Next year’s M1 Singapore Fringe Festival will examine the theme Art & Loss under new artistic director Sean Tobin.
Featuring 18 events from eight countries, the festival runs from 14-25 January at venues across the city.
‘We have all lost stuff,’ said educator and theatremaker Tobin. ‘So let’s come together to laugh, blush, cry and cringe about it. Let’s retrace, regret and recreate.’
The 2015 event, which is the festival’s 11th edition, features three world premieres: With/Out by Loo Zihan (Singapore); The Duchamp Syndrome by Por Piedad Teatro, El Trapo Teatro, and The Play Company (Mexico / US); and How Loneliness Goes by Nguan (Singapore).
With/Out is a reimagining of The Necessary Stage’s Completely With/Out Character, staged in 1999 with the late Paddy Chew, the first person in Singapore to come out publicly about being HIV-positive. Through the use of multimedia and video documentation, Loo Zihan will investigate concepts of loss and absence.
Using stand-up routines, marionettes and an iRobot Roomba vacuum cleaner, The Duchamp Syndrome will investigate an immigrant’s version of the American dream, loneliness and art.
How Loneliness Goes is an exhibition by Singaporean photographer Nguan. A series of images that adopt Singapore’s distinct vernacular architecture as both scenery and supporting cast, it evokes a sense of modern isolation in one of the world’s most densely populated countries.
The festival will also present several masterclasses and talks on Singaporean theatre and the creative process.
M1 Singapore Fringe Festival aims to create challenging and innovative theatre. It is organised by The Necessary Stage.
Main image: The Duchamp Syndrome by Por Piedad Teatro, El Trapo Teatro, and The Play Company © Lia Rueda