M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with The Necessary Stage on a new staging of Haresh Sharma’s ‘Eclipse’

Over the years, The Necessary Stage (TNS) has made a name for itself with some of the most gripping, hard-hitting plays to come out of Singapore, primarily thanks to Resident Playwright and Cultural Medallion recipient Haresh Sharma. Among these plays is Eclipse, which looks at three generations of men struggling with their dreams and their journeys, as a young Singaporean man makes a journey to … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with The Necessary Stage on a new staging of Haresh Sharma’s ‘Eclipse’

M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Birds Migrant Theatre on ‘The Troupe’

Comprising a group of theatre enthusiasts who also happen to be migrant workers, Birds Migrant Theatre is back for another edition of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival this coming January. Following Foreign Bodies in 2023, which we described as ‘an unflinching, objectively written story that speaks truth to the limitations of being a migrant in Singapore’, the team is back withThe Troupe, yet another original … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Birds Migrant Theatre on ‘The Troupe’

M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Qabilah on ‘WePushTheSky’

Friends are and have always been a key part of our lives – no man is an island after all, and more than ever, rather than seeking out tribes where we simply see the similarities, it becomes more important to make space for differences, expand our mindsets and welcome others with open arms and nuance. That is what Indian company Qabilah is doing with WePushTheSky, … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Qabilah on ‘WePushTheSky’

M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Noor Effendy Ibrahim and Ruby Jayaseelan on ‘Dancing with the Ghost of My Child’

Can the arts heal pain? In tackling issues such as vulnerability, trauma and the desire to heal, the students of the BA (Hons) in Performance Making programme at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts are attempting to do just that, in Dancing with the Ghost of My Child in January. Playing as part of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2025, the devised work is led by … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Noor Effendy Ibrahim and Ruby Jayaseelan on ‘Dancing with the Ghost of My Child’

M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Siren Theatre Co. on ‘The End of Winter’

‘The End of Winter’ sounds like the stuff of fairytales, something that some kind of supernatural, fantastical villain plots to do away with snow forever. But the truth is, with rapid climate change and global warming, that could well be a reality before we know it, particularly in Australia, where the people truly feel the heat, with warmer and shorter winters each year. How do … Continue reading M1 Singapore Fringe 2025: An Interview with Siren Theatre Co. on ‘The End of Winter’

da:ns focus – Out of Site: An Interview with choreographer Rachid Ouramdane on ‘Corps extrêmes’ and staging the power of the human spirit

In a feature article on French choreographer Rachid Ouramdane, New York Times arts critic Gia Kourlas described him as ‘the choreographer bringing hope to the stage and beyond’. It’s a big title to live up to, but one that Rachid lives up to and carries well, particularly with his work Corps extrêmes. Playing at the Esplanade this weekend as part of their da:ns focus – … Continue reading da:ns focus – Out of Site: An Interview with choreographer Rachid Ouramdane on ‘Corps extrêmes’ and staging the power of the human spirit

Preview: Frenemies by Prem John and Chandi Perera

Two strangers from Singapore and Malaysia are thrown together by a simple customer service request. In this antiromantic comedy, things rapidly spiral out of control and, what follows escalates into a war of words so absurd, it could put the most dedicated penpals to shame. In this play, – somewhere between the petty complaints, personal digs, and strange admissions – two souls realise they might … Continue reading Preview: Frenemies by Prem John and Chandi Perera

★★★★☆ Review: A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) by SRT’s The Young Company

Agony underneath confetti, this is a play that speaks of the universal pain we hide under a smile. Growing up is never easy, and it often feels like we’re trapped in a world only we know, when no one else seems to understand the pains of adolescence. But for some, that pain mutates into something much more horrifying, with the spectre of mental health and … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: A Super Happy Story (About Feeling Super Sad) by SRT’s The Young Company

Review: Meet Fred by SRT’s Inclusive Young Company

An earnest, metatheatrical exploration of what it means to not belong. Produced by Hijinx, in association with Blind Summit, Meet Fred is a metatheatrical, devised work by Singapore Repertory Theatre’s (SRT) Inclusive Young Company (IYC) that follows the titular puppet, Fred (voiced brilliantly by Shea Chiang). One day, Fred gains sentience and realises that life is a lot more complicated than he bargains for. For one … Continue reading Review: Meet Fred by SRT’s Inclusive Young Company

Arts of Hong Kong 2024: The Restaurant by Windmill Grass Theatre

We all know F&B is a cutthroat industry, but just how violent could it possibly get? Hong Kong theatre company Windmill Grass Theatre is set to present a brand new Cantonese production this November, with The Restaurant. Written and directed by Windmill Grass Theatre co-founder Edmond Tong, the play centres on one of the hottest high-end fine dining restaurants in the city. A newly hired … Continue reading Arts of Hong Kong 2024: The Restaurant by Windmill Grass Theatre