Commemorating 50 years of theatrical excellence

A landmark event in the local theatre calendar, The Studios is a gem for both theatre aficionados and budding enthusiasts alike. Reviews Writer Lilian Lee unpacks what this year’s edition has to offer.

By Lilian Lee

GRAPHIC: KIMBERLY ANG

 
As Singapore’s 50th birthday draws closer, the Esplanade has joined in on efforts across the country to mark the nation’s jubilee by introducing a special season of The Studios, named The Studios: fifty.

The Studios is an Esplanade Presents series that develops, produces and presents local theatre productions. It has consistently served as a platform for productions to put forth uniquely Singaporean stories about the human condition and beyond, in their efforts to empower playwrights and thespians to push the envelope.

Old plays, fresh delivery

Held from 2 Apr to 10 May, The Studios: fifty will present the magna opera of numerous renowned figures in Singapore’s theatrical scene with a slight twist. The plays will be updated to suit contemporary tastes and reflect the immense progress local theatre has achieved in the last 50 years.

While the lineup consists mainly of Singapore’s past notable works, the plays will be restaged by seasoned and up-and-coming directors alike, and readapted by contemporary theatre practitioners who will present the plays’ issues in a manner that a 21st century audience can relate to.

Young thespians such as Siti Khalijah and Crispian Chan will be given the opportunity to take on roles that were once written for actors and actresses from a bygone age. These thespians are the faces of Singapore’s theatre in time to come and audiences will get to watch them hone their skills as they hit the stage performing local classics.

Variety and quality

Five productions will be staged in their entirety, while dramatised readings will be held for 45 other plays, specially selected from the oeuvres of Singapore playwrights.

The five full-length plays are Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral by Kuo Pao Kun, The Lady of Soul and Her Ultimate “S” Machine by Tan Tarn How, The Weight of Silk on Skin by Huzir Sulaiman, Emily of Emerald Hill by Stella Kon, and Off Centre by Haresh Sharma.

Adding on to the plays, the dramatised readings cover a wide variety of themes, including family relations, politics and society as well as gender and sexuality.

Renowned actors taking the stage include Adrian Pang, who will star as John Au Yong in The Weight of Silk on Skin. Other familiar names involved in the series include Gerard Chew, who will be directing the Reimagining History dramatised reading.

Besides the performances, five forums are slated to take place, allowing Singaporeans to engage actively in theatrical discourse. These events are free-of-charge and open to the public.

Highlights include Fear of Writing? The Development of Political Theatre in Singapore, which will be chaired by veteran television and stage actress Janice Koh. Panel speakers include various notable individuals in the local theatre scene, such as Ivan Heng, a Cultural Medallion recipient and founder of theatre company W!ld Rice; Alvin Tan, artistic director of The Necessary Stage; and playwright Tan Tarn How.

Notable figures and plays

By casting the spotlight on several celebrated works by different pioneer playwrights, The Studios: fifty will allow audiences to revisit Singapore’s theatrical roots and remind them of its humble beginnings and pioneers.

One local trailblazer whose works will be featured by The Studios: fifty, is Kuo, arguably Singapore’s most renowned playwright, who is regarded by many as the pioneer of Singapore theatre.

Despite Singapore’s initial philistinism and disinterest towards theatre in the late 1960s, Kuo stuck to his guns and ploughed on undeterred, even starting several performing arts institutions and giving lessons on dance and drama.

Kuo’s vision to nurture aspiring artists has undoubtedly come to fruition. Many of Singapore’s illustrious artistic directors, such as Ivan Heng, Ong Keng Sen and Alvin Tan, were once students at the Practice Performing Arts School that Kuo founded back in 1965. Kuo’s school continues to educate Singapore’s younger generation on the arts today under its new name The Theatre Practice.

Besides Kuo’s Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral, excerpts from another three of his works will be presented via dramatised readings.

Apart from celebrating the works of our theatre pioneers, The Studios: fifty will also pay homage to notable plays that embody efforts by playwrights’ to stay true to themselves and ensure the freedom of artistic expression.

Off Centre, a play centred around the relationship of two young mental patients, is a case in point. When Haresh first submitted Off Centre‘s script in June 1993 to the Health Ministry that commissioned the play, he encountered a lot of resistance. His script was eventually shot down for not being aligned with the Health Ministry’s stance of encouraging the “adoption of a lifestyle that will promote good mental health” and for the crude portrayal of mental health care in Singapore.

Notwithstanding the government’s requests to change parts of the script, Haresh preserved what he had originally written and went ahead with the staging in September in the same year despite the withdrawal of the commission.

The result was a powerful play that spoke up for Singaporeans who had been sidelined due to the unspoken stigma of mental disorders. Off Centre was widely praised by critics who described the play as revolutionary due to its raw portrayal of social taboos and its bold criticism of the public’s treatment towards the mentally ill.

Past, present and future

Apart from these notable picks, there is an abundance of other plays that are able to appeal to a myriad of interests and inclinations. The Studios: fifty promises to showcase how the past is still very much relevant to the present, not just in theatre, but across numerous social issues and concerns.

The Studios: fifty also provides a great opportunity for Singaporeans to explore and learn more about our country’s rich history. By paying homage to the past, this very timely edition of The Studios will help audiences to appreciate local theatre through new eyes, and perhaps, on a more ambitious note, envision Singapore’s next 50 years to come.