Preview: The Orange Production 2019 by The Necessary Stage

The Necessary Stage (TNS) is having an incredibly busy 2019, with a festival, and two mainstage productions. Of course, it doesn’t stop there, and come this July, they’re bringing back their developmental platform, The Orange Production for the second time, ready to bring new talent and new work into the local theatre scene. Through The Orange Production, TNS turns the spotlight on young artists, providing the … Continue reading Preview: The Orange Production 2019 by The Necessary Stage

Preview: Pesta Raya 2019 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

The Esplanade’s Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of the Arts is back this June to once again highlight the varied arts and culture from across the wide expanse of the the nusantara (Malay Archipelago). Held together by the same rooted beliefs and culture, this year’s festival celebrates that diversity and richness from across its heritage, history and people. Once again coinciding with the celebration of Hari … Continue reading Preview: Pesta Raya 2019 by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Preview: Happy Waiting by Grain Performance & Research Lab

This July, inspired by the works of seminal absurdist playwright Samuel Beckett, Grain Performance & Research Lab presents Beverly Yuen’s new play Happy Waiting, combining ideas and taking inspiration from Happy Days and Waiting for Godot.  With Happy Waiting, Vicky (Sonia Kwek) finds herself trapped in a mound. But contrary to how you think she might react, she remains cheerful, and begins to recall memories of the stories … Continue reading Preview: Happy Waiting by Grain Performance & Research Lab

SIFA 2019: Crowd by Gisèle Vienne (Review)

The lines of desire are powerfully drawn over one crazy night at the rave.  While often considered a liminal space of chaos and pure freedom of expression, French choreographer Gisèle Vienne has managed to temper that manic energy and craft a scintillating, multi-layered dance work with Crowd, as we watch the lives of 14 dancers unfold over one night at a rave. Crowd dedicates itself entirely to the … Continue reading SIFA 2019: Crowd by Gisèle Vienne (Review)

SIFA 2019: Körper by Sasha Waltz & Hans Peter Kuhn (Review)

The discomfort of being in our own skin translates to the discomfort of being alive.   Often considered one of her signature works, Sasha Waltz’s Körper has remained incredibly iconic and relevant even 19 years on. While bodies are always a key part of any dance performance, rarely has a production chosen to so boldly examine the body itself in full visceral detail, tearing it down to … Continue reading SIFA 2019: Körper by Sasha Waltz & Hans Peter Kuhn (Review)

Review: #GOALS by Dwayne Lau

Can someone just get Dwayne Lau his own TV workout show already? With our modern fitspo culture taking the country by storm, it was only a matter of time before a theatre show would arrive to tackle the topic. Enter theatremaker Dwayne Lau with #GOALS, a comedy musical revue and love letter to his ongoing fitness journey, which played last weekend at the Esplanade Concourse as part … Continue reading Review: #GOALS by Dwayne Lau

SIFA 2019: A Dream Under The Southern Bough – Reverie by Toy Factory (Review)

The second instalment of this adaptation of a Ming dynasty classic brims with potential – a quintessential Toy Factory production doing what they do best.  Trust is an incredibly delicate concept in the theatre world, and with Toy Factory’s epic production A Dream Under The Southern Bough, SIFA always knew it was running a risk when they invested resources that would see the production through, one … Continue reading SIFA 2019: A Dream Under The Southern Bough – Reverie by Toy Factory (Review)

SIFA 2019: Ryuichi Sakamoto – Fragments with Shiro Takatani (Review)

A transcendent performance brilliantly portraying the struggle of art and life.  Nobody ever said creating art was easy. But perhaps few people know it quite as well as living legend and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, who had an eight year gap between his latest solo album async (2017) and Out of Noise (2009), during which he struggled to find inspiration. In that time, Sakamoto was also diagnosed with throat cancer, … Continue reading SIFA 2019: Ryuichi Sakamoto – Fragments with Shiro Takatani (Review)

SIFA 2019: Displaced Persons Welcome Dinner by Checkpoint Theatre (Review)

Humanitarian workers go through dreary office politics just like you and me.  The issue of refugees and mass migration has been one of the hottest topics on everyone’s lips in recent years, with many a play made about the problems the displaced go through themselves. But few plays have actually dealt with the oft forgotten players in the crisis – the humanitarian aid workers tirelessly … Continue reading SIFA 2019: Displaced Persons Welcome Dinner by Checkpoint Theatre (Review)

SIFA 2019: Oreste by Ifigenia by Tan Shou Chen and Ng Tian Hui (Review)

Reclaiming gender in this new adaptation of a classic Greek tale. In its various adaptations, Ifigenia at Tauris has seesawed between two perspectives. In Euripedes’ original play, like its title, the priestess Ifigenia took centrestage, the protagonist in this drama about a sister who has to make a choice between obeying the law and sacrificing her brother Oreste to the gods, or rebel and save him. … Continue reading SIFA 2019: Oreste by Ifigenia by Tan Shou Chen and Ng Tian Hui (Review)