Bersama-sama: Exhibition Launch by Jasmeet Notay and Steph Jack, Supernormal Gallery, Kreta Ayer Road, 11 Nov 6pm – 10pm Bersama-sama is a small collection of abstract works by Jasmeet Notay and Steph Jack. Jack splatters and blends acrylics to create fluid, whimsical dreamscapes while Notay’s paintings are moody […]
6 – 12 November 2017: Singapore Read More »
German Film Festival by Goethe-Institut Singapore, various venues and timings from 2 – 12 November 2017 The German Film Festival will present its 21st edition in 2017 over two weeks. This year, more than 30 ambitious and fascinating films will provide a unique insight into contemporary life in Germany
30 Oct – 5 Nov 2017: Singapore Read More »
“A lasting impression one got from the exhibition “After Darkness: Southeast Asian Art in the Wake of History” at the Asia Society Museum in New York was the sense of art’s power to propel. Walking a tight rope between personal aesthetics and the repressive sociopolitical conditions of their countries, seven artists and a collaborative group—from
ArtAsiaPacific: After Darkness, Southeast Asian Art in the Wake of History [SEA, USA] Read More »
Macho Dancer and Corponomy by Eisa Jocson, Esplanade Theatre Studio, 27 – 28 Oct This weekend at the Esplanade’s da:ns festival 2017 sees Eisa Jocson perfoming a double-bill of Macho Dancer and Corponomy. Corponomy is a new commission by the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay
23 – 29 October 2017: Singapore Read More »
Poop! by The Finger Players, Victoria Theatre, 20 – 22 October A man dies. His widow grieves. His mother laughs out loud because to her, death is merely a joke. His 8 year old daughter wonders, “When is life worth living; when is death worth celebrating?” Ticketing and more information. A Design Film Festival 2017
16 – 22 October 2017: Singapore Read More »
Duration: 18 mins The first Asian Youth Theatre Festival (AYTF), organised by Singapore’s Buds Youth Theatre, will take place at *SCAPE from 13 – 15 October. Featuring theatre practitioners and youth theatre groups from 10 Asian countries, it’s a chockablock weekend of original plays, workshops, street performances, and a flea market. We caught up with
Podcast 29: Asian Youth Theatre Festival 2017 Read More »
“Bangkok Art and Culture Centre’s (BACC) fourth floor studio, the main venue for its ongoing sixth annual Performative Art Festival (PAF#6), is once again opening doors and lending its support not only to professional dance and theatre groups but also less seasoned performers. Last month, a mere five days after Anatta Theatre Group’s “Love Astray”
Unravelling social and political threads [Thailand] Read More »
9th Love & Pride Film Festival by Golden Village and Singapore Film Society, various GV cinemas, 27 Sept – 8 Oct Curated by the Singapore Film Society (SFS), Golden Village’s 12-day Love & Pride Film Festival returns for its 9th year, featuring a bold lineup of six internationally acclaimed
2 – 8 October: Singapore Read More »
“The final line is spoken, the audience applauds, the actors take their bows. But at an increasing number of theaters, the night isn’t over. Audiences often settle back into their seats. It’s time for the talkback, a chance to discuss the play with the actors, the director or sometimes the playwright. For theaters, the talkback
“After a successful season of performances at the Heritage Celebrations, George Town Festival and Butterworth Fringe Festival in Penang, Ombak Potehi is set to perform in Tokyo from November 2 to 8, 2017. An outreach program of Ombak-Ombak ARTStudio, Ombak Potehi comprises young artists who have learned the art form from the masters and have
Ombak Potehi Performs in Tokyo [Malaysia] Read More »
Duration: 21 min Dr Stephanie Burridge is joined by Sufri Juwahir, co-founder of Soul Signature, to discuss two shows that took place in August: Era Dance Theatre’s Tumasik – Revisiting History and Rewriting Our Story, and Dance Ensemble Singapore‘s Pulsating Resonance《鸣。鼓》. In reflecting on these performances, the conversation evolves into a larger discussion on the
Podcast 26: Traditional Malay and Chinese Dance in Singapore Read More »
“Philippine theater has, through three eras of political struggle—Filipino-American, Japanese, anti-Marcos—never hesitated to go to war.” – – Doreen G. Fernandez, Seditious and Subversive: Theater of War From the essay cited above two important ideas emerge: that war breeds theatre and that theatre is a particularly effective weapon of protest. As Fernadez’s survey shows, the
Martial Law Musicals: Theatre of a New War? [Philippines] Read More »
Duration: 17 mins Ahead of their upcoming performance this weekend titled Does It Matter?, we spoke with Michael Cheng, artistic director of Tapestry Playback Theatre, on his journey with the company, and the unique aspects of the playback theatre form as an art for social change. Stream Podcast 25: Download Podcast 25 here. (right-click and select ‘Save
Podcast 25: Tapestry Playback Theatre Read More »
Duration: 30 mins Matthew Lyon and Naeem Kapadia are back in the studio again to discuss yet another Singapore-bred musical: Singapore Repertory Theatre’s re-staging of the acclaimed Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress. Having run from 8 to 27 August 2017, this year’s production is its fourth iteration since its premiere at the Opening Festival of the Esplanade
Podcast 24: Singapore Repertory Theatre’s “Forbidden City: Portrait of an Empress” Read More »
“From 1–3 September 2017, the Chinese Malaysian dance community in Kuala Lumpur witnessed a historic event at Damansara Performing Arts Centre: the Malaysian premiere of ‘Boy Story’. Dancers Loo Jay Jen, Ong Yong Lock, Aman Yap Choong Boon, Ix Wong Thien Pau, Goh Boon Ann and Chou Shu Yi performed the work choreographed by Yuri
Does politics age as well as dance? [Malaysia] Read More »
By Ann Lee (1470 words, 10-minute read) Terbalik… mesti kena mata was billed as an “experimental workshop” performance that attempted to “displace the normal hierarchy found in performance-making” by having the lighting designer, Mac Chan, as the principal artist. Co-directors, Marion D’Cruz and Ivy Josiah, marking their first collaboration in these roles, adhered to the
Lighten Up: “Terbalik… Mesti Kena Mata” by Five Arts Centre Read More »
“Italian contemporary artist Filippo Sciascia’s relationship with Asia and Indonesia began back in 1998, however, says the artist, he has only truly “come of age as an Italian-Indonesian artist” in 2013 when he successfully fused iconography from the two worlds into a single creation of art. “I realize now my works have become more sincere,”
By Akanksha Raja (800 words, 7-minute read) The Orange Production is The Necessary Stage’s platform for experimental collaborations, producing new, pocket-sized works. This inaugural showcase is a double-bill featuring Drip, by journalist and emerging playwright Nabilah Said, and Whale Fall by Faith Ng. While the two works are vastly different in structure and themes, they
The Orange Production: A Double Bill by The Necessary Stage Read More »
By Sherlyn Goh (970 words, 8-minute read) “Can one accurately re-construct an authentic traumatic memory?” Director Kuo Jian Hong posed this question to the audience before the start of the performance. Blank Run《空转》is an attempt to answer this, presented as a raw and visceral recollection of sexual trauma, where a woman pieces together memories that
“Blank Run《空转》” by The Theatre Practice: Repiecing Trauma Read More »
Duration: 13 min Latest in our Fresh Blood series on young emerging art-makers, we speak to Khairul Kamsani, a independent director who is writing, directing, and producing Human+, a speculative theatre play on the contentious future of our relationship with technology. Inspired by recent developments in the Transhumanist movement, it’s an updated iteration of its
Podcast 23: Human+ by Khairul Kamsani Read More »
“During the autumn of 2016, I ventured out to Siem Reap in Cambodia to undertake a three-month artistic residency with the pioneering all-female contemporary dance company, New Cambodian Artists (NCA). I have previously worked with NCA as a contemporary dance technique trainer over a two-month period in 2015 as part of a self-funded professional development initiative.
Exploring Female Empowerment through Dance in Cambodia [Cambodia] Read More »
Duration: 31 min Akanksha Raja speaks with Jeffrey Tan, producer of Open Homes, a theatre-in-the-home experience presented as part of the Singapore International Festival of Arts 2017. Audiences are welcomed into the homes of residents where they enter not only into intimate spaces, but lives, hearts and deeply personal experiences shared through creative storytelling. Joining
Podcast 22: Open Homes at SIFA 2017 Read More »
Duration: 25 min Young dancer Adelene Stanley joins Dr Stephanie Burridge to discuss Singapore Dance Theatre’s latest edition of the annual Masterpiece in Motion series, which was a triple-bill of ballet works of a kind that Stephanie describes as “contemporary dance en pointe“. It featured works by George Balanchine, Edwaard Liang and Marius Petipa. Stephanie
Podcast 21: Masterpiece in Motion 2017; Singapore Dance Theatre Read More »
By Akanksha Raja (860 words, 7-minute read) “By taking possession of the stage, the Spect-Actor is consciously performing a responsible act. The stage is a representation of the reality, a fiction. But the Spect-Actor is not fictional. He exists in the scene and outside of it, in a dual reality. By taking possession of the
Drama Box’s “The Lesson”: Rehearsal for Life Read More »
Duration: 20 min Dr Stephanie Burridge chats with Eng Kai Er and Felicia Lim, two of the three performers from The Roundest Circle, taking place at Theatreworks 72-13 on 27 and 28 July 8pm. The performance is the result of a collaborative process along with dancer Faye Lim. Felicia and Kai Er discuss their dynamics, the democracy
Podcast 20: “The Roundest Circle” Read More »
“Is it possible to look at the practices of Indonesian women artist in a feminist perspective? This is precisely what researcher and PhD in Indonesian Studies Wulan Dirgantoro decided to investigate with her book “Feminism and Indonesian Contemporary Art: Defining Experiences” (Amsterdam University Press). Though the book has an academic scope, it sparked conversation about
Feminism in Indonesian Art [Indonesia] Read More »
“Fresh off the (vacation) boat and ready to sail into George Town Festival 2017 (GTF 2017), Rebecca Duckett has been working around the clock with her artsy and nature-inspired pieces. She is one of several women artists from Korea, Taiwan, the USA and Malaysia who are participating in the International Women’s Arts Festival, which this
Art with hope and a conscience: Rebecca Duckett [Malaysia] Read More »
By Akanksha Raja (1030 words, 8-minute read) The inaugural Rainforest Fringe Festival (RFF), a prelude to the renowned annual Rainforest World Music Festival, ran from 7 to 16 July 2017 in Kuching, capital of the Malaysian state of Sarawak. The RFF is the brainchild of Joe Sidek, who’s also the artistic director of the Georgetown
Rainforest Fringe Festival 2017: Where the Wild Things Are Read More »
“In 2016, I was asked to speak at a Singapore Writers Festival panel discussion titled “SG HORROR: Who’s Afraid of the Dark”. This surprised me, since I had never identified myself as a horror writer. Nor had my two co-panellists, Audrey Chin and Jon Gresham. The very purpose of the event was, apparently, to ponder
A history of Singapore Horror [Singapore] Read More »
Duration: 25 min The M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival, presented by T.H.E Dance Company, is in its 9 year. In this month’s dance podcast, Dr Stephanie Burridge chats with Zhuo Zihao, a founding member of the company. They discuss one of the highlights of this year’s festival, Borderline, a collaboration between the company and Muscle Mouth
Podcast 19: M1 Contact Contemporary Dance Festival 2017 Read More »
