M1SFF 2018 Previews Part 3: Questioning Perfection and the Patriarchal Gaze

In the final part of our previews for the 2018 M1 Singapore Fringe Fest, we look at four works that tackle the complexities of the female form and the emphasis on female beauty. These pieces question the validity of succumbing to the patriarchal gaze and reject the emphasis on traditional ‘aesthetic beauty’, as they bring alternative takes on femininity across age and history. Read our … Continue reading M1SFF 2018 Previews Part 3: Questioning Perfection and the Patriarchal Gaze

M1SFF 2018 Previews Part 2: Redefining Individuality and Identity

As we looked at the pressure to conform to societal norms in part 1 of our 2018 M1SFF previews, we follow up on the theme with another aspect of Amanda Heng’s Let’s Walk – redefining individuality and identity. In our increasingly chaotic world, it becomes more important than ever to hold on to some kind of meaning, and that is best gleaned from confidence and assurance in … Continue reading M1SFF 2018 Previews Part 2: Redefining Individuality and Identity

M1SFF 2018 Previews Part 1: Battling Societal Influences and Pressures

The annual M1 Singapore Fringe Festival kicks off this year with an all new theme, as artistic director Sean Tobin takes it in a new direction – celebrating some of the most influential Singapore artists and taking inspiration from their most iconic works. In 2018, this theme begins with artist Amanda Heng and her seminal work Let’s Walk, created in 1999 as a response to women losing … Continue reading M1SFF 2018 Previews Part 1: Battling Societal Influences and Pressures

Review: Sanctuary by The Necessary Stage and HANCHU-YUEI

There’s always something innately exciting about watching a collaborative devised work. Providing fertile ground for seeding new ideas and pushing collaborators beyond their creative comfort zones, there was plenty of hype surrounding The Necessary Stage’s latest collaboration, this time with young Japanese theatre company HANCHU-YUEI with their newest work: Sanctuary. Ending off their 30th Anniversary season with Sanctuary in many ways feels appropriate for TNS. The eponymous title … Continue reading Review: Sanctuary by The Necessary Stage and HANCHU-YUEI

Of Digital Cats and The Future of Social Media: Sanctuary by The Necessary Stage & HANCHU-YUEI (Preview)

This November, The Necessary Stage will be rounding off their 30th Anniversary with an all new-collaborative work with contemporary Japanese theatre company HANCHU-YUEI and we couldn’t be more excited. In previous collaborations, The Necessary Stage has always had a chance to push their work to new limits, exploring new aesthetics and themes most of their main season wouldn’t otherwise. Much like their earlier work Frozen Angels, which … Continue reading Of Digital Cats and The Future of Social Media: Sanctuary by The Necessary Stage & HANCHU-YUEI (Preview)

Preview: Sanctuary by The Necessary Stage and HANCHU-YUEI

The Necessary Stage marks the end of their 30th anniversary celebrations with an all new play this November. Sanctuary is an international collaboration with contemporary Japanese theatre company HANCHU-YUEI. Set in the future, Santuary imagines how we will deal with new technology such as memories, data, artificial intelligence and the echoes of social media. How will social and familial relationships change? Will we be ok with being constantly under … Continue reading Preview: Sanctuary by The Necessary Stage and HANCHU-YUEI