Five to see M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2012: Art & Faith

Singapore

Esplanade Theatre Studio
15–19 Feb
Spontaneous and unpredictable probably aren’t the first words that spring to mind when it comes to Singapore, but they’re the right ones to describe Singapore. Split into three acts, each set during a different era in the Lion City’s history, this Necessary Stage production turns the spotlight on little-known historical figures such as the Malay mistress of William Farquhar – colonial Singapore’s first Resident – plus others you’ve never heard of because they’re figments of playwright Haresh Sharma’s imagination. The script features no-holds-barred commentary on race and faith, and an improv segment in which sparks and fur fly when certain characters come face to face.

Tongues

National Museum Gallery Theatre
16–19 Feb
In a morgue where the mercury is rapidly climbing, four Singaporeans of different races briefly awake from their not-so-eternal rest and begin discussing their beliefs – religious and, collaterally, sexual – the accuracy of which can supposedly be determined after death. In sensitive Singapore, where it’s possible to be arrested for blogging on racial or religious issues, it’s engrossing to listen in on what the quasi-deceased representatives of their races have to say. The script for Tongues was based on survey results, research, interviews and the experiences of its multiracial cast.

Mighty Ballistic

Esplanade Waterfront
18 & 19 Feb
An exploration of violence, power and memory, this mixed-media production stems from a personal trauma suffered by Filipino artist Josephine Turalba. In 2006, her father was murdered and his bullet-riddled body left by the side of a road. By donning a dress made from bullet casings and shotgun shells, Turalba transforms the source of her grief into a suit of protective armour. ‘As a woman in a society where women are still viewed as objects, I’m used to being self-conscious,’ she says. ‘However, with this project, I was transported from the spectacle to the spectator. The armour and its spirit somehow acted as the protector of the object – in this case, me.’ Combining live performance, videos, sculpture, sound effects and a forceful message, the show is meant to provoke discussion, not so much about violence itself but rather its effects.

INRI

Esplanade Theatre Studio
23 & 24 Feb
The latest production from Italy’s Cie. Zerogrammi features two gangly comic actors with serious, unshaven faces – Italian stallions, they’re not. They prance, prostrate themselves and, well, panic onstage, toggling through a series of commonplace movements and attitudes that are recognisably Catholic – all while garbed as old ladies. Not quite a dance piece and not quite a play, INRI is an absorbing production that amuses even as it baffles: are these skilful actor/dancers celebrating or poking fun at Catholicism? And does it matter? INRI proves that issues of faith can be the source of light-hearted laughs. Beware of (brief) nudity.

At the Ark at Eight

National Museum Gallery Theatre
24 & 25 Feb
The three penguins in this production have neither happy feet, nor faces: the Great Flood is imminent and they’ve yet to decide which of them is most deserving of the pair of tickets for Noah’s Ark. The chosen duo is destined to continue the penguin race, while an unceremonious death by drowning awaits the odd bird out. Cute or morbid? Penned by German playwright Ulrich Hub, At the Ark at Eight puts audiences in the awkward position of making decisions about justice and the value of life. The production stars the rambunctious young actors of Masterskaya Theatre, an award-winning Russian troupe, and comes with English surtitles.