Living Room

The Living Room is a programme that welcomes chat and conversation. Through focused but casual dialogues and face-to-face exchanges, this programme encourages participants to re-examine trends, happenings, people (on and off-stage) and phenomena in Singapore theatre. It is quite simply a space to talk things through in an environment conducive for open discussion:

Anyone who steps into the Living Room will be able to look critically at a topic and evaluate it against his/her own experience and beliefs confidently;
Participants will be exposed to matters/topics that may not have yet been given its due recognition;
The Living Room fires up interest in Singapore theatre-related issues that have in various ways informed our lives.

The first Living Room series will adopt a historical perspective and focus on key work-roles in Singapore theatre, with the aim to shed light on past practices and operating conditions. These roles may include Playwrights, Directors, Arts Managers, Arts Policy-Makers and Collaborating Artists across different disciplines.

Each presentation of the Living Room is free, but pre-registration is required.

In the Living Room

In the Living Room: Year in Review 2019

8 Dec 2019, From 1pm | In the Living Room: Year in Review 2019 invites the Singapore Theatre community to chat about two key trends in 2019 -- depictions of sexual violence, and decolonisation.
In the Living Room: Snapshots Into the Study of English Language, Literature and Theatre

4 Sep 2019, 7.30pm | To mark the 90th anniversary of the NUS Department of English Language and Literature, the department, in collaboration with Centre 42, presents a panel discussion: “Snapshots into the study of Singapore English, Literature and Theatre.” Associate Professor Anne Pakir, Dr Gwee Li Sui and Associate…
In the Living Room: Year in Reviews 2018

4 Dec 2018, 7.30pm | Eight reviewers from Centre 42’s critical writing platform Citizens’ Reviews and online arts publication ArtsEquator.com invite audiences to chat about noteworthy trends and observations from Singapore theatre in 2018.
In the Living Room: Three Children

7 Oct 2018, 5pm | Thirty years after the landmark production of "Three Children, our Living Room plays host to Leow Puay Tin, the playwright of "Three Children", Loong Seng Onn, actor in the 1992 touring production, and Claire Wong, actor in the 1988 and 1992 productions. Together with theatre…
Helmi Yusof in the Living Room with Tay Tong

15 Sep 2018, 7.30pm | Former managing director of TheatreWorks Tay Tong sat down with Business Times arts journalist Helmi Yusof, to chat about the former's long and storied career in theatre.
In the Living Room: Year in Reviews 2017

14 Dec 2017, 8pm | A panel of seven reviewers from Centre 42’s critical writing platform Citizens’ Reviews and online arts publication ArtsEquator revisited the local productions staged in 2017. The session was moderated by Robin Loon, chief editor of Citizens’ Reviews.
In the Living Room: William Teo’s Asia-in-Theatre Research Circus

29 Jul 2017, 8pm | Robin Loon, Elizabeth de Roza, Jeremiah Choy, Lok Meng Chue, and Neo Kim Seng came together to discuss the extraordinary achievements of bygone theatre company Asia-in-Theatre Research Circus (ATRC) and its late founder William Teo. This Living Room commemorated the 30th anniversary of the founding…
In The Living Room: Fundamentally Happy

5 Apr 2017, 8pm | The Necessary Stage’s researcher Shawn Chua is joined by Nelson Chia, the director and translator of the 2017 production, Aidli ‘Alin’ Mosbit, who played the character Habiba in the first staging, and theatre researcher Wong Chee Meng. The four discuss the creative processes behind the…
In The Living Room with Juliana Lim

30 Mar 2017, 8pm | Veteran arts manager Juliana Lim chatted with students from Singapore Management University’s (SMU) ACM301 Cultural Policy and Practice class, about cultural policy in Singapore. The students also presented an exhibition of their research on the evolution and influence of cultural policies on present-day practices.
Alfian Sa’at In The Living Room: New Directions in Malay Theatre

24 Nov 2016, 8pm | Singaporean playwright Alfian Sa’at sits down with a panel of fellow Malay playwrights – Aidli ‘Alin’ Mosbit, Irfan Kasban, Nabilah Said, and Nessa Anwar – to discuss the state of Malay Theatre in Singapore, where it came from, how it is currently, and where it…
Corrie Tan In The Living Room with Alfian Sa’at

17 Aug 2016, 8pm | Arts writer and former Straits Times theatre critic Corrie Tan interviews Singaporean playwright Alfian Sa’at about his life and work.
FOCUS – fleet from the Text 剧焦点 – 《水是枯竭》的追本溯源

23 Jul 2016, 11am | "fleet" is a monologue about life and death performed by Melissa Leung Hiu Tuen. In "FOCUS: fleet from the Text", Liu Xiaoyi and Janice Sze Wan Poon – "fleet" director and playwright respectively – share their experience in creating this devised work, particularly how a…
In The Living Room with Tan Tarn How

7 Dec 2015, 8pm | Dr. Robin Loon chats with Singaporean playwright Tan Tarn How about his plays. In a span of two decades, Tan Tarn How has written nine plays, several of which have won numerous awards. Collectively, his work examines the socio-political environment and machinations of the Singapore…
INTERACT – In the Living Room《“客厅”里的小剧会》

11 Jul 2015, 10am | Kok Heng Leun (Artistic Director of Drama Box, Singapore), director of “Chronology on Death” Koh Choon Eiow (Co-Artistic Director of Approaching Theatre, Taiwan) and director of “The Struggle: Years Later” Liu Xiaoyi (Director of The Theatre Practice’s The Practice Lab, Singapore) explore the relationship between…
Koh Boon Pin In The Living Room with Desmond Sim

17 Apr 2015, 8pm | Veteran journalist and actor Koh Boon Pin converses with Singaporean playwright, poet and artist Desmond Sim about his play-writing journey and the juggling between his business consultancy and his artistic pursuits. They zoom through Desmond’s extensive list of creative works – plays, paintings, poetry –…
Koh Boon Pin In The Living Room with Russell Heng

10 Apr 2015, 8pm | This cosy session, hosted by veteran journalist and actor Koh Boon Pin, was a conversation with Singaporean playwright and activist Russell Heng about his play-writing journey. Russell’s careers and transitions influenced the content and context of the three plays he wrote.
In The Living Room: Reimagining Singapore Theatre

22 Nov 2014, 3pm | Reimagining Singapore Theatre was presented by the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2015 in collaboration with Centre 42’s Living Room programme. The discussion was facilitated by Festival Artistic Director Sean Tobin, and comprised of a panel of five 2015 Fringe artists: Loo Zihan, Alvin Tan, Joel…
In the Living Room with Michael Chiang

30 Oct 2014, 8pm | This cosy session saw Dr Robin Loon in conversation with Singaporean playwright Michael Chiang, chatting about his play-writing journey, the development of the local theatre scene in the 80s and 90s, and his personal responses to some of the harshest critiques of his work.