Preview: Pesta Raya 2018 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

  Coinciding with the celebration of Hari Raya Aidilfitri, the 17th edition of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay’s Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts returns this July! This year, the festival will showcase the rich history of the Nusantara (Malay Archipelago), with a spectrum of programmes set to appeal to everyone from the young ones all the way to the oldtimers and hipsters! … Continue reading Preview: Pesta Raya 2018 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

The Studios 2018: How Did The Cat Get So Fat? (Review)

It’s been 11 years since How Did The Cat Get So Fat? was last staged and its message of a hollow pledge still rings true. Besides literally referring to corpulent felines, a fat cat can of course, also refer to corrupt businessmen and politicians abusing their wealth or power. And in Zizi Azah’s play How Did The Cat Get So Fat?, it is these members of the upper class … Continue reading The Studios 2018: How Did The Cat Get So Fat? (Review)

The Studios 2018: An Interview with Siti Khalijah (How Did The Cat Get So Fat?)

First performed in 2006 to critical acclaim, Zizi Azah’s monodrama How Did The Cat Get So Fat? makes a return this April as part of the Esplanade’s 2018 season of The Studios. In this version, the play will be helmed by The Finger Players Artistic Director Tan Beng Tian, who has injected the performance with her signature blend of puppetry. Siti Khalijah Zainal will once again be … Continue reading The Studios 2018: An Interview with Siti Khalijah (How Did The Cat Get So Fat?)

Review: Lanang by Hatch Theatrics

A woman’s will is put to the test when hit by the double whammy of divorce and death. Grief is one of the most common topics covered in theatre, making it an increasingly difficult subject to portray in a new light. But with Hatch Theatrics’ latest production and final show of their residency at the Malay Heritage Centre, it’s a topic that feels fresh with Lanang’s … Continue reading Review: Lanang by Hatch Theatrics

Lanang: An Interview with Hatch Theatrics

This April, Hatch Theatrics will be closing the latest chapter of their lives. The theatre company will be ending their two year residency with the Malay Heritage Centre with their 9th production, and will be presenting Hafidz Rahman’s Lanang. Prior to its premiere, we spoke to artistic director and Lanang director Faizal Abdullah, general manager Nur Khairiyah (Khai) and Lanang playwright Hafidz Rahman about the process leading up to Lanang and where Hatch might … Continue reading Lanang: An Interview with Hatch Theatrics

Review: Traditionally Speaking by Bhumi Collective

Get schooled with Bhumi Collective’s very first lecture-performance about traditional cultural dance forms.  In Bhumi Collective’s latest production, they’re breaking new ground as they deviate from plays to explore the medium of performance research lecture. Bringing together practitioners/researchers, the collective aims to use the series to question and critique performance practices of today, and present to the public the research process behind it, opening up new … Continue reading Review: Traditionally Speaking by Bhumi Collective

Review: Potong by Teater Ekamatra

Memory, mothers and manhood are placed on the chopping block in Teater Ekamatra’s first show of the season. In the absence of a father, what male figures does one have to turn to in order to find out what makes a man? That’s one of the central question at the heart of Teater Ekamatra’s first show of the season. Directed by Irfan Kasban and written … Continue reading Review: Potong by Teater Ekamatra

Preview: Traditionally Speaking by Bhumi Collective

Bhumi Collective strides into 2018 with an all new series of works, utilising the performance-lecture medium to deliver a series of performances aimed at colliding research, process and performance. For the very first instalment of this series (titled Intersections), they begin this March with Traditionally Speaking. Directed by Muhammad Noramin Bin Mohamed Farid and in collaboration with Elizabeth Chan, these dancers will reflect back on the experiences that have shaped … Continue reading Preview: Traditionally Speaking by Bhumi Collective

Preview: Lanang by Hatch Theatrics

This April, in their 9th theatrical production and the final work in their Artist Residency at the Malay Heritage Centre, Hatch Theatrics presents Lanang. Literally translating to ‘boy’, Lanang was first written by Hatch Theatrics member Hafidz Abdul Rahman as part of Theatreworks’ 24-Hour Playwriting Competition held at the Malay Heritage Centre in 2014, and cinched joint-second prize at the Open category (there was no first prize that … Continue reading Preview: Lanang by Hatch Theatrics

Preview: Potong by Teater Ekamatra

As they celebrate their 30th Anniversary this year, Teater Ekamatra bursts into 2018 with a brand new show this March. Written by Jonny Jon Jon and directed by Irfan Kasban, Teater Ekamatra presents Potong.  Potong follows the familiar coming of age story as a a boy goes on a rite of passage every Singaporean son does – National Service. But for the Australian born Adam, Singapore is a … Continue reading Preview: Potong by Teater Ekamatra