Manifesto

1963. A young painter is forced to abandon his family and his art when he is embroiled in the tumultuous politics of the era. 

1987. Three writers are detained by the Internal Security Bureau, each making different choices that will leave indelible marks on their lives.

2016. Artists occupy a derelict building in a bid to present their works free from state intervention, but find themselves entangled in market and personal politics instead.

2024. Successors of a theatre company discover that it has a hidden history, and grapple with the reasons behind the rewriting of the past.

Through the lens of events stretching across 70 years, Manifesto, a brand new multilingual collaboration by Drama Box and The Necessary Stage, investigates the role of artists in history and politics:

Can Artists be alternative voices for the marginalized or will they be silenced, subdued and ultimately, erased?