Singapore theater in the spotlight

Theater in Singapore has come a long way. Gone are the days when Singaporeans snubbed local productions and only watched foreign shows. These days, local productions have a huge following -- and even come back for reruns. Accolades such as the Life! Theatre Awards have spurred local actors on to greater heights. 

Most Singaporeans will have watched Singapore classics such as "Army Daze", "Chang & Eng" and "Dim Sum Dollies". And the opening of the Esplanade in October 2002 also gave the performing arts a majestic venue for their productions. 

One company that has been around through most of Singapore theater’s ups and downs is Toy Factory. Celebrating its 20^th anniversary with the Toy 20 Festival this year, its director Goh Boon Teck has witnessed some of the changes.

A professional era

“We used to rehearse only in the evenings as most of us were amateurs who had a day job, but now we operate professionally with full-time staff and professional performers,” says Goh. “This reflects the major change of the Singapore arts scene; we are doing this more seriously and systematically. Singapore has a lot more performances now and audiences have many choices of performing arts nightly.” 

Another theater company, W!ld Rice, turns 10 this year and, in August, it’s bringing back "Boeing Boeing", one of its most successful productions and an audience favorite.

Director Glen Goei says: “It's wonderful seeing such young, enthusiastic audiences unlike in London or New York, where theater is expensive and inaccessible to a younger audience. It's great to see so many schools and teachers promoting a healthy interest in the arts.”

But Goei admits that although a lot is being done on a local level, it is on a state level where more help is needed.

“There seems to still be an uneasy relationship between the state and artists, a distrust from the top,” he says. “But I guess that has always happened in history and will continue to be, since it is the responsibility of artists to be the conscience of society and constantly question the status quo.”

Success, so far

"Boeing Boeing" was originally staged in October 2002, then was revived in April 2005. Based on the classic farce by French playwright Marc Camoletti, its success in local theaters can’t be disputed. Productions like this make Goei proud to be associated with W!ld Rice. 

When asked what are some of the highlights of the past decade, Goei replies: “One of them must have been peer recognition for "The Importance Of Being Earnest" this year at the Life Theatre Awards, where we won Best Production of the Year 2010.”

But his view on the future of the arts scene in Singapore isn’t as rosy. He forecasts a future of "uncertainty."

“The arts are only seen in terms of economics by the state. That has to change if the arts are to truly flourish and if our country is going to be a truly first-class nation. We need to be given the trust and the freedom to experiment and express what truly matters.”

The continuing challenge

Goh, on the other hand, says Singapore theater still needs to provoke. “We are definitely equipped with more support but we need to work a lot more on the soul of our works. Never feed and serve what the audiences are comfortably at ease with, we always need to spare the room to challenge, to bring our society to another level of sophistication.

“Private sectors and government bodies need to gear all their support towards nurturing local arts; every droplet of support will make us flower better,” Goh continues. “The nation needs to recognize us as the soul factories and give support unconditionally. The arts are as important as your national defense or drainage system; we create a face to a society, and face is the first thing that people look at.”

The progress made so far, however, has been pleasing to audiences. Theatergoer Nadia Chan, 32, says: “There’s certainly a better selection of theater events in the past few years and prices are very affordable, making for a great night out. And productions that have reruns are worth watching more than once so it’s nice to see it again after a few years.”

Sheila M, 34, agrees: “Singaporeans often whine that there’s nothing to do here but if you become an avid theatergoer, you’ll find yourself entertained at very reasonable prices. Theater in Singapore has definitely improved; I never used to watch local productions before but over the past five years or so, I find myself looking forward to the next one.”

Toy 20 Festival, Esplanade, August 5-15, Tickets for specific shows from Sistic.

"Boeing Boeing", Drama Centre Theatre, National Library Building, August 4 to September 4, Tickets from Sistic.