Preview: The Paiseh Pieces by The Second Breakfast Company

The Second Breakfast Company (2BCo) is set to produce its first ever musical, The Paiseh Pieces, in February 2023 at Wisma Geylang Serai (WGS). This production, presented in collaboration with WGS, revolves around three young adults, Tobias, Rina and Sara navigating adulthood in Singapore. The three besties on the precipice of adulthood find themselves in difficult situations. Tobias, a struggling theatre actor, can’t seem to … Continue reading Preview: The Paiseh Pieces by The Second Breakfast Company

Huayi 2023: An Interview with Lee Yi-Hsiu and Hsu Shu-Hui of La Cie MaxMind

The most fragile of cultural heritage is often the intangible, lying in customs, traditions and art forms that need to be passed down from generation to generation for survival. And as time goes by, too many of these practices are lost. Taiwanese arts company La Cie MaxMind hopes to preserve at least one of these traditions with the shows they put on. This week, they’re … Continue reading Huayi 2023: An Interview with Lee Yi-Hsiu and Hsu Shu-Hui of La Cie MaxMind

Review: Foreign Bodies by Birds Migrant Theatre

Big-hearted, honest work about the plight of migrant workers in Singapore. Far too often, migrant workers in Singapore are seen only as cheap expendable labour or worst of all, subjects of crime articles splashed over newspapers. This act of othering migrant workers constantly demeans their humanity, and reduces them to mere statistics. At what point do we begin to treat them with respect as equals, … Continue reading Review: Foreign Bodies by Birds Migrant Theatre

★★★★★ 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

Arts of Hong Kong 2023: Hong Kong Arts Festival 2023

HONG KONG – Now in its 51st edition, the Hong Kong Arts Festival (HKAF) is back this February to bring both local and international arts to the city of Hong Kong. Stars of the art world will descend on the city, with programmes that include Anna Netrebko and Yusif Eyvazov, Loveless Romance—a new drama by Cheung Tat-ming, the dance-opera Love Streams, Jockey Club InnoArts Series: First Steps, Dance Me to the End of … Continue reading Arts of Hong Kong 2023: Hong Kong Arts Festival 2023