Five Arts Centre

Five Arts Centre's philosophy of experimentation and commitment to promoting new work has led to a rich staging history of plays that have challenged the conventions of form, language and theme on the Malaysian stage. Devised theatre, multilingual performance, improvisation, inter- and intracultural experimentation&nbsp;and cross-genre collaborations are but some of the innovations Five Arts Centre has become known for since it was established in 1984 by Chin San Sooi, Krishen Jit&nbsp;and Marion D'Cruz wit

Staging History: Selected Plays from Five Arts Centre Malaysia 1984 - 2014

Writer

Wild Rice

A year and a half ago, two poets crossed a line with a playwright and so started the journey that has culminated in this exciting work that braves the boundaries of genre, medium, state and time to bring us together.

Riding the Nice Bus&nbsp;was first conceived as an offering of Singapore literature to be presented as the Singapore contingent's item at the 2004 KL Litfest. The two poets, Alvin Pang and Madeleine Lee, were part of the contingent and eager to find a form for the item. The playwright's only

Riding the Nice Bus (2005)

Director

She’s the richest woman in the world. She’s returning to her hometown. And she’s got revenge and murder on her mind.

Claire Zachanassian (nee Li Kwan Yin) is as fabulous as she is rich. And the hometown she is returning to is Saitang – a poor, desolate town that has definitely seen better days.

Heralded by the honest, upright citizens of Saitang as the town’s saviour, Claire makes her dramatic entrance – with an entourage of bodyguards, eunuchs, a butler, a caged panther, her 7th husband, millions and

The Visit of the Tai Tai (2004)

ACTION Theatre

Proof started with two ideas. One was about a pair of estranged sisters: what if, after their father's death, they discovered something valuable among his possessions? The other - more of a visual image than anything else - was about a worried young woman: I pictured her sitting up, alone, late at night, afraid that she might be inheriting her father's mental illness.

I didn't know if these ideas belonged in the same play or not, but while looking for a way to put them together I happened to be reading G

Proof (2002)

“Do you understand what made me what I am?”

“Before my breasts were grown, I learned that a woman is nothing in this world that men have made.”

Born in 1940s Singapore, Emily is abandoned as a child. By dint of her native wit and cunning, she becomes the matriarch of a distinguished household and Singapore society’s “hostess with the mostest”. But at what cost?

Her story, passionately played out against the glamorous backdrop of the decadent glory days of the Singaporean Peranakan community, celebr

Emily of Emerald Hill (2002)

Set in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, it begins when Ronnie, a street musician (who is only incidentally Chinese) meets Benjamin, a backpacker from the Midwest (who is only incidentally Caucasian) by chance. Their confrontation sparks a riff that swings to the heart of identity.


Trying To Find Chinatown (2002)

A couple is dining out at an exclusive restaurant. They're celebrating a special event but frankly, he would rather just eat and go home. But she wants to talk and does not give up till they are both talking as they've never done before in all their time together. "Squeeze the lemon. Breathe!", says the woman. She also wants to know how happy the man is on a scale of 1 to 10. He rates it and asks her to massage his jaws.


Dinner For Two (2002)

The popular bite-sized 10-min play innovated by ACTION Theatre's "Squeeze" series is finally back! Supported by Hewlett-Packard since its first staging in Singapore in 1993, the "Squeeze" series has constantly delighted local theatre audiences with its collection of bite-sized 10-minute plays.

Simply no other production lets one sample the roller coaster ride of adventure, romance, comedy, suspense in one evening for the price of a single ticket. Like a tasty buffet, the series presents plays that are 'f

Squeeze and Squeezability (2002)

At an MRT station, an old woman is wondering whether to get onto the escalator. Not too far away, a preppy executive is loitering and doesn't seem too keen to get to work. What happens when the two bump into each other?


MRT (2002)

Steven told his Dad he did not want to be "a fully paid-up member of the ruling class". That's how it all started. Now his Dad and his Mum are talking, discussing and debating... What are you supposed to do when your teenage son told you, "It's not ruling V.S. ruled. You can opt-out."?


Whatever That Is (2002)

ACTION Theatre will be presenting The Second 42 Theatre Festival - from Nov 15 to Dec 9 - on its very own premises.

"We've been continuously working towards realising our goal of turning it into a "green-house" for incubating new works and new talents for Singapore theatre," said Ekachai Uekrongtham, Artistic Director of ACTION Theatre.

The four-week event will combine non-stop drama, musical theatre, performance poetry, stand-up comedy and cabaret shows - all in one festival. While Ekachai solely cha

The Second 42 Theatre Festival

Artistic Advisor

Guest Director

Emily is an abandoned girl-child who, by dint of her native wit and cunning, braves her lot in life to emerge as high society's "hostess with the mostest" and the matriarch of a large and distinguished household - but at a heartrending personal cost.

Her story, passionately played out against the glamorous backdrop of the decadent glory days of the Singaporean Peranakan community, celebrates the triumph of the human spirit to survive, succeed, and ultimately stay relevant in an ever-changing world.

In

Emily of Emerald Hill (2001)

What if, at your grandfather’s funeral, his coffin was found to be too big for the hole? Ever argued with a parking attendant till you were blue in the face?&nbsp;THE COFFIN IS TOO BIG FOR THE HOLE&nbsp;&amp;&nbsp;NO PARKING ON ODD DAYS&nbsp;are two timeless comedies written by acclaimed playwright Kuo Pao Kun. At once hilarious and poignant, they tell the story of one woman’s fight against faceless bureaucracy and highlight the absurdity of red-tape. Originally written for a man, this brand new production 

No Parking on Odd Days (2001)

The Coffin Is Too Big For The Hole (2001)

Krishen Jit

In a Festival first, two drama monologues by Singapore's leading&nbsp;playwright Kuo Pao Kun are specially revived in a double-bill.&nbsp;The Coffin is Too Big For the Hole (1985) and No Parking on Odd Days&nbsp;(1986) were landmark plays which spawned the development&nbsp;of new Singaporean writing and a uniquely Singaporean&nbsp;theatrical identity. Written as social satires, both plays have been&nbsp;variously staged in English, Mandarin, Cantonese, and Tamil in&nbsp;Singapore, China, Hong Kong and Malay

The Coffin Is Too Big For The Hole (2000)

No Parking On Odd Days (2000)

Internationally acclaimed multiple award-winning actor Ivan Heng takes on Emily, one of the most complex and well-loved characters in Singapore theatre history, reviving the wicked tradition of female impersonation in Wayang Peranakan.

Emily is an abandoned girl-child who, by dint of her native wit and cunning, emerges as a society "hostess with the mostess" and matriarch of a large and distinguished household - but at a cost.

Blatantly theatrical, highly physical, totally irreverent and with a soundt

Emily of Emerald Hill (2000)

Emily of Emerald Hill (1999)

T:>Works (TheatreWorks)

For the Festival,&nbsp;Theatreworks will present Scorpion Orchid, a&nbsp;play based on well-known author Lloyd&nbsp;Fernando's book of the same title.&nbsp;Set in Singapore in the early 1950's, the play explores the&nbsp;lives and relationships of five characters and their&nbsp;struggle together during the country’s period of&nbsp;political and racial crisis and turmoil. The play, a&nbsp;new work, won second prize in the NST-Esso&nbsp;Playwriting&nbsp;Competition this year, the first such&nbsp;competition t

Scorpion Orchid (1994)

Three young people — two sisters and a brother — are troubled by fear and guilt, harking back to their past. They decide to return to their childhood home in Kappan Road to encounter the fount of their troubles.

They go back to Kappan Road in the guise of children on horses making a dream journey. Somebody is chasing them, and they go ever deeper into the jungle, looking for something ‘like a temple on a hill’. Riding deeper into the jungle, they see visions, peaceful and fearful, of water babies (‘the c

Three Children (1992)

M Butterfly&nbsp;is about the&nbsp;tempestuous love affair&nbsp;between a French diplomat and a Chinese&nbsp;Opera actress and&nbsp;has been a sensational hit
on Broadway and the West End.&nbsp;For the&nbsp;Festival, Theatreworks will be mounting&nbsp;an all new production, drawing on talents&nbsp;available in the region.

This promises to be a landmark production&nbsp;and a major step in the development of&nbsp;this energetic young company.&nbsp;


M Butterfly (1990)

Practice Performing Arts School

The Coffin Is Too Big For The Hole was originally written in English for&nbsp;Bumboat!&nbsp;for the 1984 S'pore Arts Festival, but it was eventually left unproduced owing to a lack of time. Later the playwright translated it into Chinese, with considerable expansion. It premiered on 23 July 1985 in the&nbsp;Night of Comedy,&nbsp;organised by the Lianhe Bao Drama Group. The present English version is very close to the final Chinese text.&nbsp;


The Coffin Is Too Big For The Hole (1986)

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Krishen Jit

WORKS DOCUMENTED IN THE ARCHIVE

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