Fresh off two sold-out, critically acclaimed runs in Singapore, HOTEL will be making its international premiere at the 2017 OzAsia Festival in September.
The highlight of both the 2016 Singapore Theatre Festival and the 2015 Singapore International Festival of Arts, HOTEL was hailed by critics as a “five-star experience” and an “instant classic”.
Directed by Glen Goei and Ivan Heng and written by Alfian Sa’at and Marcia Vanderstraaten, HOTEL will be performed by some of the region’s finest actors.
These include: Brendon Fernandez, Ghafir Akbar, Sharda Harrison, Ivan Heng, Daniel Jenkins, Jo Kukathas, Dwayne Lau, Lee Chee Keng, Moo Siew Keh, Pam Oei, Siti Khalijah Zainal, Julie Wee, Yap Yi Kai and Lina Yu.
Everyone at W!LD RICE is thrilled by the opportunity to take HOTEL overseas. While proudly rooted in Singapore’s history and heritage, the themes at the heart of HOTEL are universal.
In particular, this immersive, multi-generational epic explores notions of empire, nationhood and identity over five hours and in nine languages.
“In creating HOTEL, we asked ourselves what it is that makes a nation, when, at any one time, more than half of the population might not be local-born,” explains Ivan, who is also the Founding Artistic Director of W!LD RICE. “With our sights always set on the future, what are the lessons we can learn from the past?”
It’s particularly fitting that HOTEL’s international premiere will be in Australia. The two countries share a profound bilateral relationship and much common ground – from our history and culture, to our longstanding trade, defence and diplomatic ties.
“Most significantly, we are both immigrant nations that are the result of people arriving from foreign lands,” Ivan observes. “As a consequence, our sense of nationhood and identity are constantly shifting and evolving.”
“Despite its grandeur and epic scale, HOTEL is also an intimate play that explores the human story of our region. We trust that audiences – whether Australian, Singaporean or citizens of the world – will be enriched by the shared experience of pausing to reflect on who we are, and how we came to be.”
