Science teacher corrupts minds of young

Dr Galilei's theories have upset local governments and religious leaders, who have reason to bleieve that the mathematician-scientist-philosopher may be teaching Narxist principles to his students under the guise of scientific education. [...]

In mitigation, Dr Galilei said that he had never set out to mislead his students, but had just wanted to make them question assumptions. "I have always liked [national] security the best..." said the father-of-three, "and would never do anything to upset that".

Director's Message
Kok Heng Leun

The beauty of strangers sharing the same place, the public space, and yet being able to speak freely and fearlessly seems almost idealistic. How can one feel free to speak if one fears what one says may offend another?

In his essay The paths of Arts and Politics Astrayed, Lu Xun noted that a person who has suffered from poverty and later becomes rich, will turn into either one of the following: a humanistic being who will have empathy for others: or, because of the harrowing experience of poverty, a selfish person who will be less tolerant and less open.

Director's Message
Alvin Tan

Today, nudity is allowed on stage, and plays touching on paedophilia and death penalty are passed by the Media Development Authority with a rating or an advisory.

Early this year, The Complaints Choir Project, one of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival shows, was only allowed to perform at one venue as a private event due to the presence of foreigners in the choir. Yet, just recently, PM Lee Hsien Loong announced the move to ease bans on political films and demonstrations.

Asian Boys Vol. 1: Playwright's Message
Alfian Sa'at

I felt the topic deserved much more than that. What has been missing so far in a lot of plays of this nature is dialogue. There is often a kind of polemicising, angry young men spewing vitriol against their oppressors, eyes flashing in helpless rage at the victimisation of their peers. Or on the other extreme, fatalism, the group of mourners at the funeral of the suicidee or disease-stricken. Yet there are soliloquies, both the rant and the lament, imploding under the weight of their fury or sorrow. The character of the goddess comes in as someone who is willing to listen and to sympathise. of course, the question is, does it take a goddess to engage with the marginal in society? Is such compassion superhuman?

Thoughts on Privilege
Haresh Sharma

It's time to change. It's time to stand up to those who use their position of power to silence those who can barely speak. The disadvantaged need allies—those who play a crucial role as arbitrator, defender and sometimes, champion of the disadvantaged.

Director's Message
Jean Ng

We say that it is a small world but actually, the world is quite big—at least, big enough for everybody. Yet, from time immemorial, there are people whom no place will have. We call them refugees. East Timor, Kosovo, Rwanda, Bosnia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Mexico, Cuba—the list is so long and each time, the basic problems are frustratingly the same. Some camp fights another; some religion thinks it is supreme over all others; some race cannot tolerate a different skin colour; some power-hungry politician gone mad; some colonial power dividing the same land and people into pieces. And the result? Hundreds of thousands of innocent people have to run for their lives.

MY MESSAGE [NB: THE POEM CAN NO NEED TO PUT WITH MY MESSAGE]
Haresh Sharma

I usually have a lot of problems with the Playwright's Message. I'd much rather give audiences a Playwright's Massage before the play [or after--I'm easy].

But having been away from Singapore for more than three months, not being able to see the premier of my play for the first time, being awarded the Shell/NAC Scholarship... I found I had plenty to write about. And I did. When I finally finished typing my message last night on my Apple Laptop it was long enough to submit as a thesis. Nevertheless, I printed it on my bubble-jet printer, and went to sleep. Then I had a dream. So, I've decided to write about my dream instead, and save my message for future publication.

Teacher's Educational Pack

What do you find most interesting/confusing about Singapore-Malaysia history and relations, including things that may not have been highlighted in the play?

Is there anything you would like to change about Singapore-Malaysia history or relations?

Which events that you have seen or might see in your own lifetime do you think will go down as important historical events in the future? (both positive and negative)

Director's Message
Alvin Tan

If we can see and visit the past form the vantage point of the present and/or the future, would we care for the past differently? In the age of green consciousness why is it still difficult for us to change our habitual behaviour?

Perhaps it's because we are not living in the actual conditions of the future. Hence it's understandably less urgent to take any concrete and relevant action in the present, which is the past of our future. We can't feel the stakes.

Fringe Foreword
The Festival Team

History is not necessarily about the past. Time and time again, humanity has exposed its folly and hubris by repeating its previous mistakes. hence, as we investigate the role of history and its dialogue with art, we are also compelled to deal and contrast with its antithesis: the future.