★★★★★ Review: Kafka’s Ape by Phala O Phala and Tony Bonani Miyambo

Brilliant dramatic monologue shows ugliness of speciesism and tyranny of society. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Phala O Phala) 9 Script (Phala O Phala) 8 Performance (Tony Bonani Miyambo) 9 Total 26/30 (87%) Final Score: ★★★★★ A cursory glance at a single human and ape, and you’d swear we were worlds apart. Yet surprisingly, the two species share almost 99% of the same DNA. … Continue reading ★★★★★ Review: Kafka’s Ape by Phala O Phala and Tony Bonani Miyambo

★★★☆☆ Review: Why Be Good When You Can Be The Best? by Deonn Yang

Modern fable about the productivity trap of the endless rat race. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Deonn Yang) 7 Script (Deonn Yang 6 Performance (Chng Xin Xuan, Eve Voigtlander, Mitchell Fang, Sindhura Kalidas, Suhaili Safari) 7 Lighting Design (Emanorwatty Salleh) 7 Set Design (Wong Chee Wai) 7 Total 34/50 (68%) Final Score: ★★★☆☆ Over the course of the pandemic, the idea of work has … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Why Be Good When You Can Be The Best? by Deonn Yang

★★★☆☆ Review: Never The Bride by The Necessary Stage

Searching for meaning beyond marriage as the endgame. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Alvin Tan) 6 Script (Rajkumar Thiagaras, Ryan Ang, Fadhil Daud) 6 Performance (Rajkumar Thiagaras, Ryan Ang, Fadhil Daud) 6 Composition / Sound Design (Emily Wong Ng Jing) 7 Scenography (Petrina Dawn Tan) 6 Multimedia /Film (Genevieve Peck / Tan Wei Ting) 8 Choreography (Ryan Ang) 7 Total 46/70 (66%) Final Score: … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Never The Bride by The Necessary Stage

Huayi 2023: An Interview with Liang Chi-Ming, director of Godot Theatre Company’s ‘ART’

Over this first weekend of the Esplanade’s 2023 Huayi- Chinese Festival of Arts, the ongoing theme seems to be friendship, with headliner shows Two men, ten years later and Godot Theatre Company’s ART both dealing with the difficulties and nuances of navigating long-term friendships. And it makes perfect sense too – after all, in a world fraught with conflict, we need more friendships built on … Continue reading Huayi 2023: An Interview with Liang Chi-Ming, director of Godot Theatre Company’s ‘ART’

Huayi 2023: An Interview with best friends Chen Wu-kang and Su Wei-chia, co-creators of ‘Two men, ten years later’ (两男常罩)

In spite of countless life events, in spite of differing artistic directions and career trajectories, in spite of battling a global pandemic and even life-threatening illness, Taiwanese dancers Chen Wu-kang and Su Wei-chia have remained best friends for 30 years now. Ever since co-founding the company HORSE in 2004, the two have also collaborated on numerous projects, including the experimental work 2 men (2012), which … Continue reading Huayi 2023: An Interview with best friends Chen Wu-kang and Su Wei-chia, co-creators of ‘Two men, ten years later’ (两男常罩)

Preview: Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts 2023 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

The Esplanade’s Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts has always been a gateway to the region’s best Chinese arts, from China to Hong Kong, Taiwan to of course, Singapore. In the next edition, running from 27th January to 5th February, the festival coincides with the Year of the Rabbit, full of positivity and wit, as the Esplanade welcomes audiences to discover new worlds, make memories … Continue reading Preview: Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts 2023 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

★★★☆☆ Review: Less Than Half by Adib Kosnan, Yarra Ileto & Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

Glass half empty perspective towards how a nation cares for its minorities. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Adib Kosnan, Yarra Ileto) 7 Script (Aswani Aswath, NAFA students) 6 Performance (NAFA students) 7 Sound Design (Alif Danial Ahmad) 7 Lighting (Tai Zi Feng) 7 Total 34/50 (68%) Final Score: ★★★☆☆ In a world where appearances are everything, it is far too often that we try … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Less Than Half by Adib Kosnan, Yarra Ileto & Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts

★★★☆☆ Review: Mother of Compost by Noémie Huttner-Koros

An invitation to ponder over the future of families in the anthropocene. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Andrew Sutherland) 7 Script (Noémie Huttner-Koros) 7 Performance (Noémie Huttner-Koros) 8 Audiovisual Design (Edwin Sitt) 6 Lighting Design (Jasmine Lifford) 7 Costume Design (Molly Werner) 7 Stage Design (Molly Werner) 6 Sound Design (Lyndon Blue) 8 Total 54/80 (68%) Final Score: ★★★☆☆ Noémie Huttner-Koros loves babies. But … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Mother of Compost by Noémie Huttner-Koros

Preview: Checkpoint Theatre 2023 Season

Come 2023, Checkpoint Theatre is introducing an exciting season ahead, with new work, a hot favourite, and a previously delayed staging, all coming to the Drama Centre Black Box across the year, as the company continues to present and develop important, original stories from Singapore. The season opens with Myle Yan Tay’s Brown Boys Don’t Tell Jokes. Directed by and with dramaturgy by Huzir Sulaiman, … Continue reading Preview: Checkpoint Theatre 2023 Season

Performing Video Games: An Interview with award-winning ‘The Dark Room’ creator John Robertson

What if you could play a video game in real life, making decisions that have actual consequences on how you progress, and even stand to win an attractive reward at the end? That’s kind of what John Robertson does with his award-winning show The Dark Room. Originating as a YouTube series with over 4 million views and counting, and spawning a videogame, 250,000 viewer Twitch … Continue reading Performing Video Games: An Interview with award-winning ‘The Dark Room’ creator John Robertson