Finding the light: An Interview with Dimitris Papaioannou, creator of Transverse Orientation

This August, Greek theatre stage director, choreographer and visual artist Dimitris Papaioannou is set to return to Singapore with his latest work, Transverse Orientation, playing at the Esplanade Theatre from 26th to 27th August. Known for his visually spectacular choreographies and theatrical design, it is hard to pin down exactly what Dimitris’ works are about, as he goes into them without a specific message he … Continue reading Finding the light: An Interview with Dimitris Papaioannou, creator of Transverse Orientation

★★★☆☆ Review: ASYLUM by Intercultural Theatre Institute

Going mad over the isolation of quarantine. During the pandemic, all of us have experienced what it’s like to be locked down, and isolated from society. In being forced to see the same faces day in, day out, settle into a fixed routine in a highly confined space, and little contact with the outside world, it’s enough to make anyone go mad. Exploring this idea, … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: ASYLUM by Intercultural Theatre Institute

Preview: Dancers’ Locker 2022 by Frontier Danceland

Dancers’ Locker, an annual programme by Frontier Danceland that spotlights its company artists returns with a triple bill live performance that will take place from 7 to 9 July 2022, at Goodman Arts Centre Amphitheatre and Frontier Danceland Studio. Dancers’ Locker 2022 features company artists, Sammantha Yue (Singapore), Mark Robles (Philippines) and Chia Poh Hian (Singapore) at the helm of distinctive choreographic explorations. The spirit … Continue reading Preview: Dancers’ Locker 2022 by Frontier Danceland

Preview: ASYLUM by Intercultural Theatre Institute

This May, Intercultural Theatre Institute (ITI) presents ASYLUM, an original work devised with playwright Jean Tay and director Oliver Chong, and 12 graduating actor-students from seven countries. The piece is inspired by the long-forgotten histories of Singapore’s old quarantine sites, resulting in sometimes surreal, sometimes downright horrifying imagery, from a tiger lurking outside the building, to a doctor attempts treatment using unorthodox methods. Within the … Continue reading Preview: ASYLUM by Intercultural Theatre Institute

★★★★☆ Review: MILIEU 2021 by Frontier Danceland

Only time will tell. Over the course of the pandemic, the concept of time has become a blur, where one can’t quite tell 2020 from 2021. For Frontier Danceland, their annual production MILIEU presented two recreations of past works, transforming them and adapting them, as they intersect on the theme of how one’s past feelings and memories have an effect on our perception of time, … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: MILIEU 2021 by Frontier Danceland

SGIFF 2021: An Interview with Tan Chui Mui, director of ‘Barbarian Invasion’

If it’s one person you should expect the unexpected from, it’s Malaysian director Tan Chui Mui. A pioneer of the Malaysian New Wave, Tan is a chameleon of a person, constantly challenging herself to go one step further in her artistry, her head a chaotic but dazzling swirl of ideas, and always ensuring that the work she puts out is of a high quality. In … Continue reading SGIFF 2021: An Interview with Tan Chui Mui, director of ‘Barbarian Invasion’

★★★★☆ Review: The Edge of Daybreak dir. Taiki Sakpisit

It’s always darkest before the dawn. Across horror films, the haunted house trope has remained one of the Western world’s strongest. From its humble beginnings as simply a cursed space where visitors and inhabitants meet gruesome ends, the modern haunted house film has evolved to explore how generations of trauma infect the space, becoming a musing on cycles of violence and pain households become ensnared … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: The Edge of Daybreak dir. Taiki Sakpisit

SGIFF 2021: An Interview with Taiki Sakpisit, director of ‘The Edge of Daybreak’

Thai director Taiki Sakpisit is in town for the 32nd Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF). Not only is he promoting his FIPRESCI Prize-winning debut feature film The Edge of Daybreak, but also, he’s mentoring budding Southeast Asian filmmakers here as part of SGIFF’s Film Lab programme. Speaking to us over coffee, Taiki is a soft-spoken man, genuinely joyous and full of enthusiasm when speaking about … Continue reading SGIFF 2021: An Interview with Taiki Sakpisit, director of ‘The Edge of Daybreak’

★★★★☆ Review: Barbarian Invasion dir. Tan Chui Mui

Finding strength and power through film. “When I was younger, film was everything,” says director Roger Woo (Pete Teo), in Malaysian filmmaker Tan Chui Mui’s new film Barbarian Invasion. “Now, everything is film.” In many ways, that’s the quote that encapsulates Barbarian Invasion as a whole, as it considers the thin line between fiction and reality, and the redemptive qualities of performance and film. Playing … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Barbarian Invasion dir. Tan Chui Mui

★★★☆☆ Review: Marma Medai – Theerppu (The Judgement) by Esplanade – Theatres on The Bay

No sin goes unpunished. Way back in the ’60s, M K Narayanan’s Marma Medai was a Tamil radio play series that dramatised thrilling mysteries, often with stone cold killers and grisly murders. As the saying goes, if it bleeds, it leads, and these dark plays found massive popularity back in the day, complete with chilling sound effects, and the ability to invoke fear in all … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Marma Medai – Theerppu (The Judgement) by Esplanade – Theatres on The Bay