THE DEATH OF SINGAPORE THEATRE

AS SCRIPTED BY THE INFOCOMM MEDIA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF SINGAPORE
14 – 30 Mar 2024

Wild Rice @ Funan

How did you get this past the censors? Was anything cut? Is censorship stricter today than it used to be?

Theatre-makers in Singapore get asked these questions all the time, since a play cannot be publicly performed here without a script first being sent to the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA).

This means that, before addressing a public audience, the playwright first addresses an IMDA officer. It is this IMDA officer who can approve the performance license for a play, give it a rating, and ultimately decide if it can be staged.

What if this implicit dialogue between playwright and IMDA officer is made explicit, and turned into a performance?

Written with gut-wrenching insight by Alfian Sa’at, The Death of Singapore Theatre as Scripted By the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore is a performance-lecture that traces the history of how theatre has been regulated in Singapore from colonial times to today. It is a chronicle of how moral panic, culture wars, bureaucratic language and political elites have shaped the Singaporean censorship landscape.

Performed as a direct address to an unknown IMDA officer, this darkly hilarious new work reconfigures the faceless encounter between the artist and the censor as a moment of unbearable intimacy.

“You. I know you’re reading this. Who else can it be but you?”

The Death of Singapore Theatre as Scripted By the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore was first performed as part of the Substation’s SeptFest arts festival in 2022.

Duration: approximately 1 hour 15 minutes (with no intermission)
IMDA Advisory 16 (Some Mature Content and Coarse Language)
Recommended for patrons aged 16 and above

For visitor safety information, click here.


TAKE THE SCRIPT HOME WITH YOU

We will be selling the full script of this show for just $20 – pick up a limited-edition copy from our foyer!

Available from 14 to 30 March at Wild Rice @ Funan
Tue – Sun: from 1 hour before showtime

Previews – Thu 14 Mar & Fri 15 Mar, 7:30pm
$30, $40, $55, $65

Tue, Wed & Thu, 7:30pm
$35, $45, $60, $70

Fri, 7:30pm /  Sat, 2:30pm & 7:30pm / Sun, 2:30pm
$40, $50, $65, $75

 

Early Bird: 15% off on Category 1 & 2 tickets (from 8 to 31 January 2024)

As part of Wild Rice’s mission to make theatre accessible to people from all walks of life, we will be presenting the following access performances of The Death of Singapore Theatre as Scripted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore! Please book tickets for the dates below if you require these services during the show.

AUDIO-DESCRIBED PERFORMANCE WITH TOUCH TOUR
23 MAR 2024, 2:30PM (TOUCH TOUR STARTS AT 1:15PM)

This performance is an inclusive theatrical experience featuring audio commentary on the visual elements of the play (interspersed with the actors’ live dialogue) that will be relayed via a headset throughout the show. There will be an accompanying tactile tour of the stage, set and props prior to the performance.

Listen to pre-show notes:

DOWNLOAD PRE-SHOW NOTES
CAPTIONED PERFORMANCES
26 & 27 MAR 2024, 7:30PM

An electronic text display placed near the stage will provide real-time description of what the actors are saying or singing, as well as the sound effects and music used on stage. Please book seats in the Stalls for the best view of the captions.

TALKBACKS

Get closer to the drama in these insightful post-show discussions with the cast and creative team after the show!

17 MAR 2024
21 MAR 2024
24 MAR 2024
28 MAR 2024

If you would like to attend a talkback, we highly recommend booking tickets for the accompanying performances as these dialogues will include spoilers for the show.

Farah Ong

Playwright Alfian Sa’at
Director / Set Designer / Lighting Designer Irfan Kasban
Sound Designer Ferry
Multimedia Designer Lynette Quek
Make-Up Designer Bobbie Ng

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