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Productions

Eclipse

Absorbingly told by [2008 staging's actor] Umar Ahmed, Eclipse suggests that ancestral memory is never as meaningful as the allegiances of everyday life.—The Guardian UK(Playwright Haresh Sharma) has demonstrated a deftness and maturity in scriptwriting, a deeper inquiry into life and humanity, as well as an evident progress in terms of his creations.—联合早报 Lianhe Zaobao [translated from Chinese] —————A young Singaporean man is making a journey to his father's birthplace in Hyderabad, Pakistan. With him are his father's ashes. As he makes the arduous trip, he retraces the original journey made by millions of people—including his parents and grandparents—in 1947, during the partition of India and Pakistan. Written by Cultural Medallion recipient Haresh Sharma, Eclipse is a play that looks at three generations of men struggling with their dreams and their journeys, offering an intimate look at personal stories affected by historical events.First presented as a short play to critical acclaim by Scotland’s 7:84 Theatre at Traverse Theatre, Eclipse was developed into a full-length production for the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2008. Almost 80 years after the Partition, this staging with a fresh new direction by Associate Artist A Yagnya stars award-winning Singapore actor Shrey Bhargava. It also features Indian classical vocalist Sveta Kilpady.
2025
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Singapore
 

Festivals

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2025

2025
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Singapore
 

Productions

White, All White

How white all the walls are. Even after all these years.White, All White offers a glimpse into the quiet lives of a family of women across three generations. As they grapple with their individual struggles, dreams and desires whilst living under the same leaky roof, what unites them is the deep love and concern they have for one another. However, an unexpected financial misadventure challenges the household. Can their relationships endure when tested by adversity, especially when these women’s lives are intrinsically linked?Written and directed by The Necessary Stage’s Associate Artist Deonn Yang, White, All White explores the joys and tensions of family and individual desires—and the sacrifices we make for the ones we love. Funny, charming and poignant, this life-affirming play hits all the right notes when it comes to family drama.
2024
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Singapore
 

Staging

White, All White

How white all the walls are. Even after all these years.White, All White offers a glimpse into the quiet lives of a family of women across three generations. As they grapple with their individual struggles, dreams and desires whilst living under the same leaky roof, what unites them is the deep love and concern they have for one another. However, an unexpected financial misadventure challenges the household. Can their relationships endure when tested by adversity, especially when these women’s lives are intrinsically linked?Written and directed by The Necessary Stage’s Associate Artist Deonn Yang, White, All White explores the joys and tensions of family and individual desires—and the sacrifices we make for the ones we love. Funny, charming and poignant, this life-affirming play hits all the right notes when it comes to family drama.
2024
 -
Singapore
 

Productions

Feed Your Imagination Series: International Friendship Day

It’s International Friendship Day at MPSS but friendship seems to be the last thing on the students’ minds.While the foreign students Adi, Anton and Liqin are questioning what to showcase at their booths and why there isn’t one for the local students, the Drama Club boys are unhappy about them not putting any effort towards the much-anticipated Singapore Youth Festival (SYF).Meanwhile, Carys is facing pressure at home for losing her spot as the school’s top Maths student.Will she lose her top spot to an international scholar?Will the Drama Club boys get the foreigners to join in the chorus?Will Adi get the booth of his choice?Written by Cultural Medallion recipient Haresh Sharma and directed by TNS' Associate Artist Lim Shien Hian, International Friendship Day promises an invigorating and engaging interactive theatre experience for youths to explore and understand cross-cultural differences.International Friendship Day was first commissioned by Singapore Kindness Movement in 2015 and was restaged as part of Peer Pleasure 2016 and as an online interactive experience under Esplanade’s Feed Your Imagination 2021.It is supported by the National Arts Council as part of the NAC School Arts Excursion Programme.
2024
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Singapore
 

Workshops

Playwrights' Cove 2024

In 2001, TNS launched Playwrights’ Cove, a development and mentorship programme aimed at nurturing, processing and platforming contemporary playwriting for Singapore theatre. Many of its participants are well-known practitioners and educators today, including Jean Tay, Ng Yi-sheng, Natalie Hennedige, Kenneth Kwok and Matthew Lyon.We re-launched Playwrights' Cove in 2020 and subsequently had a second iteration in 2022. Both years saw 10 selected participants undergo training and mentorship by Resident Playwright Haresh Sharma. To find out more about Playwrights' Cove 2020, click here. More information about Playwrights' Cove 2022 can be found here.2024's iteration of Playwrights' Cove saw 10 participants undergo training and mentorship once again with Haresh Sharma. The list of selected participants are as follows:Alia AlkaffAngela KongEdward EngJovan AngMelizarani T. SelvaRachael NgSarah Zafirah Bte Noor AshikinShawn ChuaSindhura KalidasWan Nur Syafiqa Binte Syed YusoffOver five shows from 21 to 24 November, the playwrights presented their newly developed works-in-progress via dramatised readings featuring a host of theatre actors, directed by veteran and emerging Singapore directors. Each performance featured two different works to the public, followed by a post-show dialogue with the playwrights, facilitated by Haresh Sharma and Deonn Yang.
2024
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Singapore
 

Productions

ANAK

Adrian, a young teacher, faces a life-altering revelation when his homosexuality and relationship with Ben, an Asian-American documentary filmmaker, come to light. This disclosure sends ripples through the family, testing their attachments to societal norms and roles. The presence of the cheeky Peranakan matriarch adds depth and humour to this captivating two-act play set in Singapore and New York.Alvin Tan’s debut play weaves a compelling tale of love, acceptance, and family dynamics against the backdrop of ancestral worship. As the characters navigate their individual struggles, ANAK highlights the importance of ancestors in shaping their paths.For SIFA 2024, The Necessary Stage has opted for an innovative presentation of ANAK. During the performance, the actors will be improvising the scenes of the play based on a narrative structure. In this way, the actors will fully own their characters, instead of just presenting a staged reading. Such an approach reflects The Necessary Stage’s devising methodology and spirit of theatrical exploration.
2024
 -
Singapore
 

Staging

ANAK

Adrian, a young teacher, faces a life-altering revelation when his homosexuality and relationship with Ben, an Asian-American documentary filmmaker, come to light. This disclosure sends ripples through the family, testing their attachments to societal norms and roles. The presence of the cheeky Peranakan matriarch adds depth and humour to this captivating two-act play set in Singapore and New York.Alvin Tan’s debut play weaves a compelling tale of love, acceptance, and family dynamics against the backdrop of ancestral worship. As the characters navigate their individual struggles, ANAK highlights the importance of ancestors in shaping their paths.For SIFA 2024, The Necessary Stage has opted for an innovative presentation of ANAK. During the performance, the actors will be improvising the scenes of the play based on a narrative structure. In this way, the actors will fully own their characters, instead of just presenting a staged reading. Such an approach reflects The Necessary Stage’s devising methodology and spirit of theatrical exploration.
2024
 -
Singapore
 

Productions

Hi, Can You Hear Me?

Utama, a mysterious Tiger, runs a bar in limbo that seems to attract an odd mix of patrons.Guan Yin's life keeps ending prematurely and she seems eternally subscribed to this tragic loop of death and rebirth. Shimizu's memory is failing him as he grapples with the loss of his wife and tries to keep up with his AI (Artificial Intelligence) caretaker.Sindhu is struggling to regain a semblance of a "boring" life since experiencing an earthquake over video conference that resurfaces past trauma.John tries to find some control in his otherwise uncontrollable life as a broadcast journalist but is stuck in a hotel room.Written by A Yagnya and co-directed with Alvin Tan, Hi, Can You Hear Me? follows various characters whose normalcies have been fractured due to events and experiences beyond their control.How and why do their paths cross?When everything that was going smoothly gets disrupted, what is there left to cling to?
2024
 -
Singapore
 

Staging

Hi, Can You Hear Me?

Utama, a mysterious Tiger, runs a bar in limbo that seems to attract an odd mix of patrons.Guan Yin's life keeps ending prematurely and she seems eternally subscribed to this tragic loop of death and rebirth. Shimizu's memory is failing him as he grapples with the loss of his wife and tries to keep up with his AI (Artificial Intelligence) caretaker.Sindhu is struggling to regain a semblance of a "boring" life since experiencing an earthquake over video conference that resurfaces past trauma.John tries to find some control in his otherwise uncontrollable life as a broadcast journalist but is stuck in a hotel room.Written by A Yagnya and co-directed with Alvin Tan, Hi, Can You Hear Me? follows various characters whose normalcies have been fractured due to events and experiences beyond their control.How and why do their paths cross?When everything that was going smoothly gets disrupted, what is there left to cling to?
2024
 -
Singapore
 

Productions

Oo-woo

Through tender storytelling, Oo-woo unravels the intricate web of caring for an elderly family member. As the story unfolds, deep secrets and hidden desires come to light, casting doubt on the strength of familial bonds. When their cherished family bird mysteriously disappears, a journey of unsettling discoveries begins, challenging the characters' understanding of duty and love.Written by Raimi Safari, directed by Mohd Fared Jainal, and starring Dalifah Shahril, Farah Lola, Isabella Chiam and Yazid Jalil, Oo-woo delves into the haunting realm of dementia, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. A single bird brings into question the sacrifices and choices we make when faced with the unknown.Oo-woo was developed at The Necessary Stage’s Playwrights’ Cove 2022 under the mentorship of Resident Playwright Haresh Sharma.
2024
 -
Singapore
 

Staging

Oo-woo

Through tender storytelling, Oo-woo unravels the intricate web of caring for an elderly family member. As the story unfolds, deep secrets and hidden desires come to light, casting doubt on the strength of familial bonds. When their cherished family bird mysteriously disappears, a journey of unsettling discoveries begins, challenging the characters' understanding of duty and love.Written by Raimi Safari, directed by Mohd Fared Jainal, and starring Dalifah Shahril, Farah Lola, Isabella Chiam and Yazid Jalil, Oo-woo delves into the haunting realm of dementia, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. A single bird brings into question the sacrifices and choices we make when faced with the unknown.Oo-woo was developed at The Necessary Stage’s Playwrights’ Cove 2022 under the mentorship of Resident Playwright Haresh Sharma.
2024
 -
Singapore
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