Bedtime Stories by URLAND (The Netherlands)

BEDTIME STORIES URLAND (The Netherlands)

21 - 26 May Tue - Sun, 7.30pm

Photo by Jochem Jurgens

1h 15m, no intermission

MESSAGE FROM THE FESTIVAL DIRECTOR When I was appointed as the new Festival Director for Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) last year, one of the central tenets of the curation process we put in place was to present work by game-changing artists.

From the outset of my three-year tenure, it was important to me that SIFA challenges audiences intellectually, emotionally and artistically, allowing them to experience works they would not normally have a chance to see in Singapore.

Last year, I found myself huddled amid the sand dunes and pine forests of Terschelling Island off the north coast of The Netherlands, to watch Bedtime Stories, a brilliant one-man show which we are bringing to SIFA this year.

It reminds us that powerful stories can be told with the simplest of tools - in this case, the actor’s voice. Or through elaborate work such as the cross-cultural, multi-faceted Dionysus

by Tadashi Suzuki. Game-changing artists and work exist everywhere – it is our mission to find them and bring them to you.

This season, SIFA 2019 is proud to present provocative and challenging works by artists from Singapore and abroad. Our local Festival commissions explore contemporary issues and daringly bring to the spotlight lesser-known facets of Asian history and culture. Toy Factory will realise its innovative re-interpretation of a beloved Ming play. Checkpoint Theatre delves into the realities of the humanitarian aid industry, while Singaporean artist Ho Tzu Nyen investigates some of Southeast Asia’s most shadowy historical figures.

On the international front, SIFA is delighted to welcome to our shores works by worldrenowned theatre directors Tadashi Suzuki and Simon McBurney, legendary musicians Ryuichi Sakamoto and Bill Frisell, and groundbreaking choreographers Gisèle Vienne and Sasha Waltz.

SIFA 2019 audiences can also expect to see a greater range of multidisciplinary work that defies easy classification, from pushing boundaries between theatre and dance in ST/LL by Japanese artist Shiro Takatani, to the use of virtual reality and binaural sound in Frogman by UK company curious directive.

SIFA will also present Silo Theatre’s Peter and the Wolf for families, as well as free outdoor performances in non-traditional venues for audiences of all ages.

Festival House will be back this year, as the epicentre of SIFA 2019. Here, audiences and artistes can extend their engagement with the Festival beyond the performance, as well as engage with each other, through a range of talks, workshops and master-classes to delve deeper into the themes and perspectives of each show.

SIFA 2019 would not have been possible without the support of CEO Sarah Martin; our three extraordinary producers – Junmin, Rydwan and Sara; and the phenomenal team at Arts House Limited. I would like to thank each of them for their dedication and passion.

Finally, I would like to warmly welcome you, our audience, to SIFA 2019. We look forward to taking you on this exciting journey with us.

Gaurav Kripalani Festival Director

MESSAGE FROM THE CEO What does the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) mean to you? A doorway to the world’s performances out there? An escape from the routine of everyday life?

An opportunity to indulge your curiosity? Or something more?

It would not be unusual for each of you to take away something different from the Festival.

When I look back at my years attending the Festival, what stands out in my memory are thrilling moments of discovering a work or artist that slowly built my own love for festival making.

In everything we do, SIFA brings audiences and artists on a personal journey, creating a shared experience across different touch-points with a wider community of art lovers, international and local artists.

Every edition of the Festival is also unique and contributes to the development of Singapore’s cultural landscape. 2018 was an encouraging year, with SIFA seeing heartening growth in the number of new – and especially – younger audiences. I believe this is a testament to the success of Festival Director Gaurav Kripalani’s balanced curatorial approach, emphasising diverse works with multiple levels of accessibility.

In 2019, the 42nd Singapore International Festival of the Arts will continue to enrich the spectrum of audience experiences with a diversity of artistic genres and innovative platforms. Over 17 days, SIFA will showcase a spectrum of world-class performances by game-changing artists, alongside a range of distinctive multi-disciplinary works.

As one of the cultural peaks of Singapore’s arts calendar, the Festival will allow audiences to engage with a fascinating range of contemporary issues and create avenues for critical dialogue. The Arts House will once again transform into our Festival House, a unique gathering point to share ideas and viewpoints and to engage with the artists on a more intimate level.

Working behind the scenes at SIFA are many passionate individuals who have been critical to the Festival’s success over the years. I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who has played their part in shaping SIFA, and to Gaurav for leading the Festival to new artistic heights.

I hope you leave this year with a fresh perspective of what the Festival means to you, and with wonderful memories of your own personal discoveries.

Sarah Martin CEO, Arts House Limited

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM Company URLAND Concept & performance Thomas Dudkiewicz Final director Ludwig Bindervoet Set design Marijn de Jong Lighting design Marijn de Jong Sound design Jimi Zoet, Tomas Loos URLAND has partnered with Theater Rotterdam for a multi-annual collaboration.

URLAND is made possible by Gemeente Rotterdam and Fonds Podiumkunsten.

Venue Supporter

MESSAGE BY THOMAS DUDKIEWICZ Hello Singapore!

It is a great honour to visit your country for the international premiere of Bedtime Stories.

Bedtime Stories was an attempt to encapsulate the desire for narratives. The desire to try and find meaning in this world, even when it all seems hopeless. I am curious to find out how these stories resonate halfway around the world.

We wanted to stage it at the Gardens by the Bay, because of the artificiality of the place. Everything about it is man-made, everything meticulously designed and still it is alive. The plants breath, grow and glow. They are lovingly cared for and draw people in every day.

Because it’s artificial, it’s a no-man’s land. You begin in Singapore, once you enter the Serene Garden, you are everywhere and nowhere.

I can only hope that this setting will transform Bedtime Stories into something universal.

Photo by Jochem Jurgens

Thomas Dudkiewicz

INTERVIEW WITH THOMAS DUDKIEWICZ Writer & Performer, Bedtime Stories

By SIFA 2019

“Stories help us realise who we are at this present moment.”

Thomas, what mindset are you in when creating a new work?

I begin with the idea that I am able to create the perfect story, that there is a way I can combine all the different ingredients to create a story that has everything inside it.

As I go along, I realise this perfection doesn’t exist, because the work changes all the time. Every single moment, the definition of perfection is changing! But it always starts off with the urge to create something that falls into place.

Did Bedtime Stories fall easily in place for you?

Bedtime Stories was created in three weeks, in a studio with just me and two sound designers. I had planned to write a collection of stories. I wrote text for each story, recorded it with my voice, and then the sound designers created a great soundscape around it. We did story after story, and after a while, we began seeing a pattern of how all the stories were connected.

We were able to discover the source that binds them – which is family life.

Bedtimes Stories has the texture of a children’s story, but there are moments within it that are incredibly strange and dark.

On the surface, Bedtime Stories is a coming-of-age story of a young girl who listens to stories every night before bed by her father and her grandfather. She hears stories about how her parents met or fictional stories, for instance, about a squirrel in the forest who has to escape from the invasion of humans.

With each story, she grows older and matures in her response. But that’s on the surface… On a meta level, it’s about a young boy who has to conjure up all these different stories in order to enrich his own life, to come up with a family of his own with all its potential happiness and eventual hardships.

So, what you’re saying is storytelling is a way of creating who we are.

We fill our lives with our stories and we give body to our personality by different stories that we tell about ourselves.

By listening to stories, we witness the different decisions that are made, put ourselves in those shoes and think about whether we would have made a different choice.

What I hope Singaporean audiences will take away is a rediscovery of their own desire to listen to new stories and to create stories of their own, because stories help us realise who we are at this present moment.

Were you interested to return to the essence of storytelling with Bedtime Stories?

Yes, the performance is basically a man (or me) sitting in a box (on a raised stage), telling a story to a group of people.

Our stage designer had this idea of creating a sterile environment for the stage where you can see the computer, the speakers, the cables – everything is transparent.

The audience also sees the speakers which we place around them. I can position my voice in different places, and it gives this interesting sense that the audience is in the middle of this story I am telling. We’re using technology to bring storytelling to a higher level; it creates this feeling you would get when you watch a magic trick, yet you still believe in what you’re watching or experiencing.

Why should people catch Bedtime Stories at SIFA 2019?

If you want to truly grasp what happens in the world, then come and see it. Because art in its essence is a window into people’s souls, into the souls of the people who made it and the souls of the people who witness it.

A video excerpt of this interview can be found at sifa.sg

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION When was the last time someone told you a story under the stars? Let actor Thomas Dudkiewicz lead you into a strange and brilliantly dark world in Bedtime Stories, in an outdoor secret location. Inspired by radio plays, Bedtime Stories celebrates the art of the voice to bring to life an enchanting cast of characters.

“It was a dark and lonesome night…” so begins actor Thomas Dudkiewicz in Bedtime Stories.

Conceived by Dutch collective URLAND, this pitch-perfect narrated performance takes its inspiration from radio plays, using just Dudkiewicz’s voice and well-timed sound effects to bring to life an enchanting cast of characters.

Meet Lilly, a precocious young girl, her father, Max and doting grandfather George, both master storytellers. Every night before bed, Lilly enters a fantastical universe created just for her, where she encounters a host of strange and menacing creatures.

Laugh, squirm and dream along as Bedtime Stories catapults towards its unexpected ending, keeping you on edge from scene to scene at a secret location!

BIOGRAPHIES URLAND

URLAND is a performance-collective. URLAND works autonomously. URLAND knows no hierarchy; there is no director. URLAND designs the set. URLAND creates the sound. URLAND writes the text. URLAND is on stage. URLAND experiments. URLAND refers, quotes and samples. URLAND sees technology as a means, not an end. URLAND believes in live art in digital times.

THOMAS DUDKIEWICZ Performer Thomas Dudkiewicz studied theatre at the Theatre Academy of Maastricht where he founded performance collective URLAND together with Jimi Zoet, Ludwig Bindervoet and Marijn de Jong. URLAND is an artist-in-residence in Theater Rotterdam since 2017 as a partner and has created numerous performances, interactive video games and a thriving art scene at music festivals centred around global themes like the digital revolution, the importance of art and on what it means to be human. Life art in digital times is their credo. Dudkiewicz’s solo performances centre around the power of storytelling and experimenting with the combination of voice and soundscape to create the perfect proverbial soup to fuel the imagination.

TOMAS LOOS Sound Artist Tomas Loos was born in Leiderdorp, the Netherlands on 16 May 1988. He graduated from the University of Arts “Music and Technology” in 2017. Loos specialises in field recordings and transforming these recordings via granular synthesis into musical elements. To this aim, he has developed his own Granular Synthesiser. As a sound designer, Loos has worked on numerous installations together with different spatial and lighting designers and is a frequent collaborator with URLAND. Under his moniker Ometo, he makes dark atmospheric music that balances between techno and ambient and has performed at several events in the Netherlands and abroad.

TICKET HOLDER PRIVILEGES

FLASH YOUR SIFA 2019 TICKET

TO ENJOY SPECIAL DEALS AT OUR PARTNER OUTLETS Empress

Kuro Izakaya

1 Empress Place, #01-03, Asian Cilivilisation Museum, S179555

3 Temasek Boulevard, #01-604/605, Suntec City Tower 3, S038983

10% off dine-in ala carte food and drinks purchased at EMPRESS.

Enjoy 15% off total food bill.

Esplanade Mall

OTC Café

Esplanade – Theatre on the Bay, 8 Raffles Avenue, S039802 Beware of Pity, ST/LL, Körper and Ryuichi Sakamoto ticket holders are entitled up to 15% savings on dining and shopping at Esplanade Mall on the day of performance. Visit www. esplanade.com for details.

House Pour @ Festival House

The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane, S179429 Chill out and soak in the festival buzz at House Pour. Enjoy a glass of signature Housepour cocktail or a serving of ancho chicken tacos at only $4.20nett and all other items at 15% off.

In addition, complimentary premium ice cream in assorted flavours will be given out daily.

(Limited to the first 30 guests each day)

JW Marriott Singapore South Beach 30 Beach Road, S189763

Enjoy 25% off at Beach Road Kitchen and 15% at Akira Back.

100 Victoria Street, #03-01 National Library Building S188064 15% off food and beverages.

Privé ACM

1 Empress Place, #01-02 S179555 10% off dine-in ala carte food and drinks purchased at Privé ACM.

The Naturally Better Company

9 Raffles Boulevard, #02-46, Millania Walk, S039596 5%* storewide discount and 20%* discount for 2nd pair of MELISSA shoes. *Discount not applicable on selected nett-priced brands and promotional items.

The NCO Club

32 Beach Road, S189764 Enjoy 15% off dine-in ala carte food and beverage (Cool Cats, Madame Fan, Stags Room & Fish Pool)

Kith Café

Bras Basah: 51 Bras Basah Rd, #01-03A Manulife Centre, S189554 Marina Square: 6 Raffles Blvd, #02-49 S039594 Enjoy 10% off dine-in ala carte items purchased at KITH CAFÉ (Bras Basah, Marina Square).

Capital Zouk

3C River Valley Road The Cannery, #02-02, S179022 Enjoy free entry into Capital Zouk before midnight.

For more Festival deals, visit sifa.sg.

Unless otherwise stated, all promotions are valid till 2 June, Sunday. Not applicable with other promotions, discounts, vouchers and offers by credit or privilege cards. Ticket stubs presented must be in its original condition and e-tickets must be shown via electronic devices clearly. Management reserves the right to amend any promotional terms and conditions without prior notice. Merchants’ terms and conditions apply.

ABOUT SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS As Singapore’s annual pinnacle arts festival, the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) presents captivating and diverse works across theatre, music, dance, film and visual arts. First launched as the Singapore Festival of Arts in 1977, the festival has gone through several evolutions and inspired generations of arts lovers and practitioners.

Today, the highly-anticipated festival is a high-point on Singapore’s arts and cultural calendar.

Under the helm of Festival Director Gaurav Kripalani from 2018–2020, SIFA continues its festival mission to champion the creation and presentation of Singaporean and international works.

ARTS HOUSE LIMITED BOARD Chairperson Christine Ong Members Chong Yuan Chien Deborah Ho Eduardo Ramos-Gómez Kelvin Ang Kenneth Kwok Lynette Pang Madeleine Lee Maniza Jumabhoy Mok Wei Wei Ong Chao Choon Ong Choon Fah Sarah Martin (Ex-Officio)

SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS MANAGEMENT

Chief Executive Officer Sarah Martin Festival Director Gaurav Kripalani Chief Financial Officer Ng Soon Lee Head, Production Cindy Yeong Head, Marketing Jasmine Gan Assistant Head, Event Services Management Emma Izzabella Tagoe

PROGRAMMING Producers Sara Joan Fang Rydwan Anwar Ye Junmin Senior Manager Lisa Lip Manager Shridar Mani Assistant Manager Alicia Chong Festival Assistant Chong Xinyi

PRODUCTION

Production Manager Chan Silei Yo Shao Ann Production Co-ordinators Celestine Wong Melissa Chin Technical Co-ordinators Huang Xiangbin Ian Tan

Assistant Technical Co-ordinator Muhammed Muzzamier Bin Abu Bakar Production Assistants Chong Wee Nee Alexis Ho

MARKETING & TICKETING Senior Managers Elizabeth Wong Winnie Chan Managers Allison Lai Fiona Chua Senior Designers Hakim bin Rahim Md Firdaus bin Wari Executives Juliana Tan Shariffah Natasha Dinah Eriqah Azman Intern Chew Ying Ying

COMMUNICATIONS Manager Khairi Johann Jasmin Intern Jamie Buitelaar

PARTNERSHIP DEVELOPMENT Manager Norita Senin Executive Tan Yanru

EVENT SERVICES MANAGEMENT

Managers, Artist Logistics Carine Lee Syafiq Zulkepli Managers, Front-of-House Nura Osman Germaine Leow Manager, Back-of-House Hospitality Esther Goh Manager, Event Services Johnson Kee Manager, Special Projects and Operations Zalikha Mis’ari Executive, Front-of-House Kitty Kwan

FINANCE

Managers Vivian Gan Executives Aileen Ong Izyan Nooraini Bte Ramlee

HUMAN RESOURCE Manager Noraliza Ramli Senior Executive Elaine Neo

ADMINISTRATION

Centre Manager Lucas Chiew Executive Nor Limah Binte Ja’ffa

DON’T MISS

THESE OTHER PRODUCTIONS IN THE FESTIVAL ST/LL

KÖRPER

24 & 25 May, Fri & Sat Esplanade Theatre

31 May & 1 Jun, Fri & Sat Esplanade Theatre

Photo by Yoshikazu Inoue

Photo by Bernd Uhlig

SINGULAR SCREENS

BILL FRISELL TRIO

Curated by Asian Film Archive

featuring Rudy Royston & Thomas Morgan (USA)

18 May - 2 Jun Various locations

29 May, Wed Victoria Theatre

by Shiro Takatani, Dumb Type (Japan)

by Sasha Waltz & Hans Peter Kuhn (Germany)

Photo by Monica Frisell

CROWD

FROGMAN

by Gisèle Vienne (France)

by curious directive (UK)

1 & 2 Jun, Sat & Sun Victoria Theatre

21 - 26 May Tue - Fri, 8pm SOTA Studio Theatre

Photo by Barbara Braun/MuTphoto

DISPLACED PERSONS’ WELCOME DINNER

A DREAM UNDER THE SOUTHERN BOUGH: REVERIE

24 - 26 May, Fri - Sun Victoria Theatre

31 May - 2 Jun, Fri - Sun Drama Centre Theatre

Photo by Joel Lim @ Calibre Pictures

Performed in Mandarin with English and Mandarin surtitles.

南柯一梦 之 如梦

by Checkpoint Theatre (Singapore)

by Toy Factory Productions Ltd (Singapore)

FREE PROGRAMMES AND MORE WE CAN DANCE

DE RELAXERETTE

Daily tous les jours, featuring ScRach MarcS (Canada/Singapore)

Arjan Kruidhof and Explore-the-North (The Netherlands) 12 – 20 May & 22 May – 2 Jun, Daily, Various timings The Plaza, National Library Building

10 May - 2 Jun 2019 Daily, Various Timings The Plaza, National Library Building

FOR FULL FESTIVAL LINE-UP, VISIT SIFA.SG Organised By

Commissioned By

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