2010 Shows I

National Museum of Singapore: Singapore History and Living Galleries (10 Dec 09-30 Apr 10)

10 Dec 2009 – 30 Apr 2010

Daily, 10.00am – 6.00pm
Last Entry into Gallery @ 5.30pm

National Museum of Singapore, Permanent Galleries

Standard – S$9

LANGUAGE
English, Mandarin, Malay, Japanese

HISTORY & LIVING GALLERIES

The National Museum of Singapore redefines the conventional museum experience with its cutting-edge and varied ways of presenting history and culture to both local and foreign visitors. Discover Singapore’s 11 National Treasures in the History Gallery and four thematic Living Galleries ― Fashion, Food, Film & Wayang and Photography. Learn about Singapore’s historical journey and her vibrant culture in one immersive experience.

SINGAPORE HISTORY GALLERY

Explore Singapore’s history from 14th century to the present day in this 2,800sqm gallery, which uses a combination of multimedia and artefacts to tell the history of Singapore, juxtaposing both popular history and anecdotal history in two paths – the Events path and the Personal path – that visitors can choose to follow. Guided by The Companion – a multimedia handheld device – visitors can experience history come to life.

SINGAPORE LIVING GALLERIES

Celebrate the progression of Singapore’s multi-racial and multi-cultural society in four thematic galleries – Fashion, Food, Film & Wayang and Photography. The extensive collection of artefacts and memorabilia presented here takes about 90 minutes to fully appreciate. Each of these galleries has a backroom which allows for a more hands-on experience and in-depth exploration of the themes presented.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD (26 Feb-21 Mar 10)

26 Feb – 21 Mar 2010

Tue-Fri, 8pm
Sat, 3pm & 8pm
Sun, 3pm

Approx 2 hrs

INTERVAL
Approx 15 mins

Drama Centre Theatre @ National Library Building

Tues-Thurs (8pm) & Sat and Sun Matinees (3pm)
Standard – S$55, S$45, S$35

Fri-Sat (8pm)
Standard – S$59, S$49, S$39

FIVE REASONS YOU SHOULDN’T MISS THIS PLAY:

1. It’s the Best Novel of The 20th Century.
2. More than 30 million copies sold in 18 languages and its adapted movie won 3 Academy Awards and was voted as one of the Top 100 Greatest American Movies of All Time.
3. Ground-breaking performance by the best upcoming television and theatre talents.
4. Contemporary resuscitation of the timeless classic.
5. Cultivate the importance of racial harmony

Ripe with attitude, Goh Boon Teck’s delirious imagination has descended on one of literary history’s most perfect stories ever written, To Kill A Mockingbird. This stylized and unconventional adaptation features a strong multi-racial cast of veterans and promising actors from both television and theatre. Aggressively modern and assertively trendy, audiences will be treated to a visual pastiche inspired by the coexistence of good and evil, and the simplicity of light and dark. While taking artistic liberties in its staging, the issues of class, courage, compassion and prejudice, explored in the book remain fundamental. To Kill A Mockingbird will intoxicate with its gritty and intense look at human behavior, gone wrong.

The story teller: A young and feisty tomboy.
The place: A sleepy and tired old town.
The time: The early 20th century or any time when we slipped our conscience.
The issue: A black man is accused of raping a white woman.
The protagonist: An idealistic lawyer gets to defend the black man.
The problem: His defense is far from easy, because few people in this town believe in the guiltlessness of an accused black.

Directed by Goh Boon Teck
Based on Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and adapted for stage by Christopher Sergel.

Starring

Brendon Fernandez as Atticus Finch
Julie Natalia Wee as Jean Louise Finch/ Scout
Jae Leung as Jem Finch
Tan Shou Chen as Dill
With
Corinne Chua, Fauzie Laily, Pravin Saivi, Claude Girardi, Fariz Sarib, Farhan Hassan, Abel Koh, Zachary Goh, Rayann Condy, and Lim Yu Hui.
To Kill A Mockingbird is eligible for 60% Tote Board Arts Grant Subsidy! Applicable for ALL Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges, CI and ITEs.

For school bookings, please contact Brandon at 6222 1526 or email us schools@toyfactory.com.sg

For bookings of 20 tickets and above, and Corporate Hospitality packages, please contact Larry Pham at 62221526 or larrypham@toyfactory.com.sg

“Produced by special arrangement with THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois.”

Mosaic Music Festival (12-21 March 2010)

GREEN CITY II by Ng Joon Kia (12 Mar-4 Apr)

Settle the Kettle by 53A (4 Mar 2010)

Jimmy McKissic 70th Birthday Tribute Concert (16 Mar 2010)

16 Mar 2010
Tues, 8pm

DURATION
Approx 1 hr

Interval
Approx 10 mins

Jubilee Hall, Raffles Hotel
Click here for Jubilee Hall detalied seating plan

Standard – $68

In celebration of his 70th birthday, Jimmy McKissic, veteran virtuoso performer and Resident Pianist at Raffles Hotel, will be presenting his very first piano recital in Singapore on Tuesday, 16 March 2010, at the Victorian-styled theatre playhouse Jubilee Hall.

Mr McKissic has personally chosen his favourite repertoire by Robert Schumann, one of the most famous Romantic composers of the 19th century, to enthrall the audiences with his supremacy on the ivories and a voice that reverberates with mesmerisng expressiveness and emotion. Blessed with a natural gift for music that transcends age and culture, this charismatic French Riviera pianist, who has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York, has also been featured as a regular performing artiste at Raffles Hotel’s Annual Wine, Food and Arts Experience.

Delight in a cocktail reception after the concert for an up close and personal session with Jimmy McKissic.

For more information about the concert, please contact Jubilee Hall at 6412 1340 or email jubileehall.raffleshotel@raffles.com.

On-line booking for this event is currently unavailable. Please call the SISTIC Hotline at (65) 6348 5555 for assistance.

Dinosaur Jr. (16 Mar 10)

16 Mar 2010
Tue, 8pm

Approx 75 mins

Esplanade Theatre

Standard – S$100, S$80, S$60, S$40
VIP Box – S$100
“Dinosaur Jr. set the standard for convulsive indie-rock guitar fireworks in the Eighties. Incredibly, the band’s original lineup – guitarist J Mascis, bassist Lou Barlow and drummer Murph – hasn’t lost a thunderous step.” – Rolling Stone magazine

They were the alt-rock pioneers of their day, their simple alt-rock-folk-country songs spiked with massive amounts of guitar noise, a quiet-loud dynamic, metal riffs, long, wild lead solos and nasal drone. Despite their famous apathy, they became a cult phenomenon, their sludgy, noise-drenched sound influencing bands like Nirvana and Pixies and sparking the grunge revolution of the early 90s. They were Dinosaur Jr., slacker revolutionaries of a new crushingly loud sound and underdog heroes of the American indie underground.

In the beginning, in the mid-80s, they were J Mascis on drums and Lou Barlow on bass. Then Murph joined as drummer and Mascis switched to lead guitar on which he emulated the drums, giving birth to his decibel-defying guitar sound.

Between 1985 and 1997, they released seven milestone albums, the earliest of which saw them launching into the freeform noise and unrestrained yet melodic solos which earned them a loyal following. In that time, around 1989, the original parties of Mascis and Barlow parted ways: Barlow finding success with Sebadoh, and Mascis enjoying further success throughout the early 90s with Dinosaur Jr – and a succession of bass players – before finally embarking on a solo career.

Then in 2007, almost 20 years after they had parted ways un-amicably, they shocked oldtime fans – who might have given their ratty flannel shirts to the Salvation Army long ago but had not forgotten – with the release of a new album Beyond. Going beyond being a throwback album, Beyond was what NME critics called “a genuine monster”, picking up from where the original three had left off two decades ago and, this time, delivering the goods with an even tighter cohesion and dynamism.

Two years later, deep in the heart of Amherst, Massachusetts, past the apple farms, hiking trails, farmers’ markets, college campuses, New England homesteads, vintage guitar stores and hay rides, all three huddled in the cosy warren of J Mascis’ home studio, set up mics, plugged in the fuzz boxes, and recorded to Pro Tools yet another bunch of songs that harked back to the day when they hated one another’s guts and made fuzzed-out alt-rock the rage.

The result, 2009’s Farm, has since become their most critically-lauded effort since 1988’s breakthrough effort, Bug. Farm captures the energy of a band 20 years their junior and with majestic solos, tightly-locked-in rhythms, fantastic songwriting and furious shredfests, shows the band to be in better form than ever.

Shit Robot supported by Tyler Made (17 April 2010)

Heineken Music Club: The Go! Team (17-18 Mar 2010)

17-18 Mar 2010
Wed, 07:30PM
Thur, 10:00PM

Approx 60 mins

Esplanade Theatre Studio

Standard
- S$40
- S$48(Event Day)

Standard Price comes with ‘One Standard Drink’

This is a FREE STANDING event!

“Ridiculously innovative.” – PopMatters

Lodged somewhere in the previously undiscovered zone where Sonic Youth meets The Jackson Five, international boy/girl six-piece The Go! Team kick out the jams and then spread them on crumpets for tea. Across two albums, 2004’s Thunder, Lightning, Strike and 2007’s Proof of Youth, Brighton, England’s The Go! Team has created a unique sound that is at once nostalgic, youthful, exuberant and party starting.

It all started, according to band leader Ian Parton and former indie kid “about 10 years ago. I got an old Eighties sampler and a four-track (tape recorder) and (along with brother and engineer Gareth) just started welding ideas from songs with samples I’d heard in random places and live instruments”.

The first EP Get it Together appeared on tiny UK label Pickled Egg which came to the attention of slightly bigger UK label Memphis Industries to whose ship The Go! Team jumped in mid 2002. Ian spent the next year flitting between his job as a TV documentary maker (including classics such as Sleepwalkers Who Kill and Tales of the Living Dead) and creating the album. Of recording the album Ian says “lots of it was played by me but I pulled in random people to play bits and pieces. It was pretty chaotic. It was recorded in a basement, everything was slammed to tape with the levels in red”.

The Go! Team live team was put together by Ian in three weeks when Memphis sprung a Swedish touring festival in June 2004. Says Ian, “There’s three lads and three ladies. The blokes, (Ian – guitar, harmonica & drums / Sam Dook – guitar, drums, banjo, Jamie Bell – bass) are from Brighton. “Chi (Fukami Taylor), who’s Japanese, lives in London. I put a shout out for anybody who knew drummers. And then there’s Kaori (Japanese Tsuchida) who plays everything – recorder, melodica, guitar, keyboards, backing vocals. Ninja was the tricky one. I wanted someone who was big into hip-hop, but not all bling. I sent her a CD and she really dug it. She was one of the few lady rappers that got it. She’s into the idea of experimenting. She feels no pressure to sound like everybody else…” The aim was to put a band together of people who would not normally be in a band together.

The debut album Thunder, Lightning, Strike was released in the UK in September 2004 to slavering critical acclaim. Tracks such as the Northern-Soul-meets-80s-electro of Ladyflash, the Bollywood maelstrom of The Power is On and the turbo-charged girl group pop of Huddle Formation became blog sensations. The band backed it up with a kickass live show that saw them grace stages around the world including headlining the John Peel Stage at 2005’s Glastonbury Festival, the new bands tent at the Reading and Leeds Festivals and the inaugural Pitchfork festival. Following on from a Mercury Music Prize nomination at the tail end of 2005, 2006 saw them complete a triumphant sold-out 20-date UK tour and tear up festivals around the world including T in the Park, Oxegen, Australia’s Big Day Out, Coachella and Lollapoloza. The follow up album, 2007’s, Proof of Youth was no less effervescent with standout tracks Grip Like A Vice, Keys to The City and Doing it Right becoming highlights of their live set which they again took on another whirlwind world tour in 2008.

It’s live that this gleefully uplifting band takes full effect’ the music crashes triumphantly forward, mashing distorted samples, noisy guitars, MC Ninja’s gleeful rapping, dancing and double drumming into one glorious mess. Imagine the most exhilarating block party you’ve ever been to and then multiply the fun quotient by 100. It’s hard to think of anything in the world of music right now that’s more colourful, more joyous, more ***damn fun than The Go! Team.

Placebo (18 Mar 2010)

18 Mar 2010
Thu, 08:00PM

Approx 1 hr 30 mins

Fort Canning Park

Standard – S$98
Event Day – S$110

JOIN the Official PLACEBO Facebook Event Page!

Gloriously deviant since 1994, British alternative band Placebo, charge into 2010 reborn and renewed, for a spectacular concert scheduled on 18th March at Fort Canning Park.

Placebo are Brian Molko, Stefan Olsdal and Steve Forrest. Defying conventions, critics and the odds, Placebo stand strong in 16 years with 6 studio albums, over 10 million copies sold and one devoted following worldwide.

The concert will showcase their latest album, Battle for the Sun, released in 2009.

Battle for the Sun marks a new chapter in the band’s impressive history. Uplifting, with stylish pop-hooks still intact, the new album “takes the best elements of their sound and focuses it into a cohesive listening experience– there’s no filler to be found.” – Alternative Press

Placebo won their first MTV Europe Music Award for “Best Alternative Act” last year, beating out The Killers, Prodigy, Paramore and Muse.

With the new album, line up and optimism, Placebo are onboard a fresh and unstoppable, musical journey. You can’t miss out on this one amazing live performance. Get your tickets now.

Lionel Loueke Trio (18 Mar 2010)

18 Mar 2010
Thur, 09:30PM

Approx 60 mins

Esplanade Recital Studio

Standard – S$30

“…spellbinding presence… It all felt rooted in African folk traditions but also cosmopolitan, progressive, harmonically fluid.” – The New York Times

Born and raised in Benin, West Africa and schooled in Boston’s Berklee College of Music, steeped in traditional Beninese songs and in love with American jazz, a bandleader of his own trio as well as part of Herbie Hancock’s group, jazz guitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke makes music that marries the techniques and harmonies of modern jazz, the simple melodies, cyclical rhythms and wordless, tongue-clicking ebullience of Afro-pop as well as other influences from Spanish to Brazilian music with elegance, delicacy and the gifted touch of a natural musician.

When West African guitarist auditioned for admission to the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz Performance in 2001, audition jury members Herbie Hancock and Wayne Shorter were struck speechless. Jazziz magazine’s editor-at-large Larry Blumenfeld in The Wall Street Journal documents Hancock as recalling, “I turned to Wayne, just as he was turning to me. We didn’t even have to say it; we just knew; we’re going to hear from this guy”.

And true enough, nine years after that fateful audition and more than two decades since his introduction to jazz music, Loueke has become a sensation in the American jazz circuit and named “Up & Coming Jazz Musician of the Year” at the Jazz Journalists Association Jazz Awards 2008, raved about by everybody from trumpeter Terence Blanchard to critics who have described his music as “a joy to behold” (Journal Live UK) and “effortlessly modern” (The New York Times).

The Lionel Loueke Trio’s 2007 jazz album Karibu (“welcome” in Swahili), which Billboard magazine has termed a “ear-opening delight”, is a buoyant collection of intricate, gently polyrhythmic African-rooted, jazz-styled melodies. Loueke’s second album, Mwaliko (“invitation” in Swahili), due for release in February 2010, features a series of searching, innovative, intimate duets with special guests vocalist Angelique Kidjo, vocalist/bassist Esperanza Spalding, vocalist/bassist Richard Bona and drummer Marcus Gilmore, as well as three new tracks featuring the Trio.

On both albums and in this concert, Lionel’s light, sparkling guitar-playing and wordless vocal percussion, scatting and humming, bassist Massimo Biolcati’s nuanced playing and drummer Ferenc Nemeth’s colourful drumming move together in perfect sympathy, through shifting rhythms and winding harmonies, to give us music of joy, welcome and startling beauty.

Makan Drama Festival – Cravings & Perfecting Prata (18-28 Mar 2010)

18-28 Mar 2010
8pm daily plus 3pm on Sat & Sun
No performance on Mon
(Free outdoor performances begin 7pm)

Approx 1 Hr 40 Mins

The Room Upstairs @ ACTION Theatre’s 42 Waterloo Street

S$35 (Sat, Sun 3pm shows)
S$40 (Tue, Wed, Thu & Sun 8pm shows)*
S$45 (Fri, Sat 8pm shows)*

*inclusive of free admission to outdoor performances which begin at 7.10pm

Indulge in a scrumptious double bill of two brand new Singapore plays by two of the country’s most celebrated playwrights! Cravings and Perfecting Pratas are the theatrical main course of Makan Drama Festival, an inaugural theatre event inspired by Singaporeans’ greatest loves – food and eating! They will be performed in The Room Upstairs, an intimate theatre in a beautifully restored pre-war bungalow amidst tropical garden in the heart of Singapore’s civic district.

Your ticket to this double bill will also entitle you to free admission to all outdoor performances during the Festival. These include standup comedy about Singaporeans’ culinary obsessions, performance poetry of food-themed poems, dramatized readings of fresh-off-the-oven plays, fun talks by thespians and drama gurus, musical excerpts from Hokkien Mee – The Musical plus a brand new devised play Eat Here or Ta Pao? (For the complete programme, please go to: www.actiontheatre.blogspot.com.)

CRAVINGS

Written by Chong Tze Chien, prize-winning playwright of PIE and Furthest North, Deepest South, Cravings is a hilarious play that also takes a delicious dig into couplehood and marriage. This refreshing comedy drama is about a young husband who craves for a candlelit dinner and a passionate evening with his own wife – after having “lost” her for 9 full months during her pregnancy with their first child. Their hilarious “obstacles” include the nosy in-laws with their very own cravings!

PERFECTING PRATAS by Desmond Sim

Perfecting Prata by Desmond Sim, award-winning writer of Drunken Prawns and Autumn Tomyam, tells a comic yet moving story of a teenage Chinese-Indian boy who sets out to learn how to make perfect roti pratas from his Chinese father in order to impress his girlfriend. Smartly integrating food, humour and hearty moments, the play addresses what it takes to blend and balance opposing flavours in food and life.

Directed by Life! Theatre Award winner Samantha Scott-Blackhall, this tasty double bill stars a cast of veterans as well as newcomers including Jo Tan, Edward Choy, Tony Quek, Fanny Kee, Mervyn Goh and Issac Ong.

For more details on this double bill and Makan Drama Festival, please visit www.actiontheatre.blogspot.com.

11th Hour – Vashti Bunyan (19 Mar 2010)

19 Mar 2010
Fri, 11:00PM

Approx 60 mins

Esplanade Concert Hall

Standard – S$60, S$40
VIP Box – S$60

“In the warm canopy of Vashti Bunyan’s voice and in the silken mist of her dream, time feels supple, even static… The album swells with beauty, but an intimate, unapologetic beauty drained of gravity or mystery that invites and comforts in one stroke, stronger than the gravest clock and gentler than a stray sigh.” – Stylus magazine (on Lookaftering)

The lilting vocals, the quiet guitar, the bittersweet lyrics, the delicate sound… At first listen, British singer-songwriter Vashti Bunyan’s albums seem a throwback to the flower-child 60s. But in fact, two were recorded in the 60s and a third in 2007. Yet, despite a 35-year absence, Vashti has become a revival legend, her “sad little love songs” loved for their gentle, unaffected beauty.

Vashti Bunyan’s is possibly one of the most extraordinarily romantic comeback stories in history.

It tells of her discovery by the manager of the The Rolling Stones in the swinging 60s, her early launch into the world of pop music, the twice-thwarted promise of fame, disenchantment leading to two epic horsedrawn-cart journeys, 35 years of self-exile and a quiet life spent raising children and animals in Ireland and Scotland, an unexpected discovery, and an eventual re-discovery.

Vashti’s first album, Just Another Diamond Day – compiling songs written on a 1968 horse-and-wagon pilgrimage across the British Isles – may have gone unnoticed upon its release in 1970 (a disappointment that had led to Vashti’s long disappearance) but, unknown to Vashti, had garnered a cult fan base in her years of self-exile. When Vashti became aware of this interest in the late 90s, she re-released Just Another Diamond Day to huge acclaim and an avalanche of support. She has since collaborated with Piano Magic, The Cocteau Twins’ Simon Raymonde, Devendra Banhart and Animal Collective, and released Lookaftering (2005) and Some Things Just Stick in Your Mind (a 2007 compilation of 60s’ singles and demos) to more acclaim.

With Lookaftering, it may seem as if Vashti simply picked up where she left off 35 years ago. However, a closer listen reveals a richness and serenity acquired over half a lifetime. Featuring gentle, sparse songs on picked acoustic guitar and lush, orchestrated numbers on strings, winds, keys and wine- glasses, Lookaftering has a real honesty – from the intimacy of Vashti’s vocals to the stories she weaves.

Come revel in Vashti’s music. In the 11th hour, nothing can be more exquisite than being touched by the magic of songs, elusive as faerie dust and soft as dew.

Karsh Kale & MIDIval Punditz (19 Mar 2010)

19 Mar 2010
Fri, 07:30PM & 10:00PM

Approx 60 mins

Esplanade Theatre Studio

Standard
- S$40
- S$48(Event Day)

Standard Price comes with ‘One Standard Drink’

This is a FREE STANDING event!

“The musical hybrids weren’t stunts. They were the sound of musicians who listen widely and well.” – The New York Times

Onstage, the tabla, laptops, flute, trap drums, harmonium, keyboards and perhaps sitar and guitars often perplex audiences unacquainted with South Asian underground/Asian Massive music. But once Karsh Kale and MIDIval Punditz’s set begins, preconceptions fly out the window for the Sufi+rock+Indian classical+deep house+ghazal+ drum ‘n’ bass soundscape that emerges is so seamless, organic and ecstatic that attempts to pin it down suddenly seem absurd.

Like his music, Karsh Kale is impossible to pigeonhole. London-born, New York-raised and Indian by ethnicity, the star producer, tabla player, drummer, guitarist, keyboardist, composer, vocalist, DJ and remix artist grew up with Indian classical and film music, rock, pop, jazz and electronica, studied music production and performance at New York University, and today creates genre-busting music from the different places he calls home. His work with artists like Paul Oakenfold, Zakir Hussain, Ryuichi Sakamoto, P-Funk bassist Bootsy Collins, bansuri legend Hariprasad Chaurasia, Lenny Kravitz, Herbie Hancock, super producer Bill Laswell, Anoushka Shankar, The Cure and Afrika Bambata and his albums Realize (2001), Liberation (2003) and Broken English (2005) are highly acclaimed.

New Delhi beatmasters MIDIval Punditz – Gaurav Raina and Tapan Raj – are at the top of India’s electronica scene. The duo impeccably works Indian classical and folk music, dance grooves, drum ‘n’ bass programming, synthesised and programmed sounds, vocals and traditional Indian instrumentation into soundscapes described as “masterfully produced, each sound meticulously placed with heart and soul, for maximum impact” (BBC). Their albums have gotten music lovers in raptures. The latest is 2009’s Hello Hello, a collaboration with labelmate Kale, whose highlights include a clubby track mixing groovy beats, tabla and bansuri, an English-Hindi spoken word piece, a vintage disco mix, a brilliant reworking of Led Zeppelin’s Four Sticks with Israeli electro jazz band J.Viewz, and a centuries-old Urdu ghazal set to hot, rocking beats.

With any luck, these will be in this concert’s repertoire. Kale and the Punditz will perform with accomplished bansuri flautist Ajay Prasanna and vocalist Papon whose vocal jams set the soundscapes ablaze. Come on a fantastic ride through soul-searing melodies, funky beats and exciting sonic textures.

23rd Singapore International Film Festival (15-24 April 2010)

About the Festival

The largest international film festival in Singapore, SIFF has become significant in the Singapore arts landscape because of its dynamic film programming and commitment to the development of film culture and local cinema. The Festival screens over 200 films annually of all genres, with a focus on groundbreaking Asian cinema. Under the umbrella of the Silver Screen Awards, SIFF recognizes excellence in Asian cinema with its three awards categories – Asian Film Competition, Singapore Short Film Competition and the Singapore Film Awards introduced in 2009.

The 23rd edition of the Singapore International Film Festival will be held 15-24 April 2010.

SIFF is a non-profit registered charity organization.

Festival History

SIFF started in 1986 with an associated guidance of the Mill Valley Film Festival (USA) at a time when only commercial and mainstream films dominated the local cinemas. Up to 2007, SIFF was led by its three Festival Directors, Philip Cheah, Lesley Ho and Teo Swee Leng, who also acted as Board Members, together with the festival founder Geoffrey Malone. In 2007, after the 20th edition, to usher in the Festival’s 21st year, Jasmine Ng was appointed the new Board Member and Wahyuni A. Hadi joined as Festival Manager. In 2008, Wahyuni A. Hadi and Zhang Wenjie were appointed Festival Directors. Wahyuni, Wenjie and Jasmine left the Festival in 2009. The current Festival Board Members are Philip Cheah, Geoffrey Malone and Kirpal Singh.

The Festival became competitive with the first Silver Screen Awards for Best Asian Feature and Best Singapore Short Film in 1991. Singapore became the first international Asian film festival to have a specific Asian film competition. In 1994, the Festival dedicated itself to the cinema of Southeast Asia beginning with a retrospective of Prince Chatri Chalerm Yukol (who, in 2001, made the epic film The Legend of Suriyothai). The Festival has since featured a different Asian director from Cherd Songsri, Hussein Haniff to Mario O’Hara. In 1997, the Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary by screening rare Singapore films, including the important first screening of Peter Bogdanovich’s St. Jack and paid tribute to the Cathay Keris Studios’ Malay films. In 2001, the Festival presented the very first retrospective of Thai film director Apitchatpong Weerasethakul’s films. The Festival spotlighted the rising tide of Arab cinema and featured the digital feature revolution of the Philippines in 2006. Singapore cinema was spotlighted in 2008 with the launch of the Festival’s new section, Singapore Panorama. In 2009, the inaugural Singapore Film Awards is introduced under the umbrella of the Silver Screen Awards.

Cuckoo Birds (16 & 17 Apr)

Bebel Gilberto (19 April 2010)

Animal Farm (21 Apr – 8 May 2010) by W!ld Rice

21 Apr – 8 May 2010
Tue – Sun, 8pm
Sat & Sun, 3pm

1 hr 40 mins (without intermission)

Drama Centre Theatre

Previews – 21 & 22 Apr 2010
$59, $49, $34, $39 (Restricted View)

Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun 8pm
$64, $54, $39, $44 (Restricted View)

Sat & Sun 3pm
$64, $54, $39, $44 (Restricted View)

Fri & Sat 8pm
$69, $59, $44, $49 (Restricted View)

WATCH HUMANS BEHAVE LIKE COMPLETE ANIMALS

“All animals are equal. But some animals are more equal than others.”

Something is going on at Manor Farm. The animals have overthrown Farmer Jones and, with the pigs as leaders, have created a new state for themselves called Animal Farm.

A set of commandments are written as a guide for animal life. However, cunning propaganda hides the true agenda of the pigs as the ideals of the revolution gradually degenerate…

Originally written as a fairy tale, George Orwell’s ANIMAL FARM is a startling reminder that absolute power corrupts and that totalitarian regimes inevitably betray the trust of ordinary citizens.

Combining physical theatre, innovative design and live and original music, this proudly “Made in Singapore” production is conveyed with integrity, clarity and blinding relevance, proving ANIMAL FARM to be as relevant today as it was nearly 65 years ago.

DBS-Life! Theatre Awards 2002 WINNER

Best Director: Ivan Heng
Best Ensemble Acting
Honourable Mention for Music: Phillip Tan

Directed by Ivan Heng
Written by George Orwell
Stage Adaptation by Ian Wooldridge

Starring
LIM YU-BENG as Napoleon, PAM OEI as Squealer, GENE SHA RUDYN as Snowball, YEO YANN YANN as Clover, GANI ABDUL KARIM as Boxer, DENISE TAN as Mollie, DANIEL JENKINS as Mr. Jones, JENSON KOH as The Musician, PLUS a whole menagerie of farmyard animals

THE CRITICS RAVED

“With six well-matched and amazingly flexible actors and a marvelous percussionist who occasionally joins in the action on stage, Ivan Heng’s robustly physical production blows away any cobwebs that you may feel have been covering the work that has been so often staged and filmed before… The stage bristles with invention”

The Dominion Post, New Zealand

“Director Ivan Heng has scored a new triumph with his highly enjoyable and thought-provoking Singaporean update of George Orwell’s classic satire, Animal Farm. A triumph! Four legs good, your two legs better go and see.”

The Straits Times Life!, Singapore

“In this sublime interpretation by the Singaporean theatre company, W!LD RICE, the animals are created not by fancy costumes but by the human body, reminding us that the line that Napoleon and his pigs choose to cross is an ultra-fine one. An unforgettable production and a Festival highlight.”

Capital Times, New Zealand

“Splendidly theatrical, infused with energy and power, dynamically paced and well-acted”

Quarterly Literary Review, Singapore

“The more-than-competent cast carries the play through effortlessly, hamming it up until the audience would roar with laughter. Possibly our revolution has started – for we can finally laugh at ourselves.”

Happening.com, Singapore

Epic Poem of Malaya (22-24 Apr)

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24 04 2010

Jacqui Balloqui Probert (09:53:09) : edit

This was a very moving story which needs to be more widely heard. and published!

Darren Moore Quintet: Isolation Has Its Advantages (30 Apr)

Charlotte’s Web (22-30 May 2010) by Players Theatre

Sistic Tix here

22-30 May 2010

22 May, Sat – 11:00AM
23 May, Sun – 01:00PM
29 May, Sat – 11:00AM & 02:00PM
30 May, Sun – 01:00PM & 03:00PM

Approx 1 hr

Ulu Pandan CC Theatrette

Standard – S$24
From Players Theatre, the Children’s Theatre Company who brought you 2009’s sold-out hit Roald Dahl’s Fantastic Mr Fox, comes the extraordinary show Charlotte’s Web.

Players Theatre’s production of Charlotte’s Web is based on E.B. White’s Newbery Honor book, which was awarded the title “Best American children’s book of the past two hundred years” by the Children’s Literature Association.

Charlotte’s Web is a loving story about true friendship, bravery and selfless love. Wilbur the irresistible pig strikes up an inspired friendship with the extraordinary spider, Charlotte. When the young Wilbur finds out that he’s destined to become bacon for breakfast, Charlotte begins her campaign to save his life. She puts her fine writing to good use and comes up with a ‘miracle’ of a plan to fool Farmer Zuckerman. Charlotte spins the words “Some Pig” in her web, weaving a solution which not only saves Wilbur’s life, but turns him into a star – the farm’s prize pig. Charlotte’s sacrifice has a happy ending which will bring a smile to your face and a tear to your eyes.

This treasured tale has everything: a courageous act, miracles, endearing characters and lessons on friendship, trust and love. Don’t miss it!

Players Theatre
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE SHOW:

Charlotte’s Web is an extraordinary piece of theatre for children, young people and families. It is stimulating, creative and has social and literary breadth.

Charlotte’s Web incorporates strong visuals, creative staging and a heartfelt story.

Charlotte’s Web is a play with strong educational value. It:
o Nurtures in your child the joy of books and reading.
o Develops an appreciation of fine literature.
o Inspires friendship, loyalty and selfless love.
o Explores the themes of courage, sacrifice and ‘growing up’.
o Teaches creative problem solving, teamwork and recognizing one’s strengths.

Question & Answer Session. All our shows have a post-show Q&A session that helps young audience members consolidate their thoughts of the show, clarify any questions they might have on who, how, why and to ask the actors any questions about themselves or how theatre is made.FULLY SUPPORTED BY THE NAC ARTS EDUCATION PROGRAMME.
Government Schools are entitled to use the Tote Board Grant to subsidise up to 60% of the programme cost. Schools are also entitled to a Priority Booking Discount (actual value varies) before 16th April 2010. Call Players Theatre for details.