TheatreWorks performs abroad, wins international acclamation

SINGAPORE (JP): Of the many private-run theatrical groups in economically booming Southeast Asian nations, Singapore's TheatreWorks company is one of the very few which has performed overseas and won international acclamation.

TheatreWorks' production entitled Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral was presented in Cairo last year and won the International Jury's Nomination for best staging, while its earlier performances, Lau Jiu in Perth and Madam Mao's Memories in Edinburgh, were widely acclaimed by the public in those countries.

The theatrical group, set up in February 1985 by middle-class professionals, produces and publishes plays in English and soundtracks on CD to whet the appetite of the city-state's younger generation.

The company's stage and artistic director, Ong Keng Sen, 33, said Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral is a strong protest "of how Singapore has become so fixed on the tangible and the material" and "how Singaporeans may have castrated themselves in trying to get ahead".

"We are critical, but we always speak through our (theatrical) medium, Ong told The Jakarta Post in an interview.

Although the government of Singapore has allowed greater freedom of speech and expression, the authorities still expect artists to exercise self-censorship in their creations so as not to create public rage and disorder, he explained.

"The important thing is that they (the authorities) accept us, so we can still speak," added Ong, whose dramaturgical works in blending East and West cultures as well as tradition and modernity have helped shape the identity of Singapore's performing arts.

Based on this performance concept, the company plans to stage William Shakespeare's King Lear this September in Tokyo. The presentation will be a totally Asian version, including fragmented dialog and more acting and gestures, as well as hybridized dance movements of countries in the region. (ego)