’s King Lear and a certain recently deceased leader from our very own country. Besides being former heads of a nation and possessing three children, Lear, when translated to Mandarin, also happens to begin with the Chinese character 李, or ‘Lee’. Appropriately enough then, for their very first Shakespeare adaptation, local Mandarin theatre company Nine Years Theatre … Continue reading Nine Years Theatre’s Lear Is Dead 李尔亡: An Interview with Nelson Chia and Timothy Wan

Preview: Lear Is Dead (李尔亡) by Nine Years Theatre

“We used to think power is our life’s goal, forgetting that wisdom is what our lives are founded upon.” Following their reimagination of Strindberg’s Miss Julie earlier this year, Nine Years Theatre will present their third and final production of the season with another reimagination of a theatre classic: Shakespeare’s King Lear. For Nine Years Theatre, while no stranger to adapting classic works into Mandarin, Lear … Continue reading Preview: Lear Is Dead (李尔亡) by Nine Years Theatre

Macao Arts Festival 2018: An Interview with Choreographer Cheng Tsung-lung (Cloud Gate 2)

Closing off the 29th edition of the annual Macao Arts Festival is Taiwanese dance company Cloud Gate 2 with their performance 13 Tongues. First commissioned for the Taiwan International Festival of Arts in 2016, the work is inspired by the 1960s performer “Thirteen Tongues”, a street artist from Taipei’s oldest district. As an artist known for portraying multiple roles as he performed characters of all ages and genders, 13 … Continue reading Macao Arts Festival 2018: An Interview with Choreographer Cheng Tsung-lung (Cloud Gate 2)

Review: Pissed Julie (茱莉小解) by Nine Years Theatre

Strindberg’s classic is re-appropriated to complicate issues of identity and the mutability of class in this new adaptation. In watching Nelson Chia’s adaptation of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie, there’s a scene from late animator Satoshi Kon’s film Paprika that came to mind: in the opening sequence, we see the title character’s reflection split across multiple mirrors, each displaying a different expression. In a similar way, Nelson has made the unusual choice … Continue reading Review: Pissed Julie (茱莉小解) by Nine Years Theatre

Preview: Pissed Julie (茱莉小解) by Nine Years Theatre

Fresh from a successful premiere at the 2018 Macau Arts Festival, Nine Years Theatre (NYT) is flying back to Singapore to present their newest production Pissed Julie.  Initially proposed by artistic director Nelson Chia as an interesting project to embark on with Macau and performed in both cities, Pissed Julie went from a festival commissioned play featuring Macanese actors directed by Nelson, to an all new co-production between … Continue reading Preview: Pissed Julie (茱莉小解) by Nine Years Theatre

Preview: Macao Arts Festival 2018

In April and May this year, the Macao Arts Festival returns for an entire month to bring together the region and the world’s best arts. Now in its 29th edition, this year’s festival is themed ‘origin’, focusing on the spring of life, with plenty of programmes and performances aimed at broadening visitors’ views on life. A total of 26 programmes split across seven categories will … Continue reading Preview: Macao Arts Festival 2018