Singapore Writers Festival 2023: An Interview with Pooja Nansi on her final year as Festival Director, diversity and inclusion, and the literary landscape

Over her five year stint as Festival Director, Pooja Nansi has seen through some of the most challenging editions of the Singapore Writers Festival. From coming in as the first female director of the festival, to adapting the festival for an online and hybrid format during the pandemic years, the journey has not been an easy one. But one thing’s for certain – Pooja has … Continue reading Singapore Writers Festival 2023: An Interview with Pooja Nansi on her final year as Festival Director, diversity and inclusion, and the literary landscape

Preview: The Necessary Stage presents showcases for Devising with Actors and Playwrights 2023

To round off the year, The Necessary Stage (TNS) is presenting an exciting lineup of works-in-progress by the latest batch of creatives from its Devising with Actors and Playwrights (DAP) workshops. Led by Resident Playwright and Cultural Medallion recipient Haresh Sharma, Devising with Actors and Playwrights 2023 is part of TNS’ devising platform and sees 20 theatre-makers undergo an intensive training programme over a six-month … Continue reading Preview: The Necessary Stage presents showcases for Devising with Actors and Playwrights 2023

More twists and big reveals at the Singapore Writers Festival 2023 – Plot Twist

The plot thickens for the 26th edition of the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF), organised by Arts House Limited (AHL) and commissioned by the National Arts Council (NAC), with the introduction of more literary powerhouses from all over the world to this year’s line-up. Be prepared for big reveals, unexpected outcomes and surprise endings as SWF opens from 17 to 26 November 2023. Ahead of the … Continue reading More twists and big reveals at the Singapore Writers Festival 2023 – Plot Twist

Preview: Mamma Mia! by BASE Entertainment Asia

Mamma Mia – here we go again, as the hit ABBA jukebox musical returns to Singapore this week! Last staged in 2018 to glowing reviews, Mamma Mia! is Judy Craymer’s ingenious vision of staging the story-telling magic of ABBA’s timeless songs with a sunny, funny tale of a mother, a daughter and three possible dads unfolding on a Greek island idyll. Mamma Mia! remains one … Continue reading Preview: Mamma Mia! by BASE Entertainment Asia

Preview: Happy Indian Women by The Necessary Stage

Following a five-star performance in Wild Rice’s Psychobitch, theatremaker and The Necessary Stage (TNS) Associate Artist Sindhura Kalidas is back this November to wrap up her 2023 with a brand new show: Happy Indian Women. Written by Sindhura, and co-directed by Sindhura and TNS Resident Playwright Haresh Sharma, Happy Indian Women is a new verbatim theatre production that questions the assumptions made about the diverse … Continue reading Preview: Happy Indian Women by The Necessary Stage

Preview: Singapore Writers Festival 2023 – Plot Twist

Plot twists, unexpected combinations and unlikely connections are ahead as the Singapore Writers Festival (SWF) returns for its 26th edition from 17 to 26 November 2023. Organised by Arts House Limited (AHL) and commissioned by the National Arts Council (NAC), SWF 2023 embraces the unpredictable in a series of mould-breaking and genre-bending programmes for all audiences, familiar and new, and asks, what happens when you … Continue reading Preview: Singapore Writers Festival 2023 – Plot Twist

★★★☆☆ Review: Offending The Audience by Emergency Stairs and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Flawed revival of Handke’s classic fails to find a place in the contemporary world. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Ang Gey Pin) 6 Script (Peter Handke and devised parts by cast) 6 Performance 7 Lighting Design (David Li) 7 Total 26/40 (65%) Final Score: ★★★☆☆ Since premiering in Germany in 1966, Peter Handke’s Offending The Audience has gained a reputation for being a quintessential … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Offending The Audience by Emergency Stairs and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

★★★☆☆ Review: Dream School by Emergency Stairs and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Oversimplification of problems in arts education makes this less of a forum than it is another angry shout into the void against the system. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Li Xie) 5 Script (Devised by Li Xie and Cast) 5 Performance 7 Lighting Design (David Li) 7 Total 24/40 (60%) Final Score: ★★★☆☆ Presented as part of Emergency Stairs and NAFA’s Industry Project 2022, … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Dream School by Emergency Stairs and Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Review: Playwrights’ Cove 2022 by The Necessary Stage

From featuring promising young theatremakers at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, to the creative jamming of The Orange Playground, in recent years, The Necessary Stage (TNS) has been increasingly moving towards the developing of new works and setting the foundations for a new generation of theatremakers. This year, TNS has also brought back Playwrights’ Cove, a playwriting training and mentorship programme led by Resident Playwright … Continue reading Review: Playwrights’ Cove 2022 by The Necessary Stage

Review: Mina Kaye – Live In Concert 2022 by Sight Lines Entertainment

If there was ever any doubt of local actress Mina Kaye’s capabilities, then attending her live concert would have dispelled them all; even three months pregnant, Mina puts on a showstopper of a performance in Mina Kaye – Live In Concert that marks her as a true professional. Directed by Sight Lines Entertainment artistic director Derrick Chew, as part of the company’s 10th anniversary, the … Continue reading Review: Mina Kaye – Live In Concert 2022 by Sight Lines Entertainment