Displaced Persons' Welcome Dinner by Checkpoint Theatre (SG)

Checkpoint Theatre (Singapore)

DISPLACED PERSONS’ WELCOME DINNER Written by Huzir Sulaiman Directed by Claire Wong

24-26 May Fri & Sat, 8pm Sat & Sun, 3pm Victoria Theatre 2h 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

CREDITS Playwright Huzir Sulaiman Director Claire Wong

CAST

Sara Chiu Dawn Cheong Alison Lane Rayanna Dibs Tim Rodriguez Brendon Fernandez Shirin Mistry Daisy Irani

Mike Miller Emil Marwa Katy Tran Cheryl Chitty Tan Angela Ling Jo Tan Hamid Abdullah Yazid Jalil

Musical Performers .gif (Chew Wei Shan, Nurudin Sadali) and Anthea Julia Chua

CREATIVE TEAM

Musical Directors and Composers .gif Sound Designers Shah Tahir with .gif Lighting Designer Lim Woan Wen Set Designer Wong Chee Wai Costume Designer Laichan Assistant Director and Research Assistant Anthea Julia Chua Research Assistants Meerabelle Jesuthasan, Roshan Singh Sambhi, and Karisa Poedjirahardjo Translation (French) Meerabelle Jesuthasan

PRODUCTION TEAM

Producers Claire Wong and Huzir Sulaiman Executive Producer Suon Kuok Production Manager Izz Sumono Stage Manager Keira Lee Sound Engineer Shah Tahir Assistant Stage Managers Natalie Lim and Ruth Chee Crew Muhammad Noh bin Sapari and Nuraini bte Golam Mohamad Wardrobe Assistant Charlyn Pereira Production Administration Jerusha Tan Marketing and Publicity Support Faith Ng and Lum E-Sean Production Photographer Joel Lim @ Calibre Pictures Trailer Videographer Joel Lim @ Sweeky Collective Interns Chew Wei Li, Pearl Hoo, and Winnie Wong

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Checkpoint Theatre would like to thank our Checkpoint Champions, Studio Wong Huzir, Calibre Pictures & Ideas, Beam Space, BiziBody, the SIFA team, SOTA, Pangolin Films, Crispian Chan, Debbie Yan, our fantastic Front-of-House team, and all who have contributed to this production.

ABOUT DISPLACED PERSONS’ WELCOME DINNER From critically-acclaimed theatre company Checkpoint Theatre comes Displaced Persons’ Welcome Dinner, a powerful new play about humanitarian workers caught in the crosshairs of a crisis.

A crisis tests the resolve of the international staff of a refugee camp. Can they stay sane, stay alive, and stay strong when their minds, bodies, and spirits are called upon to do the impossible?

In a multidisciplinary theatrical work set against the backdrop of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, Displaced Persons’ Welcome Dinner, commissioned by SIFA 2019, investigates the realities of the aid industry. With sensitivity and nuance, playwright Huzir Sulaiman delves beneath media portrayals to discover a world where good people struggle with treacherous politics and flawed institutions.

Directed by Claire Wong, this unflinching examination of the idealism and heroism of humanitarian workers raises vital questions about our world – from the nature of conflict, the toxic nature of institutions, and the challenges we face when confronted with powers larger than ourselves.

PLAYWRIGHT’S MESSAGE The Organisation for Emergency Assistance (OEA) is an entirely fictional body, and does not represent any actual humanitarian organisation. That said, I thank the humanitarian aid workers who granted me candid and emotionally generous interviews, on condition of anonymity. They cannot be credited by name, but their stories, their hopes, and their sacrifice run right through this work.

I’ve always been drawn to the idea of displacement and its many forms. As organisms and social persons, we’re just one misfortune away from penury, exile, humiliation, illness, and unravelling. Our well-being is fleeting. Yet to harden ourselves against the dread of impending calamity, we wall off our authentic selves. We narcotise; stop looking; displace ourselves.

Twelve years ago, as an unintended consequence of studying public policy and leadership while a Yale World Fellow, I started to think about privilege, blind spots, and the cultural dysfunction of elites – and to examine my complicity in reproducing and benefiting from these things.

This play is part of that ongoing journey.

With the collaboration of the artistic team of Displaced Persons’ Welcome Dinner, I have come to create a play about power, trauma, and the cost of the greater good. My subjects are you and me: those of us with social capital, who enjoy metropolitan living and global careers.

How might we all do better? How might we mitigate our complicity in an unjust world? The answers are for us all to find.

My thanks go to: Claire Wong, for her unparalleled vision as director, for making possible this process of creation and for encouraging me at every step; the performers, composers, and creative and production teams for their contributions, from sensitive and astute feedback on my drafts to vivid improvisations and devising work that fed into my writing process; my colleagues at Checkpoint Theatre, and the entire team at the Singapore International Festival of Arts, for their tireless efforts; and the audience, for completing the work with your hearing, seeing, and bearing witness.

Huzir Sulaiman

DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE Displaced Persons’ Welcome Dinner has been an opportunity to investigate the human condition in a setting where the worst and the best of humankind intersect: on one hand, epic suffering as a result of man’s violence and cruelty, and on the other, courageous acts of compassion and service.

In making this work, Huzir and I wanted to design a creative process that was highly porous and collaborative. One in which the playwright, director, composers, and cast would investigate, devise, and craft the world of the play by allowing the various creative processes to flow back and forth, and to actively inspire and challenge each other. And so, during our script development and design workshops, the company shared research material and improvised scenes and back stories. We read several drafts of the script and explored vocal arrangements and musical compositions. We interrogated the physicality, emotionality, and psychology of the world of the play and its characters.

The face of humanitarianism is intensely complex. This complexity was something I wanted my cast and musical composers to experience in their bodies, minds, and voices. I thank them for trusting the process and for their commitment and generosity.

My deepest gratitude to Huzir for his unwavering trust, and for inspiring us all with his imagination and gift of words. I thank our designers for their creativity and contribution. I am grateful to my assistant director, Anthea, for her insights and intellect. Thank you to our production stage management team and our Checkpoint team for their skills and dedication.

To Gaurav and the SIFA team, and to our executive producer, Suon, thank you for your belief and for making this production and our artmaking process possible. To you, dear audience, thank you being here: it is a privilege to share Displaced Persons’ Welcome Dinner with you.

Claire Wong

IN CONVERSATION WITH PLAYWRIGHT HUZIR SULAIMAN AND DIRECTOR CLAIRE WONG

By SIFA 2019

Checkpoint Theatre has had a long and fruitful history with SIFA. Displaced Persons’ Welcome Dinner is the fifth time the company will present its work on the Festival stage. What does SIFA mean to you?

Huzir: I’ve always seen it as a chance for Singapore companies to do their best work because you’re measured against the best in the international arts scene. It gives you the resources and prompts you to rise to that challenge which is really exciting for artists. Our 2002 production Occupation actually led to the birth of Checkpoint Theatre.

Claire: The last work we presented at SIFA was The Last Bull: A Life In Flamenco. That was a point in my artistic career where I was very interested in working with another discipline. With every production at SIFA, I’ve had this wonderful opportunity to push myself artistically in the creative process.

Your plays often take a searing and incisive look at contemporary issues. How did Displaced Persons’ Welcome Dinner come about about?

Huzir: It’s a play I’ve wanted to do for years. One of the themes I look at as a writer is how good people are let down by institutions. Displaced Persons’ Welcome Dinner takes a look at the humanitarian aid industry. It looks at how power plays, trauma and politics affect good people struggling to do their jobs in very difficult situations.

When we formally started on it, I did thousands of pages of reading from publicly available sources, and also interviews with aid workers who shared some very candid experiences.

What did you learn about the humanitarian aid world?

Claire: The humanitarian aid world is something we don’t really know much about, even though we often hear the words ‘refugees’ or ‘humanitarian crisis’. Dramatically, it’s an interesting place and context to examine the human condition.

It’s about the difficult choices that we make as individuals, whether personally or professionally, when considering the greater good and working in such a high stakes situation.

Huzir: The refugee crisis is not just an issue concerning refugees, but it’s also an issue of how organisations and institutions respond. I think it’s important for us to take a look at how we can make our institutions better, whatever our organisation or field of endeavour. How can we improve the lives of people that take care of those who are most in need?

You’ve both described the play as “gripping”, “powerful” and “profound.” What does it take to bring this world to life?

Claire: Whenever I develop a new work, I ask myself: How do I stretch myself and my collaborators to bring the work to a new level? How can we draw the audience in, in a powerful and new way? Every time I bring a play from words on the page to life inside the bodies of the actors, I ask: What is the performance vocabulary of this world?

I’ve had the opportunity to really invest in this process of exploring the full range and potential of the vocal speaking voice of the actors, layered with the vocal singing voice and physical vocabulary. It has been a very open and porous process where we challenge each other and find ways to tap into the potential of every actor.

Huzir: It’s really exciting for me to see Claire bring my text to life – the physical and vocal explorations that she’s doing with the performers and the way she’s working with our music directors and composers, .gif, is tremendously exciting to watch and adds a really wonderful layer to my text.

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

BIOGRAPHIES Claire Wong is the co-founder, Joint Artistic Director and Producer of Checkpoint Theatre. Trained in both Asian and Western performing arts, Wong obtained her Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from Columbia University. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the National University of Singapore.

As a theatre director, Wong recently directed Dana Lam’s Still Life (2019), Faith Ng’s Normal (2017, 2015), Luke Somasundram’s Swipe Right (2017), and Huzir Sulaiman’s The Last Bull: A Life in Flamenco (2016), a commission of Singapore International Festival of Arts. As an actress, Wong has performed in landmark Singapore productions and international arts festivals. She co-wrote and performed Recalling Mother which played in Singapore, New York, Brisbane, and Adelaide.

CLAIRE WONG Director

Huzir Sulaiman is the co-founder and Joint Artistic Director of Checkpoint Theatre. A critically-acclaimed and award-winning playwright, he writes and directs for stage and screen, and oversees the company’s play development process. His Collected Plays 1998– 2012 was published in 2013 and his plays have been translated into German, Japanese, Polish, Indonesian and Mandarin.

Currently an Adjunct Associate Professor with the National University of Singapore’s University Scholars Programme, he has taught playwriting at many institutions. Huzir was educated at Princeton University, where he won the Bain-Swiggett Poetry Prize, and is a Yale World Fellow.

HUZIR SULAIMAN Playwright

BIOGRAPHIES DAWN CHEONG Dawn Cheong is a graduate in devised theatre from Toi Whakaari, the National School of Dance and Drama, New Zealand. She also trained in Butoh dance in Yokohama with legendary teacher Yoshito Ohno. She was nominated for Best Actress at the Malaysian Film Critics Award. At the Film Festival Malaysia, she was nominated for Best Actress and became the first Chinese to win the Most Promising Actor award. She recently won Most Outstanding Performance at the Wellington Theatre Awards 2017 for The Night Mechanics. Cheong is a sometimes-playwright, winning Best Female Playwright and Runner-Up for Best Play for the Adam New Zealand Play Award. She is currently in the midst of creating, writing and devising a new piece, Burning Women, and writing a feature film.

RAYANNA DIBS Rayanna Dibs is a British screen and stage actress from London. Aside from her healthy obsession with ‘80s and ‘90s action movies, she has worked on multiple award-winning indie films, played leading roles on stage in London and Edinburgh Fringe, and was recently nominated Best Actress for her performance in UK films Alone and Orchid. During her time in Singapore she has worked with Boku Films appearing in cinemas in the film Republic of Food, and had the pleasure of working with Method Productions on multiple projects, as well as the challenge of directing her first one-act play. Dibs is now developing her first feature film and hopes to return to directing in the future. She is thrilled to be working with Checkpoint Theatre in this unique, exciting production.

BRENDON FERNANDEZ Brendon Fernandez is delighted to be working with Checkpoint Theatre again. Their last collaboration was at What I Love About You Is Your Attitude Problem in 2015, and was titled My Grandpa’s Kitchen, a documentary theatre piece about family, death, and the politics of Christmas cookery. His other recent stage credits include Off Centre (The Necessary Stage), Underclass (The Necessary Stage & Drama Box), Tropicana the Musical (Spare Room Productions), and Hotel (Wild Rice).

Fernandez is also a voiceover talent, documentary television presenter, emcee, and corporate trainer.

Instagram: @brendon_fernandez Facebook: fb.me/page.brendon.fernandez

DAISY IRANI Daisy Irani is a professional media person with 25 years of experience across television, theatre, and film in Singapore and India. She was Vice President at Mediacorp and is the Founder and Creative Director of HuM Theatre Limited. She has produced, directed and acted in several productions like Michael Chiang’s Mixed Signals; Borderline (The Necessary Stage), the well-acclaimed Nagamandala, and We Are Like This Only 1 & 2 (HuM Theatre). Two-time Best Actress nominee at The Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards, she won for her role in The Prisoner of Mumbai Mansion. On screen, Irani is best known for originating the role of Daisy in iconic TV series Under One Roof. She has been and continues to be a juror for the International Emmy Awards for over a decade.

EMIL MARWA Emil Marwa is very excited about working on this new production for Checkpoint Theatre. He was trained at Rose Bruford College in London. Upon graduating, he toured with the Royal Court Theatre in East is East which later became a BAFTA-winning film, where he reprised his role. He then went to New York to shoot The Guru and has been in numerous films and TV shows in the UK. In 2005, he starred in the Norwegian gangster film Izzat and was nominated for an Amanda Award at the Norwegian International Film Festival for Best Actor.

Since moving to Singapore, he has had a regular role in Sent for HBO Asia. In the theatre scene, he was cast in The Father and Tango by Pangdemonium.

CHERYL CHITTY TAN Cheryl Chitty Tan is best known for playing Yehenara in Forbidden City (Life! nomination), Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (Singapore Repertory Theatre), and Sylvia in Faculty (Mediacorp). Her other Singapore credits include Beauty World (SimplyWorks), Mama White Snake (Wild Rice), Dick Lee’s Singapopera, Junior Claus, and Red Riding Hood (Singapore Repertory Theatre). Tan directed and produced Follow the Light. She also won Best Libretto and Best Director at Kuala Lumpur’s Short+Sweet Festival. She was shortlisted for a Women Of The Future Award in 2019. Most recently, she played Dr. Winnie Low in Derek (Toggle) and is also featured in Singapore Love Story, a video installation at Changi Terminal 4.

Tan also teaches singing.

Instagram: @cherylchittytan.

Spotify features: Beauty World and Hotpants soundtracks.

Represented by Fly Entertainment. Once randomly sang with Bobby McFerrin and Chick Corea.

JO TAN Jo Tan is a multilingual stage and screen actor who has performed as far as New York, London, Yeosu, and Beijing.

She has been privileged to work with many of Singapore’s top theatre companies, with her performance in Checkpoint Theatre’s FRAGO scoring a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at The Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards 2018.

She can also be seen on various screens, including on Mediacorp’s Channel 5, Channel 8, and Okto. She was also the female lead in Ho Tzu Nyen’s Cannes official selection film, Here, and starred in various web films including Daniel Yam’s The Helper. Tan credits her training to a residency at École Philippe Gaulier in Paris, awarded by the National Arts Council.

YAZID JALIL Yazid Jalil is an alumnus of the Intercultural Theatre Institute (formerly known as the Theatre Training and Research Programme) and the École Philippe Gaulier. He freelances as an actor and movement practitioner. His recent theatrical works as a performer include The Bird Who Was Afraid of Heights (Esplanade PLAYtime!), Underclass (The Necessary Stage & Drama Box), Four Horse Road (The Theatre Practice), The Malay Man and His Chinese Father (Akulah Bimbo Sakti, International Theatre Festival of Kerala) and Sanctuary (Singapore: The Necessary Stage, Japan: Hanchuyuei). A strong believer in lifelong learning, he has recently joined the Bujinkan Ryuko Dojo (Singapore) to further his martial arts training.

.gif Known for their dark beats and haunting vocals, electronic duo .gif comprises Chew Wei Shan and Nurudin Sadali, better known as Weish and Din. From their debut EP saudade (2013) to full-length album soma (2015), .gif have brought their lush, gritty soundscapes around the world, earning critical praise in publications such as VICE (US) and FasterLouder (AU).

Past shows include Laneway Festival, Neon Lights, Inside Out London, BIGSOUND Brisbane, as well as tours in the UK, East Asia, and the Philippines. The pair often draw from their favourite books, plays, and films in their writing. Beyond the music circuit, .gif has also hit Sundance Film Festival together with award-winning film, Shirkers. As long-time fans of Checkpoint Theatre, they are delighted to be part of this production.

ANTHEA JULIA CHUA This is Anthea Julia Chua’s second time working with Checkpoint Theatre as an Assistant Director, her first being Thick Beats for Good Girls (2018). She also acted in Master Race (2018), a Yale-NUS Production. Most recently, she cowrote, co-directed, and performed in an original collaborative work, Flamingos (2018), which explored vulnerability, intimacy, and human relationships. Chua is currently pursuing Anthropology at Yale-NUS College.

WONG CHEE WAI Set Designer

Wong Chee Wai is a full-time freelance set designer. He has designed and worked with various performing arts companies in Singapore. Some of his recent works include Off Centre (The Necessary Stage); Souvenir and 8 Women (Sing’Theatre); Supervision, Mama White Snake and Hotel (Wild Rice); Esplanade commissions Alkesah (Pesta Raya 2018), Leda and the Rage (The Studios 2018); Nine Years Theatre’s Art Studio (SIFA 2017), Fundamentally Happy (The Studios 2017), Art (Huayi 2014), Twelve Angry Men (Huayi 2013) and Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Macau Arts Festival 2013); ITSY The Musical (The Finger Players); Lord of the Flies (Sight Lines Entertainment); and Red and Freud’s Last Session (Blank Space Theatre).

LIM WOAN WEN Lighting Designer

A graduate of the National University of Singapore’s Theatre Studies programme, Lim Woan Wen received the inaugural National Arts Council Arts Professional Scholarship in 2001 and trained at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in stage lighting design. She has won multiple Best Lighting Design awards at The Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards and was conferred the Young Artist Award in 2011 by the National Arts Council. Lim divides her time between freelance projects, working with The Finger Players as their associate lighting designer, and making work as one-third of design collective INDEX.

SHAH TAHIR Sound Designer and Engineer

Shah Tahir has been involved in various aspects of the audio and music industry for over 20 years. He has also arranged and composed for Mediacorp Channel 8 television series. Shah currently serves as the Audio Consultant and Sound Designer for the National Day Parade (2009-2019), corporate events, and ‘live’ television broadcasts. His passion has led him to work on numerous theatrical productions with theatre companies such as Checkpoint Theatre, Dream Academy, Toy Factory, and Wild Rice.

LAICHAN Costume Designer

Laichan is a Singaporean fashion designer who also designs costumes for theatre and film. His credits include FRAGO, Normal, The Last Bull: A Life in Flamenco, Recalling Mother, The Good, the Bad and the Sholay, and Atomic Jaya (Checkpoint Theatre); Freud’s Last Session (Blank Space Theatre); and Dick Lee’s Fried Rice Paradise. He has also designed for the HBO Asia original production Grace and the SG50 movie 1965.

KEIRA LEE Stage Manager

Keira Lee graduated from LASALLE College of the Arts’ Technical Theatre programme in 2010. Since then, she has worked as a stage manager with leading theatre companies such as Singapore Repertory Theatre, Cake Theatrical Productions, Toy Factory, The Necessary Stage, and TheatreWorks. Lee is excited to be working on her first production with Checkpoint Theatre. She is grateful for the opportunities that have come her way thus far and looks forward to expanding her horizons further both locally and abroad.

IZZ SUMONO Production Manager

Izz Sumono is the Executive (Production) at Checkpoint Theatre. She started out in the industry as a dresser, which later sparked her passion in the performing arts doing production and backstage work. She has worked on various stage productions and major events. A graduate in Stage Management from the Victorian College of the Arts, Sumono enjoys engaging in productions of different art forms and being part of the collaborative creative process. In her free time, Sumono loves taking care of her seven cats.

Established in 2002, Checkpoint Theatre creates and presents original theatrical and multi-disciplinary work with strong writing, performance and direction. With honesty and humour, head and heart, Checkpoint Theatre produces and develops vibrant and important contemporary Asian plays that connect with, challenge, and inspire both local and international audiences. The company is the home of new Singapore playwriting and nurtures the next generation of Singapore theatre-makers. Checkpoint Theatre Ltd is supported by the National Arts Council under the Major Company Scheme for the period from 1 April 2017 to 31 March 2020, and is a registered charity with Institution of a Public Character (IPC) status.

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.

Paulaner Bräuhaus

9 Raffles Boulevard, #01-01, Millania Walk, S039596 SIFA 2019 ticket holders enjoy 20% off total bill when you dine in at Paulaner Bräuhaus.

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 SINGULAR SCREENS

Curated by Asian Film Archive 18 May - 2 Jun Screening Room, Festival House & Oldham Theatre

KÖRPER

by Sasha Waltz & Hans Peter Kuhn (Germany) 31 May & 1 Jun, Fri & Sat Esplanade Theatre

BILL FRISELL TRIO

featuring Rudy Royston & Thomas Morgan (USA) 29 May, Wed Victoria Theatre

Photo by Bernd Uhlig

Photo by Monica Frisell

CROWD

IMPULSE

by Gisèle Vienne (France)

Varsha (Singapore)

1 & 2 Jun, Sat & Sun Victoria Theatre

1 & 2 Jun, Sat & Sun Play Den, Festival House

Photo by Barbara Braun/MuTphoto

A DREAM UNDER THE SOUTHERN BOUGH: REVERIE

ST/LL

南柯一梦 之 如梦

by Shiro Takatani, Dumb Type (Japan)

by Toy Factory Productions Ltd (Singapore)

24 & 25 May, Fri & Sat Esplanade Theatre

31 May - 2 Jun, Fri - Sun Drama Centre Theatre Performed in Mandarin with English and Chinese surtitles.

Photo by Yoshikazu Inoue

FREE PROGRAMMES AND MORE FESTIVAL CLOSING CONCERT

DE RELAXERETTE

Arjan Kruidhof and Explore-the-North (The Netherlands)

with Singapore Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Joshua Tan

12 – 20 May & 22 May – 2 Jun, Daily, Various timings The Plaza, National Library Building

2 Jun, Sun, 6pm The Shaw Foundation Symphony Stage

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

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