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Three queer Singaporean men cast a little gay spell, don their bridal veils, and embark on a whirlwind journey towards matrimony. They dream through the past, the present and an imagined future to discover what a big, fat, fabulously gay wedding would look like for them!

In a country where the legal right to marriage is denied to the queer community, these individuals navigate the political, social, cultural, and personal reality of their lives, along with saying “yes” to whimsical wedding fantasies. “Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.” Is that the ultimate ultimatum, or is there a possible way to find marital bliss amidst the chaos?

Devised and performed by Ryan Ang, Fadhil Daud and Rajkumar Thiagaras, Never the Bride was first created and presented at the Devising with Actors and Playwrights programme as part of The Necessary Stage’s Devising Platform in 2021.

This staging of Never the Bride was performed as part of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2023.

Mental illness does not discriminate. Although there is more access to information, many still suffer silently or face stigma when they come out with their illness. What is this experience like for actors in Singapore? Are they expected to just deal with their mental health issues because they are seen as ‘tortured artists’ and ‘so full of drama’?

In 2019, The Necessary Stage presented Acting Mad, a verbatim play based on interviews with 20 actors who have experienced or are going through mental health issues.

This iteration, specially commissioned by Esplanade for The Studios 2022, incorporates new interview texts and testimonies, as well as actors’ responses to the pandemic and its impact on them.

Can sharing our stories, and creating theatre, be a form of solace and support?

 

“We start when?” 
“We start now.” 

Opposition tells the story of Production Manager Ramlah Zee and Director Jackie Oh who begin a new chapter of their lives by establishing their own theatre company, Zero Theatre. They also begin a relationship. 

However, as the years pass and familiarity sets in, how do the couple negotiate their professional and personal lives? From exuberance and love to departure and heartbreak; from hope for change to disillusionment and stasis, Opposition maps the lives and loves of two souls trapped in each other’s memories. 

In our nation’s relentless stride towards material success, is there even space left for them to live freely by their own identities and dreams? When does compromise turn into irrevocable sacrifice of one’s personal truth?  

How do they—and we—determine when it is time to leave, in order to begin again?  

Following the critically acclaimed productions of Manifesto (2016) and Underclass (2018), Opposition caps the trilogy of collaborations between Drama Box and The Necessary Stage.  

17 March – 3 April 2022 
Wednesday – Saturday: 8PM 
Saturday – Sunday: 3PM 
At The Necessary Stage Black Box 

Today we're talking about change.

We believe that we have it in us to change—and change for the better. We would like to distinguish between right and wrong behaviours.

Basic values must be upheld and must stand as the cornerstone of any modern society we live in. For example, we need to create social stability, harmony and security. We must protect and promote strong family bonds. Decadent Western lifestyles and divisiveness through activism must be rejected. Socially irresponsible behaviours such as racism, religious intolerance and alternative lifestyles threaten our moral fabric, and are therefore rejected by the government.

If we are not upholding the basic values of our society, we must change.

We would like to present three plays about change: Indians Can Change, Homosexuals Can Change, and Marxists Can Change.

Please enjoy the performance. We look forward to an engaging discussion.