It’s time to haul your saggy butt off the sofa and into a seat (or truck) at this year’s Singapore Arts Festival. By Hidayah Salamat.
Get loaded
Cargo Kuala Lumpur—Singapore by Rimini Protokoll
(Germany)
Ever wondered why cargo truck drivers always seem so glum
and irritable? Slip into their shoes (or Crocs, whatever it is they’re wearing
nowadays) by embarking on a ride in a converted truck through the back streets,
parking areas and warehouses of Singapore, accompanied by an audio commentary by
a real-life truck driver. May 14-Jun 12, 6:30pm, site-specific, starting at
Esplanade Waterfront carpark, $36. Call 6837-9541 for more information.
Play with dolls
Y O’Clock—faifai (Japan)
Set in an afterschool daycare
center, this sensitively crafted piece of theater explores the curious
phenomenon of playacting with toy robots and dolls. Stay afterwards and you can
play with the set. May 19-20, 3pm, 8pm, Drama Centre Black Box, $36.
Got eight hours to spare?
Gatz—Elevator Repair Service (USA)
This unique production
of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby consists of a six-hour verbatim
reading of the classic novel by a cast of 13 set in a small contemporary office.
May 21-23, 2-10pm (includes dinner break and two intermissions), Esplanade
Theatre Studio, $45.
Take your clothes off
In The Mood—The Mobile Sewing Company (The
Netherlands)
Tailoring extraordinaires Karin Arts and Mariken
Biegman will be asking members of the audience to take off their clothes and get
in the mood—the fashion mood, that is. Allow your clothes to be transformed into
original pieces of art on the spot with antique sewing machines powered by two
beautiful classic Dutch bikes. If your clothes are selected, you can pedal a
bike while waiting for your avant-garde outfit to be completed. May 27-30,
6:30-9:30pm, VivoCity (East Boulevard), free.
Stay up late
As part of its After Dark series, the Festival presents two late-night events for all you nocturnal revelers. For storming global beats check out UK’s Nitin Sawhney Sound System— May 29, 10:30pm, Supperclub, $35— or for a multi-sensory event fusing music and visuals, experience the collaboration between Atsuhiro Ito from Japan and Singapore’s own Zai Kuning and “laptop rockstar” The Analog Girl—Jun 5, 10:30pm, Supperclub, $25.
Clown around
The Hood—La Passionata Svironi (Israel/Singapore)
The
audience are invited to put their heads inside seven miniature theaters where
they can be part of a scene with a cast of clown puppets and other miniature
dolls. Jun 4-6, 6:30pm, 8:30pm, VivoCity (Sky Park), free.
Break it down
Street Revolution JAM! (Singapore)
From hot DJs to cool
rappers and breakdance battles, don’t miss this one-night only musical
extravaganza by the Singapore Youth Festival. Jun 5, 8pm, Victoria Theatre,
$12.
Ponder love
Maybe Forever—Meg Stuart / Philipp Gehmacher
(Germany/Belgium)
This piece of dance drama is an opportunity for
the audience to ponder lost loves and the “what-ifs” of past romances.Jun 11-12,
8pm, Drama Centre Theatre, $20-50.
Feel the chill
Cool—Beijing Paper Tiger Theater Studio (China)
This
piece of “cruel theater” explores modern urban China and promises to make you
shiver in your seat. Jun 12-13, 8pm, Esplanade Theatre Studio, $36.
Places to go
Drama Centre Black Box, 3/F National Library, 100 Victoria
St., 6837-8400.
Drama Centre Theatre, 3/F, National Library,
100 Victoria St., 6837-8400.
Esplanade Theatre Studio,
Esplanade—Theatres On the Bay, 1 Esplanade Dr.,
6828-8377.
Supperclub, 331 North Bridge Rd.,
6334-4080.
Victoria Theatre, Victoria Memorial Hall, 11
Empress Place., 6333-0041.
VivoCity (Sky Park), 1
HarbourFront Walk, 6377-6860.
Tickets are from Sistic. For more information, log on to www.singaporeartsfest.com.