The Vault: Desert Blooms
Rating: R18 (Mature Theme)
By invitation only. Refer to section:" Reserving your Seat" for more information.
Synopsis
After a riveting first staging in 2019, Desert Blooms - The Dawn of Queer Singaporean Theatre by Ng Yi-Sheng makes a triumphant return with a restaging at the Wild Rice Theatre in Funan for one show only. Restaged in conjunction with Centre 42’s 10th Anniversary, Desert Blooms is a lecture-performance that recounts the history of queer and queer-allied voices in Singapore theatre during the tumultuous decade of 1985-1995, showcasing the works of playwrights such as Eleanor Wong, Russell Heng and many more.
Traverse through many firsts portrayed on stage - the first portrayals of a transgender woman’s struggles in “Lest the Demons Get to Me”, the first lesbian protagonist in “Mergers and Accusations” - all of which opened new conversations for queer characters to enter society’s consciousness.
“Queerness first dared to speak its name publicly on stage, and the newspapers—some begrudgingly, some opportunistically—followed suit.”
- Alfian Sa’at, Review of the 2019 staging.
Featuring the talents of Yap Yi Kai, Medli Dorothea Loo, Izzul Irfan and Coco Wang Ling, with renowned theatremaker Tan Shou Chen returning to direct, Desert Blooms is a fascinating and well-researched look at how queer voices bloomed in an era once known as a “cultural desert”. Look back on Singapore’s storied past where arts, politics and society were undergoing a profound transformation, and how it shapes tomorrow’s narratives.
Reserving your Seat
Desert Blooms is being staged as part of Centre 42’s fundraising efforts in conjunction with our 10th anniversary. Donate today and become a Champion of C42, where you will receive invites according to your corresponding tier as illustrated in the picture below. Register via the form here to make your donation and secure your invites!
But that’s not all! Becoming a Champion of C42 also comes with a multitude of other perks, such as Tax Deductions and special acknowledgements on our website! Above all, your donation will help Centre 42 to continue our decade long legacy of resisting cultural amnesia, nurturing the next generation of theatre-makers and investing in local storytelling. Learn more here!
Audience Reviews
Here’s what our audience had to say about the 2019 staging of Desert Blooms:
“Desert Blooms feels almost like a kaleidoscope of a hundred small narratives, tied together by being queer, Singaporean, coming together, to froth at the mouth and creates blossoms out of their suffering.”
- Kiran Bhat, Author
“This play showcases Ng in his element, writing about something deeply and personally felt.”
- Geneieve Hartman, poet
“Very informative, very instructive, loved the intergenerational queer discourse & dialogue”
- Audience Member from the 2019 Staging
“Loved it! Got me thinking about my own memories of & relationships with queer SG theatre as someone who was only born in 1994 so my memories are much more recent. Also very moving and also very campy and fun!”
- Audience Member from the 2019 Staging
Resources
Click below to find out more about the original staging of Desert Blooms, and more information about queer Singapore theatre!
Video Documentation
Video documentation of the 30 June performance of The Vault: Desert Blooms. Video recorded and edited by: Moonrise Studio
Interview with the Director & Cast
We sat down with the director and cast members of Desert Blooms to find out their thoughts about the script, their experience of working on the performance, and their perspectives on queer Singapore theatre. Watch the video below to hear them shed some light on our queer history, talk about their favourite scenes to play, and more!
The Process: Behind the Scenes
Three of the cast members running through the Desert Blooms script with director Tan Shou Chen in the Rehearsal Studio at 42 Waterloo Street on 19 June.
Shou Chen giving notes to the full cast during a rehearsal in the Black Box at 42 Waterloo Street on 20 June.
The cast [from left] Coco Wang Ling, Medli Dorothea Loo, Yap Yi Kai, and Izzul Irfan rehearsing a scene in the Rehearsal Studio at 42 Waterloo Street on 23 June, just a week before the performance opens.
Ng Yi-Sheng, playwright of Desert Blooms, joining the team for a rehearsal on 25 June to see how the restaging is progressing and give his feedback.
The cast and creative team bumping into the Wild Rice theatre on 29 June - all ready to get the show on the road!
The fun-raiser performance on 30 June started with a bang and ended with this moving sequence that paid homage to an iconic moment at Pink Dot 2013. View more photos at Centre 42's Facebook! (Photo Credit: Moonrise Studio)
Acknowledgments
We thank the following organisations, playwrights, and interviewees for their permissions and access to the material featured in The Vault: Desert Blooms.
Alfian Sa'at
Chay Yew
Eleanor Wong
G Selva
Goh Boon Teck
Haresh Sharma
Lim Soon Lan
Michael Chiang
Ong Keng Sen
Otto Fong
Ovidia Yu
Robin Loon
Russell Heng
Tan Tarn How