ACTION Theatre

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Ma Goes Home (2010)

Producer

Shocks & SHIOK! (2009)

A new dramedy for tall men and women who love them.


Manhood (2009)

ACTION Theatre proudly presents one of the most exciting new plays to have emerged from Singapore theatre scene in years. Winner of Best Play Award at Theatre Idols 2009, Streetwalkers&nbsp;by playwright Yak Aik Wee is a hard-hitting and heartfelt play about three men of different age groups and social strata. Their separate lives become intertwined through accidental and deliberate encounters in the dark alleys of Chinatown's Ann Siang Hill.

Lost Boy. Saviour. Manipulator?

Ben is a lost teenager look

Streetwalkers (2009)

From the original producer of the hit standup comedy show&nbsp;SINGAPORE BOY&nbsp;comes a brand new comedy to uplift your spirit and make you laugh till your shoes drop! ACTION Theatre proudly presents&nbsp;IMELDA'S BOYS,&nbsp;a heavenly comedy show for men, women, angels, kings, queens and all heartlanders - with or without Filipino maids at home!

Loosely inspired by Imelda (yeah, that one...),&nbsp;IMELDA'S BOYS&nbsp;is all about fab shoes, fab men and fab secrets! Join FILO, a medical doctor-turned-da

Imelda's Boys (2009)

The days of writing letters to one another slowly becomes a thing of the past as mobile phones and the internet make communication between individuals as easy as "logging-in". But in the evolution from pen and paper to keyboard and screen, have we compromised the way we express ourselves? Can we be just as romantic? Heartfelt? Honest?

Take a peek into the love of yesteryear and consider this... Whilst times have changed, perhaps Love remains the same.


Singapore Love Letters (2009)

Conceptualizer

Time to laugh heartily and be uplifted joyfully with your friends and family!

ACTION Theatre proudly presents&nbsp;Catching Adam Cheng,&nbsp;a hilarious and heartwarming comedy about four elderly women who hatch a plot to escape from a nursing home to catch Adam Cheng's concert at The Esplanade! Hot on their heels is a vicious Head Nurse who'll stop at nothing to bring them back! Will the four succeed? Join the Singapore "Dream Girls" in this original homegrown gem about growing up, getting old and stayi

Catching Adam Cheng (2008)

Not forgetting to appreciate the past...

Postcards from Rosa marks a significant departure from the rest of my directing repertoire in that it is at its heart a very simple and heartwarming story. The dramatic monologue is for me one of the most challenging forms of "live" performance and is a powerful reminder of the lure of theatre - its ability to move audiences both young and old alike.

This journey has been an inspiring one and I had the luxury of working with some of the finest individuals in th

Postcards from Rosa (2007)

Artistic Director

I wonder sometimes if a writer enjoys his solitude too much.

All the company that he needs is a pen and paper, and he creates a dialogue with himself in many guises and alteregos.

Lately, I have wondered if I thrive on that too much.

Not being in the throes of being in a relationship, I sneer at, tickled by and (usually by the end of it all) empathise with my friends and love ones in their fights, breakups and everything in between in and out of relationships. Being an unwitting witness to their em

Real Men Fake Orgasms (2007)

Hitting (On) Women (2007)

Have a splash with ACTION Theatre's all-new production of Desmond Sim's acclaimed sexy comedy&nbsp;The Swimming Instructor. Dive into a funny and touching tale about the undercurrents of love, lust and life as experienced by a down-to-earth swimming instructor, a vivacious rich girl and a go-getting advertising executive.

Get ready to dive into a hilarious and poignant tale about the undercurrents of love, lust and loss as experienced by a down-to-earth swimming instructor, a vivacious rich girl and a go

The Swimming Instructor (2007)

Everything But The Brain was first staged on 27 January 2005 by ACTION Theatre. The Premiere production was directed by Krishen Jit. The original cast members were Gerald Chew, Pamela Oei, Koh Chieng Mun, Brendon Fernandez, Chermaine Ang and Filomar Tariao.


Everything But The Brain (2007)

Doubt: A&nbsp;Parable received its world premiere at Manhattan Theatre Club (Lynne Meadow, Artistic Director, Barry Grove, Executive Producer) on November 23, 2004. The production then transferred to Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre (Carole Shorenstein Hays; MTC Productions, Inc.; Roger Berlind, Scott Rudin; producers) and opened there on March 31, 2005. The production was directed by Doug Hughes, with scenic design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by Catherine Zuber, lighting design by Pat Collins and orig

Doubt (2006)

Confessions of 300 Unmarried Men (2006)

The Humanity Beneath the Myth

I must admit that when I was first approached by Ken and Ekachai to work on this project, the idea of embarking on a musical based on the larger-than-life figure of Admiral Cheng Ho was an intimidating one. However, I was drawn to the image that Ken shared with me, the image of a young boy filled with awe and wonder, dwarfed by a gigantic footprint. For me, that became the key to re-imagining Cheng Ho's voyages from a twenty-first-century perspective, by telling the story th

The Admiral's Odyssey (2005)

You've read about her. You've watched the movie about her life. Now see her in the flesh.Don't miss this world premiere of a unique one-woman show by a former male kickboxing champion! Starring Parinya Charoenphol (Nong Toom), Boxing Cabaret is produced by Ekachai Uekrongtham, artistic director of Action Theatre and director of Beautiful Boxer, an internationally acclaimed film about Nong Toom's life.(Source: Singapore Festival of Arts programme)

Boxing Cabaret (2005)

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)

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)

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)

A cautionary tale for the stock-option generation,&nbsp;Mammon Inc,&nbsp;a best-selling novel by Singapore novelist Tan Hwee Hwee, charts the life of 21-year-old Singaporean Chiah Deng, a recent graduate of Oxford University. Thrust into the depths of globalisation, torn between East and West, Chiah Deng gets an unexpected job offer at Mammon Inc. as an Adaptor – someone who teaches the rich and famous how to seamlessly cross cultures and fit in. To get the job, she will have to pass three tests. First she 

Mammon Inc (2002)

Director

A brand new monologue by Stella Kon, the acclaimed playwright of Singapore's best-loved monologue Emily of Emerald Hill. Human Heart Fruit tells an intriguing story of Jenny who cares devotedly for her husband Joe, while he is temporarily confined to a wheelchair. But one day, there is an accident... Playing off the conventions of one-woman drama, Stelle Kon slices open a 'Chiku' and exposes a human heart.


Human Heart Fruit (2002)

The latest play by award-winning playwright Jean Tay who won the first prize in the 3rd HP/ACTION Theatre 10-Minute Play Contest with The Knot, The Swallowed Seed invites the audience into the whimsical world of Sheryl. Having swallowed a 'Rambutan Seed' by accident when she was six, Sheryl has to live with the consequences that continue to haunt her through the rest of her life. Having a Rambutan tree grow out of her head is just one of them.


The Swallowed Seed (2002)

Imagine two boys stuck together all their lives... Joined at the chest by a mysterious cord of flesh since birth, the world-famous Siamese Twins Chang and Eng were destined to spend every moment of their lives together. Condemned by their neighbours as a bad omen during their childhood, they were saved by the love of their mother and later invited to appear before the King of Siam. Subsequently brought to America and exhibited as special attractions, they fell in love, married two American sisters and went 

Chang & Eng (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

One married couple. A mentally disturbed man. And some peculiar SMS messages. Unlock the mystery of this intriguing story told from 3 different perspectives. When the midnight jaunt begins, a new nightmare begins...


Are You Afraid Of The Dark? (2001)

One day, a woman accidentally notices the manufacturer's name and date of manufacture on the old bed she has inherited from her family. Fascinated by the age of the bed, she begins to wonder about the people who have slept in the same bed as she has...


The Wish Of The Clover (2001)

It's been a while since the last time Sandra and Susan engaged in a pillow talk. The two sisters have always been close all through their growing up years. What brings them back together on the same bed one more time? When this pillow talk ends, will there be another?


Pillow Talk (2001)

During the 2000 Singapore Arts Festival, ACTION Theatre presented Painted Stories, a collection of new plays inspired by world-famous paintings. We are very pleased with the results. Four new works of very different nature were unveiled. These included 500 Marilyns, Hopper's Women, Women On Canvas - A Musical and The Tub.&nbsp;

Hopper's Women was critically acclaimed and went on to garner a total of 5 Life! Theatre Award nominations including Play of the Year and Best Original Script. Women On Canvas, on

1 bed 3 pillows (2001)

A couple who talk to each other through stories of Orpheus and Euridice. The Iranian stranded between nations at Charles de Gaulle airport. An old man at Starbucks. A man on the tip of Tibet. Memories of New York and dreams of glass boxes. Stretched taut between Lou Reed and Bach, drunk on mindgames, wordplay, lies and dysfunctional sex. Then Abby arrives - laden with the past, resenting Singapore's trees, dying for a fag and threatening the stable tension with new upheavals of love and lost horizons.&nbsp;

Split Second (2001)

In this extraordinary play, American playwright Margaret Edson has created a work that is as intellectually challenging as it is emotionally immediate.&nbsp;

At the start of Wit, Vivian Bearing, Ph.D., a renowned professor of English who has spent years studying and teaching the brilliantly difficult Holy Sonnets of the meta-physical poet John Donne, has been diagnosed with terminal ovarian cancer. Her approach to her illness is not unlike her approach to the study of Donne: aggressively probing and inte

W;t (2000)

Is love where the heart swims? When Jan and Dave meet Swimming Instructor Guan, the three form a quick and unique bond. Jan has little direction in life while Dave is extremely regimented. In life, sometimes we swim, sometimes we float, and sometimes we just take a dive. Will Jan learn to swim? Will Dave learn to float? Can Guan teach them something deeper than a few swimming strokes?

The Swimming Instructor premiered at The First 42 Theatre Festival in November 1999 and won an Audience Award for Most Pr

The Swimming Instructor (2000)

Viva Viagra! was first staged in The Room Upstairs at 42 Waterloo Street in November 1999. It was performed as part of The First 42 Theatre Festival where 42 new works and new talents were presented over 42 days.

This first production of the play was directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham and featured the following cast members: Sandy Phillips, Loke Loo Pin, Norlina, Gerald Chew, Juwanda Hassim and Darius Tan. This new production of the play features additional scenes and characters not seen in the first stagin

Viva Viagra! (1999)

Is love where the heart swims? When Jan and Dave meet Swimming Instructor Guan, the three form a quick and unique bond. Jan has little direction in life while Dave is extremely regimented. In life, sometimes we swim, sometimes we float and sometimes we just take a dive. Will Jan learn to swim? Will Dave learn to float? Can Guan teach them something deeper than a few swimming strokes?

The Swimming Instructor premiered at The First 42 Theatre Festival in November 1999 and won an Audience Award for Most Pro

The Swimming Instructor (1999)

35@2000 begins with the mysterious disappearance of hundreds of Singaporeans and residents just before the dawn of the New Millennium. This leads to widespread chaos and the wildest of speculations: Have aliens landed? Is it Doomsday? Is it a government conspiracy? Above all, why have these people disappeared?

putting it together...

35@2000 is a devised play which began with no written script. The cast members were selected based on their performance ability and potential to contribute to what the cre

35@2000 (1999)

Composer, Lyricist

Based upon the true story of the original Siamese Twins, Chang &amp; Eng - The Musical traces the life of two brothers who were joined at the chest by a mysterious bang of flesh. Condemned as a bad omen during their childhood, they were saved by the love of their mother and subsequently brought to America where they were exhibited as special attractions. The twins eventually became American citizens, married two American sisters and went on to father 21 children. Don't miss this heartwarming musical that ha

Chang & Eng (1999)

Exotic. Asian women everywhere have that reputation. From Bangkok to the Philippines, from China to Singapore, they prove an irresistible draw. But very often, they also come with a price.

Mail Order Brides&nbsp;and&nbsp;Other Oriental Take-Aways&nbsp;is a light-hearted but unflinching look at just what price that is. And whether its just the men who pay through their noses.

From Patpong to Brannigans to Asian Lady International in Cyberspace, just what drives these women to risk the unknown and have 

Mail Order Brides (1998)

Feeling under the clouds of this economic climate?
Time to sing your blues away.

Welcome to a world where everyone can be a star...
Blame it on the Golden Microphone Contest!

Charlie, proud owner of the May Sing Lounge, wants to reassert his status as the Karaoke King, while his son Elvis, a JC student &amp; debate champion watches in horror.

His friend Lorraine can't seem to find the right words to finish writing her song, or get her boyfriend from Echoboys; Singapore's hottest boyband, to be mo

Ka-Ra-you-OK? (1998)

Singapore Boy's birth was completely accidental...

He was first conceived for Hokkien mee and owes his existence to the warm reception from his fellow Singaporeans.&nbsp;

In July 1996, ACTION Theatre's artistic director Ekachai Uekrongtham asked Hossan to do an opening act for Ovidia Yu's play called Hokkien Mee, staged as a fund-raising event in aid of the Buiding Fund for No. 42 Waterloo Street. The 10-minute stand-up comedy routine turned out to be a surprise hit with the audience. Encouraged by th

Singapore Boy (1997)

Exotic. Asian women everywhere have that reputation. From Bangkok to the Philippines, from China to Singapore, they prove an irresistible draw. But very often, they also come with a price.

Mail Order Brides and Other Oriental Take-Aways is a light-hearted but unflinching look at just what price that is. And whether its just the men who pay through their noses.

From Patpong to Brannigans to Asian Lady International in Cyberspace, just what drives these women to risk the unknown and have themselves pack

Mail Order Brides (1997)

Joined at the chest by a mysterious band of flesh at birth, the&nbsp;famed Siamese twins Chang and Eng were destined to spend&nbsp;every moment of their lives together. Despite their handicap,&nbsp;their incredible courage enabled the twins to face their disability&nbsp;and lead normal lives; even fathering 21 children between them!

Their heartwarming and intriguing story will be brought to&nbsp;life in an original new musical that traces the twins’ childhood,&nbsp;marriage and their dreams of living sep

Chang & Eng (1997)

Recent statistics show that 20% of Singapore women are now willing to marry down. The news excites a man so much he turns up at Drama Centre during the performance of Confessions of 300 Unmarried Men. His goal? Meet lots of cultured women all at once and ask them to marry him. There should at least be one of them out there for Ah Seng, right?


Who Wants To Marry Ah Seng? (1997)

Three old pals meet every Sunday at a Tiong Bahru coffee shop to chat and let their birds sing. But this is no ordinary Sunday. One of their birds has decided to sing no longer...


My Bird Can Sing Louder Than Your Bird (1997)

"You look like Maggie Cheung. You really do." Pick-up lines can be so beautiful - if only they're uttered by Tony Leungs. What's harder? Picking up, breaking up or making up?


Picking Up | Breaking Up | Making Up (1997)

True-life confessions culled from ACTION Theatre's internet poll of unmarried men (www.ews.com/umarried). Bare. Naked. Uncensored.


Because... (1997)

One in four Singaporean men has never been kissed. Meet our very own cripplingly shy men as they unleash their fear of the female sex, their insecurities and self-loathing.


Blush (1997)

Where do Singapore men go these days after hours? Well, some can be found at Crazy House ogling at you know what... What do they do in there, and what if their mothers show up?


Bottomless Men (1997)

Female of Her World never put men on their cover. Time has changed. The new editor of Singapore's highest-circulating female magazine has given an assignment to a photographer, an art director and a male model. They are to come up with a cover shot of a man every woman desires. Simple enough... until the phones ring.


Shooting The Cover Guy (1997)

"My inspiration for writing Skin was uhm... Skin.

Thinking about it. How it feels. What it does."


Skin (1997)

Playing Mothers was staged by Action Theatre in 1996. The play was directed and produced by Ekachai Uekrongtham. The cast comprised Irene Lim, Deborah Png, Lee Phing Phing, Christine Chan, Benjamin Ng, Emma Yong and Robert C. MacDougall.


Playing Mothers (1996)

​​​​​​​Producer

A: How long will it take?
B: About ten minutes.
A: That's all?
B: Yes. How long do you think it'll take?
A: I don't know. Maybe one hour, two hours, a day...
B: No one wants to wait that long.
A: What is it called?
B: The capsule of life.
A:&nbsp;The capsule of life? Is it a drug?
B: No, it's a vitamin. Made from all the natural ingredients.
A: It really works?
B: Yup.
A: Ten minutes?
B: Ten minutes.&nbsp;
A: No side effects?
B: Only good ones.
A: Umm... interesting. So... should I?
B: It's

The Squeeze 2 (1995)

"Singapore is best in this! Singapore is best in that," headlines scream at us daily. And to a certain degree, we believe and subscribe to this view in the way we strive to get certificates, cash, cars, credit cards, condos and what have you. But have we thought about what having to be the best all the time really means?

In the show you are about to see, we would like to present to you a series of "short stories", or reflections about how several different characters regard the issue of the "best". Best 

Best Foot Forward (1995)

The Durian Man and His Daughters&nbsp;was first staged in Singapore by ACTION Theatre in July 1994. The production was directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham. The case comprised Lee Weng Kee, Emma Yong, Ng Lay San, and Sandy Phillips.


The Durian Man and His Daughters (1994)

"What a concept! To touch the human experience in a significant way within the discipline of ten minutes, or in ten pages of script...

In the United States, it certainly has been the case that the ten minute play contest has been an important factor in the revitalization of theatre...&nbsp;

The ten minute play is a medium that can spark the whole theatre world, those presently involved and those who would like to try their hands at writing, acting, producing, directing or working backstage. It can be 

The Squeeze (1993)

Prelude to a Kiss was first commissioned by South Coast Repertory, where it premiered on 15 January 1988. A revised version with Alec Baldwin as Peter premiered on 14 March 1990. The play then moved to Broadway, as the Helen Hayes Theatre, open on 1 May 1990, starring Timothy Hutton, Mary-Louis Parker and Bernard Hughes in the lead roles.

The play's title comes from a 1938 Duke Ellington-Irving Gordon-Irving Mills song. It has been sung by Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. "How my love song gently crie

Prelude to a Kiss (1992)

A double bill of two local plays inspired by the same set of creative stimuli.


The Joust & Imagine (1991)

Devisor

Programme

Second Home (1991)

One pack of playing cards. Two soldiers. Three fates.&nbsp;

Trine&nbsp;is a new play by award-winning playwright Chua Tze Wei whose first play,&nbsp;Ash and Shadowless&nbsp;won the first prize in the 1986 NUS/Shell's Short Play Competition.


Trine (1990)

T:>Works (TheatreWorks)

Three women in an old folks’ home cope with their bleak reality in their own ways. Mei indulges in TV fantasy, Daisy takes it with a shrug of the shoulder, and Marjorie hopes in vain. This equilibrium is maintained until the illusion begins to overtake truth.


Long Green Socks (1990)

Performer

Also awake at midnight are the broadcasters of a fictitious 24-hour radio station known as Radio Seven in Real Life. Modelled after the current popularity of round-the-clock radio stations, Real Life goes by the catch-phrase, "The station that stays awake for your sake". Real Life, directed by Ekachai Uekrongtham, focuses on three radio drama artists of a soap opera whose lives become strangely intertwined in a murder plot.


Real Life (1989)

This mini-musical comedy written by Eng Wee Ling spoofs office politics and work hypocrisy. Set in the boss's house, Party Animals is about an office Christmas party that takes an unexpected turn when an uninvited guest shows up with a magic potion as a gift.

Party Animals is the second play to be put up by ACTION! Theatre, a group of young, career-minded people, looking for an outlet for their "leftover creativity" after work, says director Ekachai Uekrongtham, also one of the group's founders.


Party Animals (1987)

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Ekachai Uekrongtham

WORKS DOCUMENTED IN THE ARCHIVE

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