“The lights on myself, the suspension of time as I move, the applause or criticisms after – for all the world to witness. I am likened to Shiva on stage. But how much of that matters off stage? Who am I really when the lights are gone?” Following successful premieres in Chennai, India in February 2017 and Singapore in May 2017, FAÇADE is set to … Continue reading Preview: FACADE – Two Parallel Lives by Bhaskar’s Arts Academy
Ekamatra’s take on Nusantara classic emphasises modern sensibilities and brings joy to the stage. If it’s one thing Teater Ekamatra knows how to do best, it’s to produce theatre that knows exactly what it wants to achieve and the emotions it hopes to evoke in its audiences. In its latest, sold out production, the powerhouse local theatre company adapts the classic Nusantara folktale of Bawang … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Bawang Putih Bawang Merah by Teater Ekamatra
For generations, the classic Malay fairy tale of Bawang Putih and Bawang Merah (literally garlic and shallot) has been passed down from orator to captive listener, a story filled with magic that takes all kinds of twists and terms in all its iterations. Now, acclaimed local theatre company Teater Ekamatra is getting ready to reintroduce this yarn to a brand new audience, reimagining it for … Continue reading Pesta Raya 2024: An Interview with Mohd Fared Jainal and Ridhwan Saidi on Teater Ekamatra’s epic new reimagining of ‘Bawang Putih Bawang Merah’
As is tradition, the Esplanade’s Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts returns for a brand new edition after Hari Raya Puasa this May. This year, the arts centre and its collaborating and invited artists are ready to whisk audience members to the Nusantara region, with the meeting of tradition and folklore with the contemporary. Highlights of the festival this year include two new commissioned … Continue reading Preview: Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts 2024 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
Telling the classic tale of Radin Mas through Bharatanatyam and Javanese dance. The legend of Radin Mas has been passed down for generations, the epic tale of a princess born out of forbidden love, and the subsequent trials and tribulations that followed the family long after, to its eventual, tragic conclusion of filial piety and self-sacrifice. The classics never get old, and under the collaborative … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Radin Mas by Bhaskar’s Arts Academy, with Sri Warisan Som Said Performing Arts
As the daughter of legendary Indian classical dance artists K.P. Bhaskar and Santha Bhaskar, Meenakshy Bhaskar has a lot to live up to when she took over Bhaskar’s Arts Academy as Artistic Director. In her first year, she found herself fully helming the projects her mother had been working on, dealing with collaborators and stakeholders, and most of all, learning the ropes of what it … Continue reading An Interview with Meenakshy Bhaskar, choreographer of Bhaskar’s Arts Academy’s ‘Radin Mas’
Supported by Temasek Foundation, Bhaskar’s Arts Academy, Singapore’s premier institution for Indian performing arts is pleased to unveil its latest production – Radin Mas. This one-night-only performance presented in collaboration with Sri Warisan Som Said Performing Arts, promises to touch the heart and stir the soul. Radin Mas is lovingly portrayed through captivating Bharatanatyam and Javanese dance, and features traditional folk arts of wayang kulit, … Continue reading Preview: Radin Mas by Bhaskar’s Arts Academy, with Sri Warisan Som Said Performing Arts
A cosmopolitan city like London may be diverse enough to welcome people of all races and backgrounds from Europe, America and Asia, but what happens when a lesser known ethnic group shows up? How then do they claim space and establish their own identity, when their very existence remains virtually unknown by the majority of the population? For Singaporean Malay theatremaker Faizal Abdullah, that comes … Continue reading From Singapore to the World: An Interview with Faizal Abdullah and Nur Khairiyah on bringing ‘Siapa Yang Bawa Melayu Aku Pergi?’ to Edinburgh
Circumcision as a rite of passage opens up difficult conversations about family ties. Severance of any form can be a source of great anxiety. Whether it’s separation from the only family you’ve ever known, or even the prospect of removing a part of your body, can the act of having something cut off from you no longer be seen as a necessary rite of passage? … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Potong (2023) by Teater Ekamatra
by Robyn Ong LONDON – Often, upon entering a new institution, there is a painful but necessary getting-to-know-you process that must be endured. You go around a circle of strangers and, one by one, you all introduce yourself with your name, maybe a fun fact, and — in a city as cosmopolitan as London, at least — where you’re from. When I say Singapore, something … Continue reading Review: Siapa Yang Bawa Melayu Aku Pergi? (Who Took My Malay Away?) by Faizal Abdullah
Bakchormeeboy 