Theatre reviewers Matt Lyon and Naeem Kapadia are joined by ArtsEquator editor Nabilah Said in this newly rebooted theatre podcast discussing recent productions Urinetown: The Musical by Pangdemonium, and Lim Boon Keng – The Musical by Musical Theatre Ltd. This local edition of Urinetown, directed by Tracie Pang, sets the satirical piece against the backdrop […]
Podcast 67: Urinetown and Lim Boon Keng – The Musical Read More »
ArtsEquator’s Southeast Asia Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. In the weekly Southeast Asia Radar, we publish a round-up of content that have
Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: Cambodia’s Charles Dickens; Yangon’s graffiti scene Read More »
Scenario: You are visiting the Ten Courts of Hell in Haw Par Villa. Your friend who likes asking deep questions suddenly asks: how would you fare in the afterlife? You pretend you don’t hear them because it’s your rare day off, but you do start to wonder… Tags: Quiz
How would you fare in the afterlife? Haw Par Villa: ArtsEquator Edition Read More »
By Chan Sze-Wei (786 words, 4-minute read) I’ve recently been reading articles about how childhood trauma is determinative of one’s risk of future health issues from asthma to cancer. Also how ancestral trauma is recorded in our DNA. Snow White is the original first Disney Princess. She is 82 this year (!) and it’s quite
Fantasy issues: “Princess” by Eisa Jocson Read More »
Podcast host Chan Sze-Wei and guest Melissa Quek discuss new works platforms at the M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival, as well as other new works platforms organised by dance companies and entities in Singapore such as Dance Nucleus, P7:1SMA and Frontier Danceland. The M1 CONTACT Contemporary Dance Festival is organised by THE Dance Company. This
Podcast 66: M1 CONTACT & New Works Platforms (Part 2) Read More »
By Corrie Tan (3,800 words, 15-minute read) I. “They are constantly making magic look like it’s very simple.” You could call it love at first sight – the moment Ellison Tan and Myra Loke encountered The Finger Players, they knew they wanted to work with the beloved Singaporean theatre company. For Myra, that show
This is what succession looks like: The Finger Players Read More »
ArtsEquator’s Southeast Asia Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. In the weekly Southeast Asia Radar, we publish a round-up of content that have
By Akanksha Raja (830 words, 4-minute read) On 1 November, The Arts House plays host to an unlikely wedding celebration titled A Bigger Party Than Expected, which features “silent disco” dances to an Eurasian folk song, multidisciplinary art installations, and an assortment of performances. These unusual nuptial festivities are how The Arts House is
A Bigger Party Than Expected: Honouring Rex Shelley at SWF 2019 Read More »
ArtsEquator Lobang is a list of available open calls, job postings and other opportunities open to people from Singapore and Southeast Asia. “Lobang”, a Malay word for “hole”, is used in Singlish as a shorthand for an opportunity, valuable contact or a tip. [Last updated: 27 October 2019] Open Calls Professional Learning Opportunity: Assistant
Open Call and Opportunities: Oct 2019 (Singapore/SEA) Read More »
In this video, LASALLE students Nicole Kessler and Marian Saturno speak to musician Tim De Cotta on his (many) musical influences, how he talks about social issues through music and how to keep your art pure. Tim De Cotta is a vocalist, bassist, songwriter and producer styled in R&B and hip hop, and founder of
The working processes of artists: Tim De Cotta Read More »
ArtsEquator’s Southeast Asia Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. In the weekly Southeast Asia Radar, we publish a round-up of content that have
By Nabilah Said (890 words, 5-minute read) Draw a straight line. Draw a straight line freehand Draw a straight line freehand, with a 100g weight attached to your wrist. Repeat, ad nauseam. The moment you walk into Goodman Arts Centre’s Block O for RAW Moves’ latest work, you notice a sort of landscape artwork. On
RAW Moves’ “Being, and Organs” and the unbearable whiteness of Block O Read More »
Join critics Corrie Tan, Nabilah Said, Carolyn Oei and Teo Xiao Ting in a post-show conversation about W!ld Rice’s Merdeka. Critics Live is a critics-led programme series created by ArtsEquator to give arts audiences an insight into how critics formulate their responses to performances. REGISTER NOW at criticslive19.peatix.com PLEASE NOTE: This event is open to
CRITICS LIVE: A post-show response to “Merdeka” Read More »
By Nabilah Said (2,500 words, 7-minute read) In 1968, Lee Kuan Yew uttered the words “Poetry is a luxury we cannot afford” to a roomful of University of Singapore students. There have been some quibbling over, even mythologising of, what he may have meant. To Prof Koh Tai Ann, then the young student whom he
5 Singapore poems not to quote out of context Read More »
Contemporary visual art exhibition the Singapore Biennale 2019 will return on 22 November with Every Step In The Right Direction, featuring artworks by over 70 artists from Singapore, Southeast Asia and beyond. In the lead-up to the opening of the sixth edition, Lee Weng Choy speaks with artistic director Patrick Flores, and curators Andrea Fam,
Singapore Biennale 2019: Interview with artistic director and curators Read More »
ArtsEquator’s Southeast Asia Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. In the weekly Southeast Asia Radar, we publish a round-up of content that have
Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: Is film programming underrated?; Ramayana x SEA Read More »
By Nabilah Said (1,900 words, 7-minute read) In less than a week, Drama Box will premiere Tanah•Air 水•土: A Play In Two Parts, a production revolving around the theme of histories, those that are remembered, and those who are sidelined. Tanah•Air features a team led by the company’s artistic director Kok Heng Leun, playwrights Neo
Translating Homeland: Tanah•Air 水•土: A Play In Two Parts Read More »
By Faezah Zulkifli (1,020 words, 4-minute read) “ORANG_” The wordplay in Teater Ekamatra’s A Clockwork Orange is no accident. An inventive linguist, author Anthony Burgess, who lived in Malaysia in the 1950s, borrowed the title for his magnum opus from a Cockney expression, and introduced the pun on the Malay word ‘orang’ into the subject.
Say No To Droogs: Teater Ekamatra’s “A Clockwork Orange” Read More »
In this video, LASALLE students Michelle Fonseca and Hazeline Ali speak to Sheng player Michael Lee, who has played the classic Chinese musical instrument for more than 50 years. Being a Sheng maestro has brought Michael Lee all around the world, taking up roles as concert master, music director, conductor and teacher, but why does
The working processes of artists: Sheng player Michael Lee Read More »
ArtsEquator’s Southeast Asia Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. In the weekly Southeast Asia Radar, we publish a round-up of content that have
By Teo Xiao Ting (1,414 words, 6-minute read) A vivacious viscous zoo swirling with prestige and art, the Venice Biennale spins me exhausted after 45 days. When I was asked to write about the Southeast Asian artworks I’ve encountered here, a lingering sense of lightheartedness arose, lilting humour almost dry. There is humour, uncanny warmth
Contortions and Gentle Songs: SEA at Venice Biennale Read More »
By Shahril Salleh ( 1,000 words, 6-minute read) As cultural icons go, very few choirs have the same gravitas and history as the SYC Ensemble Singers. This ensemble is led by Cultural Medallion winner Jennifer Tham, the beloved doyen of Singapore choir. As its Artistic Director, Jennifer has also been a friend and mentor to
Music as a love language: “Love! Be: Sing;” Read More »
By Akanksha Raja (1,493 words, 6-minute read) It’s almost 4pm as the KTM train I’m travelling on trudges to a slow halt at the railway station in Kluang, Johor. The first thing that catches my eye is Kluang Rail Coffee, right in the middle of the station, one of the town’s most famous – and
Discovering and Re-discovering Kluang: The INXO International Residency Programme Read More »
ArtsEquator’s Southeast Asia Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. In the weekly Southeast Asia Radar, we publish a round-up of content that have
Weekly Southeast Asia Radar: BACC director fired; Kelantan lifts Mak Yong ban Read More »
By Nabilah Said (1,670 words, 7-minute read) We are in a rehearsal for Seven Views of Redhill. Well, not me – I am just a hanger-on trying to fold myself into a corner of the Chesterfield-like sofa backed up against a wall in a room I am told is called the ‘Back of Chamber’,
Seven Views of “Seven Views of Redhill” Read More »
In this video, LASALLE students Ernie Martha and Raesmi Nambiar speak to Raka Maitra, founder and artistic director of CHOWK, on the practice of contemporary dance in Singapore, her roots as a classical Odissi dancer in India and the challenges CHOWK faces as a dance company. This video can also be viewed on YouTube. Between
The working processes of artists: Raka Maitra from CHOWK Read More »
By Ke Weiliang (1,131 words, 6-minute read) Dear 艺族 STRANGER, After spending my Saturday afternoon with you at the Esplanade Theatre Studio, I struggled long and hard to make sense of the titular ‘knots’ that your inaugural play endeavoured to grapple with. Over the course of an hour, you gave me a glimpse into the
KNOTS: An open letter to 艺族 STRANGER Read More »
ArtsEquator’s Southeast Asia Radar features articles and posts about arts and culture in Southeast Asia, drawn from local and regional websites and publications – aggregated content from outside sources, so we are exposed to a multitude of voices in the region. In the weekly Southeast Asia Radar, we publish a round-up of content that have
ArtsEquator Lobang is a list of available open calls, job postings and other opportunities open to people from Singapore and Southeast Asia. “Lobang”, a Malay word for “hole”, is used in Singlish as a shorthand for an opportunity, valuable contact or a tip. [Last updated: 25 September 2019] Open Calls Hors Pistes Residency 2020
Open Call and Opportunities: Sep 2019 (Singapore/SEA) Read More »
We step into the dimly-lit theatre of The Lion & Unicorn, a soft, almost dream-like blue wash over the noticeable emptiness of the stage – save for a skeletal cardboard cut-out resembling a door frame, carefully set stage left. There was nothing, yet everything to expect. Researching about The Cardboard Kitchen Project had been a
Diasporic Dispatches: “The Cardboard Kitchen Project” by FK Co-Lab Read More »
