January 11, 2021

The M1 Singapore Fringe Festival is an annual festival that honours fringe theatre, music, dance, and creative arts. This year, the festival will be held from 20 January to 31 January with the theme ‘Quiet Riot’ in recognition of peaceful activism. Launched in 2005 by ‘The Necessary Stage’, a local non-profit theatre company, the festival embodies the evolution of Singapore’s arts scene which is detailed in Singapore Chronicles: Theatre. Published in 2015 to commemorate Singapore’s 50th year of independence, Singapore Chronicles covers various aspects of Singapore’s history, economy, and society. Singapore Chronicles: Theatre is written collectively by Associate Professor Robin Loon (NUS Department of English Language and Literature), and theatre practitioners Kok Heng Leun, Zizi Azah Binte Abdul Majid, and Vadivalagan Shanamuga.

In Chapter 1, ‘Singapore Theatre: Contexts and Conditions’, A/P Loon details the influence and control of politics over Singaporean theatre. Generally, the government’s handling of theatre is viewed as rather utilitarian and materialistic.

Looking back at 1967, theatre was framed as an economic activity that was simultaneously responsible for upkeeping the cultural stability in society. As the government aimed to mould Singapore into a hub of culture and art, three Renaissance City Plans (RCPs) were circulated in 2000, 2005, and 2008. These plans notably pit Singaporean arts institutions against Euro-American arts establishments and hinted at underlying materialistic stimuli for encouraging the progression of the arts.

To effectively utilize theatre as a political tool, censorship has been heavily practised to regulate the content of productions. Formerly, the police force’s Public Entertainment Licensing Unit (PELU) was tasked with evaluating the political aptness of plays, which was gauged based on an ambiguous list of ten guidelines for theatre productions. The authority of censorship was later transferred to the Media Development Authority (MDA) in 2003.

While the 2012 Arts and Culture Strategic Review reinforces the government’s pragmatic stance on theatre, it recognises the significant role that arts play in benefitting the individual and society. Recommendations to invest in, support, and enhance theatre are made in the report which reflect a desire to endorse the practice of theatre. Even though there is a history of political wariness towards the performing arts, the country cautiously employs theatre as a means to gain global recognition as a ‘Renaissance City’ and boost its economy.

In later chapters, readers get to take a deeper look into the Singapore English, Chinese, Malay, and Tamil theatre scenes in Singapore. The book also anticipates the future of Singaporean theatre as a whole and posits that Singaporean theatre is on the verge of transformation.

To read the full book, access it here.