Preview: The Change by Gangguan Theatre

While negotiators at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt race to strike a strong climate deal, Singapore playwright-led collaboration Gangguan! presents The Change, an original new work. The one-actor production starring Dennis Sofian (Tartuffe, W!LD RICE) draws upon playwright Edward Eng’s (dead was the body till I taught it how to move, Bhumi Collective) personal experience working on climate policy and difficulty in … Continue reading Preview: The Change by Gangguan Theatre

Preview: Kumar XXX by Dream Academy

THIRTY… DIRTY… FLIRTY… From being stripped bare, to being a superhero, one ruling Queen has done it all. That Queen happens to be Kumar, Singapore’s number 1 drag queen and queen of comedy, as Kumar celebrates THIRTY fabulous years in show business – i.e. XXX (which is indeed the Roman numerals for 30!) So with a name like Kumar XXX, expect there to be some raunchy, X-rated … Continue reading Preview: Kumar XXX by Dream Academy

★★★☆☆ Review: Kingdoms Apart by Chong Tze Chien and Esplanade – Theatres on The Bay

Held back by the weight of its ambition in this valiant but problematic new staging of The Mahabharata. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Chong Tze Chien) 6 Script (Chong Tze Chien) 6 Performance 7 Set Design (Eucien Chia) 7 Sound Design (Darren Ng) 8 Lighting Design (James Tan) 8 Costumes/Hair/Makeup (Yuan Zhiying & Jacqueline Teo/Ashley Lim/Bobbie Ng) 5 Multimedia (Koo Chia Meng) 7 Puppetry … Continue reading ★★★☆☆ Review: Kingdoms Apart by Chong Tze Chien and Esplanade – Theatres on The Bay

★★★★☆ Review: Extinction Feast by The Theatre Practice

Experimental eco-theatre fishes out the complexities of climate paralysis. Category Score (out of 10) Direction (Ang Xiao Ting) 7 Script (Nabilah Said, Lee Wai Lokm Ang Xiao Ting, Sim Xin Yi, and Andrew Marko) 5 Performance (Andrew Marko) 9 Set Design (Chen Szu-Feng) 7 Lighting Design (Faith Liu Yong Huay) 8 Multimedia Design (Elizabeth Mak) 9 Sound Design (Ferry and Sandra Tay) 8 Costumes (MAX.TAN) … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Extinction Feast by The Theatre Practice

Toy Factory’s For My Highness: An Interview with director Adeeb Fazah and playwright Shaleihin Pi’ee

Toy Factory Productions Ltd has never shied away from nurturing the next generation of thetaremakers, with programmes such as playwright incubation programme The Wright Stuff and their more experimental Lab Projects. Next week, the company will be turning the spotlight on their DIRECT ENTRY programme, a director-mentorship programme led by Toy Factory Artistic Director Goh Boon Teck, as the chosen mentee culminates the mentorship with … Continue reading Toy Factory’s For My Highness: An Interview with director Adeeb Fazah and playwright Shaleihin Pi’ee

Preview: Toy Factory’s DIRECT ENTRY returns with new play, “For My Highness” by Shaleihin Pi’ee

Toy Factory Productions Ltd’s director-mentorship programme, DIRECT ENTRY, returns for it’s second season to bestow promising theatre director, Adeeb Fazah with a timely original script, For My Highness – which spotlights on the crippling vices of substance abuse and its inevitable infliction onto familial ties. DIRECT ENTRY is spearheaded and mentored by award-winning director, Goh Boon Teck, as an initiative to nurture more theatre directors … Continue reading Preview: Toy Factory’s DIRECT ENTRY returns with new play, “For My Highness” by Shaleihin Pi’ee

Kalaa Utsavam 2022: An Interview with Playwright/Director A Yagnya on ‘Between 5 Cows and the Deep Blue Sea’

When theatremaker A Yagnya’s play Between 5 Cows and the Deep Blue Sea was given a dramatised reading in 2020, we praised it as ‘relatable, fun and poignant’, impressed and hoping for it to receive a full staging at some point. 2 years later, and that staging is finally happening, as part of the Esplanade’s 2022 Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts. Written and … Continue reading Kalaa Utsavam 2022: An Interview with Playwright/Director A Yagnya on ‘Between 5 Cows and the Deep Blue Sea’

Kingdoms Apart: An Interview with Playwright/Director Chong Tze Chien on adapting the Mahābhārata

The Indian epic The Mahabharata is often considered ‘the longest poem ever written’, charting an age old battle between two groups of cousins in the Kurukshetra War for power. To date, it remains one of the most well-known texts in world mythology, and has received countless retellings and adaptations over the years. For theatremaker Chong Tze Chien, The Mahabharata has held a special place in … Continue reading Kingdoms Apart: An Interview with Playwright/Director Chong Tze Chien on adapting the Mahābhārata

Sibeh Strange: An Interview with Jonathan Lim and Judy Ngo on the long-anticipated return of their signature Chestnuts parody show

In its heyday, the Chestnuts series was one of Singapore’s most popular and beloved parody shows. Known as Singapore’s ‘first and longest running parody shows’, since their humble beginnings in 1996, the team have grown and evolved over the years from strength to strength, going from Christmas sketch shows at the now-defunct Jubilee Hall, to a massive SG50 special edition in 2015 at the Drama … Continue reading Sibeh Strange: An Interview with Jonathan Lim and Judy Ngo on the long-anticipated return of their signature Chestnuts parody show

Practice Tuckshop’s Recess Time Receives #CreateCOP27 Honourable Mention

The Theatre Practice has announced that Practice Tuckshop’s flagship programme Recess Time has been chosen as one of the twenty honourable mentions for #CreateCOP27.  An “ugly” produce lunch party, Recess Time is a long-running participatory work which stages a social event, i.e. lunch, as the site for performance and engagement. Combining cooking, making conversation and storytelling into a single encounter, invited home cooks and professional … Continue reading Practice Tuckshop’s Recess Time Receives #CreateCOP27 Honourable Mention