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Publications

focas No. 3, Jan 2002

Work/Play
Kitsch & the Singapore Modern
Bodies & Text

focas is a biannual publication that engages issues of contemporary art, politics and social change—primarily but not exclusively—in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

focas is dedicated to interdisciplinary exchange amongst scholars and practitioners.
2002
 

Publications

PIE to SPOILT

Collection of four highly innovative plays written by Chong Tze Chien, the resident playwright of Singapore's socially committed theatre company, The Necessary Stage (f.1987). The plays are complemented by an introduction by Prof. K.K. Seet, director of the Theatre Studies Program at the National University of Singapore and interviews with Alvin Tan, founder of the Necessary Stage. The plays cut furrows far from conventional boulevard theatre and deal with society's margins and constantly question, confront and destabilise conventional norms of Singaporeans. Chong Tze Chien's PIE (Pan Island Expressway) won the 1998 Singapore Dramatist Award and was staged by TheatreWorks in 1999.
2002
 

Productions

Dare to Dream

To some, the future beyond secondary school looks bright and hopeful, and to others it seems like a series of impossible trials and disappointments. Is dreaming just something you do when you are asleep or bored or want to escape reality, or can dreaming be a ticket to a bright future? Through a surreal time travelling adventure, Matthew awakens to the possibilities of dreaming and realizing the impossible.

Dare to Dream is one of the tenets of the National Youth Council, Singapore's Vision for Youth. This play hopes to help young people realise the importance of being self-motivated, taking calculated risks and remembering to have goals and ideals.
2001
 -
Singapore
 

Staging

Dare to Dream

To some, the future beyond secondary school looks bright and hopeful, and to others it seems like a series of impossible trials and disappointments. Is dreaming just something you do when you are asleep or bored or want to escape reality, or can dreaming be a ticket to a bright future? Through a surreal time travelling adventure, Matthew awakens to the possibilities of dreaming and realizing the impossible.

Dare to Dream is one of the tenets of the National Youth Council, Singapore's Vision for Youth. This play hopes to help young people realise the importance of being self-motivated, taking calculated risks and remembering to have goals and ideals.
2001
 -
Singapore
 

Workshops

Theatre For Youth and Community 2002

In September 1992, Alvin Tan, Artistic Director of The Necessary Stage, established the Theatre For Youth Branch.

The aims of our Youth Drama programmes are to:


expose young people to theatre;
create a space for artistic expression by and for young people;
cultivate the aesthetic sensibilities of young people; and
explore themes and issues relevant to young people in Singapore


We believe that theatre must grow out of the community and therefore pay close attention to issues that concern young people and educators. Our programmes develop from research, careful planning and consultation. The concern that students should benefit fully has led us to develop programmes that are relevant to the needs, and are issues faced by students, involve theoretical and hands-on learning; and cultivate students' life-skills and contribute towards their personal development.

We also believe strongly in, and welcome, partnerships with other sectors in society to achieve holistic outcomes for our programmes. The school's curriculum and directions in education are also taken into consideration when planning our programmes.

We believe strongly that Theatre is not meant to be simply a high-brow affair for the wealthy and intellectual. It is a language that each of us have the right to learn and speak, in order to find release, and to make meaning of our world.
2001
 

Productions

SPOILT

"When I looked at the mirror, it was not my reflection that cracked. I, I cracked." Tracy is 33. She has everything in life--a successful career, and her wedding in two weeks. But she wakes up one morning and decides to go mad. She cancels her wedding, sells her company and tells everyone she will be going to Woodbridge. And for the first time in her life, she is no longer afraid. SPOILT has not one story but three. The stories that span from 1986 to 2003 chart the lives of whom Tracy has affected.
2001
 -
Singapore
 

Staging

SPOILT

"When I looked at the mirror, it was not my reflection that cracked. I, I cracked." Tracy is 33. She has everything in life--a successful career, and her wedding in two weeks. But she wakes up one morning and decides to go mad. She cancels her wedding, sells her company and tells everyone she will be going to Woodbridge. And for the first time in her life, she is no longer afraid. SPOILT has not one story but three. The stories that span from 1986 to 2003 chart the lives of whom Tracy has affected.
2001
 -
Singapore
 

Talks & Interviews

Kitsch and the Singapore Modern

The following description was extracted from the Introduction in focas Vol. 3 by Editor Lucy Davis.

Discussions of the merits of "playing" also run through our second section on Kitsch and The Singapore Modern, with panel speakers consisting of Venka Purushothman, Tau Kheng Soon, Peter Schoppert, C.J. Wan-ling Wee and Lee Weng Choy. Interest in the forum was augmented significantly by the participation of the eminently quotable authority on kitsch, Tay Kheng Soon, who formulated the relationship between kitsch and Singapore's desire for arrival as the following: "Since we can't be bigger we can be Brighter and Louder and More."

The forum transcription was published in focas Vol. 3.
2001
 -
Singapore
 

Productions

The Anty Aesthetic Part 1

Initial fieldwork documentation of attempts to dialogue with and identify needs of migrant communities A1, A2, A3 and A4. These communities are resident in and around Block 27 Gilstead Road Singapore 309170. The findings will be displayed in the form of photographs, field drawings, field notes and a presentation video.
2001
 -
Singapore
 

Productions

WRAP

This is a short film of about 20 mins. It is narrative, following a day in the life of a middle-aged woman who is a housewife. The day ends tragically. The film elaborates on the daily rituals of housekeeping, which correlates in some way with the woman's relationship with her family.
2001
 -
Singapore
 

Productions

The corrected poems of Minah Jambu

Minah Jambu, come out. Come out from hiding! Come read your poems to us. You are the Secret Voice of the Heartland!
2001
 -
Singapore
 

Productions

Alchemistic Fragments

This mono-performance by Italian theatre practitioner, Mario Ruggeri, displays a virtuosity of physical theatre techniques and an engaging use of an eclectic assortment of musical instruments.
2001
 -
Singapore
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