Southeast Asia’s foremost annual month-long showcase of international dance, theatre, and music focuses more on local productions that have potential to go beyond the artistic and geographical boundaries this year. 

Organized by the National Arts Council (NAC), a subsidiary of the Ministry of Information, Communications, and the Arts (MICA), the 22^nd edition of Singapore Arts Festival (SAF) will feature globally acclaimed artists from 24 countries performing in 25 main productions—a wide variety of dance, theatre, music, as well as a great number of interdisciplinary works—in addition to over 400 free performances, exhibitions, and special events. 

In the city where dance, theatre, and music programs—both locals and imports—fill up the cultural calendar year-round, SAF still stands dominant from the crowd, offering local audiences and visitors what they cannot witness the rest of the year.  

“[Compared to other festivals in Singapore] SAF is still the most comprehensive festival of multi-genre works presented both indoors and outdoors, and the one that’s truly nationwide,” says Goh Ching Lee, the Festival Director and NAC’s Senior Director for Performing Arts, in an exclusive interview with The Nation.

                                                                          Goh Ching Lee

“I think we are still a vital force and we’re trying to do something different from others. In the last ten years, we have been developing the international touring Singapore works, through our deliberate commissioning process.”

“Since 2000, up to 18 works created at the festival have been to 35 different Asian and European cities. This is clearly an achievement, as there was hardly any prior to 2000. We’ve been encouraging interdisciplinary collaborations. We’ve created local productions that are very unique and not limited by topical or local issues. In the end, it comes from the belief that our artists can create interesting works that have international appeal.”   

“A new development and phenomenon this year is the fact that three Singaporean works have been co-commissioned by three international festivals so they will not only be shown here but also overseas.”

            "The King Lear Project": image by Ho Tzu Nyen 

First is a new experimental theatre production “The King Lear Project: A Trilogy”, co-commissioned by SAF and Brussels’ Kunstenfestivaldesarts. Conceived by Singaporean visual artist and filmmaker Ho Tzu Nyen, this innovative interpretation of a Shakespearean classic is inspired by critical texts on ‘Lear’ by Marvin Rosenberg, Jonathan Goldberg, and Wilson Knight. The three-part, three-evening performance is structured as an audition, a rehearsal, and a post-show discussion, and can be viewed as a whole or separately.

"Temple": photo courtesy of Cake Theatrical Productions

Second is Cake Theatrical Productions’ “Temple”, ground-breaking director Natalie Hennedige’s concoction of physical composition, visual style, and sound architecture, which will subsequently give a unique multi-layered experience to the audience of the Napoli Teatro Festival Italia. 

Third is an interdisciplinary collaboration “Awaking”, world renowned director Ong Keng Sen’s staging of lyrical and dramatic concert celebrating the meaning of love, drawing intercultural links between William Shakespeare and Tang Xian Zu, the playwright of ‘Peony Pavillion’ who lived at the same time, which will later be seen at the Edinburgh International Festival.

While world mega-companies and masters of performing arts—the Royal Ballet (UK), Peter Brook, Tan Dun, and Akram Khan, to name a few—might have been the import highlights of recent years’ festivals, SAF 08 will slightly adjust its scheme.

The festival director says, “For the first time, we’re also featuring works by artists from Slovenia (namely, the Slovene National Theatre Maribor’s “The Architecture of Silence” and “Radio and Juliet”), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (the East West Theatre Company’s “Class Enemy”). I think we’re always exploring new territories.”                      

      "The Architecture of Silence" : photo by Tomaz Gregoric

  "Radio and Juliet": photo by SNG Maribor

In some of these international productions, local companies will also play significant roles.

         Singapore Festival Orchestra

For example, the Singapore Festival Orchestra (SFO), formed last year by NAC itself, will accompany the Slovene company’s “The Architecture of Silence”, a contemporary dance performance with 80-member choir, 45 dancers, and 68 instrumentalists scheduled as the festival’s gala event; then join the Chorus of the Slovene National Theatres Maribor and Ljubljana in “The Lord of the Rings Symphony”; in addition to perform their own annual concert known as “Festival Fantasia”, a platform for rising stars.

 "The Lord of the Rings Symphony"

“Singapore Arts Festival 2008” runs from May 23 to June 22. For more details, www.singaporeartsfest.com. Tickets for all performances can now be purchased online at www.sistic.com.sg.

written by Pawit Mahasarinand

published in The Nation on Friday, May 2, 2008

all photos are courtesy of National Arts Council

special thanks to Chia I-Ling for all assistance