Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: One Metre Square – Voices From Sungei Road (Preview)

W!ld Rice is no stranger to verbatim theatre, having presented both the critically and commercially acclaimed plays Cooling Off Day and Cook A Pot of Curry. At the 2018 Singapore Theatre Festival, they’ve done their research and come up with yet another piece, this time focusing on the vendors from the recently shut down Sungei Road Market. In One Metre Square, get ready to meet a … Continue reading Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: One Metre Square – Voices From Sungei Road (Preview)

Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: 招: When The Cold Wind Blows/G.F.E. (Review)

What does it mean to be a man? Two surreal Mandarin plays tackle the toxic mindset of masculinity about what it means to be a man today.  Are you any less of a man if you don’t shout, swear, or display an unrelenting libido?Toxic masculinity is placed in the spotlight in W!ld Rice’s double bill of new Mandarin works for this year’s Singapore Theatre Festival, … Continue reading Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: 招: When The Cold Wind Blows/G.F.E. (Review)

On Tour: Tan Liting’s Pretty Butch Goes To Taiwan

Given the short run of most local plays, it’s always a joyous occasion to hear when a local play receives a second run, or a chance to be presented beyond Singapore. When we watched Singaporean playwright Tan Liting’s Pretty Butch at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival back in 2017, we praised it as “a play that will strike a chord with almost anyone in the audience, … Continue reading On Tour: Tan Liting’s Pretty Butch Goes To Taiwan

Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Double Bill – G.F.E. / 招: When The Cold Wind Blows (Preview)

Amidst stories of the underdog and minorities, does the straight Chinese male have a story to tell in Singapore society? Two playwrights think so, and at the 2018 Singapore Theatre Festival, will be presenting these intimate stories of what it means to be a Singaporean male in today’s world, in a doublebill of two plays. In the first half of the doublebill, director Ric Liu … Continue reading Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Double Bill – G.F.E. / 招: When The Cold Wind Blows (Preview)

Review: dead was the body till i taught it how to move by Bhumi Collective

Proof that theatre provides a safe space for anyone to tell the most heartwrenching of stories. There’s a saying that all stories are worth telling, if only one knows how to tell them. In dead was the body till i taught it how to move, Bhumi Collective presents the story of an ordinary boy going through extraordinary trauma and grief. While going through university in Warwick, ex-Ministry … Continue reading Review: dead was the body till i taught it how to move by Bhumi Collective

Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Building A Character (Review)

Stripping back the layers to reveal actress Rebekah Sangeetha Dorai at her most vulnerable, while still showcasing all her talents.  All her life, Rebekah Sangeetha Dorai has been playing roles. From spending long hours as a child parked in front of Channel News Asia emulating the broadcasters, to changing her accent to fit in, to her current career as an actress becoming a different character each … Continue reading Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Building A Character (Review)

Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Press Gang (Review)

Seven years on from Fear of Writing, Tan Tarn How makes a welcome return with this politically-charged, incisive commentary on the death of local journalism.  Over the years, mainstream media has seen countless changes transform its purpose and perspective. From being seen as the fifth estate to becoming a government mouthpiece, to the advent of new media and alternative news sites to even today’s proliferation … Continue reading Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Press Gang (Review)

Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Supervision (Review)

A successful second outing for Thomas Lim in this gripping domestic drama touching on national themes.  George Orwell’s novel 1984 may have predicted a future where he believed our every action and movement will be placed under surveillance, but never could he possibly have imagined that the perpetrators would be ourselves. That dystopian future has unwittingly become a startling reality in Singapore, where not only are there CCTV … Continue reading Singapore Theatre Festival 2018: Supervision (Review)

Because I Love You: An Interview with Shen Tan and Tan Shou Chen of Theatreworks’ 13.13.13

Theatreworks is having a busy July, dedicating the entirety of the month to activities surrounding their Writers Lab programme, from dramatised readings of plays born out of the Lab to the annual 24-Hour Playwriting Competition to be held at Haw Par Villa. But amidst it all, they’ll also be premiering their first mainstage show of the year in the form of Shen Tan’s 13.13.13 in her professional … Continue reading Because I Love You: An Interview with Shen Tan and Tan Shou Chen of Theatreworks’ 13.13.13

Review: Love and Duty – Mozart’s Il Re Pastore by The Opera People

Mozart gets funky in this accessible new interpretation that sets Il Re Pastore in a nightclub. Opera often gets a bad rap for being stuffy and inaccessible to the general public. But in their debut production, The Opera People are pulling out all the stops to produce a show that anyone from any background would be more open to attend and be able to appreciate. … Continue reading Review: Love and Duty – Mozart’s Il Re Pastore by The Opera People