An inconvenient truth
"When you push forth your own opinions as the objective and absolute truth, that’s where bullying becomes the status quo." - Chong Tze Chien
Blueprint: Feature
Our national arts festival: an origins story
The Singapore International Festival of Arts 2018 celebrates its four-decade heritage as the premier arts and cultural event in independent Singapore. In this essay, we look back even further in our history to see how our national arts festival came about. Within the…
Read A Play Script: “The Book of Living and Dying”
"It would be a treat to watch the story play out visually. But without the visual cues, big ideas such as karma and reincarnation can be confusing to understand." - Gillian Ong
A room of one’s own
"We are hoping that by not injecting too much intent as we progress, the piece will act as a pith for open ideas as visitors experience it, allowing them to form meanings and narratives of their own." - Darren Ng
Producing producers
“I want to arm the next generation of producers with that knowledge and understanding" - Mohamad Shaifulbahri
Who run the world?
"In a feminist space, everyone has their own role that they are interested in. It is a space where they can challenge themselves and at the same time feel safe." - Rei Poh
Interview with Oliver Chong
"[The Spirits Play] allows audiences to deeper examine and ruminate upon these conditions magnified under the cruel circumstances of war." - Oliver Chong
Farewell… for now
"Each of the projects I did at Centre 42 came with their unique bundle of challenges and working methods, but every single one of them was a valuable learning experience that I was happy to have. For me, Centre 42…
The critical condition
“I have always believed that specialist feedback and commentary such as theatre reviews are critical for the development of a healthy theatre scene." - Robin Loon
Beyond the classroom
“I want this to be a project that’s meaningful and useful for them, and I’m hoping that they will really take ownership of it." - Hoe Su Fern
The heart of the matter
"“I want the audience to get some kind of insight about what roles are considered nuanced and complex, and what are considered stock." - Alfian Sa'at
Interview with Chong Gua Khee
"We hope that HOT POT TALK can be a starting point for conversations, or a way to deepen existing conversations."
Different, but same same
"People with visible and/or hidden disability are also trees like you and me. We share the same roots embedded in the soil of humanity where we begin and end our mortal journey."
ATRC and the Search for a Theatre
In 1987, a hairstylist created a theatre company. It was called Asia-in-Theatre Research Circus (ATRC), and the hairstylist in question was William Teo, often cited as one of the pioneers of contemporary Singapore English-language Theatre.
Creatures of the night
The theatrical magic at Centre 42 usually happens behind closed doors. Once a year, however, we throw open those doors for an after-hours shindig called Late-Night Texting, so that everyone can come and experience that magic for themselves.
Waterloo walkabout
“We want people to get involved to uncover the story of different places, and explore how places feed into someone’s identity.” - Charlene Shepherdson
No rest for the wicked
“Technically, it’s our first original work, and it’s pushing the company to do something that’s out of our comfort zone.”
Centre 42 turns three!
The exterior of our pre-war bungalow doesn’t give much away, but you’d be sorely mistaken if you think that we don’t get up to much on a day-to-day basis – because the real magic is happening behind the scenes.
Interview with Andrew Marko
"Everyone deserves a chance to be treated like a friend."
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