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This panel was the first event on the second day of the Asian Dramaturgs' Network Symposium 2016. In this panel, the speakers discuss the dramaturgical challenges of less-than-conventional productions. Charlene Rajendran, Ken Takiguchi, and Kok Heng Leun share their experiences with the dramaturgy of artistic collaborations across national, cultural and/or disciplinary boundaries. Alvin Tan shares how dramaturgy is integrated into the theatre-making methodology of The Necessary Stage, citing a transnational collaborative project as an example.

From the ultramodern super-malls and the latest developments on Orchard Road to the National Stadium, the ArtScience Museum and the forthcoming National Gallery, we see how Singapore's architecture of entertainment is developing and becoming ever more daring.

Organised by the UNESCO-NIE Centre for Arts Research in Education (CARE), the Drama Education Dialogues are a series of three public forums that explore issues related to the importance and development of Drama Education in Singapore. They provide an open and discursive platform where ideas about Drama Education can be examined and discussed by a range of people that include educators and artists, principals and teachers, students and parents. We hope to draw members of the public into a useful dialogue about the value and importance of Drama Education, as well as raise questions and concerns about how to approach this area of work in the contemporary context.

Alvin was invited to be a speaker, together with Janice Koh, Jean Ng and Sean Tobin, on the topic Drama Education Today – What Is It?.

Questions discussed during the session included the following:
What is the scope and purpose of Drama Education in the 21st century? How does it address the needs of students preparing to join the workforce in the coming decades? What are the skills and knowledges that Drama provides and builds? What is the difference between Drama as a subject, pedagogy and as a co-curricular activity? What is it all about? What is it NOT about?

The session was moderated by Kenneth Kwok.

Little is known about Singapore's ex-political detainees - the events surrounding their detention, as well as their lives after detention. This forum is a landmark gathering of some of Singapore's ex-political detainees, including Michael Fernandez, Said Zahari and Tan Jing Quee. All three will talk about their experiences, as well as share some of their writings. Joining them will be Robert Yeo, discussing his trilogy, Changi. Tan Chong Kee will be facilitating the discussion.

The video recording is available on request.

A series of focus group meetings with teachers, parents, community workers and theatre practitioners to discuss issues related to the implementation of drama in the school curriculum. The focus groups culminated into a roundtable discussion and contributed to a symposium titled Creativity Through Drama: The Potential of Drama in the Singapore Classroom.