Avant Theatre Publications

Avant Theatre and Language is turning 20 in 2021. Avant Theatre was started in 2001 in Melbourne, Australia and later incepted in Singapore in 2011. These have been nothing but glorious two decades of theatre production in both English and Tamil respectively.&nbsp;

Avant Theatre is an organisation created to reinvigorate and rethink the barriers between audience and actors in theatre performances. We have creatively explored and merged the boundaries between the performers and the audience in many of our

Avant Theatre

Publisher

Presented as part of Avant Theatre's Signature Dramatic Stage Read for 2020,&nbsp;On the Street of Calcutta&nbsp;is an original full-length production presented to online audience. It throws light on the social and political happenings in Calcutta, India in the 1930s. Poems and some characters portrayed were inspired from Rabindranath Tagore's poems, novels and short stories with a 12-cast member.


On the Street of Calcutta (2020)

Planned as a large-scale production with period-style costumes and sets,&nbsp;Venice Vanigan&nbsp;was made to be transposed as a minimalist presentation because of COVID restrictions. Avant Theatre was later invited to be part of Ministry of Community Culture and Youth (MCCY) and National Arts Council's (NAC) PILOT projects in slowly inviting the audience into theatre space to watch LIVE performance in Phase 2. Avant Theatre restructured this transcreation work from Shakespeare's&nbsp;The Merchant of Venice

Venice Vanigan (2020)

Targeted to reach out to LIVE audience but later changed because of COVID audience restriction,&nbsp;Yaen&nbsp;was presented as an online presentation. As part of another Avant Theatre's signature presentation Dramatic Stage Read,&nbsp;Yaen&nbsp;was collaborated with Club 2 Care and explored the issues of depression and suicide during this difficult times. 6 monologues were presented dramatically with a Psychiatrist and Psychologist present at the sessions to evaluate the situation presented in the monologu

Yaen? (2020)

The first of its kind for Singapore Tamil theatre especially during COVID-19 stay-home situation. A murder mystery was staged online during the pandemic period. This tester for online theatre performance for Tamil audience was well received and overwhelmingly supported which only prompts us to think of innovative online future presentations.

(Source: Avant Theatre)


Irruthiyil Yaar? (2020)

Reservist&nbsp;was initiated in 2016. A light-hearted, no-brainer, laugh-out-loud comedy kind of a play. Also, because there was a lack of male audience especially men after their National Service not attending many theatre plays for various reasons. After much deliberation I wanted to bring this category of audience to theatre.&nbsp;Reservist,&nbsp;the play was the outcome of that. To capture the true feelings, innuendos and emotions of the play we requested the play to be rated R18, due to the coarse lang

Reservist (2019)

The play aims to understand the energy and emotional transcendence of the human inside this Avatar and will attempt to unravel the essence of the Avatar. As a warrior, his most expressive emotion was fighting. Hence the play also seeks to experimentalize the various material art forms display by Parasuma, Kalaripayattu being the predominant one. Through Kalari, which also is associated with the flow of energy through one's system - both inwards and outwards, the play expounds the emotional flow of the prota

Parasu (2018)

This play is a creative reimagining and transcreation of the Novelette Beedam (The Pedestal), written by renowned writer, Mr Rama Kannabiran. Mr Kannabiran's works are heavily influenced by the social happenings in our society, cleverly capturing the political and socio-economical climate of local Tamils.&nbsp;

(Source: Avant Theatre)


Beedam (2018)

The Groom is Here&nbsp;is a full length comedy interwoven through artistic integration of 5 plays written by the last Mr Se Ve Shanmugam. Mr&nbsp;Shanmugam's plays are heavily influenced by the social happenings in our society within the infusion of art and cinema in his writings, cleverly capturing the social climate of the Singapore Tamils in the 60s and 70s era of last century.&nbsp;

(Source: Avant Theatre)


The Groom is Here (2018)

Using Bertolt Brecht's notion of 'Spass', the play involved audience members having to find out who the murder of the play is! Paying careful attention during the play and meeting all the characters. Audience would guess who the murderer was and fill in the given voting slip. At a crucial point, the play would be paused and the voting slips collected. At the end of the play, those who guessed right were announced.


Avanum Ivanum (2017)

Irruthiyil Yaar&nbsp;(And Then There Were None&nbsp;by Agatha Christie) returns by popular demand, after the successful stagin in 2014, this time with a brand new cast and sets accommodated to a new performance venue.&nbsp;Irruthiyil Yaar&nbsp;presents a murder mystery which is translated from page to stage, intriguing students and encouraging them to read more and widen their knowledge on English Literature through translated works. Also on stage the mystery genre is still new to Singapore audience and lar

Irruthiyil Yaar? (2015)

AKKA 3&nbsp;is the sequel to the 1991 play&nbsp;AKKA&nbsp;and 2014's&nbsp;AKKA - The End,&nbsp;which were both controversial and gained cult status as Singapore's first queer plays in Tamil. Through&nbsp;AKKA 3,&nbsp;Avant Theatre hoped to educate our audiences about issues of transgender community and LGBTQA in general. Instead of treating these issues as frivolous, we wanted to once again highlight them as serious matters of concern that should shape the thought process of the community. These plays, perf

Akka 3 (2015)

The play spans over 2 days in the lives of those living in a PUB (Public Utilities Board) staff quarters along King George Avenue, during National Day celebrations in the 1970s.

Enter a world where neighbours discover the value of unity in diversity!&nbsp;

Meet colourful characters who will make you laugh and give you food for thought!

In a small town where one’s business is everybody’s business, witness nation building in the heartlands as neighbours share their multi-cultural traditions and stand

Quarters (2015)

Avant's jaw-dropping show of the year was an encore of the 1999 hit play,&nbsp;Akka,&nbsp;and its sequal&nbsp;Akka - The End.&nbsp;The show was sensational as it featured transgender women in leading roles and was bold in its depiction of the discrimination faced by the community. For the first time in local Tamil theatre, the production received standing ovation for all of the 4 full house shows.

(Source: Avant Theatre)


Akka - The End (2014)

Fourplay&nbsp;was a quadruple bill of four English plays where new directors, actors and playwrights were introduced to the local theatre scene. The plays explored the boundaries of the individual psychological landscape in relation to societal mores. The show served as a platform where bold works were produced by our upcoming generation of performance makers.


Fourplay (2014)

Irruthiyil Yaar?&nbsp;is a transcreation of Agatha Christie's murder mystery novel&nbsp;And Then There Were None.&nbsp;Character of this play share the darkest secrets of their wicked past, one by one, and they all eventually die one by one. Who is telling the truth? Who is the last one standing? Who is the murderer?&nbsp;Irruthiyil Yaar&nbsp;is an 'edge of the seat' thriller. Avant Theatre visualised the novel for stage appreciation in Tamil without losing the integrity of the novel holding the suspense an

Irruthiyil Yaar? (2013)

What if a certain story's character takes the liberty to re-orchestrate the story to suit one's own end? What if the other characters protest to this interpretation? What should the writer's main priorities be: accuracy, artistic freedom or the financial success of a book?&nbsp;Fourlies&nbsp;is an original Singapore styled and flavoured script that attempted to answer these questions through a play.


Fourlies (2013)

Adagu&nbsp;was an interactive theatre presentation presented through a monologue, a first ever attempt in Singapore Tamil theatre. The monologue speared through the fundamentals of beliefs and filial piety as it questioned the basis of humane values that has changed in the modern years. This interactive theatre presentation is another attempt at merging boundaries between audience and performers. The protagonist presents a narrative on stage and does a character shift to interact with the audience in betwee

Adagu (2013)

12 A M&nbsp;was presented as an Audience Mediated Play where the audience become the directors. The actors prepare themselves for all 12 characters in the play and the audience choose the role for the actors just before they enter the auditorium. The artists were also made to double character changes during a performance to prove their versatility and confidence of attempting any of the 12 roles at any point.&nbsp;


12 A M (2012)

The second chapter of the Moksha Trilogy focused on Sakuni, one of the most significant characters of Mahabharata. Often portrayed in a negative shade, this character seeks the ultimate statelessness through from Draupadi, a representation of the Goddess herself after his death.

(Source: Avant Theatre)


Moksha Trilogy's Second Chapter (2012)

Romz &amp; Julz&nbsp;was an abridged and transcreated work inspired from William Shakespeare's&nbsp;Romeo &amp; Juliet.&nbsp;This play was presented as a concept theatrical piece in Tamil. The story explores the struggle between the love of one Capulet and a Monstague.

Romz &amp; Julz&nbsp;was a unique drama styled in a way that allow the audience the total access to the entire theatrical process both on and off stage. The drama had its conceptual roots in Total Theatre. Total Theatre presents the audien

Romz & Julz (2011)

The Moksha Trilogy&nbsp;explored three personalities from Mahabharatha. Each personality a chapter on its own, dissecting their emotions and the incidents that involved them, each mounting to the story and plot of our play.

The first chapter explored the inner secrets, trials and tribulations of Bishma, a central and prominent character in Mahabharatha. He is respected as one of the Gurus not just during his period but also in his actions, then which reflects the truth in our lifestyles today ones that r

Moksha Trilogy's First Chapter (2011)

Polygamy&nbsp;is set in Southeast Asia and tells the story of two women, a Hindu and a Muslim, married to the same man. The man has since converted to Islam after his second marriage and has taken a vow to treat his wives equally. Yet, the women sense partiality in this equality. The play exposes the double standards practised within a patriarchal society using religion as an excuse, leading to the re-construction of identity of the marginalised gender. The women fight with each other and yet protect one an

Polygamy (2008)

Price&nbsp;is a captivating and sexily hilarious Indian Drag Performer's story that threw light on controversial issues affecting minorities. Issues such as how the gay community is looked upon by the Asan community in this time and age were explored in greater detail.

(Source: Avant Theatre)


Price (2005)

An enthralling and enrapturing double bill depicting the permanence in-flexibility, happiness in sorrow, turmoil in enjoyment and the vernacular mainstream in the ever- changing circle which one experiences in Life's Chakra. Catch the best of both worlds as the East meets the West in this year's Melbourne Fringe where two Melbourne based theatre groups, Avant, Theatre and Language and The Laughing Ostriches collaborate in merging Asian and western art forms in their&nbsp;One Wheeled Bull Cart&nbsp;and&nbsp;

Chakra (2003)

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Two Spicy Masala (2002)

Ravindran Drama Group

Triple Bill (2001)

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WORKS DOCUMENTED IN THE ARCHIVE

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