Preview: PopLore – A Year of Singapore Popular Music

In celebration of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay’s 20th anniversary, the centre presents PopLore – A Year of Singapore Popular Music, a year-long exploration of Singapore’s epic, storied and vibrant popular music from the 1960s to the present and beyond. Produced in consultation with music industry veteran Lim Sek and emerging from the seismic disruption to the scene that is COVID-19, PopLore celebrates the power … Continue reading Preview: PopLore – A Year of Singapore Popular Music

Preview: Miss Julie by Singapore Repertory Theatre

This January, the Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) opens their season with Amy Ng’s adaptation of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie. Co-produced with Hong Kong Arts Festival, the Singapore staging of Miss Julie marks its premiere, before it tours to Hong Kong for the 2022 Hong Kong Arts Festival in March. “SRT is delighted to have been invited by one of Asia’s foremost festivals, the Hong Kong … Continue reading Preview: Miss Julie by Singapore Repertory Theatre

★★★★☆ Review: Borderline by PSYCHEdelight

Tragicomic physical theatre presents the refugee crisis in a whole new light. Mention the refugee crisis, and comedy probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Yet, in PSYCHEdelight’s Borderline, director and facilitator Sophie Besse uses it to incredible effect, as she leads a group of refugees and professional actors to share their experiences with heart, humour and physical comedy. Streaming as part of … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Borderline by PSYCHEdelight

★★★★☆ Review: IMAGO by Travis Clausen-Knight and James Pett

Capturing the beauty and pain of love gone bad. If the pandemic is anything to go by, nothing good should be taken for granted, and it’s likely, never lasts forever. In psychoanalysis, the term ‘imago’ refers to an unconscious idealized mental image of someone, which influences a person’s behaviour. Using this definition as a starting point, UK dancers Travis Clausen-Knight and James Pett attempt to … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: IMAGO by Travis Clausen-Knight and James Pett

★★★★☆ Review: OK Land by Circle Theatre

Banding together against the monopoly. If you’ve ever step foot into Bangkok, you’ll be well aware that there’s a convenience store on every corner, perfect for grabbing a cool drink when the temperature peaks. But for the segment of society that can’t even afford it, that’s simply not an option for them – who is the store really convenient for? Streaming as part of the … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: OK Land by Circle Theatre

By The Book: Karina Robles Bahrin announced as winner of 2022 Epigram Books Fiction Prize

Malaysian author Karina Robles Bahrin was announced as the winner of 2022 Epigram Books Fiction Prize. The result was announced at a virtual awards ceremony, that was livestreamed on Epigram Books’ Facebook and YouTube pages on Saturday evening (22nd January 2022). Karina takes home S$25,000 in prize money and a publishing contract with Epigram Books. Her winning manuscript, The Accidental Malay, will be published in the second half … Continue reading By The Book: Karina Robles Bahrin announced as winner of 2022 Epigram Books Fiction Prize

★★★★☆ Review: The Essential Playlist by The Second Breakfast Company

Who will help the helpers? The term ‘essential workers’ has become something of a buzzword over the course of the pandemic. Not only was there initial furore over who should be considered ‘essential’ or not, but as the pandemic reached its peak, stories of burnout, quitting en masse, and the paltry efforts at celebrating them (clapping at our windows) swarmed our social media feeds. How … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: The Essential Playlist by The Second Breakfast Company

Review: The Secret Life of Haw Par Villa by Strawberries Inc.

Hell hath no story like Haw Par Villa after hours. Spoilers ahead. Haw Par Villa used to haunt me when my grandmother took me there as a child, with images of King Yama and tortured souls filling my worst nightmares. Coming back as an adult though, Singapore’s most unusual theme park has become something of a contemporary surreal trip, feasting our eyes on the grotesque sculptures … Continue reading Review: The Secret Life of Haw Par Villa by Strawberries Inc.

★★★★☆ Review: 0.01 by Goh Shou Yi, Rei Poh & Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Mind the gap – you might find a surprising connection. In Wong Kar-Wai’s 1994 film Chungking Express, Takeshi Kaneshiro considers his character’s relationship with Brigitte Lin, where at the highest point, they were a mere 0.01cm apart. With how tight-knit our city structure is, this could also apply to our everyday interactions, where 0.01cm represents the tiny distance between ourselves and others, the space and … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: 0.01 by Goh Shou Yi, Rei Poh & Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

M1 Singapore Fringe 2022: An Interview with Adib Kosnan and Raimi Safari on adoption in ‘Rindu di Bulan’

From their very first production, Rupa co.lab has always delivered on arresting scripts about the intricacies of Malay culture, homing in on familial bonds of unusual household structures, and winning Best Original Script at our Bakchormeeboy Awards in 2019 for Nessa Anwar’s Rumah Dayak and 2021 for Hazwan Norly’s Pandan. Now, a third member of Rupa co.lab will be making his debut with the company, … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe 2022: An Interview with Adib Kosnan and Raimi Safari on adoption in ‘Rindu di Bulan’