EXPERIENCE TWO NIGHTS OF
THEATRICAL MAGIC AND TEXTUAL ADVENTURES!
OVER 30 FREE PERFORMANCES! ADMISSION IS FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED.
CLICK ON THE ICONS ABOVE OR SCROLL DOWN TO FIND OUT MORE.
.
* * *
.
Here’s what went on at the inaugural Late-Night Texting last year!
Click here to download this year’s programme schedule. (Updated 21 Aug 2017.)
Programme is subject to change. Stay tuned to this page or the Facebook page for updates.
.
* * *
.
.
ETA: 9MIN by MAIN TULIS GROUP
(25 AUG ONLY)
VENUE: BLACK BOX
TIMES: 8.30PM, 9.30PM, 10.30PM
DURATION: 30MIN
Be captivated by nine-minute plays written in English and Malay. (English surtitles provided.)
The nine playwrights of Main Tulis Group have each created a new nine-minute play for their first public showcase at Late-Night Texting. Look forward to sampling a wide range of styles, from comedy to tragedy, from social commentary to the absurdist.
.
.
SET 1 (25 AUG, 8.30PM)
ADVISORY 16 (MATURE CONTENT)
“MAKAN HATI” by Farhanah Diyanah (FD)
Ben loves his job at the Social Cardiac Centre. Every day for breakfast, he must eat hearts (except on Mondays and Fridays, those are his off days). On a fateful off day, at the market, he encounters Siti.
“COMING, GOING” by Sabrina Dzulkifli
A daughter grapples with her parents’ separation. Her mother’s solution to deal with the emotional turmoil? Korean dramas.
“PLASTER” by Adib Kosnan
Two young brothers argue over preparing breakfast for the family. But this is no ordinary breakfast. It is the last meal before their world changes forever.
SET 2 (25 AUG, 9.30PM)
“KASI MAKAN KAT BABY” by Nessa Anwar
Maya is a sensible stay-at-home mum of one. Older sister Amelia is a worldly travel blogger who’s been away for two years. Their monthly half-hour Skype sessions can’t encapsulate exactly what they’ve always wished to say to each other. But this time, it does.
“BUAL KOSONG” by Nabilah Said
Two people. Their conversations as inane as they are comedic. They could be wise men. They could be mad men. Bual Kosong speaks of the fallibility of both memory and man.
“TOMPANG” by Hazwan Norly
Jannah and Farah are friends who haven’t seen each other for five years. They decide to catch up over lunch in Johor Bahru. But after crossing the causeway, Farah’s bike breaks down.
SET 3 (25 AUG, 10.30PM)
RESTRICTED 18 (MATURE CONTENT & COARSE LANGUAGE) *Persons below 18 years will not be allowed entry
“DINNER FOR MAK” by Ahmad Musta’ain Khamis
It’s been a year since Nabila’s mother passed away. At the kenduri arwah, a dinner to honour her mother’s death, Nabila decides it’s time to speak her mind.
“SEMEJA” by Zulfadli Rashid
Semeja lays the delicate situation of segregation on the table. It explores differences, by skin colour, by dietary requirements, and by obligations to faith, that we have inherited and accepted.
“DINNER” by Johnny Jon Jon
In a world gone mad,
In a time gone bad,
A woman, and another woman, answer some questions on what a girl wants and what a girl needs. Dinner.
.
ABOUT MAIN TULIS GROUP
Main Tulis Group (translated literally as “Play Write Group”) is a writers’ circle for playwrights who create work in English and Malay. It is a safe space where playwrights of various ages can meet to share works-in-progress, exchange ideas and provide critique, with a view to produce more original work for the stage. Centre 42 is the home of Main Tulis Group. Its current members are: Adib Kosnan, Ahmad Musta’ain Khamis, Farhanah Diyanah (FD), Hazwan Norly, Johnny Jon Jon, Nabilah Said, Nessa Anwar, Sabrina Dzulkifli and Zulfadli Rashid.
.
* * *
.
.
EAT MY SHORTS by DARK MATTER THEATRICS
(26 AUG ONLY)
VENUE: BLACK BOX
TIMES: 7.30PM, 8.30PM, 9.30PM, 10.30PM
DURATION: 30MIN
ADVISORY 16 (MATURE CONTENT)
Sample new works by up-and-coming playwrights!
“Eat My Shorts” is a series of 12 ten-minute short plays written by young playwrights who were mentored by practising Singaporean playwrights Marcia Vanderstraaten (co-wrote Hotel, 2015) and Faith Ng (Normal, 2015). “Eat My Shorts” is Dark Matter Theatrics’ second outing at Late-Night Texting.
.
.
SET 1 (AUG 26, 7.30PM)
“COMFORT ZONE” by Allyn Tang
A young man faces up to his future, and the choice of stepping out into the unknown.
“HAPPILY EVER AFTER” by Nicholas Yong
A young girl learns why you shouldn’t talk to strangers.
“HANDS ON, HANDS OFF” by Tiara Yap
Two competitors discover by accident that the prize they’re after is not the one they’re competing for.
SET 2 (AUG 26, 8.30PM)
“TRAGEDY OF THE COMMONS” by Fang Xiao Min
What’s going to happen to your kids if you don’t take care of the world they live in?
“ONE WOMAN” by Brenda Tan
A young woman struggles to reconcile with her father.
“RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY” by Mark Benedict Cheong
What if one day ‘memory storage’ referred to human memories?
SET 3 (AUG 26, 9.30PM)
“FUGUE” by Shannen Tan
In a future of war and uncertainty, two friends must make difficult choices in order to survive.
“POPO” by Sasha Ooi
A woman comes to terms with her new life in a nursing home.
“NO ALCOHOL ON THE FIRST DATE” by Oh Chin Ying
For two young people, looking after their younger siblings suddenly pays off in an unexpected way.
SET 4 (AUG 26, 10.30PM)
“SEND LOCATION” by Kenneth Chia
A snapshot of miscommunication in a dysfunctional modern family.
“PEOPLE LIKE US” by Sarah Supaat
An adaptation of a scene from August Wilson’s “Fences”, with a Malay family in modern Singapore.
“PHASE” by Zenda Tan
Two parents struggle with their teenage son’s pronouncement of his heterosexuality.
.
ABOUT DARK MATTER THEATRICS
Dark Matter Theatrics is a theatre collective interested in the uncommon in common stories. Founded by playwright-director Christopher Fok, actor Lian Sutton, and playwright Marcia Vanderstraaten, they search for the magic in the mundane, focusing on creating contemporary theatre that interests, inspires and invigorates the common folk. They aim to foster artistic development in the people involved in their productions with an emphasis on local playwrights. They also aim to create universality through specificity with the stories that come from the common folk, in hopes of giving voice to a generation of people who have much to say about the society and world they live in.
.
* * *
.
.
TEXT WITH ME by THE LATECOMERS
VENUE: BLACK BOX
TIMES: 8.00PM, 9.00PM, 10.00PM
DURATION: 30MIN
ADVISORY 16 (MATURE CONTENT & COARSE LANGUAGE)
Improv comedians turn your texts into wild stories and hilarious scenes.
Get ready for some textual healing with The Latecomers! Text them your suggestions on the night, and they’ll turn it into a thumping Kpop serenade, a socially #woke play, or even an honest, truthful, painful confession, right on the spot.
.
.
ABOUT THE LATECOMERS
The Latecomers are an international improvisational comedy troupe based in Singapore. Founded in 2014, they create songs, sketches and memorable characters on the spot, based on suggestions from the audience and their own wondrous minds. The team is led by stand-up and improv comedian Joanna Sio, and stars fellow stand-up comedians from Singapore and beyond.
.
* * *
.
.
ONE MIC STAND
VENUE: FRONT COURTYARD
TIMES: 7.00PM, 8.00PM, 9.00PM, 10.00PM
DURATION: 30MIN
ADVISORY (SOME MATURE CONTENT)
Click your fingers to the rhythms of spoken word.
The poets of the monthly spoken-word event destination: INK will perform original poems under the night sky. destination: INK returns to Centre 42 this year with an almost entirely new line-up of spoken-word talents: Ang Shuang, Charlene Shepherdson, Harini Vee, Joses Ho, Laika Jumabhoy, Max Pasakon, Pranamika Subhalaxmi, Praval Visvanath, and Will Beale. Between them, they cover a wide spectrum of genres, from sci-fi poetry to poems that combine word and music.
.
.
25 AUG
SET 1, 7.00PM:
Ang Shuang
Max Pasakorn
SET 2, 8.00PM:
Joses Ho
Pranamika Subhalaxmi
SET 3, 9.00PM:
Harini Vee
Will Beale
SET 4, 10.00PM:
Ang Shuang & Joses Ho
Max Pasakorn
26 AUG
SET 1, 7.00PM:
Pranamika Subhalaxmi
Laika Jumabhoy
SET 2, 8.00PM:
Praval Visvanath
Harini Vee
SET 3, 9.00PM:
Will Beale
Laika Jumabhoy
SET 4, 10.00PM:
Praval Visvanath & Pranamika Subhalaxmi
Charlene Shepherdon
.
ABOUT destination: INK
destination: INK is Singapore’s longest running open-open mic and an incubator for original literary/visual/sonic experiments. It is held every second Monday of the month at Blujaz Cafe (8pm).
.
* * *
.
.
.
NIGHT SHIFT by PROLETARIAT POETRY FACTORY
VENUE: MEETING ROOM
TIMES: 6.30PM – 11.00PM
Suggest a word and receive a customised, typewritten poem in return.
After a hugely successful run in 2015, the Servile Poets of the Proletariat Poetry return to Centre 42 to set up shop. From the time the front gates open till closing, you can submit a word to the factory at one end and receive a freshly-minted original poem at the other. Feel free to wander the factory floor to observe the Servile Poets working away industriously through the night. ‘Confess’ your new poem by having a Servile Singer sing it for you. Or you could recite it yourself… if you dare.
.
.
ABOUT PROLETARIAT POETRY FACTORY
Appearing in flea markets, music festivals and literature events, the Proletariat Poetry Factory is committed to making poetry available to the public. Give them a word to inspire the poem, leave a name behind, collect the typewritten poem and pay any amount for it. A constant audio feed by The Board of Supreme Controllers via headphones aims to maximise productivity, by maintaining servility of poet labourers and complete mental submission to the system.
.
* * *
.
.
.
#NOFILTER by TELLING STORIES LIVE
VENUE: LIBRARY
TIMES: 7.00PM, 8.30PM, 10.30PM
DURATION: 30MIN
Experience the raw power of storytelling.
Six storytellers present a collection of strange-but-true stories told, with no filter, by the very people who lived through them. In the cosy confines of the Centre 42 Library, listen to urban tales of love and loss, points of no return, and things that go bump in the night.
.
.
25 AUG
SET 1, 7.00PM:
Teoh Jun Vinh
– A young man recounts his first muse.
Farida Haji
– Donning a Batman cape of a different kind.
SET 2, 8.30PM:
Petrina Kow
– Of radio talk shows, psycho listeners and an unexpected date.
James Lee
– A fearless father-to-be learns the meaning of being scared.
SET 3, 10.30PM:
Ervin Han
– An HDB owner discovers a new genre of Japanese erotic horror.
Mrigaa Sethi
– A hardened Tinder veteran has her proverbial ‘one night in Bangkok’.
26 AUG
SET 1, 7.00PM:
Teoh Jun Vinh
– A young man recounts his first muse.
Farida Haji
– Donning a Batman cape of a different kind.
SET 2, 8.30PM:
Shireen Abdullah
– A typical Singapore tale of mixed heritage, confused identities and what it says on your IC.
James Lee
– A fearless father-to-be learns the meaning of being scared.
SET 3, 10.30PM:
Petrina Kow
– Of radio talk shows, psycho listeners and an unexpected date.
Mrigaa Sethi
– A hardened Tinder veteran has her proverbial ‘one night in Bangkok’.
.
ABOUT TELLING STORIES LIVE
Founded by two passionate story hounds who discovered their mutual love for consuming podcasts and audio stories at a cast party, Shireen Abdullah and Petrina Kow formed Telling Stories Live as a platform to showcase true stories told in front of a live audience. They firmly believe that with a little help, everyone can tell a great story, and with an open mind and a listening ear, we can build a more compassionate and communicative society. Part performance, part therapy and a whole lot of love, come and experience what it’s like to be swept away by the beauty and simplicity of Telling Stories Live.
.
* * *
.
.
BETWEEN THE LINES by BOOKSACTUALLY
VENUE: BLACK BOX
TIMES: 7.00PM – 8.00PM (*25 AUG ONLY)
DURATION: 60MIN
[POP-UP STORE]
VENUE: FRONT COURTYARD
TIME: 6.00PM – 11.00PM (25 & 26 AUG)
Come celebrate and #buysinglit.
Hear from local authors Tania de Rozario and Daryl Yam as they share excerpts from their work. If their words whet your appetite for local literature, be sure to step outside into the courtyard where BooksActually will have a pop-up store selling a specially curated selection of Sing Lit.
.
.
ABOUT BOOKSACTUALLY
BooksActually (est. 2005) is an independent bookstore specialising in Literature (including obscure and critical works). In their bookstore, you can often find literary trinkets in the form of stationery and other lovely tchotchkes. They publish and distribute books under their imprint Math Paper Press, and they also hand-stitch notebooks and produce stationery under Birds & Co.
* * *
.
.
FILL YA BELLY by COFFEE BANDITS
VENUE: FRONT COURTYARD
TIME: 6.00PM – 11.00PM
Keep your belly happy with food and drinks.
Head to the bright yellow Coffee Bandits food truck for snacks and tipples to refuel in-between your late-night texting escapades.
.
.
ABOUT COFFEE BANDITS
Coffee Bandits is Singapore’s only coffee specialty food truck. Besides coffee, they serve food and pride themselves on great service. This is the third year Coffee Bandits is partnering with Centre 42 for the Night Festival event; fuelling visitors with night bites, caffeine and alcohol to last the texting experiences.
.
* * *
.
