★★★★☆ Review: Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream by Singapore Theatre Company and Indian Ink

Powerful theatrical reflection on what it means to lead a life well-lived. What lies after death? Much like a majority of religions, Zoroastrians believe in the concept of souls laid to rest in Paradise or Hell, depending on how good or evil one was in life. But to even get to that point requires a rather unique methodology of releasing the spirit from a corpse … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream by Singapore Theatre Company and Indian Ink

An Interview with Jacob Rajan, star and creator of ‘Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream’

What happens after death? Perhaps just like ice cream – life itself also eventually melts away. This May, the afterlife and everything in between gets explored in Singapore Theatre Company (STC) and Indian Ink’s sensational new play – Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream. Created by and starring New Zealand-based theatremaker Jacob Rajan, follow Kutisar on a fantastical journey after his death, as he … Continue reading An Interview with Jacob Rajan, star and creator of ‘Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream’

Preview: Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream by Singapore Theatre Company and Indian Ink

This May, take a wild ride to paradise with Singapore Theatre Company (STC) and Indian Ink’s sensational new play – Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream, about life’s impermanence—where love, ice cream, and the mysteries of death intertwine in unexpected ways. Kutisar is dead, and lost between paradise and hell. On an existential post-mortem journey to correct mistakes of his past, Kutisar joins the … Continue reading Preview: Paradise or the Impermanence of Ice Cream by Singapore Theatre Company and Indian Ink

★★★★★ Review: Taha by Singapore Theatre Company

Monologue on Palestinian poet’s life nimbly sidesteps overt politics to encourage hope and empathy in shared humanity. 8,000 kilometres away in the Gaza Strip, a terrible war rages on. It is the culmination of decades of conflict, where countless innocent lives have been lost, key infrastructure and history are stripped away by bombs, and the world watches on, helplessly bearing witness to the loss as … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Taha by Singapore Theatre Company

Taha: An Interview with creator and performer Amer Hlehel on staging the life of Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali

Poet Taha Muhammad Ali is an icon of Palestinian literature, humble in his life yet celebrated for his words that capture the resilience, love, and enduring spirit of his people.​ Adapted from Adina Hoffman’s acclaimed biography and under Amir Nizar Zuabi’s direction, Palestinian artist Amer Hlehel created Taha, which traces the man’s journey from a humble shopkeeper in Palestine to a celebrated poet worldwide. Receiving critical … Continue reading Taha: An Interview with creator and performer Amer Hlehel on staging the life of Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali

★★★☆☆ Review: Grounded by Singapore Theatre Company

Pride comes before a fall. Among the many male-dominated industries that exist in the world, the military may be among the most skewed, with a much smaller minority of female professionals who exist within the field. In that sense, the women who do find success in the military often seem to have to shelve their femininity, to become ‘one of the boys’ to fit in … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Grounded by Singapore Theatre Company

Grounded: An Interview with Oon Shu An on gender roles, identity and staying down to earth

When you think of a fighter pilot, what’s the first image that appears in your head? Is it a strapping young man in aviator shades, not unlike Tom Cruise in his prime in Top Gun? Singapore Theatre Company (STC) is here to subvert those expectations with the first major show of their season, as they bring George Brant’s one-woman show Grounded to the stage. Directed … Continue reading Grounded: An Interview with Oon Shu An on gender roles, identity and staying down to earth

Review: My Grandfather’s Road by Neo Kim Seng (Cantonese versions, performed by Tan Cher Kian and Gary Tang)

Two ways to tell a poignant story of growing up in Cantonese.  First written as a book, in My Grandfather’s Road, Neo Kim Seng explores his familial history through the lens and geography of a bygone Singapore, thinking of his childhood growing up on what is literally his grandfather’s road (Neo Pee Teck Lane) and told through personal memories and anecdotes. While we previously watched the full … Continue reading Review: My Grandfather’s Road by Neo Kim Seng (Cantonese versions, performed by Tan Cher Kian and Gary Tang)

Review: My Grandfather’s Road by Neo Kim Seng (English version, performed by Karen Tan)

Put on your nostalgia goggles for this monologue about people and places past, laced with a pinch of death and loss.  To call a stretch of land your grandfather’s road sounds like an audacious claim. But for theatremaker Neo Kim Seng, that claim is rooted in truth, with Neo Pee Teck Lane quite literally named after his paternal grandfather. My Grandfather’s Road is adapted from … Continue reading Review: My Grandfather’s Road by Neo Kim Seng (English version, performed by Karen Tan)

An Interview with the Cast and Creatives of My Grandfather’s Road

“Eh, you think this one your grandfather’s road ah?” Is a common retort to careless drivers or pedestrians acting as if they own the roads. But in the case of Neo Kim Seng, it can be taken quite literally if you ever find him walking down Neo Pee Teck Lane, named after his grandfather. First presented in 2015 as an English-language monologue, a photo exhibition … Continue reading An Interview with the Cast and Creatives of My Grandfather’s Road