The Human Voice at Loft 29 on the closing weekend of George Town Festival marks the first collaboration between veteran actress Susan Lankester and Joe Sidek, the festival’s founder and driving force, here in his directorial debut. In his stage notes to La voix humaine (The Human Voice), written in 1927 and first performed in […]
“The Human Voice”: Regrets? A Few. But Then Again, Too Few to Mention Read More »
By Isaac Lim (496 words, 4 minute read) In the beginning, there was light. Four characters are glimpsed on a bare stage as it gradually and sporadically lights up. They each hold a portable control board that operates the venue’s lights. They are silent. Then their thoughts appear as words projected on two panels, and
“Germinal”: Does consciousness go ‘Poc poc’? Read More »
By Patricia Tobin (500 words, 5-minute read) “Are you interested in the first series of major discoveries, such as the law of elementary mechanics?” a friendly voice asks over an intercom. “The wheel, perhaps?” Halory’s three companions shake their heads and he promptly replies, “No.” In classical physics, we deal with the observable world. In
“Germinal”: Mystery, Science, Theatre 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 »
By Elaine Chiew (1116 words, 10-minute read) Euripides’ play Trojan Women has been adapted and performed numerous times around the world, from a version written by Jean Paul Sartre to American playwright Charles Mee’s 2003 adaptation that included Holocaust and Hiroshima testimonials. [1] This time, it has been given a Korean pansori makeover by SIFA
SIFA’s “Trojan Women”: An Allegory for Modern Times 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 »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Sumba, Jakarta, and Bali from 11 – 17 Sep 2017 SUMBA FEMART Sumba – Art & Peace Festival, 14 – 16 September 2017, Sumba FEMART is a peace & art gathering with a focus of bringing the Women Peace Table to Sumba and the province of Nusa
11 – 17 September 2017: Indonesia 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 Naeem Kapadia (738 words, 7-minute read) What are human beings without language, possessions and a sense of time and place? How do we make sense of our surroundings? Stripped of all trappings of civilisation, can one start from scratch and create a brand new world with form and function? This unique, challenging and wildly
“Germinal”: Metaphysical Magnificence Read More »
By Isaac Lim (514 words, 5-minute read) A large red-orange hued, tile-patterned cloth dramatically falls in a Kabuki drop, then rain falls on stage. The year is 2022, Brexit is complete and Trump has won a second term. The stage is set for a showdown between ‘the locals’ and ‘the foreigners’. Dragonflies, written by Pangdemonium’s
“Dragonflies”: The Foreseeable Truth Hurts Read More »
By: Patricia Tobin (500 words, 5-minute read) We are no different from dragonflies. With their tiny transparent wings flapping at 30 beats per second, these creatures travel thousands of kilometers to reproduce, to find a new home, to fight for their survival. This is what Pangdemonium’s Dragonflies alludes to: like dragonflies, our existence is dependent
“Dragonflies”: A Migrant Dreams For Home 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 »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta and Yogyakarta from 4 – 10 Sep 2017 JAKARTA +51 Aviación San Borja, 6 – 7 September 2017, 8 PM, Teater Salihara, Jakarta The title of this performance by Okazaki Art Theatre is lifted from Peru’s international calling code and director Yudai Kamisato’s grandma’s address
4 – 10 September 2017: Indonesia Read More »
By Soumya Varma (985 words, 9-minute read) Illness, life, death: these performative themes have been explored by theatre makers extensively through the ages. However, what makes The Little Child unique is the imaginative and often whimsical way in which the performance explores the subjects. The director’s choice of puppets and performing objects takes the audience
“The Little Child”: Well-Crafted Wonder of Puppetry Read More »
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 »
By Alvin Lim (1235 words, 10-minute read) Becoming Graphic is both a meditative and mediated performance about living and dying. Commissioned by Singapore International Festival of Arts, graphic novelist Sonny Liew and theatre practitioner Edith Podesta come together to create a cross-disciplinary performance that breaks boundaries. The parallels, and thus the comparisons, between two forms—theatre
“Becoming Graphic”: Life in Graphic Form 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 »
By Dan Koh (1,263 words, 12-minute read) “I finally felt that being an artist was a meaningful vocation,” Chua Mia Tee says towards the end of a career-spanning interview.[1] Best known for his 1950s oil paintings Epic Poem of Malaya, National Language Class, and Portrait of Lee Boon Ngan (depicting his wife, also an oil
“Art Studio” by Nine Years Theatre: Back to the Page Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta and Yogyakarta from 21 – 27 Aug 2017 JAKARTA Neoklasismus Rusia, 22 August 2017, 7:30 PM, Gedung Kesenian Jakarta Under the direction of conductor Budi Utomo Prabowo, the Jakarta Philharmonic presents Neoklasismus Rusia. The neoklasismus movement started in the Romantic period, as a way to present
21 – 27 August 2017: Indonesia Read More »
The performance event R.I.P. Tokyo began life as a commemoration for a cat which died at the grand age of 22, five years ago. The cat belonged to director Shirotama Hitsujiya who helms the Yubiwa Hotel theatre company. For three years, she has marked the occasion by hosting a soup dinner party for friends at
Tikam-Tikam Japan: R.I.P. Tokyo Read More »
By Eugene Koh (924 words, 7-minute read) Triple Bill at the M1 Peer Pleasure Youth Theatre Festival 2017 presents three acts in a single show, each of them presenting different issues that are all extremely timely. Each act in its own way contends with an issue that people try to avoid. Each of these acts is a
“Triple Bill” at M1 Peer Pleasure Festival: Hard Bills to Swallow Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta and Solo from 14 – 20 Aug 2017 JAKARTA OCTOPUS, 14 – 15 August 2017, 3 & 8 PM, Teater Kecil, Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta A second performance from the Djakarta Teater Platform program, OCTOPUS by Teater Poros began as a research by Teater Poros actors
14 – 20 August 2017: Indonesia Read More »
By Naeem Kapadia (960 words, 7-minute read) There’s no denying the impact of Michael Chiang’s Army Daze, which brought the world of national service (NS) to the Singapore stage for the first time in 1987. This light-hearted tale of the misadventures of five recruits as they bungled through Basic Military Training captured the Singapore zeitgeist
“Army Daze 2”: Green Popcorn, No Crunch Read More »
By Isaac Lim (562 words, 6-minute read) FRAGO by Checkpoint Theatre tracks a group of NSmen and Regulars, showing that the men, and woman, are all equally struggling with the system here in Singapore. Is that anything new? Jo Tan is on stage, doing standard push-ups that put this reviewer to shame. Then sit-ups, change.
Review of “Frago”: (Army) Lives, Fragmented Read More »
By Patricia Tobin (550 words, 5-minute read) Army exercises are typically perceived as tough, and even mind-numbing with their incessant drills. The monotony of army rounds can be found outside the battlefield too: our personal routines are akin to a civilian regime of sorts. Frago, the latest play by Checkpoint Theatre, directly tackles the contrast
Review of “Frago”: The Military and the Ordinary Read More »
Top Picks of Indonesia art events in Jakarta, Bandung, and Bali from 7 – 13 Aug 2017 JAKARTA ART STAGE Jakarta, 11 – 13 August 2017, Sheraton Grand Jakarta Gandaria City Hotel, Jakarta ART STAGE Jakarta returns for its second year this coming weekend. Like its sister fair ART STAGE Singapore, the Jakarta fair
7 – 13 August 2017: Indonesia 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 »
