The Pandavas and the Kauravas—two groups of cousins—struggle for political power and the claim to the dynastic succession to the throne of the Hastinapura, an Indian kingdom. The confrontation climaxes with an 18-day Kurukshetra War in which even the gods are involved. Unimaginable death and destruction ensue, and all on the battlefield are forced to face up to their dharma—their duty and purpose in the universe.

With the audience seated amongst the performance space, the Pandavas and Karavas families from The Mahabharata are transported from epic mythology into the 21st century through a gripping narrative odyssey of war, politics and family feuds. Portrayed by a multicultural ensemble cast from Singapore, Malaysia and Japan, they perform in front of and around the audience and bring the story to life in riveting fashion.

The Mahabharata ranks amongst the seminal works of world literature and is of great importance to many Asian cultures, representing a rich tradition that allows for multiple narratives and interpretations. Kingdoms Apart is written and directed by critically acclaimed award-winning Singapore playwright and director Chong Tze Chien, who most recently received the Best Director award at The Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards in 2022. This visually rich production is also conjured by an award-winning creative team, and features puppetry, multimedia, live camera feeds and an original evocative score that will be performed live.

Cast:
Tan Guo Lian Sutton
Anne James
Loong Seng Onn
Futoshi Moriyama
Farez Najid
Brendon Fernandez
Jean Ng
Edith Podesta
Jo Kwek
Vanessa Toh
Ghafir Akbar
Neewin Hershall
K Rajagopal
Vadi PVSS
Matt Grey
Puppeteers:Jo Kwek, Vanessa Toh
Musicians: Darren Ng, Yuya Antical

Director/Playwright: Chong Tze Chien
Set Designer: Eucien Chia
Associate Set Designer: Grace Lin
Multimedia Designer: Koo Chia Meng (Fiction Shore)
Assistant Multimedia Designer: Maximilian Liang (Fiction Shore)
Lighting Designer: James Tan
Music Composer, Music Director and Sound Designer: Darren Ng
Puppetry & Props Designer and Puppetry Training Consultant: Myra Loke (The Finger Players)
Costume Designers: Yuan Zhiying, Jacqueline Teo
Hair, Headgears and Wigs Designer: Ashley Lim
Makeup Designer: Bobbie Ng (The Make Up Room)
Script Advisor: TT Dhavamanni
Producer: Michele Lim
Technical Director: Kenny Wong
Production Manager: Lam Dan Fong (The Backstage Affair)
Stage Manager: Carolene Ruth Liew (The Backstage Affair)
Assistant Stage Managers: Fae Tan, Deanna Dzulkifli
Crew: Paul Lim, M. Nurfadhli Jasni

Set Supervisor: Marc Andre Therrien
Audio Production Engineer: Lee Yew Jin (Ctrl Fre@k)
Video Systems Designer: Low Wee Cheng (Ctrl Fre@k)
Multimedia Producer: Xu Xin'En (Fiction Shore)
Live Camera Operators: Mindy Chin (Fiction Shore), Steffie Tan (Fiction Shore)
LED Screen Technician: Woo Hoo Tong (Electronics & Engineering)
Surtitle Operator: Rochelle Edelweiss Boon
Wardrobe Mistress: Theresa Chan
Assistant Wardrobe Mistress: Nurarina Nasir
Dressers: Mas Nurshaqinah Binte Mohamed Haleemy, Nur Fatin Nabilah Bte Mohd Rafie
Make up Assistants: Kelly Lau (The Makeup Room), Esther Goh (The Make Up Room)
Puppet and Props Makers: Chan Silei, Daniel Sim, Loo An Ni, Bernice Ong
Script Translator (English-Japanese): A Yagnya
Script Translator (English-Malay): Zulfadli Rashid
Script Translator (English-Tamil): Vadi PVSS
English-Japanese Interpreter: Mio Nakano
Combat Coordinator: Chai Jean Yinn
Movement Training Artist: Pallavi Sharma