Emergency Stairs

Do our roles define us, or do we define our roles?

I am just a writer.
I am just a director.
I am just a producer.
I am just a stage crew.
I am just a light designer.
I am just a stage manager.
I am just a sound designer.
I am just a ticketing personnel.
I am just a marketing personnel.
I am just…

In life, we play many roles – as parent, children, employers, employees, workers, consumers, thinkers, doers, and so on. Sometimes these roles are liberating and enjoyable. Sometimes, they are oppre

Offstage 1.0 (2018)

Ticketing

Paper Monkey Theatre

Little Miss Boleh lives with her parents in a city filled with skyscrapers. One day, when Little Miss Boleh was alone at home, a Little Cow barged into her home! Realising that the Little Cow was lost,&nbsp;Little Miss Boleh made a decision to bring it back to the farm. On the way, they faced many obstacles. Will&nbsp;Little Miss Boleh succeed in helping Little Cow find its way home?

Performed in Mandarin with English surtitles.


Little Miss Boleh (2018)

Playwright

Director

Nine Years Theatre

No Parking On Odd Days and The Coffin Is Too Big For The Hole are two of late theatre doyen Kuo Pao Kun’s most famous monologues. Both works have been staged in English and Mandarin numerous times since they were written in the mid-1980s. In Dialects &amp; Dialectics, Nelson Chia – the artistic director of Nine Years Theatre – works with actors Hang Qian Chou and Tay Kong Hui to explore the cultural sentiments and grassroots sensibilities of these plays by staging them in Chinese dialects. Come catch this d

No Parking On Odd Days (2017)

Dialect Consultant

The Coffin Is Too Big For The Hole (2017)

The Theatre Practice

Lao Jiu,&nbsp;a Singapore classic that has stood the test of time, will awake your aspiration to pursue your dream.

Lao Jiu, literally "the ninth child", is the only son in the family. An incredibly intelligent boy on track to win a prestigious scholarship, but he finds his true calling in the declining traditional puppetry arts. Torn between his dream and responsibilities, will Lao Jiu follow his heart; or will he cave to the needs of his family, seeking wealth and success?

Lao Jiu: The Musical&nbsp;

Lao Jiu: The Musical (2017)

Puppet Maker

Look in the mirror, what do you see? Is that you in the present, from the past or the future? You smile into the mirror and your reflection smiles back, and your past and future vanishes along with it.&nbsp;

Last year, The Practice Lab members dug deep within their personal experiences, setting off a series of improvisation, and revisiting their existential present in the process. That was our last performance staged in our old space, Stamford Arts Centre.&nbsp;

This year, The Practice Lab, led by Lab

Uproot (2016)

Creator

Cast

"The time is out of joint - O cursed spite, that ever I was born to set it right!" -&nbsp;Hamlet

Tasked with the mission to avenge his father, the orphaned prince Hamlet is no longer a free individual but the seed for revenge; Othello, influenced by his blood lineage and skin colour, is lost in his jealousy; Cordelia's love for her father Lear is misunderstood as a plot to take away his inheritance, which results in Lear's oppression of his daughter.

The avenging orphan, the lost descendants, the bani

Descendants 400 (2016)

Assistant Stage Manager

If Shakespeare was a female&nbsp;Kunqu&nbsp;artist from Nanking or a female physical theatre artist from Bangkok and working today, how would the characters of Gertrude and Ophelia in&nbsp;Hamlet&nbsp;be written and performed differently? How would this difference reflect and affect our societies?

Developed in a one week rehearsal at B-Floor Theatre in Bangkok,&nbsp;⇄Gertrude⇄Ophelia⇄ is a twenty-minute non-verbal performance structured within Hong Kong director Danny Yung's acclaimed "One Table Two Chai

⇄Gertrude⇄Ophelia⇄ (2016)

Over the last few years, the more I get to know about&nbsp;Kunqu&nbsp;and its artists, the more I see its resemblance to Zheng He and his plight. The body of the&nbsp;Kunqu&nbsp;artist has survived the past 600 years - every expression, gesture and movement - they made up its form, which is also its content. However, the traditional artists inherited this craft from their forebears, through a very strict and controlled training which can be somewhat cruel - "Don't ask, just do it ten thousand times and it'l

Descendants 600 (2016)

Wild Rice

A hotel in Singapore is opened at the turn of the century, when the island is still a jewel in the British Crown. It serves as an exotic pit stop for travelers who wish to explore the glittering expanse of the British Empire.&nbsp;

Each day, new faces appear and swiftly disappear – guests and staff alike. Every ten years, we check into the hotel and meet its residents. As Singapore morphs from British colony to Malaysian state to sovereign nation, its denizens experience profound and dramatic changes. We

Hotel (2016)

Translator

Language Coach

Against the current, they battle upstream.
Against the current, they struggle to return home.

In spite of all hazards, they single-mindedly trace their journey home.

Kuo Pao Kun's 1991 production&nbsp;0Zero01&nbsp;conjured the imagery of salmons swimming against the current, in search for their roots. This year, inspired by&nbsp;0Zero01&nbsp;- excavating personal memories, family histories and cultural origins, The Practice Lab will revisit their existential present and reignite their primal thirst f

Upstream (2015)

Designer

Performer

Hotel (2015)

“One table. Two chairs. Twenty minutes. Two performers.” – The rules are simple. The results, not that simple.&nbsp;

“One table two chairs” is the most basic staging used in traditional Chinese opera. When adapted by actors in their performance, the spatial possibilities are infinite. Every year, we invite artists from different background and disciplines to work on new experimental works. These performances will explore the relationship between the traditional and the contemporary arts through their mul

1 Table 2 Chairs Experimental Series 2015

Two years ago, I was in the courtyard of Nanjing Kun Opera Theatre, and happened to chat with a few young Kun Opera actors about Zheng He. The pursuit of one's goals, the difficulties of reality, the yearning for foreign lands, and the acknowledgment of fundamental desires. This was what I felt at that time: For some, their hearts may no longer be present, yet they confine themselves in isolation; for others, they may remain in the same place, yet they have traversed a great distance. Under the sturdy roof 

Descendants of the Eunuch Admiral - Was (2015)

A new devised play featuring a lineup of veteran &amp; new theatre performers.

In 1969, Kuo Pao Kun wrote and directed&nbsp;The Struggle,&nbsp;which was banned by the government two weeks before its opening. The artistic team was forced to replace the performance with poetry recital and skits.&nbsp;The Struggle&nbsp;remains Kuo Pao Kun's only script yet to be staged. It reflects upon the social turmoil resulting from rapid urban development and people's struggles against these changes back in the 70s.&nb

The Struggle: Years Later (2015)

Sixty years ago a secret manual was hidden by a cult under the Southern Arch. Legend says that the Arch, which opens every six decades, is due to open again - and he who retrieves the secret manual shall command the&nbsp;wulin world and reign over the realm of martial arts.&nbsp;

There has been peace in the&nbsp;wulin&nbsp;world since the fall of the cult. But the obsession with invincibility continues to draw warriors into battle. The spiral of blood and death threatens to bury their secrets forever.&nb

Legends of the Southern Arch (2015)

Living in an increasingly crowded city, what does space mean to you? A house? A room? Or a virtual fantasy world?&nbsp;

Three performances, three spaces, three different predicaments. Bringing you on a journey through perseverance against letting go, through desire against fear, and through patience and persistence.&nbsp;


3 Rooms (2014)

Co-Designer

Drama Box

We all share the common fate that one day we will die. Though death is a natural part of life, many fear discussing it. Welcome to&nbsp;BOTH SIDES, NOW&nbsp;– a fair on Living with Dying. We invite you to explore topics of living and dying through fun and creative activities, imagine the end of life's journey, and be empowered to express your own end-of-life choices.

This interactive performance tells the story of two families struggling to cope as they confront illness and death. Audience members are in

Exit (2014)

This play does not show the Great Wall, for the Great Wall is a mere context. This play does not judge morality, for dwelling on humanity affords more clarity. This play does not force the issue of despotism and slavery, for it goes straight to the heart of the power. When the play admonishes the tyrant, we deride the lure of power. We do not see Lady Meng Jiang bring down the Great Wall with her tears here, but in her heart, the Great Wall will fall. This play does not explain the reasons for love, yet all

Emperor Qin and Lady Meng Jiang (2014)

In the theatre. On the stage.&nbsp;
He speaks not a word.
She barely moves.&nbsp;

The performer vocalizes her thoughts. She questions / whispers / blabbers / murmurs / shouts / moans / complains / lectures / commands / englightens. What is the relationship between inside and outside the theatre, seeing and being seen, a performer and an audience?

What is performance? What is a performer? What is an audience? What is theatre? What is art? What is life? Finally, what is existence?

The Theatre Pract

FLUID (2014)

Creative Participant

Between the 1950s and 60s, Nini lived with her family in one of the shophouses situated along Upper Changi Road, together with many interesting people and adorable animals.&nbsp;

In the eyes of young Nini, the simple kampong life was a wondrous paradise filled with magical adventures and fun-filled surprised. As she grew up, the Changi Village that she loved started to vanish, but the precious memories of her childhood days will always stay captured in her heart and within the pages of her graphic novel.

Nini in Changi Village (2014)

After the demise of his girlfriend Jing, A-Le packs up to pursue his musical ambitions in New York. There he meets the easy-going A-Qiang, a fellow dream hunter from Singapore, who gets him a job at a restaurant. On a particular takeout delivery, an aspiring actress named Rose enters A-Le's life. Soon a bittersweet friendship of battered dreams and bruised hearts is born amongst them. But with each passing day, Rose begins to feel a little more for A-Le. Unknown to them however, the future is about to chang

If There're Seasons... (2014)

11&nbsp;·&nbsp;Gao Xingjian Devised&nbsp;is the final performance for The Practice Lab in 2013. Led by Lab Director, Liu Xiaoyi, 11 Lab participants underwent a year of training, discussion and sharing to bring you this collaborative work.

The performance will draw inspirations from the works of Gao Xingjian and spark off a journey in the search of self and escapism -&nbsp;

"Have you thought about leaving?
Are you afraid of leaving?
Why do you leave?
When was the last time you thought of leaving? .

11 · Gao Xingjian Devised (2013)

Devisor

She is an actress. Everyone thinks she is too loud;

She is not an actress. Everyone thinks she is too soft.

She teachers her to project her voice and vice versa.&nbsp;

How can a voice be projected?

How can a voice be heard?

Both are in search of the answer...&nbsp;


Unsound (2013)

Thump, thump, thump! Sound the horns!

Ready, get set, charge! Here comes Mulan on her gallant horse!

Meet our heroine, Mulan, the filial daughter from ancient China who disguised herself as a boy and joined the army in place of her aged father. It was a life-transforming journey: The once-wilful Mulan had to go through the atrocities of war, and eventually blossomed into an admirable soldier who learned how to cherish life.

Come join us in this legend with a modern twist, as we journey back in time

Mulan (2013)

The story begins on a day just like any other, in a house just like any other.

In the house, there is a door that is never locked, and contains a group of women who come from different moments in history, each with her own secret. Time comes to a standstill as soon as these women enter the house. They become oblivious to the relentless passing of time outside.&nbsp;

One day, there is a knock on the door and a runaway bride bursts in, invading the peace and tranquility of the house, kicking off a serie

The Bride Always Knocks Twice (2013)

A rare collaboration between two Asian theatre masters for a tribute to yet another theatre doyen - Makoto Sato (Tokyo) and Danny Yung (Hong Kong) helm a group of actors, highly accomplished in Noh theatre and Kunqu opera, and contemporary theatre artists, to bring forth a newly minted creation based upon&nbsp;The Spirits Play&nbsp;by Kuo Pao Kun. A notable work in Singapore theatre,&nbsp;The Spirits Play&nbsp;acutely pieces together the intense agony, guilt and turmoil that occur as the price of war. It se

The Spirits Play (2012)

Wardrobe Assistant

Experience the joy and miracle of life in the stage retelling of the beloved children's fable&nbsp;The Little Prince&nbsp;by late playwright Kuo Pao Kun. Follow the strange alien prince in his wondrous exploration that is both a beautiful journey that unravels the many sides of humanity and a moving discovery of self-worth.

Since its creation in the 80s,&nbsp;Day I Met the Prince&nbsp;has captivated the hearts of children in schools across Singapore. In 2012,&nbsp;Day I Met the Prince&nbsp;is brought int

Day I Met the Prince (2012)

Lao Jiu&nbsp;is one of Kuo Pao Kun's most popular and accessible works. In 2005,&nbsp;Lao Jiu&nbsp;was adapted into a dazzling musical for the first time, and this year it will be restaged as an entirely new creative production to be rolled out featuring an exciting new lineup of performers and creative collaborators!&nbsp;

As the only son in the family, Lao Jiu (the ninth born) realises that he should grasp the prestigious scholarship opportunity that has opened up for him; yet, he hesitates at the crit

Lao Jiu: The Musical (2012)

A mother lingers in the underworld, waiting for her son who has gone missing during a democratic uprising. A stranger who seems to hold all the answers suddenly appears.

From the standpoint of their nationalities, creators and performers Hung Chit Wah (Hong Kong) and Hung Pei Ching (Taiwan) attempt to redress the violence behind the historical events of June Fourth and 228 Incidents. Using Kuo Pao Kun's&nbsp;Spirits Play&nbsp;as a starting point, the pair first created&nbsp;The Mother Hen Next Door&nbsp;

The Mother Hen Next Door (2012)

This story takes place in&nbsp;Weizhuang,&nbsp;or the village of the future. It is a picturesque village - blue skies, fertile plains and the air (with its lingering scent of the earth) seems to be caressing the face of every fortunate soul.

Ah Q, or rather the remnants of Ah Q lives here. The revolution has ended (or has it?) and it is said that Ah Q was executed. Did he really die?

Some say he has not died. He has changed his appearance and made his fortune in the city!
Some say he cannot die. He h

The Story After Ah Q (2011)

Traditions & Editions Theatre Circus

A circus. Low down and out...
A story about love beyond boundaries and an ultimate fight for hope.
But, will it be 'happily ever after' like all fairytales? Maybe not... Maybe...
Can we continue to fight? What does it takes to fight?
How far are you willing to go to fight for what you believe?
You are living in Today Land... How do you want your Tomorrow Land to be?

Do you still dream? How long have you not been dreaming?
Where are your dreams?
In the country of Shadows, things are (almost) perfec

The Juggler's Tale (2011)

A terminally ill 70-year-old grandfather is living out his twilight years when, one day he declares his love for his domestic helper, A-Ai. What's more, she's pregnant! His determination to marry her and father the unborn child leaves his children furious and puzzled. If he was your dad, how would you react? Would you be suspicious? Would you be angry? Or would it leave you at a loss?

Can you accept such an unusual relationship?

The old man's actions create an uproar in his household and ignite an exp

I Love A-Ai (2011)

Assistant Director

Dear countrymen,
Why war?
Why terror?
Why are you killing?

Change from you or change the world?
For freedom?
For liberation?
Do we have freedom in this free world?

I died many times in each war,
You mourned for me
You prayed for my soul
You lit up the candle for me
I am reborn again
You wished long life for me
but... it is a universal shame.

- Noushad M


Creative Lab (2009)

Intercultural Theatre Institute

On the eve of her wedding, Meg checks into a hotel with her bridesmaids, and mother, for a final night of fun and arrangements. But as she prepares for her dream wedding, the bridesmaids have some secret business to attend to — find out whether they are in suspecting the groom of having an affair!

HAS he been unfaithful already?

And does Meg even want to know?

A seriously funny play about female friendship, the madness of trying to create a perfect wedding day, and the perils of modern love and mar

Secret Bridesmaids' Business (2006)

Critically acclaimed in Los Angeles, the U.K. , Ireland and Austria, The Beckett Project makes its Asian debut this August with performances of four plays by renowned Irish playwright Samuel Beckett.

Joining award-winning American actress Patricia Boyette, the 3rd cohort of TTRP’s graduating actor-students will take on the difficult task of performing this diverse set of late plays by Samuel Beckett.

The Beckett Project will showcase graduating actor-students in Play and Footfalls and Boyette in her a

The Beckett Project (2006)

Theatre Training & Research Programme

At this secret night market, villagers barter their daily wares as they eagerly exchange special tales — offerings intended to save their waning Moon. The latest cleverly crafter software helps them generate more stories, but the Moon continues to pale and the dominant Sun prolongs the days.

Can they rediscover true human spirit, and find the courage to tell the tales that matter?

Traverse the byways of The Secret Souk, an inspiring series of twists and turns in this devised play with a warm, witty an

The Secret Souk (2006)

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Centre 42

No Parking On Odd Days&nbsp;and&nbsp;The Coffin Is Too Big For The Hole&nbsp;are two of late theatre doyen Kuo Pao Kun’s most famous monologues. Both works have been staged in English and Mandarin numerous times since they were written in the mid-1980s. In&nbsp;Dialects &amp; Dialectics, Nelson Chia – the artistic director of Nine Years Theatre – works with actors Hang Qian Chou and Tay Kong Hui to explore the cultural sentiments and grassroots sensibilities of these plays by staging them in Chinese dialect

Hung Chit-Wah

PARTICIPATION IN C42

WORKS DOCUMENTED IN THE ARCHIVE

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