Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: Ashes, Ashes by Rajkumar Thiagaras (Review)

Some things are better left fed to the flames.  Two years ago, the Straits Times reported on the demolition of Lakshmi Villa, a generations old family home that had grown too costly to maintain, with the land sold off for development of new condominiums. Taking inspiration from this story, Rajkumar Thiagaras wrote his debut play Ashes, Ashes, presented as part of Toy Factory’s Wright Stuff Festival 2019. Directed … Continue reading Toy Factory’s The Wright Stuff Festival 2019: Ashes, Ashes by Rajkumar Thiagaras (Review)

da:ns festival 2019: Pas de Deux by Raimund Hoghe (Review)

Finding tenderness and connection in the face of seemingly irreconcilable differences.  Raimund Hoghe is a shorter than average 70-year old German man with a discernible hunchback, pale and serious. Takashi Ueno is a much younger Japanese man of average height, slim and lithe. One wonders how the two might even begin to find a point of connection with each other with these distinct physical builds and … Continue reading da:ns festival 2019: Pas de Deux by Raimund Hoghe (Review)

Review: A Very Singaporean Celebration – A Bicentennial Tribute by re:Sound Collective

Celebrating the Bicentennial, re:Sound style. How do you capture the founding of Singapore into a single symphony? Local composer Jonathan Shin certainly seems to have the answer, with the premiere of a brand new composition as part of re:Sound Collective’s A Very Singaporean Celebration. Opening with Shin’s 1819 Suite for Small Orchestra, the chamber orchestra began with a short introduction, a prelude of soft waves on our island … Continue reading Review: A Very Singaporean Celebration – A Bicentennial Tribute by re:Sound Collective

SGIFF 2019: Anthony Chen’s Golden Horse-Nominated Wet Season to Open SGIFF This November

Local writer-director Anthony Chen has a lot going for him – ever since winning the prestigious Camera d’Or for his film Ilo Ilo (2013), his star has only continued to rise, with his brand new film Wet Season set to open the 30th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) on 21st November 2019 at Capitol Theatre. The introspective feature was the sole Asian entry in competition at the 44th … Continue reading SGIFF 2019: Anthony Chen’s Golden Horse-Nominated Wet Season to Open SGIFF This November

Preview: VCHpresents Intimate Moments from West to East by Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Intimate Moments’ is a new series of concerts giving audiences the chance to watch, listen and converse with a select musician of the Singapore Symphony family. The concerts are intimate, with this first one held in the cosy Victoria Concert Hall Dance Studio, with a rare chance to get up close to a musician and their instrument. This November, meet violinist Zhang Si Jing with … Continue reading Preview: VCHpresents Intimate Moments from West to East by Singapore Symphony Orchestra

Esplanade’s Voices Series 2019: An Interview with Opus Jam (Voilah! 2019)

Formerly known as “A4”, the history of French group Opus Jam began in 1995 when the group’s founder Emmanuel Cappelaere met the American Gospel vocal group Acapella. He realised that their voices could express themselves with strength and greater intensity especially since voices were the only featured instruments. After 15 years, with 800 concerts and performances around the world, and five albums with over 35,000 … Continue reading Esplanade’s Voices Series 2019: An Interview with Opus Jam (Voilah! 2019)

Voilah! 2019: NO TASTE FOR BAD TASTE, so Starck, so Bouroullec… so le French Design

Renowned design exhibition, NO TASTE FOR BAD TASTE, so Starck, so Bouroullec… so le French Design, will begin its run in Singapore from 12 October to 16 November 2019, showcasing the best of French design as part of Voilah! France Singapore Festival. The exhibition at the National Design Centre (NDC) epitomises the elegance of French design through a line-up of over 40 masterpieces by acclaimed and beloved design maestros. Created … Continue reading Voilah! 2019: NO TASTE FOR BAD TASTE, so Starck, so Bouroullec… so le French Design

Review: Dear Elena (青春禁忌游戏) by Nine Years Theatre

Worst birthday ever makes for one of the best shows of 2019. Growing up in Singapore, the hard and fast path to ‘success’ has always been made abundantly clear to each and every child: study hard, get into a good school, rinse and repeat, and you’ll lead a happy life. But for those who don’t follow exactly as the system dictates, the consequences could be … Continue reading Review: Dear Elena (青春禁忌游戏) by Nine Years Theatre

Review: Tanah•Air 水•土 – A Play In Two Parts by Drama Box

Remembering those we’ve forgotten via two tales of the dispossessed.  As much as the Bicentennial celebrations claim to remember the some 700 years of recorded history of Singapore and the people who lived here back then, it tends to forget that those same people aren’t extinct, and in fact, still walk among us today. With Drama Box’s incredibly ambitious two part play Tanah•Air 水•土 then, the … Continue reading Review: Tanah•Air 水•土 – A Play In Two Parts by Drama Box

The Bicentennial Experience: An Interview with Creative Directors Beatrice Chia-Richmond and Michael Chiang

Amidst the countless ways each and every Singaporean entity is attempting to deconstruct, grapple with or straight up capitalise on the Bicentennial year, at the heart of the event remains the Singapore Bicentennial Office’s blockbuster centrepiece – From Singapore to Singaporean: The Bicentennial Experience. Meeting with overwhelming demand upon its launch, so much such that it’s now been extended all the way till the end … Continue reading The Bicentennial Experience: An Interview with Creative Directors Beatrice Chia-Richmond and Michael Chiang