W!LD RICE presents Alfian Sa’at – In The Spotlight, a festival dedicated to showcasing the brilliant, witty, heartfelt work of one of Singapore’s finest playwrights.
The aim of W!LD RICE’s In The Spotlight series is to provide audiences with a representative survey of a local playwright’s body of work. More importantly, W!LD RICE hopes to examine how these works relate to one another and to today’s audiences.
W!LD RICE presents three works by our award-winning Resident Playwright, Alfian Sa’at. A highlight of the festival is the premiere of Cook a Pot of Curry, a brand new play that takes a hard look at the hot-button issue of immigration and the effect of changing demographics on Singapore culture.
W!LD RICE will also be staging two exciting revivals of Alfian’s previous works – Dreamplay: Asian Boys Vol. 1, a touchstone in Singapore’s LGBT movement; and The Optic Trilogy, a meditation on love and loss that has made its way to Scandinavia and back.
Recognising that theatre does not begin and end with the rise and fall of the curtain, a series of exciting activities have been planned in and around the Festival. These include a new version of Alfian’s smash-hit play Cooling-Off Day, performed free-of-charge, and workshops that will explore the styles, themes and inspirations running through Alfian’s works.
Join us in the theatre – to laugh, cry, and think about our country, our heritage, our relationships and ourselves, through the prism of Alfian’s sharp, insightful writing.
About the Show
“Regardless of race, language, religion or… place of birth?”
Is the Singapore identity under threat? At the moment, one out of every four Singapore residents was born outside of the country. According to the controversial Population White Paper, by 2030 the number of residents on the island is projected to hit 6.9 million, with 55% born in Singapore.
The influx of immigrants and foreign workers has resulted in a rising tide of anti-foreigner sentiments. They have been blamed for overcrowding on public transport, escalating property prices and wage depression.
There are concerns that some of them are forming their own separate enclaves and have yet to be seamlessly integrated into Singaporean society. There are worries that they might form a docile and grateful vote bank in future elections.
With testimonies assembled from a series of interviews, Cook a Pot of Curry dives headlong into these red-hot issues. The play will be directed by Glen Goei, featuring a six-member ensemble cast comprising some of Singapore’s most versatile actors.
Advisory: 16 years and above (Some Mature Content)
