ANNEX 1
SINGAPORE ARTS FESTIVAL 2008
23 MAY—22 JUNE 2008
*Accurate at time of release
DANCE
Amjad
La La La Human Steps (Canada)
Asian Premiere
Led by acclaimed Canadian choreographer, Édouard Lock, La La La Human Steps is one of the most recognized dance companies in the world. Drawing inspirations from notable ballets SwanLake and Sleeping Beauty, Amjad marries poetry, tradition and modernity in seamless beauty that lovers of contemporary dance shouldnot miss!
“Absolutely sumptuous…each tableau is a little gem” - Radio Canada
6 - 7 June, 8pm ∙ $35, $55, $75, $95, $110, $130
Esplanade Theatre
The Architecture of Silence
Slovene National Theatres Opera & Ballet Maribor and Ljubljana/ Singapore Festival Orchestra (Slovenia/ Singapore)
Asian Premiere
A spectacular musical and visual performance thatexplores the universal theme of the relationship between man and woman,this monumental production by award-winning choreographer Edward Clug weaves Mozart’s Requiem in D minor KV 626 and contemporary Polish composer Priesners’s Requiem for My Friend into a powerful art of movement.
“…a deeply moving experience.”- Dance Europe
29 -31 May, 8pm ∙ $35, $55, $75, $95, $110, $130
Esplanade Theatre
Radio and Juliet
Slovene National Theatre Maribor (Slovenia)
Asian Premiere
In Radio and Juliet, choreographer Edward Clug unites Shakespeare’s most famous story of all times with one of UK’s foremost rock bands, Radiohead, in his characteristic sharp movements. Taking a different angle to the traditional plot, Clug reveals an utterly amazing body language in this intimate re-play of the eternal love story.
“…Radio and Juliet has an abundance of fine dance and distils the essence of the tale in a direct and uncompromising manner. It deserves to be more widely seen. – Dance Europe
3 June, 8pm∙ $35, $45, $65, $85, $105
Esplanade Theatre
Myth
Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui(Belgium)
Asian Premiere
Since 2000, Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui has become a phenomenon in the world of dance. InMyth, Cherkaoui creates a pictorial encyclopaedia of myths and archetypes brought to life with strong movements and beautiful early music by the Micrologus Ensemble. In the exploration of how an incident can mark a person forever, Myth proves to be a remarkable work by Cherkaoui at his best!
“Cherkaoui takes a dash of acrobatics and adds a touch of Eastern martial arts, jazz ballet and modern dance and comes up with a cocktail of amusing, intriguing and stunning images.”- De Morgen
20 – 21 June, 8pm∙ $35, $45, $65, $85
Esplanade Theatre
Advisory : Some coarse language
(Available for booking from 1 Mar)
Continuum
Singapore Dance Theatre (Singapore)
Asian Premiere
From a triple bill of Asian choreography in the SingaporeArts Festival 2006, Singapore Dance Theatre continues to scale new heights in a triple bill of European and American choreographic work by reputable dance-makers David Dawson (UK), Jorma Elo (Finland), and Graham Lustig (USA), Continuumpromises to wow the audience with its artistic sophistication and pizzazz.
13 - 14 June, 8pm∙ $30, $40, $50, $60, $80
Esplanade Theatre
no direction
Nibroll (Japan)
With choreography, music, lighting, video and fashion sharing an equal footing, Nibroll creates interdisciplinary works that challenge social conventions. With the aim of exploring a new field not confined to dance, no direction sharplydescribes today’s miscommunication which sometimes results in discord, friction, conflicts and loss of direction…
4 - 5 June, 8pm∙ $25, $35, $45, $55
VictoriaTheatre
Ah Q
Dance TheatreON(South Korea)
Since its establishment in 1993, Dance TheatreON has garnered rave reviews and an international reputation from numerous dance festivals. Although inspired by Lu Xun’s novel, Ah Qwill not replicate the novel as it was written. With a strong foundation in classical ballet, contemporary dance and zen style, Ah Q focuses on the global theme of ignorance in well-defined movements and a charming visual artistry.
“Dance TheatreON demonstrates what a true dance group is supposed to be. Its movements are highly unique and exquisite” - Lyon Figaro
18 - 19 June, 8pm∙ $25, $35, $45, $55
VictoriaTheatre
Forward Moves (Singapore)
New Commission
Featuring three promising female choreographers Ebelle Chong, Neo Hong Chin and Joavien Ng, Forward Moves continues to be a significant platform for Singapore’s emergent dance makers to stage their choreographic debut in the Festival.
7 – 8 June, 8pm ∙ $35
Esplanade Theatre Studio
THEATRE
For All the Wrong Reasons
Victoria/ Contact (Belgium / UK)
Asian Premiere
Six different people meet on stage and share their personal stories. Control versus chaos, For All The Wrong Reasons looks at all kinds of ‘stupid’ things and translates the absurdity of life – the clichés and details of humanity - as only Lies Pauwels, one of the Europe’s emerging directors, knows how.
“The success of the piece lies in its mix of emotional openness and ambiguity… spectacularly silly and touchingly simple.” -The Guardian
30 May – 1 June, 8pm∙ $38
Esplanade Theatre Studio
Advisory: Some coarse language and intimate scenes
small metal objects
Back to Back Theatre (Australia)
Back to Back Theatre’s ingenious and highly lauded theatrical gem is set against the shifting backdrop of the city at peak hour. The notion that everything has its price could not be called into starker relief.Absolutely unforgettable and unlike any other performance, small metal objects is a must-see production. This is one theatrical experience you will never forget!
“small metal objects turns the notion of theatre and the everyday inside out. It is a pure, open-hearted, complex and breathtaking production and a unique meditation on human worth” - Sydney Morning Herald
14 – 15 June, 17 – 18 June ∙ $32
Venue and time to be confirmed
Advisory: Some coarse language
(Available for booking from 1 Mar)
Class Enemy
East West Theater Company(BosniaHerzegovina)
Asian Premiere
In Sarajevo, the pupils come to school often with knives, police is often involved, and rude behaviour during classes is not uncommon. The social picture is miserable; the atmosphere of desperation and hopelessness is prevalent. Haris Pašović’s adaptation of Nigel Williams’ play on school bullying and delinquency unnervingly reveals the level of violence and general disillusionment of the world today. From a generation of actors whose childhood schooldays were disrupted by the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia, this play is a battlecry for change.
"Passionate, shocking, awakening!" - Oslobođenje, Sarajevo
18 – 20 June, 8pm∙ $38
Esplanade Theatre Studio
Performed in Bosnianwith English surtitles
Rated NC-16
Drift
Drama Box (Singapore)
Shanghai Dramatic Arts Centre (China)
One of Singapore foremost Chinese theatre company, Drama Box returns to the Festival with Drift- A tale of two cities that spans across three generations where cultures are memories are contested in the speed of modernisation.
Directed by Kok Heng Leunand written by well-known Chinese playwright Nick Yu, Drift is a landmark collaboration between Drama Box and ShanghaiDramaticArtsCenter featuring a stellar cast including Zhou Yemang and Lim Kay Siu in a tale best understood when watched with the heart.
5 – 7 June, 8pm∙ $28, $40, $50, $60
Drama Centre Theatre
Performed in Mandarin with English surtitles
Advisory : Mature theme
Co-commissioned for Singapore Season in China 2007 and Singapore Arts Festival 2008.
The King Lear Project:
Part I Lear Enters (12 Jun)
Part II: Dover Cliff and the Conditions of Representation (13 Jun)
Part III: The Lear Universe (13 Jun)
Ho Tzu Nyen / Fran Borgia (Singapore)
New Commission
Taking the form of a non-repeatable trilogy played over three days, The King Lear Project is conceived and written by Singapore artist Ho Tzu Nyen as an unique experiment in unearthing the power of Shakespeare's greatest tragedy. This is a singular theatrical experience that will take audiences on a hallucinatory journey through the processes of auditioning, rehearsing and the filming of a play that never ends, because it has never truly begun.
Featuring some of Singapore's most exciting actors and designers, The King Lear Project is jointly directed by Ho Tzu Nyen and film director Fran Borgia.
Be prepared to stretch your limits on what it means to make theatre and to be theatrical.
12 -14 June, 8pm∙ $25, $30, $40, $50
Drama Centre Theatre
Temple
Cake Theatrical Productions (Singapore)
New Commission
In a mythological universe, the world is at odds. Seven people find refuge in a sports hall. They bolt the doors, create rules and pursue normalcy. One day they awake to find the doors open. All swear innocence. Temple is an exploration of integrity and redemption in a broken world.
19 – 20 June, 8pm∙ $25, $30, $40, $50
Drama Centre Theatre
Full Frontal (Singapore)
New Commission
A platform to uncover Singapore’s next generation of directors, Full Frontal features emerging theatre director ZiZi Azah, who revisitsEugener’s Ionesco’s Rhinoceros and
breathes fresh perspective into it, posing the age old questions of self versus society, and whether to “rhinoceros or not to rhinoceros!".
12 -13 June, 8pm∙ $28
Esplanade Theatre Studio
Nine HillsOneValley
Chorus Repertory Theatre of Manipur(India)
A mystical land comprising nine concentric ranges of hills encircling a valley, a paradise that exists in a secluded corner of the earth. Directed by one of the most important theatre makers in the international scene today, Ratan Thiyam takes us on a journey to seek the answer to the question: where do people stand when their cultural traditions are lost?
7- 8 June, 8pm∙ $25, $35, $45, $55
VictoriaTheatre
Performed in Manipuri (Meitei) with English surtitles
MUSIC
The Lord of the Rings Symphony:
Six Movements for Orchestra, Chorus and Soloists
Singapore Festival Orchestra/ Chorus of the Slovene National Theatres Maribor and Ljubljana / Singapore Lyric Opera Children’s Choir
Drawn from the nearly 12 hours of music for the phenomenally successful film trilogy composed by multi-award winning composer Howard Shore,The Lord of the Rings Symphony will be staged by a musical force of more than 200 performers, accompanied by original illustrations and storyboard sketches by renowned Tolkien artists John Howe and Alan Lee, which inspired the majestic imagery of the film. An unique multimedia concert experience not to be missed.
". . . flawless . . . breathtaking…. a real sonic spectacle." - The Herald
5 - 6 June, 7.30pm∙ $35, $45, $65, $85, $110, $140, $150
Esplanade Concert Hall
QNG – Quartet New Generation (Germany)
Recorder Collective
Hailed as “Four Recorder Virtuosos” by The New York Times, QNG—Quartet New Generation will mesmerize audiences with its innovative programmes that juxtapose contemporary and early music, presented with a dynamic and often theatrical stage presence. Performing on up to 20 different recorders of varying sizes and shapes, the quartet transports the listener into new sonic worlds whichaffirms the recorder’s viability as a modern classical instrument.
“The playing was brilliant... a concert experience that is both musically significant and entertaining ...” - The American Recorder Magazine
17 - 18 June, 8pm ∙ $25, $35, $45, $55
Jubilee Hall
Sonos ‘E Memoria (Italy)
Asian Premiere
12 Sardinian musicians - led by Italian jazz luminary Paolo Fresu and queen of Sardinian folk music singer Elena Ledda with a polyphonic choir - give new life and insight into aforgotten island identity. Accompanied by the film of Gianfranco Cabiddu on Sardinian life from the ‘20s to the ‘50s, this is an emotional musical journey that illuminates the pride of a people, its culture and its roots.
31 May - 1 June, 8pm ∙ $25, $35, $45, $55
Drama Centre
Spiritual Sounds of Central Asia:Nomads, Mystics and Troubadours
Alim & Fargana Qasimov (Azerbaijan), Tengir-Too (Kyrgyzstan) &
Bardic Divas (Kazakhstan)
Spiritual Sounds of Central Asia: Nomads, Mystics and Troubadours featuresa panoramic range of vocal and instrumental music from some of Central Asia’s best performers - the legendary Azerbaijan vocalist Alim Qasimov, whom Le Monde hailed as “one of the most beautiful voices of our era,” and his daughter Fargana; Bardic DivasfromKazakhstanwho will demonstrate the power and beauty of the female voice; and Tengir-Too, a new ensemble that plays old music in an innovative resurrection of the mountain music of Kyrgyzstan.
10 - 11 June, 8pm∙ $20, $30, $40, $50
Jubilee Hall
London Sinfonietta (UK)
With a reputation built on the virtuosity of its performances and ambitious programming, the London Sinfonietta collaborates with artists from the underground electronica label WARP records to present a night of eclectic mix of music from Warp and 20th Century Masters, accompanied by stunning visuals. The second performance includes an evening of modern classics with music by Stravinsky, Varese and Adams, among others.
“Britain's premier contemporary music ensemble.” - The New York Times
“One of the wonders of modern music.” - The Sunday Times
20 - 21 June, 7.30pm∙ $28, $35, $45, $55, $70
Esplanade Concert Hall
Awaking
A new production by TheatreWorks / Ong Keng Sen with Qu Xiao Song, Singapore Chinese Orchestra and Musicians of the Globe (Singapore / China / UK)
World Premiere
Directed by Ong Keng Sen, this lyrical and dramatic concert celebrates the meaning of Love - the physical, the spiritual, the metaphysical, and the transcendental. Drawing from the refined kunqu operamusic and songs from Tang Xianzu’s The Peony Pavilion, and Elizabethan music from Shakespeare's Hamlet and Othello, the work is enveloped by the new music of one of China’s most accomplished composers Qu Xiao Song. With his highly innovative performance language, Ong creates a cosmos of love explored by two masterful playwrights from two different cultures who lived at the same time, died in the same year (1616), but who were unaware of each other's existence. This performance features the stunning Beijing kunqu opera actress Wei Chun Rong accompanied by kunqu musicians from Beijing, musicians of the Singapore Chinese Orchestra and The Musicians of the Globe.
13 - 14 June, 8pm∙ $25, $35, $45, $55
VictoriaTheatre
Festival Fantasia
Singapore Festival Orchestra
Critically praised its technical prowess, the Singapore Festival Orchestra celebrates the gift of music through Festival Fantasiain a special programme marking the key anniversaries of composers such asPablo de Sarasate, Rimsky Korsakov and Vaughan Williams.
Conducted by SFO’s Music Director Chan Tze Law, Festival Fantasia will feature established Singapore composer Tan Chan Boon with a new composition Cherish, local rising star violinist Tang Tee Khoon (second prize winner in the prestigious Irving M. Klein International String Competition) and Chinese pianist Wenyu Shen, who at 16, was the youngest prize winner in the history of the Queen Elizabeth Competition in 2003.
14 June, 7.30pm∙ $20, $30, $40, $50
Esplanade Concert Hall
For Severall Friends
Musicians of the Globe (UK)
One of today’s eminent ensemble of period performance, Musicians of the Globe, led by its Musical Director and Founder Philip Pickett will perform a repertoire of merry and doleful Elizabethan and Jacobean music often heard in court, country house, theatre, street and tavern.
15 June, 7.30pm · $40
CHIJMES HALL
KIDSFEST
Tacomitac (for all ages)
Compagnia Teatro Dimitri (Switzerland)
Little cobbler and prankster Tallina thinks life is all about playing tricks and laughing at others’ misfortunes – until she provokes an expected response from one of her victims: There is another way to have fun, after all! Together with her friend Quak, she embarks on a journey of self-discovery and learns how to bring joy to the lives of others. 19-year-old company Compagnia Teatro Dimitri, touring arm of the Swiss theatre school of the same name, turns this charming Polish fairy tale into a heart-warming comedy.
21 – 27 May, 10 am and 2 pm · $22(child), $28(adult) Drama Centre, Theatre
Monster Hits (for 3 yrs old onwards)
Tall Stories (UK)
Everyone knows there are monsters hiding in your walls and cupboards, including poor little William, living in Grandpa’s old house. As he hides out in his spooky little bedroom attic, he’s got to convince Grandpa that they’ll have to deal with the big bad beasts together so he’ll get to sleep at night – but Grandpa has no imagination whatsoever… London-based theatre group Tall Stories brings this favorite bed-time setting to life with its trademark brand of physical theatre, humor and an interactive performance.
21 – 27 May, 11.30 am and 3.30 pm · $22(child), $28(adult)
Drama Centre, Blackbox
Robinson Crusoe (for 5 to 10 yrs old)
Act 3 Theatrics (Singapore)
Robinson Crusoe sails away from home into the high seas, but is shipwrecked after a thunderstorm and drifts onto a strange island. How does he deal with finding food, building a house and man-eating islanders? He saves and befriends a native, whom he calls Friday. Together they go through life’s challenges and build a long-lasting bond sealed by courage and circumstance. Act 3 Theatrics, Singapore’s first professional children’s theatre company, returns to the Singapore Arts Festival with a dramatization of this well-known tale with a fresh cast of Shane Mardjuki (host, stage and tv actor, last seen in Singapore Repertory Theatre’s The Pillow Man) and Anwar Hadi (actor, Act 3 and Teater Kami).
21 – 27 May, 11.30 am and 3.30 pm · $22 (child), $28(adult)
Drama Centre, Visitors Centre