1963. A young painter is forced to abandon his family and his art when he is embroiled in the tumultuous politics of the era.
1987. Three writers are detained by the Internal Security Bureau, each making different choices that will leave indelible marks on their lives.
2016. Artists occupy a derelict building in a bid to present their works free from state intervention, but find themselves entangled in market and personal politics instead.
2024. Successors of a theatre company discover that it has a hidden history, and grapple with the reasons behind the rewriting of the past.
Through the lens of events stretching across 70 years, Manifesto, a brand new multilingual collaboration by Drama Box and The Necessary Stage, investigates the role of artists in history and politics:
Can Artists be alternative voices for the marginalized or will they be silenced, subdued and ultimately, erased?
Created by:
Alvin Tan
Bani Haykal
Chan Silei
Ellison Tan Yuyang
Goh Guat Kian
Haresh Sharma
Koh Wan Ching
Kok Heng Leun
Loo Zihan
MAX.TAN
Neo Hai Bin
Petrina Dawn Tan
Sani Hussin
Sharda Harrison
Siti Khalijah Zainal
Production Stage Manager: Ng Siaw Hui
Assistant Stage Manager: Azyyati bte Alias
Technical Manager: Hu Chun Lai
Draughtsman: Chan Silei
Wardrobe Coordinator/Stage Crew: Loo An Ni
Lighting Operator: Fiona Lim
Multimedia Operator: Loo Zihan
Surtitlist: Melissa Chin
Photographer: Tan Ngiap Heng
Makeup Artist: Haslina Ismail
Riggers: Darren Lee, Mish'aal bin Syed Nasar, Mohd Rahmat, Muhammad Isyraf bin Sabtu Syahrudin, Tai Zi Feng
Translators: Irma Ruslan, Melissa Lim
Transcribers: Muhammad Muazzam, Amanah, Sim Yan Ying
(Source: The Necessary Stage Programme)