WILD RICE

Wild Rice @ Funan is the new home for Singapore theatre. We aim to entertain, challenge and inspire!

30/09/2024

"Vaudeville routines, b***y humour, gender-bending musical numbers and cuss jokes in all their multilingual glory..." ๐Ÿ•บ

Thank you so much Shawn Hoo from The Straits Times for joining us for opening weekend and for writing this review! Read the full review below ๐Ÿ‘‡

Accidental Death of an Activist is now open and runs till 19 Oct 2024. Book your tickets here: https://bit.ly/activistdeath-igs

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๐—ง๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜„: ๐—•๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ธ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐˜† ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น ๐——๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ข๐—ณ ๐—”๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜ ๐—ด๐—ฒ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ฎ ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜„๐—ฑ๐˜† ๐—ฆ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด๐—ฎ๐—ฝ๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐—ป

By Shawn Hoo

Accidental Death Of An Activist
Wild Rice
The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre @ Wild Rice
Sept 28, 7.30pm

Vaudeville routines, b***y humour, gender-bending musical numbers and cuss jokes in all their multilingual glory often disguise the dark incident that incites this play: A death penalty activist had just fallen out the window of a police station.

The police claim su***de, but the holes in the story are gaping. Played as a preposterous meta-textual farce, the show satirises bureaucratic cover-up, dirty politics, corruption and everyday authoritarian behaviour.

Rather liberally adapted from Nobel Prize-winning Italian playwright Dario Fo and Franca Rameโ€™s 1970 play Accidental Death Of An Anarchist, Italy is swopped out for a thinly disguised Singapore with characters bearing Italian names.

But the disguise was evidently not convincing enough as the play encountered licensing woes, which led to the cancellation of two preview nights before the run could proceed.

The prologue runs a tongue-in-cheek disclaimer: This play is set in Italy.

Wild Rice also swops out the โ€œanarchistโ€ โ€“ the scapegoats for a 1969 bombing in Milan during a turbulent decade for Italian politics โ€“ for the dirtier โ€œactivistโ€. The tainted word has a transgressive ring in a country that generally frowns upon activism, characterising it as trouble-making or dangerous.

Malaysian playwright Jo Kukathasโ€™ witty and sprightly adaptation creates a composite titular activist from a variety of high-profile cases. It is drenched with allusions to the many faces of activism, from activist Jolovan Wham being charged over a one-man protest with a smiley face sign to the discourse on repealed anti-gay s*x law Section 377A.

An arrested maniac (Ghafir Akbar), known for his impersonation scams, goes out of control in a police station. In a rowdy and comedic set-up, he takes it upon himself to dupe the officials into confessing their responsibility for an activistโ€™s โ€“ the police prefer to say โ€œanarchistโ€ โ€“ accidental death.

Leading man Ghafir takes on this versatile role with much ease and flair, shape-shifting between psychiatrist, forensic scientist, actor and punk. The only role he is less convincing in is as a RuPaul-styled drag queen in a cabaret segment, one of the few parts of the show that could be tightened and less drawn-out.

The maniac is ably accompanied by โ€œactorsโ€ in this little theatre he has created in the police station. The gender-bending physical antics of Inspector Bertozzo (Siti Khalijah Zainal), the naive boyishness of the lackey Constable (Krish Natarajan), an overly emotive and petulant Inspector Pissani (Sugie Phua) and the stern yet gullible Superintendent (Lim Kay Siu) are all sent for a fine spin.

Less certain is the role of the foreign investigative journalist Maria Feletti (Munah Bagharib), who is both the voice of truth and mocked for her privilege. Not quite fleshed out, the character is bogged down by lengthy and overly convoluted lines of questioning that are rarely of interest.

References to the activist โ€œrunning amokโ€ โ€“ a racial form of mental disorder as defined by British colonial doctors in the late 19th century โ€“ in Kukathasโ€™ adaptation give the play a historical dimension. Madness, in this sense, is not natural but seen as a socially constructed pathologisation of certain behaviours.

The play, co-directed by Glen Goei and Kukathas, comes at a time when more Singapore residents agree with the use of the death penalty for the most serious crimes. But there is a growing anti-death penalty movement.

The play does not so much as take sides, but asks if activists should automatically be vilified as suffering from a form of madness. Duped by the maniacโ€™s artful direction, an untransparent system inadvertently owns up to its wrongs. The system, too, slides into and understands its madness.

Is that not a testimony to the role of the artist and theatremaker? The maniac, despite all his ludicrousness, has a role to play.

Book it/Accidental Death Of An Activist
Where: Wild Rice @ Funan, 04-08, 107 North Bridge Road
When: Till Oct 19, 7.30pm (Tuesdays to Saturdays), 2.30pm (weekends)
Admission: From $40
Info: str.sg/odrJr

28/09/2024

Accidental Death of an Activist opens TODAY! ๐ŸŽ‰

We sat down with co-director and script adapter Jo Kukathas for a chat, where she tells us what the show is about, and what you can expect from this hilarious political comedy that runs till 19 October 2024.

Tickets are available now: https://bit.ly/activistdeath-fb

26/09/2024

Writing and staging a play is a risky and challenging process. It takes time and resources to develop a script until it's ready to meet an audience. Laura Hayes shares how Wild Rice has helped her nurture ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž over the years โ€” from when she first wrote it in 2018, to its premiere staging in 2024 at our Studio in Funan.

New & Now is Wild Rice's new initiative to discover and develop the theatre classics of tomorrow. By investing in playwrights like Laura and plays like ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž, we intend to create a pipeline of new works that will move audiences for generations to come.

For more information on how you can help, click here: https://www.wildrice.com.sg/how-you-can-help/new-and-now/. For donations of $5,000 or more, enjoy invitations to get you closer to the drama, including special previews and sneak peeks into our creative and developmental process.

New & Now is proudly supported by the Tote Board Enhanced Fundraising Programme. Donations made between 13 July 2024 and 12 July 2025 will be matched dollar-for-dollar! (More info here: https://www.toteboard.gov.sg/grants/fund-raising-programme)

23/09/2024

We regret to inform you that we must cancel the first two preview performances of Accidental Death of an Activist on 26 and 27 September (Thursday and Friday).

As this is a new adaptation, the licensing process has taken longer than expected. To secure our license to perform, we made careful edits to the script whilst ensuring that the integrity of the play has not been compromised.

The IMDA has since issued us a license of Advisory 16, which recommends that the production is more suited for audiences aged 16 and above. (Please note that this is not a rating; audiences below the age of 16 are not prohibited from attending the show.)

Please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused. We seek your kind understanding that our company needs more time to rehearse the changes so that we can present the best possible production of this world classic.

For affected patrons, please check your email from SISTIC for details on rebooking or getting a refund for your tickets.

Thank you so much for your continued support of Wild Rice and Singapore theatre. We look forward to seeing you at our theatre very soon.

21/09/2024

โ€œ๐™‹๐™–๐™ง๐™ฉ ๐™ค๐™› ๐™ฌ๐™๐™–๐™ฉ ๐™„ ๐™ฌ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™ฉ ๐™ฉ๐™ค ๐™™๐™ค ๐™ฌ๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™ž๐™จ ๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™–๐™ฎ ๐™ž๐™จ ๐™ฉ๐™ค ๐™จ๐™๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™š ๐™– ๐™ก๐™ž๐™œ๐™๐™ฉ ๐™ค๐™ฃ ๐™ฌ๐™๐™–๐™ฉ ๐™ž๐™จ ๐™๐™ž๐™™๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™ž๐™ฃ ๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™–๐™ž๐™ฃ ๐™จ๐™ž๐™œ๐™๐™ฉ, ๐™ฌ๐™๐™–๐™ฉ ๐™ž๐™จ ๐™ง๐™ž๐™œ๐™๐™ฉ ๐™ž๐™ฃ ๐™›๐™ง๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™ฉ ๐™ค๐™› ๐™ช๐™จ, ๐™ฉ๐™๐™–๐™ฉ ๐™ข๐™–๐™ฎ๐™—๐™š ๐™ฌ๐™š ๐™–๐™ง๐™š๐™ฃโ€™๐™ฉ ๐™จ๐™š๐™š๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ.โ€

As we close ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž tomorrow, hereโ€™s a short clip from our interview with playwright Laura Hayes as she talks about the play, and on what inspired her to write it. ๐Ÿ’™

If youโ€™d like to learn more about how to be a supportive bystander when encountering domestic violence or coercive control in relationships, AWARE Singapore is holding an Active Bystander Workshop at our Studio on 27 Sep 2024 from 7pm to 9pm. This workshop is open to all โ€” more details and how to register here: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/aware-presents-an-active-bystander-workshop-tickets-1000560141317

19/09/2024

Featured in The Straits Times today! Thank you so much Charmaine Lim for speaking to Glen and Jo Kukathas. Scroll down to read the full interview! ๐Ÿ‘‡

We open Accidental Death of an Activist in exactly ONE WEEK! Book your tickets here: https://bit.ly/activistdeath-fb

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๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น ๐——๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ข๐—ณ ๐—”๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ฝ๐—ต๐˜†๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐˜† ๐—ฎ๐˜€ โ€˜๐˜€๐˜‚๐—ด๐—ฎ๐—ฟโ€™ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฒ ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ถ๐˜๐˜€ ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ด๐—ฒ
By Charmaine Lim

SINGAPORE โ€“ Award-winning Malaysian theatremaker Jo Kukathas is adapting Italian Nobel literature laureate Dario Foโ€™s Accidental Death Of An Anarchist for the third time.

The 61-year-old first staged the play in Malaysia in 1999, then in 2006. Her third effort will run at Wild Rice from Sept 26 to Oct 19 with a tweaked title: Accidental Death Of An Activist.

Kukathas says: โ€œWeโ€™re trying to look at what an activist does and, in this play, it takes the form of a madman. It questions if people are mad to speak up and put themselves on the line. An activist is someone vocal, but why and what are they being vocal about?โ€

Wild Riceโ€™s founding artistic director Ivan Heng suggested the change to activists as he felt that they were often vilified.

Wild Riceโ€™s co-artistic director Glen Goei, 61, who is co-directing the production with Kukathas, says: โ€œPart of the thing we do at Wild Rice is to look at the classics and not only present them to the Singapore audience, but also reimagine them and sometimes recontextualise them. We try to make it accessible and fresh so that audiences can connect.โ€

The work centres on an activist who falls to his death from the fourth-floor window of a police station and the questions that ensue: Was it an accident or police brutality?

Co-written with his wife Franca Rame, Fo based his 1970 original, Accidental Death Of An Anarchist, on the Piazza Fontana bombing in Milan on Dec 12, 1969. Police attributed the incident to anarchists and arrested a suspect named Giuseppe Pinelli, who fell out of the fourth-storey police station window to his death three days later.

Kukathas says adapting the work for a Singapore audience entailed quite a fair bit of work. โ€œI had to approach this adaptation quite differently. I couldnโ€™t use the same ideas as I did in Malaysia. We had to do a lot of research, talking to activists and listening to their stories to try to understand the context here a bit more. I had to see how I could speak to the Singaporean audience while staying true to the spirit of the Italian play.โ€

Award-winning actor Ghafir Akbar takes on the lead role with familiar faces Munah Bagharib, Lim Kay Siu, Krish Natarajan, Sugie Phua and Siti Khalijah Zainal rounding out the cast.

While the play is still set in Italy, this production takes a more indirect approach.

Goei โ€“ who has been successfully dusting off some classics for Wild Rice, including 2022โ€™s An Inspector Calls โ€“ says: โ€œWeโ€™ve updated it to the current day. Our interpretation is also multilingual, and we have different races represented. But the characters are still Italian, dressed like Italian policemen and having Italian names.โ€

Kukathas observes that the play has withstood the test of time and is a popular choice, especially in countries riven by political strife and where authoritarian regimes are called into question. She cites a Chinese adaptation staged in Beijing in 1998 by director Meng Jinghui.

Kukathas believes the play has a place in Singapore too. โ€œActivism takes different forms. It isnโ€™t necessarily people tearing down buildings. It is actually asking, โ€˜Can I feel for someone who doesnโ€™t have the same rights as I do?โ€™, and driven by the desire for compassionate understanding of other human beings.โ€

Activism can be mislabelled as a desire for political correctness or confused with complain culture. Goei draws a distinct differentiation: โ€œComplaining is often about self-interest and how something affects someone personally. Activism is beyond yourself, affecting others that might be marginalised or disenfranchised.

โ€œWhen you think of what is happening in your community and how it affects your neighbours, that becomes the difference between complaining for personal interest and activism for others.โ€

While the themes sound heavy going, the co-directors employ a lightweight delivery, using physical comedy, much like Buster Keaton and Groucho Marx films, and almost slapstick humour in scenes where the characters discuss important issues.

Kukathas says, with a laugh: โ€œDario Fo has written these very silly comedy gags into the script, which I think is very enjoyable for an audience to come and be tickled by. Mary Poppins says, โ€˜A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go downโ€™, and this is a lot of sugar.โ€

Book it/Accidental Death Of An Activist
Where: Wild Rice @ Funan, 04-08, 107 North Bridge Road
When: Sept 26 to Oct 19, 7.30pm (Tuesdays to Saturdays),
2.30pm (weekends)
Admission: From $40
Info: str.sg/odrJr

19/09/2024

ICYMI: AWARE Singapore is holding an Active Bystander Workshop at Wild Rice's Studio on Fri 27 September!

If you've seen (or are going to see) ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž, this workshop is a really good complement to the show โ€” you'll learn how to recognise & understand signs of coercive control, various types of abuse in relationships, and how to safely step in as a supportive bystander.

This workshop is ticketed and open to all, so please join us if you can! Sign up here: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/aware-presents-an-active-bystander-workshop-tickets-1000560141317

AWARE Singapore presents an ๐—”๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—•๐˜†๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ช๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ฝ
๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Friday, 27 September 2024, 7pm to 9pm
๐Ÿ“ The Studio @ Wild Rice (Level 5)
๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/aware-presents-an-active-bystander-workshop-tickets-1000560141317

Are you concerned about domestic violence but feel unsure or scared to intervene? Our Active Bystander Workshop is designed just for you.

We'll help you understand the signs of power-based violence and coercive control in relationships, and teach you how to safely and effectively step in. You'll learn to recognize unhealthy dynamics and gain the confidence to act as a supportive bystander, making a real difference in preventing harm.

Join us to empower yourself with the tools and knowledge you need to help those in need, while keeping yourself safe.

๐——๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ: This workshop will include discussions on various types of abuse. A designated safety person will be present to provide support for participants who may be affected by the content. Participants are welcome to take breaks at any point during the workshop as needed.

๐—™๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜€:
Annette Shoba Vincent, PhD
Izzaty Ishak, Senior Executive of SPACE

Sign up now: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/aware-presents-an-active-bystander-workshop-tickets-1000560141317

Photos from WILD RICE's post 17/09/2024

Some photos from a very special night at ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž with our pioneering batch of New & Now donors & supporters! ๐ŸŒŠ

Weโ€™re deeply grateful for their contributions to this initiative, which champions new and original writing for the Singapore stage. Thanks to their generosity, ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž was made possible as the first production supported by New & Now. ๐Ÿ’™

If you are able to, please support New & Now and help Wild Rice discover and develop the theatre classics of tomorrow! For donations of $5,000 or more, enjoy invitations to get you closer to the drama, including special previews and sneak peeks into our creative and developmental process. Click here: https://www.wildrice.com.sg/how-you-can-help/new-and-now/

New & Now is proudly supported by the Tote Board Enhanced Fundraising Programme. Donations made between 13 July 2024 and 12 July 2025 will be matched dollar-for-dollar. More info can be found here: https://www.toteboard.gov.sg/grants/fund-raising-programme

F1 road closures in Marina Centre, Padang from Sept 18-24; extended train services on race days 17/09/2024

๐Ÿšจ It's F1 season again! This means that roads will be closed around Funan from 18 to 24 September. Folks joining us at ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž, please take note!

Heavy traffic is expected in the area. We highly recommend arriving at Funan early, planning alternative routes, and taking the MRT instead of driving/taxis/bus. There will also be limited parking spots available.

To avoid the road closures, the best way to get to Funan is the underground pedestrian link that connects Funan Basement 2 and City Hall MRT! From City Hall MRT, take Exit D and walk through Capitol, follow the signs that say "Funan" and you'll cut right through.

More details here: https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/f1-road-closures-in-marina-centre-padang-from-sept-18-to-24-extended-train-services-on-race-days

F1 road closures in Marina Centre, Padang from Sept 18-24; extended train services on race days The Formula One night race will be in town from Sept 20 to 22. Read more at straitstimes.com.

Photos from WILD RICE's post 16/09/2024

T-10 days till we open ๐€๐œ๐œ๐ข๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ก ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐š๐ง ๐€๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ!! ๐Ÿฅณ

This incredible team is all fired up and ready to bring this wacky, wickedly funny political farce to the stage and we cannot wait to see you in the theatre very soon! ๐Ÿ‘‹

๐€๐œ๐œ๐ข๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ก ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐š๐ง ๐€๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ runs from 26 September to 19 October 2024. Please book your tickets EARLY to avoid disappointment! Click here: https://bit.ly/activistdeath-fb

14/09/2024

We have our first-ever e-book!!! ๐Ÿฅน

We sold out our limited edition print run of the book last year, and many of you requested for an e-book version. So here it is! ๐ŸŽ‰

The HOTEL script by Alfian Sa'at & Marcia Vanderstraaten is now available for purchase at all major online e-book retailers: Amazon, Apple Books, Google Books, Kobo, Barnes and Noble.

Huge thanks to our publishers at Pagesetters for making this happen. Click here to get a copy from your preferred service: https://pagesetters.sg/hotel/

13/09/2024

Weโ€™re so excited to introduce New & Now, a new initiative at Wild Rice dedicated to developing new and original writing for the Singapore stage in a structured, sustainable way. ๐ŸŽญ

We are so grateful to the pioneering batch of New & Now donors, who provided the seed funding when we soft-launched the initiative earlier this year. Because of their generosity, we were able to present Dive โ€” a new play by Laura Hayes, and the first production supported by New & Now. ๐ŸŒŠ

New plays are the lifeblood of our theatre industry, but they need time and a safe, nurturing environment to grow. New & Now will help us provide resources, guidance, and a platform for these playwrights to create a pipeline of exciting new shows for audiences in Singapore, and generations to come.

Support New & Now and help Wild Rice discover and develop the theatre classics of tomorrow! For donations of $5,000 or more, enjoy invitations to get you closer to the drama, including special previews and sneak peeks into our creative and developmental process. Click here: https://www.wildrice.com.sg/how-you-can-help/new-and-now/

New & Now is proudly supported by the Tote Board Enhanced Fundraising Programme. Donations made between 13 July 2024 and 12 July 2025 will be matched dollar-for-dollar. (More info here: https://www.toteboard.gov.sg/grants/fund-raising-programme)

Theatre review: Smartly directed Dive plunges head-first into an abusive relationship 09/09/2024

"๐™๐™๐™š๐™ง๐™š ๐™ž๐™จ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™จ๐™ฌ๐™š๐™–๐™ง๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ, ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™๐™ช๐™ง๐™ก๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™ค๐™› ๐™œ๐™ก๐™–๐™จ๐™จ ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐™ข๐™ช๐™˜๐™ ๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š๐™–๐™™๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ. ๐™Š๐™ฃ๐™š ๐™ž๐™จ ๐™ฌ๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™ฉ ๐™ฉ๐™ค ๐™ฌ๐™–๐™ก๐™  ๐™ค๐™ช๐™ฉ ๐™ค๐™› ๐™ฉ๐™๐™ž๐™จ ๐™ฌ๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ ๐™– ๐™ง๐™š๐™ฃ๐™š๐™ฌ๐™š๐™™ ๐™ง๐™š๐™จ๐™ค๐™ก๐™ช๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ ๐™ฉ๐™ค ๐™—๐™š ๐™ข๐™ช๐™˜๐™, ๐™ข๐™ช๐™˜๐™ ๐™ ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™™๐™š๐™ง ๐™ฉ๐™ค ๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™šโ€™๐™จ ๐™ก๐™ค๐™ซ๐™š๐™™ ๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™š๐™จ."

Thank you so much Clement & The Straits Times for this thoughtful, sensitive review of Dive. ๐Ÿ’™ Read the full story below ๐Ÿ‘‡

Dive runs till 22 September and we have very limited seats left - several shows are sold out. Tickets are available here: https://bit.ly/wrdive-fb

โ€”โ€”โ€”

๐“๐ก๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ซ๐ž ๐ซ๐ž๐ฏ๐ข๐ž๐ฐ: ๐’๐ฆ๐š๐ซ๐ญ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ข๐ซ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ž๐ ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ก๐ž๐š๐-๐Ÿ๐ข๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐š๐ง ๐š๐›๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐ซ๐ž๐ฅ๐š๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ฉ
By Clement Yong

Dive

Wild Rice
The Studio @ Wild Rice
Sept 7, 7.30pm

There are echoes of David Nichollsโ€™ One Day and Colleen Hooverโ€™s It Ends With Us in this four-hander that tracks the progress of an abusive relationship over decades, intelligently directed by Sim Yan Ying and powerfully acted by Irsyad Dawood, Jean Ng, Ebi Shankara and Ellison Tan.

Different in age and gender, the quartet splits up into pairs for each scene, each duo one-half of a relationship between a doctor and lawyer, whose lives each year the audience sees in increasingly discomfiting episodes.

Two characters multiplied into four voices, they give a multi-perspective depth to the coupleโ€™s interactions and conflicts. Their voices commingle: sometimes two people act out a characterโ€™s facade and subconscious at the same time, or a characterโ€™s present morose sulking and his recent stalking violence.

It sounds confusing โ€“ and in the beginning, the role-switching requires close attention. But it is a mechanism that also lends a freshness and theatricality to an ultimately linear story, the different combinations of actors helping the audience visualise love in all forms and giving their exchanges a universality.

Abusive relationships, fired by familiar anxieties and self-doubt, very easily take on the sheen of normality and may even contain a kernel of love. May all who have experienced anything similar find sympathy in this portrayal and take courage in its sensitive denouement.

The playwright for Dive is Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts educator Laura Hayes, making her Wild Rice debut.

Hers is writing that is comfortable with poetic dreamscape interludes, which Sim interprets with some effective contemporary dance movements, including a loving tussle that proves just a turn away from disaster. Beginning with a meet-cute at a swimming pool, it transits to an art gallery, a white tablecloth restaurant, a party yacht โ€“ scenes of heteros*xual romance over generations โ€“ before the inevitable retreat into the shadowy home.

A case can be made that the escalation is unsubtle and dramatic, maybe too quick and without warning. It is no spoiler to say that the man is the abuser, but some of his toxic outbursts could have been allowed to more gradually filter in, the gaslit woman offering more resistance โ€“ and bad behaviour โ€“ before the surrender.

Still the wholehearted and ultimately convincing chemistry among the actors makes up for this choice, and it helps that Hayesโ€™ lines have a natural rhythm that flows into one another. Elizabeth Makโ€™s in the round set, with reflective surfaces above, keeps it claustrophobic and is bare enough to not overwhelm.

There is the swearing, the hurling of glass and much pleading. One is wont to walk out of this with a renewed resolution to be much, much kinder to oneโ€™s loved ones.

https://www.straitstimes.com/life/arts/theatre-review-smartly-directed-dive-plunges-head-first-into-an-abusive-relationship

Book It/Dive
Where: The Studio, Wild Rice @ Funan
When: Till Sept 22, Tuesdays to Fridays, 7.30pm; Saturdays and Sundays, 2.30 and 7.30pm
Admission: $40
Info: str.sg/64Za

Theatre review: Smartly directed Dive plunges head-first into an abusive relationship Laura Haynes' script tracks a lawyer and a doctor's relationship over decades. Read more at straitstimes.com.

The Icons: How Wild Rice's Ivan Heng and Alfian Sa'at revolutionise the local theatre landscape 06/09/2024

Thank you so much ICON Magazine Singapore for featuring Ivan Heng & Alfian Sa'at in this gorgeous interview! โค๏ธ

Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ayn74vpwchU

Read the article: https://www.iconsingapore.com/video/people/the-icons-wild-rice-ivan-heng-and-alfian-saat-theatre/

The Icons: How Wild Rice's Ivan Heng and Alfian Sa'at revolutionise the local theatre landscape ้‡Ž็ฑณๅ‰งๅœบ(Wild Rice)่‰บๆœฏๆ€ป็›‘็Ž‹็ˆฑไป(Ivan Heng)ๅ’Œๅฐ่ฏดๅฎถๅ…ผๅ‰งไฝœๅฎถ้˜ฟ่ฒ่จ€(Alfian Saโ€™at)ๆทฑ่€•ๆœฌๅœฐๅ‰งๅœบ25ๅนด๏ผŒๅˆ›ไฝœ่ฎธๅคšไปคไบบๅฐ่ฑกๆทฑๅˆปไธ”ๅผ•ไบบๆทฑๆ€็š„ไฝœๅ“ใ€‚ไป–ไปฌๅฆ‚ไฝ•ๆŒ‘ๆˆ˜็ฐ่‰ฒๅœฐๅธฆ๏ผŒ้€่ฟ‡ๆˆๅ‰งๆŽข่ฎจ็คพไผš้—ฎ้ข˜๏ผŒๅผ•่ตทๅๆ€ใ€‚

Photos from WILD RICE's post 04/09/2024

๐—–๐—ผ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—น: ๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐—”๐—ฏ๐˜‚๐˜€๐—ฒ ๐—›๐—ถ๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฃ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฆ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ (๐—ฃ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—น ๐——๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐˜‚๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป)
๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Sunday 15 Sep 2024, 4:30pm to 5:30pm
๐Ÿ“ The Studio @ Wild Rice Level 5
๐Ÿ‘‰ Open via pre-registration to ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ticket-holders: https://bit.ly/DivePanel15Sep

Have you heard of coercive control? This subtle yet devastating form of abuse has recently been raised in our national conversation, especially following last yearโ€™s parliamentary debates on family violence.

Inspired by some of the themes in Wild Riceโ€™s production of ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž by Laura Hayes, our expert panel delves into the complexities of coercive control โ€” what it is, how it silently invades lives, the experiences of victim-survivors, and what you can do as a bystander. Weโ€™ll also examine the legal protections in place and the resources available for those affected. Donโ€™t miss this discussion โ€” your awareness could make a difference.

๐—ข๐—ป ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฝ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฒ๐—น: Devika Panicker (Advocate for Sexual Assault Survivors), Sim Yan Ying โ€œYYโ€ (Director), Sugidha Nithiananthan (AWARE Singapore), Joel Tan (Moderator)

This event is open via pre-registration to ticket-holders for ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž. For admission, we will ask for your name and to present a ticket for ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž (any dates) at the door. Register via the Google Form here: https://bit.ly/DivePanel15Sep

If you'd like to get tickets to ๐ƒ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž, you can book yours here: https://bit.ly/wrdive-fb

Photos from WILD RICE's post 02/09/2024

Rehearsals have begun for ๐€๐œ๐œ๐ข๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ก ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐š๐ง ๐€๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ! ๐Ÿคธโ€โ™‚๏ธ

Sharing some photos from our first day at work! Award-winning theatre-maker Jo Kukathas has written a fresh adaptation of Italyโ€™s most performed political farces. She co-directs this wildly entertaining, laugh-out-loud funny play with Glen Goei โ€” itโ€™s one not to miss this September ๐ŸŒŸ

๐Ÿชง ๐€๐œ๐œ๐ข๐๐ž๐ง๐ญ๐š๐ฅ ๐ƒ๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ก ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐š๐ง ๐€๐œ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ฌ๐ญ runs from 26 September to 19 October 2024. Book your tickets now at https://bit.ly/activistdeath-fb

Photos from WILD RICE's post 01/09/2024

โ€œ๐˜ฟ๐™ž ๐™ข๐™–๐™ฃ๐™– ๐™—๐™ช๐™ข๐™ž ๐™™๐™ž๐™ฅ๐™ž๐™Ÿ๐™–๐™ , ๐™™๐™ž ๐™จ๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ช ๐™ก๐™–๐™ฃ๐™œ๐™ž๐™ฉ ๐™™๐™ž๐™Ÿ๐™ช๐™ฃ๐™Ÿ๐™ช๐™ฃ๐™œ.
๐™’๐™๐™š๐™ง๐™š๐™ซ๐™š๐™ง ๐™ฎ๐™ค๐™ช๐™ง ๐™›๐™š๐™š๐™ฉ ๐™ฉ๐™ค๐™ช๐™˜๐™ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™š๐™–๐™ง๐™ฉ๐™, ๐™ฉ๐™๐™–๐™ฉ ๐™ž๐™จ ๐™ฌ๐™๐™š๐™ง๐™š ๐™ฎ๐™ค๐™ช ๐™๐™ค๐™ก๐™™ ๐™ช๐™ฅ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐™จ๐™ ๐™ฎ." โ€“ Zubir Said

Thank you so much to everyone for joining us for our final season of ๐ƒ๐จ๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐‚๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐‡๐ข๐ฆ ๐Œ๐ซ. ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ข ๐Š๐ข๐ญ๐š these last four weeks! We are so grateful that we got to share Pak Zubirโ€™s beautiful music and story with all of you. Julianโ€™s personal connection to his teacherโ€™s teacher moved us all to tears โ€“ thank you so much Julian for sharing your heart, and for bringing this story to us. โค๏ธ

To quote our director Ivan Heng, โ€œ๐ƒ๐จ๐งโ€™๐ญ ๐‚๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐‡๐ข๐ฆ ๐Œ๐ซ. ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ข ๐Š๐ข๐ญ๐š is greater than the sum of all its parts and the best it has ever been... It is an extraordinary Singaporean story: one that honours and celebrates our history, our heritage, our music and our teachers. A story that illuminates our identity, and inspires us to reflect on what it truly means to love oneโ€™s country.โ€

We must never forget Pak Zubirโ€™s story. Thank you, and please keep the spirit of Semoga Bahagia alive. โ€œItโ€™s a manifesto for life.โ€ May you be happy, and may you be blessed โœจ

Thank you once again to our presenting sponsor for your generosity and for supporting this production. ๐Ÿ’ซ

If youโ€™d like to listen to the Zubir Said Songbook, the album is streaming on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/2dbSAYiGLbWYPUqOlsVvAW?si=jRMl5eKITlu8f2dmxpQS5g

You can also find the complete song lyrics with English translations here: https://www.wildrice.com.sg/dont-call-him-mr-mari-kita-lyrics/

01/09/2024

When we say "It takes a village to stage a production", we really mean it! ๐Ÿฅน

Sharing Julian's incredible thank you speech from our final show at Don't Call Him Mr. Mari Kita last night. A production like this is only possible because of the sheer amount of people working tirelessly not just on stage, but backstage, in the office, in the bump-ins and bump-outs, and the organisations, companies, and individuals who have stepped up and supported us.

We are so grateful to each and every one of you. THANK YOU! ๐Ÿ™

30/08/2024

Happy Teachers' Day to all our amazing educators out there! Sharing this beautiful video from Julian Wong, where he talks about the two incredible teachers who had a profound impact on his life. ๐Ÿฅน

They both truly exemplify the spirit of Semoga Bahagia. Don't Call Him Mr. Mari Kita has always been a tribute not just to Zubir Said, but to all the teachers who have made a difference in our lives. โค๏ธ

Read Julian's post here:

"Happy Teachersโ€™ Day! Last Saturdayโ€™s show was extra special as I had the chance to acknowledge two remarkable women who shaped my life: Ms. Sylvia Khoo, my very first music teacher ๐ŸŽป, and Ms. Nabilah Rahim, my Primary 5 form teacher. ๐Ÿ“š

I gave them both so much grief when I was a child. Sometimes, Aunty Sylvia would dismiss me from class before I even took out my violin: โ€œif you donโ€™t know how to show some respect, donโ€™t bother playing a note.โ€ Her tough love still resonates with me. During the show, she nodded and smiled when I talked about knuckles being caned and ears being pulled ๐Ÿ˜‚

As an impudent child, I drove Ms. Nabilah โ€” then fresh out of NIE โ€” to tears. She punished me by sending me for a semester-long detention under her supervision. That was a turning point. I saw that she just wanted to understand me. When she found out I loved music, she made me perform in school and took me to watch Fantasia 2000. I realised that she was a person with feelings โ€” just like me โ€” and from then on, I promised to treat my teachers with respect and kindness.

Iโ€™m grateful I learned that lesson when I was 11. Itโ€™s one of the hardest things for us to learn โ€” our teachers are human, too. So many students leave school without ever understanding that.

In a beautiful coincidence, both Sylvia and Nabilah attended the same show, and both sat in the first row! Seeing their beaming faces filled me with joy and deep gratitude. I hope they felt proud, knowing their efforts paid off โ€” after so many years, I think this boy turned out okay!

Happy Teachersโ€™ Day to all our amazing educators! ๐Ÿ‘ฉ๐Ÿปโ€๐Ÿซ๐ŸŽป๐Ÿ“šโ™ฅ๏ธ"

๐Ÿ“ฝ๏ธ: Thank you .ejz, & !

โ€” Julian Wong

30/08/2024

AWARE Singapore presents an ๐—”๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—•๐˜†๐˜€๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—ช๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐—ธ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ฝ
๐Ÿ—“๏ธ Friday, 27 September 2024, 7pm to 9pm
๐Ÿ“ The Studio @ Wild Rice (Level 5)
๐ŸŽŸ๏ธ Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/aware-presents-an-active-bystander-workshop-tickets-1000560141317

Are you concerned about domestic violence but feel unsure or scared to intervene? Our Active Bystander Workshop is designed just for you.

We'll help you understand the signs of power-based violence and coercive control in relationships, and teach you how to safely and effectively step in. You'll learn to recognize unhealthy dynamics and gain the confidence to act as a supportive bystander, making a real difference in preventing harm.

Join us to empower yourself with the tools and knowledge you need to help those in need, while keeping yourself safe.

๐——๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฐ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ: This workshop will include discussions on various types of abuse. A designated safety person will be present to provide support for participants who may be affected by the content. Participants are welcome to take breaks at any point during the workshop as needed.

๐—™๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฟ๐˜€:
Annette Shoba Vincent, PhD
Izzaty Ishak, Senior Executive of SPACE

Sign up now: https://www.eventbrite.sg/e/aware-presents-an-active-bystander-workshop-tickets-1000560141317

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Videos (show all)

Jo Kukathas on writing & directing Accidental Death of an Activist | Runs till 19 Oct 2024
Laura Hayes on the process of getting Dive staged | Wild Rice's New & Now
Laura Hayes on Dive
Developing The Theatre Classics of Tomorrow | Wild Rice's New & Now
Semoga Bahagia (May You Be Happy & Blessed)From the final performance of Donโ€™t Call Him Mr. Mari Kita31 August 2024
Julian Wong's Thank You Speech | Don't Call Him Mr. Mari Kita
Don't Call Him Mr. Mari Kita: Julian's Teachers

Category

Address


107 North Bridge Road, #04-08, Funan
Singapore
179105

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