It feels like just yesterday that we were still in January 2022, but with 2 months left before the new year, it’s about time to preview 2023’s arts season as we always do with the first major performing arts festival of the year – the annual M1 Singapore Fringe Festival (M1SFF). Organised by The Necessary Stage, 2023’s edition of M1SFF marks the first time in … Continue reading Preview: M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2023
The Necessary Stage (TNS) has unveiled its brand new Board composition that comes into effect from 1 April 2022. Three new board members, all women, will be joining the company, namely: Ana Dhoraisingam, Head of Institutional and Wealth Management Business, Southeast Asia CEO, PineBridge Investments; Dawn Westerhout, Head of Marketing and Communications, KPMG; and Sharanjit Leyl, Freelance Broadcast Journalist-Presenter. All three candidates bring with them … Continue reading The Necessary Stage introduces new board members
Learning to accept the inevitability of change. Change has never been easy. This is especially so the longer the status quo has been in play, whether in terms of a relationship, or a place one calls home, when routines and habits so firmly set in place, the very idea of change fills one with fear at what the future holds. Yet change is inevitable, and … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Opposition 对峙 by The Necessary Stage and Drama Box
In any arts scene, you’re bound to find a sizeable number of big personalities, with headstrong artistic directors and scriptwriters who believe themselves the best and insist on a ‘my way or no way’ approach. It is for that same reason that collaborations between companies tend to be complicated affairs, and require not just a common vision, but also an open-minded creative team willing to … Continue reading Against All Odds: An Interview with Alvin Tan, Haresh Sharma and Kok Heng Leun on ‘Opposition 对峙’
Over the last few years, local theatre companies Drama Box and The Necessary Stage (TNS) have been closely collaborating with each other, resulting in two critically-acclaimed productions – 2016’s Manifesto and 2018’s Underclass. Now, the two companies are set to present the final show in their trilogy of collaborations, with Opposition in March. “Opposition is a fascinating blend of live and multimedia performance. The narrative … Continue reading Preview: Opposition 对峙 by The Necessary Stage and Drama Box
The climate is changing for the worse – so when will we change for the better? The Year of No Return is possibly one of The Necessary Stage’s (TNS) most ambitious productions yet. Bringing together an international cast, the play tackles the expansive topic of climate change and our efforts to stop it, all while dealing with the new restrictions placed on them by the … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: The Year of No Return by The Necessary Stage (SIFA 2021)
Women without men. Singapore is a nation that has always been proud of its pristine city, seemingly flawless to the rest of the world. But underneath its facade lies a tangled mass of quashed tensions, constantly threatening to break past the surface. Such is the case in The Necessary Stage’s (TNS) Model Citizens, where a Member of Parliament (MP) is stabbed by an unhappy citizen, … Continue reading ★★★★☆ Review: Model Citizens (2021) by The Necessary Stage
Exemplary, no holds barred look at mental health in the theatre industry. As much as mental health has entered common conversation these days, it remains one of the most misunderstood conditions in the workplace, seen as some kind of weakness, a burden to employers or worse, a fake excuse to get out of work. But what about in the theatre industry, where actors are constantly … Continue reading Review: Acting Mad by The Necessary Stage
An attempt to highlight the invisible people key to a production’s success. In any theatre production, those deemed worthy of praise are often limited to cast and creatives. But even beyond them, there still exist people who are present in every production, yet never receive praise or acknowledgement they deserve. To highlight these invisible people then acts as one of the key goals of Ellison Tan’s We … Continue reading Review: We Were So Hopeful Then 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
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