Rachel Ooi
Singaporean theatre company W!ld Rice, known for staging exciting plays that go over politics, sex, race and religion with a fine-tooth comb is bringing back The Life and Arts sessions, a concatenation of free forums, after a 2-year break.
This year’s festival, running from Aug 3 to 21, opens up for debate and poses some food for thought about what it means to call Singapore home as we celebrate of our nation’s 46th year since achieving independence on Aug 9.
Through these forums, politicians, civil society activists, artists, academics, and other prominent personalities will put forward their sentiments about the issues embodied in the plays.
This gives rise to a candid powwow between “the movers and shakers of society – the thought leaders including the artists – and the public,” as fest director, Ivan Heng, puts it.
Scheduled for discussion are topics that seem to explore facets of racial harmony, governance, morality, attitudes and values in the local context. Organizers of the festival highly encourage members of the public to participate via the Forum Theatre and Performance, where they can star in This is Home?, an acting workshop cum interactive performance.
To Heng, an inescapable issue our nation faces is “Tolerance – the ability to appreciate and understand each other” or, more importantly, the lack of it. With that, the adept theatrical impresario stands by his principles.
He adds, “All theatre is about conflict resolution. Every good play, every single world classic that has stood the test of time, is about love.”
“These are discussions that hopefully will engage and inform our public conscience and shared imagination,” says Heng. “In the end, it’s about [the] theatre’s essential role in a healthy, progressive and happy society.”
In the face of the National Art’s Council’s cut in funding by $20,000 for W!ld Rice, it is scaling down the number of plays from 14 to 5, but promises its commitment to quality.
Heng says, “[The plays] come together very powerfully … [and] will give you an amazing insight into our fears and anxieties, and our hopes and dreams.”
Promising, dynamic and bold, MAN’s Singapore Theatre Festival, Heng adds, “is about the spirit of the age – the zeitgeist. It is the People’s festival.”
The highlight plays of the festival include 3 world-premieres, in which the artists are said to stand for some of the most outstanding talents in the country.
The Weight of Silk on Skin, directed by Claire Wong and stars Heng himself, runs from Aug 3 to 7. This conversantly written script by Huzier Sulian is about a man who deals with his mid-life crisis as he explores the depths beyond the superficiality his life has been purposelessly revolving around thus far.
Cooling Off Day, staging from Aug 10 to 14, reflects what Heng calls the “comic to serious [real-life testimonies] from the fearful to hopeful” voters and candidates alike about the 2011 General Elections. Alfian Sa’at wrote this script based on the raw answers obtained from interviews with Singaporeans on their political stance.
Finally, from 17 to 21 Aug, catch Family Outing. Directed by Glen Goei and written by Joel Tan, this biography of a family’s drama reveals secrets of the Choo’s late eldest son. Centering on Christianity, familial love, pain and death, the play is both heart-rending and lighthearted.
Tickets can be purchased at Sistic outlets or online and prices range from $39 – $59. For more information, visit http://www.mansingaporetheatrefestival.com/tickets/prices/.