★★☆☆☆ Review: Animal Farm by The Finger Players

All puppets are equal, but some are more equal than others, in The Finger Players’ messy adaptation of Orwell’s classic. Ever since it hit bookstores, George Orwell’s Animal Farm has risen to fame as a ferocious allegory of the Russian Revolution and the rise of Stalinism, now studied across schools and touted as a timeless, universal cautionary tale about how revolutions may lead to the … Continue reading ★★☆☆☆ Review: Animal Farm by The Finger Players

★★★★☆ Review: Dream of the Red Chamber by The Finger Players

Skilful mask work turning actors into living puppets amidst pseudo-poetic translation of Chinese classic. Cao Xueqin’s Dream of the Red Chamber has long been considered one of the greatest works of Chinese literature, as the novel passes social commentary, criticism, and philosophy over power, hierarchy and morality, as it follows the rise and fall in a family’s fortunes. Adapted countless times for stage and screen … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Dream of the Red Chamber by The Finger Players

★★★★☆ Review: Moby Dick by Plexus Polaire (SIFA 2024)

Glimmers of terrible beauty amidst a savage, age-old battle of man versus nature. The beauty of a novel like Moby Dick has always lain in how open to interpretation it is, where everything from the tumult of the sea, to the conversations between crewmates, to the chase for the elusive white whale itself becomes a metaphor for whatever one might be going through in life … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Moby Dick by Plexus Polaire (SIFA 2024)

SIFA 2024: An Interview with puppeteer Viktor Lukawski on playing Captain Ahab and puppetry in Plexus Polaire’s ‘Moby Dick’

Herman Melville’s Moby Dick has long been considered an epic of literature – a massive tome of a book that chronicles the odyssey of the Pequod, as they’re led by their obsessive Captain Ahab seeking revenge on the sperm whale that bit his leg off – the titular Moby Dick. Often considered one of the Great American Novels, the novel has been countlessly referenced across … Continue reading SIFA 2024: An Interview with puppeteer Viktor Lukawski on playing Captain Ahab and puppetry in Plexus Polaire’s ‘Moby Dick’

★★★★★ Review: Famous Puppet Death Scenes by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop

Fictional puppet history showcases a myriad of forms, styles, and dark, adult-oriented humour that leaves a powerful sense of catharsis. For so many people, death can be such a terrifying prospect because it seems so mysterious, so sudden, and most of all, inevitable. After all, nobody escapes death – not even puppets. But given that puppets never truly die, it stands to reason that they … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Famous Puppet Death Scenes by The Old Trout Puppet Workshop

★★★★★ Review: Chimpanzee by Nick Lehane

The hell of animal experimentation is keenly felt in this devastating work of puppet theatre. The beauty of puppetry lies in how easily we project our own feelings onto an object, given breath and life through puppeteers. And for animal puppets in particular, there is a dual layer of suspension of disbelief required, where not only do the puppeteers have to create empathy for a … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Chimpanzee by Nick Lehane

Flipside 2023: An Interview with Pityu Kenderes, co-artistic director of The Old Trout Puppet Workshop and co-creator of ‘Famous Puppet Death Scenes’

Everyone knows the best part of tragedies are the epic, bloody, melodramatic death scenes. So why not craft an entire show that gives you the best of the best, with an entire series of death scenes one after another? Enter Famous Puppet Death Scenes, where puppets will do just that for you, showcasing gruesome, shocking, silly, and ultimately, cathartic deaths of puppets. Created by Canada’s … Continue reading Flipside 2023: An Interview with Pityu Kenderes, co-artistic director of The Old Trout Puppet Workshop and co-creator of ‘Famous Puppet Death Scenes’

Preview: Hullabaloo at the Artground

Following the 100 and 100 More Festival, The Artground returns with a brand new programme this September. Titled Hullabaloo, the four month programme promises visitors an explosion of colours, patterns and shapes sure to appeal to children’s exploration and discovery. During the period of the programme, the Artground has been transformed into a whimsical landscape by local artist Nur Aida Binte Sa’ad (Yellow Mushmellow), who was inspired by her … Continue reading Preview: Hullabaloo at the Artground

Review: Urashima Taro by Rouge28 Theatre (Flipside 2018)

A surreal, horror take on a classic Japanese legend. Growing up listening to various folktales and legends from around the world, the Japanese legend of Urashima Taro has never struck me as particularly haunting or horrific. In the legend, the eponymous Urashima Taro is a poor fisherman who saves a turtle in trouble. As a reward for his heroic deed, the turtle invites him for a journey … Continue reading Review: Urashima Taro by Rouge28 Theatre (Flipside 2018)

100 and 100 More Festival: Into The Blue Forest (Review)

An immersive, interactive meditation on solitude and friendship opens the inaugural 100 and 100 More Festival Jeffrey Tan’s Into The Blue Forest charts a day in the life of an ordinary, old tree (Beatrice Chien) as she encounters flora and fauna living in the forest as they interact with her, from to a wisecracking spider all the way to a sly snake. Midway through, she chances … Continue reading 100 and 100 More Festival: Into The Blue Forest (Review)