What to expect from the Repertory Philippines stage in 2019 (via Rappler)
MANILA, Philippines – Theater junkies of all ages will be happy to know that our local theater scene has some top-notch stage entertainment up its talented sleeve for everyone to enjoy in 2019. Repertory Philippines, one of the country’s leading…
Sandi Tan’s “Shirkers”: Moving Backwards in Order to Move Forwards
By Ke Weiliang (1180 words, six-minute read) NB: It is important to differentiate between the two versions of Shirkers that were filmed. In this article, Shirkers refers to the 2018 documentary film that I am reviewing, whereas Shirkers 1.0 refers to…
Walking Alongside “BITTEN: return to our roots”
By Teo Xiao Ting (1,420 words, seven-minute read) Taking a right turn towards Camp Kilo Charcoal Lounge (formerly Sam Tat Building) at Kampong Bugis, I spot a crew member sweeping the rainwater from the late afternoon downpour clear from the…
Traversing Two Divergent Paths in “BITTEN: return to our roots”
By Casidhe Ng (1,320 words, six-minute read) We move through the Kampong Bugis landscape throughout the performance, along patches of grass, the river, and brick-tiled pavements. A residue of dirt, sand, and mud clings to our soles, and the afternoon…
Saigoneer Bookshelf: A Touch of Magical Realism in ‘The Cemetery of Chua Village’
Vietnam transitioned to a market economy like an old train lurching to life: momentous shakes and shudders, steam bursting out busted gaskets, disheveled cargo tumbling from luggage racks, sparks shooting off wheels screeching across warped rails and a whistle ripping…
In Saigon’s Latest Indie Workshop, a Heaven for Eco-Friendly Risograph Prints (via Saigoneer)
Nestled above inpages in Thao Dien, a new print studio is offering artists and other creatives a new way to express their ideas and visions. Kho Muc is the brainchild of a team including Long Dang and Simon Phan, who have…
ITI’s “Extremities”: Routes for Escape and Redemption
By Aditi Shivaramakrishnan (1170 words, five minute read) As I enter the Esplanade Theatre Studio to watch Extremities, I’m already on my guard. The plot synopsis and content advisory in my programme booklet have primed me for what’s to come,…
Frontier Danceland’s “Milieu” 2018: Emotional Rollercoasters
By Winnie Chen Dixon (860 words, four-minute read) It was a night of emotional rollercoasters and an audio-visual feast at Frontier Danceland’s double bill Milieu 2018. Two original works – The Whole She-Bang by Deborah Nightingale and Dimensions of Dialogue…
“Teater Normcore: Stereo Genmai” dan Pengkarya yang Bertengkar dengan Idea
Oleh Azrin Fauzi (1640 patah kata, 9-minit bacaan) Dan pertengkaran ini berlaku di dalam ruang yang meyakinkan. Dengan ambiens pekat kemimpian yang mengujakan – sangat mengujakan. Malah siapa lagi yang benar-benar mampu mentafsir kontinuum idea-mimpi ini melainkan Ridhwan Saidi sendiri? Saya…
ENCATC International Study Tour in Tokyo – Key Observations (via culture360.ASEF.org)
The 2018 ENCATC (European Network on Cultural Management and Policy) International Study Tour in Tokyo was held from 7 to 9 November 2018 and offered an intensive learning programme on the topic of cultural management and cultural policy in Japan….
“Southernmost”: The Politics of Nowhereness
By Felipe Cervera (1400 words, six-minute read) Be future-ready: that seems to be one of the maxims of this country. The meaning of the adage varies. It means having strategic plans in place, contingencies identified ahead of time, having enough…
The Future is Here. Is the Singapore Art World Ready?
By Reena Devi (1530 words, eight-minute read) Futurists and CEOs love using this quote attributed to ice hockey great Wayne Gretzky, who apparently said, “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” These…
‘Son mai’ – the painstaking Vietnamese art of lacquer painting (via Tuoi Tre News)
Once chiefly employed in the decoration of wooden objects, son mai, or lacquer painting, has grown over the last century into a freestanding art form in Vietnam, to a point where it is now widely considered to be the country’s…
Telling A Thai Tale: A Dance Dramaturg’s Take (via The Theatre Times)
“When I collaborate, I want to collaborate with the wrong person.” Pichet Klunchun, Thai dancer, and director reveals a glint of mischief behind his earnest and gentle demeanor. “I am looking for misunderstandings, for opportunities to negotiate. When things are…
Plastic Kingdom: art exhibition questions Cambodia’s rampant waste problem (via SEA Globe)
An new art exhibition in Phnom Penh featuring works by Cambodian and foreign artists will raise questions about plastic use and recycling, through woodcarvings, illustrations and even a motorbike. On first arriving in Cambodia’s ever-expanding capital Phnom Penh, one is…
“Guards at the Taj”: The Bloody Brushstrokes of Beauty
By Naeem Kapadia (885 words, four-minute read) First there’s its scale – with its magnificent marble dome, soaring pillars and lush surrounding gardens. Then, the perfect symmetry; it can literally be folded in half both forwards and backwards. Finally, the…
Down the Fast Food Chain of Desire in “The Reunification of the Two Koreas”
By Teo Xiao Ting Click here to open the Twine in a new tab (if you’re reading this on a mobile browser, or otherwise have trouble viewing the Twine.) The Reunification of the Two Koreas by TheatreWorks was originally written in…
Looking at Love from Both Sides, Now in “The Reunification of the Two Koreas”
By Casidhe Ng (1,160 words, six-minute read) The breaking apart of Pangaea. The parting of the Red Sea. The abolitionist movement in all its contexts. The division of Taiwan and China in 1949. The separation of Singapore from Malaysia on…
Organizers decry last-minute cancelation of Hanoi EDM festival (via Tuoi Tre News)
An EDM (electronic dance music) festival scheduled to take place just outside Hanoi from November 23 to 25 was asked to cancel only hours before its opening, despite sold tickets and foreign and local artists and volunteers already heading to…
“One Two Jaga”: The New Bravery of Malaysian Cinema
By Daniyal Kadir (1330 words, five-minute read) Click here to read this article in Malay. Klik di sini untuk baca rencana ini dalam Bahasa Melayu. It is rare to see social or political criticism delivered boldly and directly in Malaysian films. Even critical commentary, cloaked…
8 Questions with Alan Oei
By Alfonse Chiu (1600 words, five-minute read) As part of ArtsEquator’s interview series profiling artistic directors across the region, we spoke with Alan Oei, AD of The Substation and co-founder and executive director of OH! Open House, on his hopes,…
Joe Sidek: “I’ve never felt more strong”
By Kathy Rowland (910 words, five-minute read) Joe Sidek will not be cowed. “Everyone thinks I’m down and depressed. I’m fine!” It’s been a challenging year for the founder of the George Town Festival. In the foreground: the removal and…
Grace Baey’s Portraits of Yangon’s Trans Population (via Coconuts Yangon)
Some photographers are able to capture the most delicate moments deftly. With her project Living Choices, Singapore-based shooter Grace Baey showed her ability to do just that. Baey spent one month in Yangon taking pictures of the city’s trans population for the…
“Private Parts”: Sometimes You’ve Got to Fix What God Gave You
By Eugene Tan (1720 words, six-minute read) This review contains some spoilers of a few of the sight gags and plot points in Private Parts. Private Parts was first performed in 1992, and in this staging, it hasn’t been re-written….
Budget leaves arts and culture out in the cold (via The Star)
THE fact that arts and culture has the lowest priority in government planning was borne out by Budget 2019. Except for the RM30mil allocation for the National Film Development Corporation (Finas) under the Communications and Multimedia Ministry, there is no…
An Interview with Dr June Yap: President’s Young Talents 2018
The seventh edition of the President’s Young Talents exhibition (PYT) opened 4 October 2018 at the Singapore Art Museum (SAM). Since its first presentation in 2001, the platform has presented 38 artists, including this year’s Chen Yanyun, Chong Weixin, Debbie…
Mirrored Interrogations
By Eunice Lacaste (1000 words, four-minute read) In post-colonial Southeast Asia, the constraint of politically-engaged artworks is not uncommon. One can see the spatial and temporal struggles through telling cases from the region: last July, Seven Decades was a retrospective…
A History of Violence: The Sharp Edges of “Cerita Cinta”
By Nabilah Said (1000 words, four-minute read) The most powerful moment of akulah BIMBO SAKTI’s Cerita Cinta is the end. To be perfectly clear, it is a dream of a production. The six-person ensemble is tight, the design is exacting,…
Vietnam’s Award-Winning Documentary About a Trans Woman (via Saigoneer)
A critically acclaimed documentary about a member of Vietnam’s trans community will finally see an official premiere in Vietnam next month. Finding Phong, or Di Tim Phong in Vietnamese, tells the story of the titular character, a trans woman named Le Anh…
Ombak Potehi: the Malaysian group reviving traditional Hokkien puppetry (via SEA Globe)
In the performance room of Penang House of Music, a museum dedicated to the musical history of this Unesco-listed Malaysian island, a crowd claps excitedly. They are cheering the group of young performers who get up from behind the stage,…