Singapore International Festival of Arts 2021 Festival Guide

AN ARTS FESTIVAL REIMAGINED FOR THE FUTURE

14–30 MAY

FESTIVAL GUIDE

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SPECIAL THANKS TO PROGRAMME PARTNERS

Official Outdoor Media Partner

Official Logistics Partner

Official Security Partner

SUPPORTERS Part Of

Organised By

Commissioned By

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Supported By

Matched By

ABOUT

SIFA

As Singapore’s annual pinnacle performing 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. SIFA continues its festival mission to champion the creation and presentation of Singaporean and international works.

INTRODUCING

FESTIVAL HOUSE

The Arts House will once again be transformed into Festival House, the epicentre of SIFA. This year, the House will focus on care, compassion and community, sparked by our collective isolation during the pandemic. Through series of talks, workshops, performances, screenings and installations, discover programmes that encourage Festival goers to partake in acts of care for themselves, each other and our environment.

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CONTENTS i

Special Thanks

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About SIFA

2

Festival Director Message

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Calendar of Events

41

Singular Screens

43

SIFA On Demand

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THREE SISTERS Nine Years Theatre and SITI Company (Singapore & USA)

27

THE YEAR OF NO RETURN (Singapore)

54 ASIAN ARTS MEDIA ROUNDTABLE (Singapore) Arts Equator

55 SUNSET SESSIONS MAMA MAGNET (Singapore)

The Necessary Stage

56 NIGHTCAP @ 9 29

THE INVISIBLE OPERA Sophia Brous (Australia)

57 33

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en route

OIWA – THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA (Singapore)

A SONG FOR LOUIS

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Singapore Dance Theatre and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (Singapore)

_T0701_

59 CAN OR CANNOT? MAKING SUSTAINABLE ART EVENTS THE NORM (Singapore) Green Nudge

(Singapore)

60 FROM MEE TO YOU

DEMON STATES (Singapore) 39

THE COMMISSION A Pangdemonium, Singapore Repertory Theatre and Wild Rice Co-Production (Singapore)

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37

(Singapore)

SAtheCollective & Pōtocol

Zeugma The Observatory

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THE RHYTHM OF US

COSMOGONY (Switzerland) Cie Gilles Jobin

(Singapore)

Chan Sze-Wei & P7:1SMA Featuring Ensemble Æquilibrium

58 THE WANDERING 35

Various Artists (Singapore)

7

neveleven

The Finger Players

(Australia)

one step at a time like this

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(Singapore)

T42

A DREAM UNDER THE SOUTHERN BOUGH: EXISTENCE (Singapore)

Chef Justin Quek (Singapore)

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45

COMPASSION: MUSIC CHAMBER SERIES

TACTILITY STUDIES: HOLD TO RESET (Singapore) Chong Gua Khee and Bernice Lee

play+GROUND (Singapore) The Artground

Toy Factory Productions Ltd

62 OIWA AND WHO ELSE? – LOOKING BEYOND J-HORROR (Singapore) Dr Lim Beng Choo

Various Artists (Singapore)

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MUSICAL SWINGS (Canada)

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Daily tous les jours

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65 Overview Map GARDENS SPEAK (Lebanon)

49 HEALING ARTS SESSION

AS FAR AS ISOLATION GOES (Lebanon / Palestine)

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Tania El Khoury and Basel Zaraa

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1

Various Artists (Singapore)

67 Ticket Holder Privileges

IMPOSSIBLE CONVERSATION

69 Visitor Safety Information

(Netherlands)

70 Ticketing

Building Conversation

THE JOURNEY (UK)

71

A THOUSAND WAYS PART III: AN ASSEMBLY

TOOLKITS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: THE ROLE OF ART IN CLIMATE ADVOCACY (Singapore)

600 HIGHWAYMEN (USA)

Climate Conversations

Scott Silven

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64 Venues

BRACK (Singapore)

Tania El Khoury

19

TO GATHERING: LAYING THE TABLE BARE

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SIFA Checklist

FESTIVAL DIRECTOR’S MESSAGE The world has changed dramatically in the last year. This is an extraordinary time for artists, where we have been asking ourselves: how can we still bring you great art and recreate the magic of the live experience? This is an enormous challenge, one which requires creativity, boldness and determination.

With over 60 productions and over 300 performances, SIFA 2021 has been curated as a direct response to the here and now.

It is a response to the care and compassion we need for ourselves, our community and our environment. It features exceptional artistes and companies who have learnt to adapt and present work that can reach audiences around the world, using a variety of technologies. And it will feature a record number of Singaporean commissions and collaborations.

Besides shows that will take place in theatres and unique spaces around Singapore, SIFA 2021 will allow you to interact with artists “live” from around the world. There won’t be any shows that you watch passively on a screen. You can also expect the return of festival favourites such as our popular film offering, Singular Screens, as well as Festival House – the epicentre of the festival.

It’s been an honour to helm our national festival and see it grow in stature, both at home and internationally, over the past four years. None of this would have been possible without the support of the incredible team at Arts House Ltd who have worked tirelessly to make this happen, and especially their Herculean efforts of mounting a festival of this scale during a pandemic.

In a time where most of us can’t travel, SIFA looks forward to bringing the world to you, and Singaporean artists to the world.

See you at SIFA 2021.

Gaurav Kripalani Festival Director

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Photo by Jane Barlow

one step at a time like this

en route IMMERSIVE

14 — 16 May, Fri — Sun 19 — 23 May, Wed — Sun 26 — 30 May, Wed — Sun 11am, 2.30pm & 5pm

14 — 15, 21 — 22, 28 — 29 May Fri — Sat, 6.15pm Central Singapore $35* *Limited concessions available for students, NSFs and seniors 1h 30m — 2h No intermission Rating: TBD No admission for infants-in-arms.

Admission for audience age 13 years and above.

A set of instructions will be emailed to each audience member upon purchase of a ticket.

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(Australia)

See Singapore as if for the first time – in this unique pedestrian-based live art event. en route is a walking, listening, immersive journey through the streets of Singapore. Conceived by one step at a time like this, a collective of Melbourne artists known for their journeybased, mobile and immersive works, en route is a love song to our city, unfolding her myriad spaces, both personal and private, present and past.

Engaging with audio, mobile phones, urban streetscapes, walking and the city, en route invites you on a journey – both inward and outward – through the thoroughfares and backalleys of Singapore and what you make of it.

As you journey, fragments of narrative, musings, local music, sound, philosophy intertwine with directions, wanderings, observations and found experiences. The spontaneous choreography of passers-by, streets, alleys and buildings becomes the site onto which you project your own narratives and meanings.

Part traveller, witness and voyeur, come view the world in the process of making itself – en route – emerging, dissolving, as perceptions, insights, senses, make and remake the city you inhabit.

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FESTIVAL COMMISSION

Various Artists

A SONG FOR LOUIS (Singapore)

MUSIC

14 May Fri, 6pm & 9pm Victoria Theatre SIFA On Demand: 5 — 12 Jun SISTIC Live

$58*, $68 *Limited concessions available for students, NSFs and seniors Limited student tickets at $10 1h 15m No intermission No admission for infants-in-arms.

Admission for audience age 6 years and above.

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Celebrating the life and legacy of local jazz icon Louis Soliano, musical guests from Singapore’s jazz community come together to perform a song for Louis in this heart-warming concert.

Don’t miss this intimate, joyful performance by some of the luminaries of Singapore’s jazz scene – one that will delight jazz fans and new audiences alike!

Cultural Medallion recipient and jazz icon Louis Soliano has dedicated a lifetime to entertaining, enthralling and enriching others with his musicianship and stage craft. A vital part of Singapore’s jazz scene, Soliano’s musical journey runs alongside the history of Singapore’s jazz scene, touching countless audiences, and inspiring many musicians along the way.

With guest performances by (in alphabetical order):

Now, the Singapore jazz community comes together to perform A Song for Louis – an expression of their gratitude and admiration for his musical kinship and gifts. Each musical guest will select and perform a song that tells a story of their appreciation for the man of the evening.

Andrew Lim Bobby Singh Daniel Wong Don Gomes Jeremy Monteiro Jimmy Lee Joanna Dong Rahimah Rahim Richard Jackson Rit Xu Sean Hong Wei Tama Goh Tony Makarome With Joshua Wan, Music Director and Jeremiah Choy, Show Director.

And a special showcase by Mr Louis Soliano himself.

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Cie Gilles Jobin

COSMOGONY (Switzerland)

IMMERSIVE

14 — 16 May Fri — Sun 6.30pm & 8pm Esplanade Theatre

FREE 30m No intermission Rating: TBD

From leading contemporary dance group Cie Gilles Jobin, Cosmogony probes the possibilities of dance for the digital stage, in this large-scale real-time performance.

Geneva-based Cie Gilles Jobin has been at the forefront of contemporary dance for the digital stage. Its ground-breaking experiments with motion capture, virtual and augmented reality have fascinated audiences around the world.

Now, the company brings to Singapore a large-scale live dance work, Cosmogony. Cosmogony is a feat of the company’s motion capture technology, where the data of the dancer’s movements are sent through networks to be reconstructed, in real time.

Dance Trail

Come as you wish within each 30-minute dance segment.

Catch the dancers perform perform in real-time from Geneva.

The dancers will also connect their avatars in the 3D spaces on the screens to compose the cosmogony of a virtual world in suspension.

Download the app now at App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/ dance-trail/id1492301269

The performance is complemented by Dance Trail, an app that invites you to a self-guided augmented dance journey.

Unlock surreal dance performances in the streets, in your neighbourhood, or in the palms of your hand.

Ambitious, inventive and surprising, come experience the new frontier of contemporary dance on the streets of Singapore.

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FESTIVAL COMMISSION

The Observatory

DEMON STATES w

(Singapore)

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY

19 — 30 May Various Timings The Imprisoned Mind and Evil Eye 19 — 21 May, Wed — Fri 24 — 28 May, Mon — Fri 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm and 9pm 22 & 23 May, Sat & Sun 29 & 30 May, Sat & Sun 2pm, 3pm, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm and 9pm Gallery I, Festival House

$10 for 2 installations/venue Approx 10 mins for each installation Rating: TBC This work is meant to be experienced alone. Each installation includes a designed physical environment and a VR experience. Discontinue the VR play if you experience any discomfort.

Animal

Demon State

19 — 21 May, Wed — Fri 24 — 28 May, Mon — Fri 6:15pm, 7:15pm, 8:15pm, 9:15pm

19 — 21 May, Wed — Fri 24 — 28 May, Mon — Fri 6:15pm, 7:15pm, 8:15pm, 9:15pm

22 & 23 May, Sat & Sun 29 & 30 May, Sat & Sun 3:15pm, 4:15pm, 5:15pm, 6:15pm, 7:15pm, 8:15pm, 9:15pm

22 & 23 May, Sat & Sun 29 & 30 May, Sat & Sun 3:15pm, 4:15pm, 5:15pm, 6:15pm, 7:15pm, 8:15pm, 9:15pm

#01-13E Esplanade Annexe

Esplanade Carpark, Basement 2, Lot No. 406

Demon States is an immersive mixed reality experience premiering new material from the forthcoming album by The Observatory and Koichi Shimizu, with virtual landscapes by Brandon Tay, and physical environments by Irfan Kasban.

Borne out of a time of physical and psychological lockdowns, Demon States bears witness to the fear and anxiety manifesting in the human psyche in different avatars — an unseen spectre, the burgeoning of inner demons, the bogeyman within, an unforgiving hollow absence.

As an oppressive tyranny haunts our present reality, the struggle to express ourselves and seek understanding grows stronger, as we reach for the faint glow at the end of the tunnel. Trapped within our minds by our inner demons, can we release what is within, or do we let the demons consume us?

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FESTIVAL COMMISSION

A Pangdemonium, Singapore Repertory Theatre and Wild Rice Co-Production

THE COMMISSION (Singapore)

THEATRE

14 May, Fri, 8pm 15 May, Sat, 2pm & 8pm 16 May, Sun, 2pm & 6pm The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre @ Wild Rice, Funan SIFA On Demand: 5 — 12 Jun SISTIC Live

$48, $58*, $68 *Limited concessions available for students, NSFs and seniors Limited student tickets at $10 1h 15m No intermission Rating: TBD Contains mild coarse language and socio-political references.

No admission for infants-in-arms.

Admission for audience age 6 years and above.

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A sharp satire on theatre-making in a pandemic and an irreverent look at the unlikely collaboration of three wildly different Singaporean artistic directors, The Commission is the entertaining live sequel to the circuitbreaking short film, The Pitch.

They’re back. And this time, it’s personal.

When Singapore Repertory Theatre’s Gaurav Kripalani, Wild Rice’s Ivan Heng, and Pangdemonium’s Adrian Pang collaborated for the first time on the short film The Pitch, it seemed like just a (virtual) stage they were going through.

Little did they know that the theatre gods were plotting to take this motley ménage à trois and elevate it to another dimension.

This time, the fearsome threesome is thrown together again to create an exclusive piece of live theatre for these strange times. But what kind of production should it be? With uber-producer Gaurav’s credentials, should it be more SRTish? With Ivan’s director’s vision, should it be a Wild Rice fab fest? Or, with Adrian’s thespian tendencies, should it be more Pangdemoniumesque? Or should it be a hybrid – a Singapore Ricepertory Pangdewildium production...?

A play about a play within a play, and all the shenanigans that come into play in the making of the play, The Commission pulls back the curtain to reveal the human beings behind the producer, the director and the actor.

A hysterical and historical jaunt through the respective and collective journeys of three very different individuals who have dedicated their lives to the theatre, The Commission is LIVE. In the flesh. And everything you loved about The Pitch, raised to fever pitch!

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COMPASSION: CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES MUSIC

Eight concerts. Four centuries of music. One desire to find healing and hope through music.

Amidst collective suffering, how can humanity search for a way forward, not just in ourselves, but in each other? Inspired by our collective experience from the depths of crisis and lockdown, the Compassion: Chamber Music Series brings together some of Singapore’s finest musicians to explore music as a means of finding solace and bringing people together across divides.

Spanning almost four centuries of music, from Bach to David T. Little, by way of Chopin, Poulenc, Mahler, Penderecki, Shostakovich, Britten, Takemitsu, Saariaho, Glass and other, this heart-warming series of concerts invites you to find healing and hope through music.

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BE COMFORTED NOW: BACH CANTATAS

16 May Sun, 5pm Victoria Concert Hall

Red Dot Baroque (Singapore) Featuring Joyce Lee Tung & John Lee Bach once declared that the aim of music was the refreshment of the soul. In times of distress we seek comfort in music as a means of connecting with something larger than ourselves.

In this special programme, join Singapore’s only baroque ensemble as they bring a selection of Bach’s solo cantatas that explore the struggles and trials of carrying our burdens alone, and the solace that the soul finds in sharing those afflictions with each other. This concert features soprano Joyce Lee Tung and bass-baritone John Lee.

$15 1h No intermission Performed in German

THE CONSOLER

Take 5 Piano Quintet (Singapore) Taking inspiration from periods of great upheaval – specifically the two World Wars – The Consoler features two remarkable piano quintets written in early part of the 20th century.

19 May Wed, 7.30pm Chamber, Festival House

$15 1h No intermission

Dimitri Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet was written in 1940 when war had already broken out in Europe. In 1936, the Great Terror began, a political crackdown during which many of Shostakovich’s friends and relatives were imprisoned or killed. Yet the Piano Quintet marked the peak of his return to favour with the Soviet authorities, winning the inaugural 100,000-ruble Stalin Prize in 1941.

While sketches for his work existed from as early as 1908 and 1911, Charles Koechlin composed the bulk of his Piano Quintet between 1917 and 1921, spanning not only the end of World War I in November 1918, but also – pertinently for our times – the outbreak of the Spanish flu pandemic.

No admission for infants-in-arms. Admission for audience age 6 years and above.

Late arrival or Re-entry may result in non-admittance until a suitable break in the performance.

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GHOSTS OF YESTERYEAR

Morse Percussion (Singapore) Life brings trials and painful challenges that can profoundly shape who we become. This introspective programme sets you on a journey of reflection, realisation and redemption.

Featuring works by David T, Little and Philip Glass, Morse Percussion invites to reframe your perspective on humanity, suffering and the journey to recovery and restoration.

20 May Thu, 7.30pm Esplanade Concert Hall

$15 1h No intermission

BEFORE LIFE AND AFTER

Felicia Teo Kaixin, Jonathan Charles Tay and Jonathan Shin (Singapore) Conceptualised around the commemoration of loss - of innocence, of friendships, of hope Before Life and After is a concert that responds to a world irrevocably changed. Traversing from loss to light, it seeks to find a way forward by celebrating memory, and finding joy in the most unsuspecting of places.

21 May Fri, 7.30pm Chamber, Festival House

$15 1h No intermission Performed in English, French and Hebrew

Spanning almost a half-century of music, this concert features the songs of Francis Poulenc and Maurice Ravel, composed in the wake of the First World War; and Winter Words by Benjamin Britten set to the poems of Thomas Hardy. Each work harkens to a world that came before their time, transfiguring each composer’s nostalgia for an earlier world before the dawn of a new century into songs of yearning.

Before Life and After is performed by soprano Felicia Teo Kaixin, tenor Jonathan Charles Tay and pianist Jonathan Shin.

No admission for infants-in-arms. Admission for audience age 6 years and above.

Late arrival or Re-entry may result in non-admittance until a suitable break in the performance.

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ALONE TOGETHER

Churen Li, Yang Shuxiang and Leslie Tan (Singapore) Lockdowns around the world have left many feeling isolated – the desire for human connection has become a greater need than ever.

22 May Sat, 7.30pm Chamber, Festival House

$15 1h No intermission

ECHOES OF FIRE AND WATER

Through the permutations of three — a solo, duo and a trio — along with three musicians Yang Shuxiang, Leslie Tan and Churen Li, this concert explores how classical composers, such as Penderecki, Chopin, Poulenc, Wieniawski and Panufnik, triumphed over adversity through their musical compositions.

By playing together and giving voice to the music of composers past, Alone Together connects us with those who have gone before us, expressing the zeitgeist of a different time and place.

Ensemble Æquilibrium (Singapore) In this contemporary concert, Echoes of Fire and Water explores our tenuous relationship with nature, the eternal cycle of destruction and renewal and our ultimate responsibility to sustain the planet for future generations.

23 May Sun, 3pm & 6pm Chamber, Festival House

The concert’s centrepiece features George Crumb’s haunting Eleven Echoes of Autumn, conjuring up a fragmented schism in the order of the world. Reflecting the themes of dissolution and regeneration, the programme also features works by Kaija Saariaho, Toru Takemitsu and Chen Zhangyi.

$15 1h No intermission

No admission for infants-in-arms. Admission for audience age 6 years and above.

Late arrival or Re-entry may result in non-admittance until a suitable break in the performance.

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NATURE OF DAYLIGHT

23 May Sun, 5pm Esplanade Concert Hall

The Sinfonia of the Orchestral Institute Conducted by Jason Lai (Singapore) Nature of Daylight takes flight from Max Richter’s beautiful meditation on war as a starting point to explore music that moves us and deepens our connection to the soulfulness of the world.

Journey through Gustav Mahler’s symphony about a child’s vision of heaven; marvel at the earthly nature of Claude Debussy’s striking portrait of the sea; and admire Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s sublime pairing of two pastoral instruments in an exquisite and charming concerto for flute and harp.

$15 1h No intermission Performed in English, no subtitles

HEALING RHAPSODY 回疫录

Ding Yi Music Company 鼎艺团 (Singapore 新加坡) Our collective battle over the past year has led many of us on a journey of reflection, realisation and even inspiration. This concert is a personal meditation and a work of collective memory, expressing the group’s heartfelt wishes for the world, including a message to Mother Nature and a blessing for humanity.

This concert will be conducted by Ding Yi’s principal conductor Quek Ling Kiong.

26 May Wed, 7.30pm Victoria Concert Hall

$15

过去一年，人类共同经历着一场战役。其中引发 了不少人的反思，感悟，体会和启发。音乐乃抒 发思想情感的最佳途径之一。”回疫录”当中的 作品有个人的静思，集体的记忆。有献给大自然 的寄语，致给全人类的祈福。音乐会将由鼎艺团 首席指挥郭勇德执棒。

1h No intermission Performed in English and Mandarin

No admission for infants-in-arms. Admission for audience age 6 years and above.

Late arrival or Re-entry may result in non-admittance until a suitable break in the performance.

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Photo by Cushy Creative

Daily tous les jours

MUSICAL SWINGS

(Canada)

INSTALLATION

25 Jun — 11 Jul Mon — Fri, 2pm — 9pm Sat & Sun, 12pm — 9pm Cathay Green

FREE Only one person per swing at a time Participants need to be at least 7 years old with a minimum height of 120cm.

Children must be accompanied by their parents or their carers at all times.

Programme Partner:

Take a siesta, hop on a swing and make music collectively in this refreshing urban installation by Canadian artists Daily tous les jours.

From Canadian artists Daily tous les jours – the talented people behind We Can Dance (SIFA 2019) – comes Musical Swings, a whimsical game of swings that takes a fresh look at the idea of cooperation.

Known for their deft blend of storytelling and technology that transforms urban spaces, Daily tous les jours now turns the everyday swing into a site for collaboration, cooperation and connection with others.

Already a celebrated icon in Montreal’s entertainment district, Musical Swings invites people of all ages to make music together. Each swing in motion triggers different notes, while secret melodies are unleashed only through ‘cooperation’ – when the movements of different swings are synchronised.

SIFA 2021 now brings Musical Swings to the heart of the city in Dhoby Ghaut’s Cathay Green. Come enjoy a day out, let your hair down and be part of these spontaneous musical compositions!

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Tania El Khoury

GARDENS SPEAK

(Lebanon)

IMMERSIVE SOUND INSTALLATION

19 — 21, 26 — 28 May Wed — Fri 6pm, 7.30pm, 9pm 22, 23, 29, 30 May Sat & Sun 11am, 12.30pm, 3.30pm, 5pm, 8pm, 9.30pm 222 Arts Club

$35* *Limited concessions available for students, NSFs and seniors 45m No intermission Rating: TBD Recommended for 18 years old and above.

Content warning: Themes and description of war and violence.

Performed in English Audience members are recommended to dress comfortably. Admission is subject to tickets produced at the entrance. Due to the nature of the performance, latecomers will not be admitted.

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“Even the dead will not be safe from the enemy if he wins.” - Walter Benjamin An intimate and poetic sound installation set in a Syrian garden, Gardens Speak invites you to listen to ten soulful narratives by placing your head on the ground.

One of today’s most provocative artists returns to the gardens of Syria as the setting for this powerful work.

Lebanese-British artist Tania El Khoury tenderly recreates the memories and stories of a people under siege. Away from the war-ravaged streets, the dead bodies of activists and protestors from the early periods of the Syrian uprising are quietly laid to rest in gardens across the city.

In Gardens Speak, El Khoury invites you listen to the oral histories of ten ordinary people who were buried in these Syrian gardens. Each narrative has been carefully constructed with the friends and family members of the deceased to retell their stories as they themselves may have recounted it. They are compiled with found audio that evidences their final moments.

Just like the dead protect the living by not exposing them to further danger at the hands of the regime, we – the living – protect the dead by telling their stories, and not allowing their deaths to become instruments to the regime.

Lay your head quietly to the ground, and let the sounds from beneath speak to you – in a quietly powerful work that embraces life, death and the human condition.

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Tania El Khoury and Basel Zaraa

AS FAR AS ISOLATION GOES (Lebanon & Palestine)

ONLINE

20 — 21, 27 — 28 May Thu — Fri, 5.30pm, 5.55pm, 6.20pm, 6.45pm, 7.10pm, 8pm, 8.25pm, 8.50pm, 9.15pm, 9.35pm 22 — 23, 29 — 30 May Sat — Sun, 4.30pm, 4.55pm, 5.20pm, 5.45pm, 6.10pm, 7pm, 7.25pm, 7.50pm, 8.15pm, 8.35pm Online

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$20 20m No intermission Rating: TBD Real time interaction with audience participation Recommended for 12 years old and above Performed in English and some Arabic with English subtitles Audience member will receive log-in information 24 hours before their selected showtime. Audience members need to have a black marker pen, a paintbrush, a glass of water and some tissues in order to participate in the performance.

In this one-on-one performance, experience an intimate, moving encounter with a refugee, re-imagined for the online space.

From Lebanese-British live artist Tania El Khoury and musician and street artist Basel Zaraa comes a powerful work that explores the mental and physical state of refugees, cast against the inhumane conditions of detention centres.

Built from their original collaboration As Far As My Fingertips Take Me, in which El Khoury commissioned Zaraa to record a rap song inspired by the journey his sisters made from Damascus to Sweden, As Far as Isolation Goes recreates this one-on-one performance for the online context.

El Khoury’s work raises timely questions about the borders that separate us – both visible and invisible. As Far as Isolation Goes uses touch, sound, and interactivity to bring audience members in contact with those faced with inhumane detention centres and a mental health system that disregards their political and emotional contexts.

Born a Palestinian refugee in Syria, Zaraa creates a song inspired by conversations with his friends and colleagues who have recently claimed refuge in the United Kingdom. His music draws us into a personal and collective experience – of his life and the lives of other refugees – grappling with loss, isolation and an uncertain future in a foreign land.

Intimate, poetic and heart-rending, As Far As Isolation Goes creates a rare moment of connection and understanding, one that will stay with you even after you say goodbye.

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Scott Silven

THE JOURNEY IMMERSIVE

18 — 23, 25 — 30 May Tue — Sun, 7pm Online

$40 50m No intermission Rating: TBD Performed in English Real time interaction with audience participation The show is recommended for ages 14 and older Groups of two or more people wishing to attend the same performance should each have their own ticket, and be using their own equipment and devices.

There is no latecomers entry.

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(UK)

From the hands of extraordinary illusionist and mentalist Scott Silven comes this stunning, interactive performance, equal parts magical mystery and an ode to the hidden connections between us.

Silven is an illusionist and mentalist of prodigious powers, conjuring stylishly realised performances matched by astonishing feats of illusion. On the back of his sold-out world tour of At The Illusionist’s Table, The Journey invites you to join him in a one-of-a-kind, shared experience, crafted for the digital stage.

Your adventure begins in a seaside village of Glasglow, Scotland. Cast against the lush, mythical landscape of Silven’s childhood home, hear a long-forgotten story, reveal the mysteries of your own mind and unlock the secrets of Silven’s glorious Scottish homeland.

Limited to only 30 participants per show, join others in this virtual event like no other.

Probing space, time, memory, and also our collective minds, Silven powers are on full display, and he interweaves the group’s past, present and future into a unique narrative.

Set against the strange backdrop of a global pandemic, The Journey is a stunningly realised performance for the age of social isolation – and a performance not to be missed.

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Photo by Maria Baranova

600 HIGHWAYMEN

A THOUSAND WAYS PART III: AN ASSEMBLY (USA)

IMMERSIVE

21 — 23 May Fri, 7pm Sat — Sun, 2pm & 7pm SOTA Drama Theatre

$35* *Limited concessions available for students, NSFs and seniors 1h No intermission Rating: TBD Performed in English Admission is subject to tickets produced at the entrance. Due to the nature of the performance, latecomers will not be admitted.

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A Thousand Ways is an enthralling, imaginative, and profound social experience that delivers us from isolation to congregation. A treasure hunt. An essential reckoning. This triptych of encounters explores the line between strangeness and kinship, distance and proximity, and how the most intimate assembly can become profoundly radical.

Obie Award-winning theatremakers, 600 HIGHWAYMEN, known for exhilarating performances that challenge the very definition of theatre, have created a quietly radical response to this new world with A Thousand Ways. Taking place over several months, each distinct instalment presents a new chance at making contact with a stranger. It is a chance at being heard, a brave moment to show up.

This is an invitation. Will you attend?

PART 3: AN ASSEMBLY A public convening made up of you and every stranger from the project’s journey. Together we follow a shared score. This final instalment is a chance to feel the power and complexities of group assembly.

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FESTIVAL COMMISSION 艺术节委约作品

Nine Years Theatre and SITI Company, 九年剧场与SITI剧团

THREE SISTERS

(Singapore & USA, 新加坡与美国)

THEATRE

20 — 22 May Thu — Sat, 8pm Drama Centre Theatre SIFA On Demand: 5 — 12 Jun SISTIC Live

$48, $58*, $68 *Limited concessions available for students, NSFs and seniors Limited student tickets at $10 2h No intermission 演出时长2小时，无钟中场休息

Rating: General 分级制: 普通级

No admission for infants-in-arms.

Admission for audience age 7 years and above.

Performed in English and Mandarin with English and Chinese subtitles 英语和华语演出，附中、英文字幕

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The award-winning ensembles of Singapore’s Nine Years Theatre and the SITI Company from New York join hands to present this hybrid retelling of Anton Chekhov’s classic play Three Sisters.

2021年的新加坡国际艺术节将推出契柯夫的 经典剧作《三姐妹》，由两个获奖剧团—新加坡 九年剧场和美国纽约SITI剧团携手打造混合媒介 演出。

Three Sisters, by Russian playwright Anton Chekhov, stands as one of the most outstanding plays of his career. Olga, Masha, and Irina – the titular sisters — fritter away their lives in a provincial town, while they dream of returning to the cosmopolitan city where they grew up.

《三姐妹》是俄罗斯剧作家契柯夫最杰出的剧作 之一，故事围绕住在一个小省城里的三姐妹 - 奥 尔加、玛莎和伊琳娜。她们各有憧憬却没有实际 行动，只能盼望着能重返承载了童年美好回忆的 莫斯科，最终在空想中虚度了生命。

Chronicling their tangled relationships, ordinary frustrations and search for meaning, the play opens a moving window into the human condition, and reveals Chekhov’s profound understanding of universal themes.

In this new hybrid work co-created by Singapore Mandarin theatre company Nine Years Theatre (NYT) and the SITI Company from New York, this classic play is re-imagined as a memory-scape of Irina, the youngest sister. The NYT actors will be performing alongside cinematic projections of SITI Company actors that allude to visual memories in the mind. The heart-wrenching story is then told through a juxtaposition of live bodies and virtual presence, heightening the tragi-comedic sentiments of these Chekhovian characters in an absurd world.

全剧以细腻的笔触描绘了众角色纠结的关系，生 活的挫折，以及他们对生命意义的渴望，以此为 观众打开了一扇窥视人性状态的窗口，也见证了 契柯夫对人性和旷世课题的深刻理解。 在这个由新加坡的华语剧团九年剧场和美国纽约 SITI剧团携手创作的混合媒介演出中，这个 经典剧本被重新诠释为三姐妹中最年轻的伊琳娜 的回忆世界。SITI剧团的演员将以电影画面 投影的方式出现，喻示着人们心里的视觉回忆。 九年演员则置身现场，以当下身体和虚拟现实的 对峙关系讲述这个扣人心弦的故事，并体现契柯 夫笔下人物在这个荒诞世界里的悲喜剧情怀。 这个版本的《三姐妹》不但演绎了一个超越时代 的故事，更集合了两大剧团的创意精神来对现今 世界的非常态做出耐人寻味的回应。切勿错过！

Don’t miss this version of Three Sisters that brings together the creativity of the two companies to share a timeless story, in a way that is also a quirky response to the current global unnormal.

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FESTIVAL COMMISSION

The Necessary Stage

THE YEAR OF NO RETURN

(Singapore)

THEATRE

21 & 22 May Fri, 8pm Sat, 2pm & 8pm Victoria Theatre SIFA On Demand: 5 — 12 Jun SISTIC Live

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$58*, $68 *Limited concessions available for students, NSFs and seniors Limited student tickets at $10 1h 30m No intermission Rating: TBD Performed in English, Japanese, Malay and Tagalog with English subtitles.

Admission for audience age 13 and above.

Photo by Tuckys Photography

Every day, we are inundated with dire consequences of the climate emergency.

In the face of this threat to humanity, what do we do? Recycle? Switch to environmentallyfriendly products? Be a vegan? Stop having children? What can we do — and do our actions even matter?

A ground-breaking interdisciplinary collaboration with artists from Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, The Year of No Return by Singapore theatre company The Necessary Stage seeks to unravel the complications and contradictions in humanity’s responses to climate change.

Why do we have such different responses to climate change? What makes one a denialist, or another to commit acts of civil disobedience in the name of climate justice?

This hybrid production incorporating live performance and video presentation seeks to question whether we live in an age of despair — or one of hope in the dark.

Can we as individuals, and collectively, affect change? Or will politics and profit dictate the fate of this planet — our only home?

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Sophia Brous

THE INVISIBLE OPERA (Australia)

Created with Lara Thoms, Faye Driscoll and Samara Hersch MULTI-DISCIPLINARY ART

28 — 30 May Fri — Sun, 6pm & 7pm Location TBC; refer to sifa.sg

FREE with registration 40m Performed in English Admission for audience age 13 years and above.

Audience members are recommended to dress comfortably. Due to the nature of the performance, latecomers will not be admitted.

To experience the work, patrons are required to bring their own earphones/headphones and a smartphone that enables audio streaming.

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A contemporary, public performance where the city takes centre stage, The Invisible Opera brings the world premiere of its first remote edition to SIFA 2021.

Set in a bustling square of a city centre, The Invisible Opera invites a solo observer to witness what we see and do not see in our public environment.

Unfolding as a hypnotic observation of the sounds and patterns of everyday life, The Invisible Opera gradually leads us to see the city – and our role within it – in a completely new light.

Created by Australian multidisciplinary performer Sophia Brous, with award-winning performancemakers Lara Thoms, Samara Hersch and US choreographer Faye Driscoll, The Invisible Opera presents the first iteration of its remote edition, in its world premiere at SIFA 2021.

Performed entirely remotely as a live theatrical encounter, The Invisible Opera features immersive sound design, electroacoustic orchestration and live vocal performance. The performance will be beamed in from Australia through a network of CCTV cameras and hidden microphones that map each movement of the square in real-time.

It follows a live libretto sung by a mellifluous security camera, describing each of the actions, objects and experiences happening in a city square in real-time. From the people, buildings, bodies and behaviours, to the unseen forces of private interest, real estate, surveillance and city planning, the performance choreographs the space into a kind of manufactured spectacle.

Ground-breaking and surprising, The Invisible Opera invites you step into a new experience of the city we call home.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS 14 – 16 MAY

FRI – SUN TACTILITY STUDIES: HOLD TO RESET

(Performance) 14 & 15 May Fri & Sat, 6pm Blue Room, Festival House

COSMOGONY For a limited time only after SIFA 2021, catch your favourite festival programmes in the comfort of your home.

The Commission

A SONG FOR LOUIS

14 May · Fri, 6pm & 9pm Victoria Theatre

From selected festival commissions, to SIFA v2.020 programmes and Singular Screens 2021 films, find out more at sifa.sg

THE COMMISSION

14 May · Fri, 8pm 15 May · Sat, 2pm & 8pm 16 May · Sun, 2pm & 6pm The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre @ Wild Rice, Funan

2021 Festival Commissions & SIFA v2.020 5 – 12 JUN

TACTILITY STUDIES: HOLD TO RESET

$15

(Installation) 14 & 15 May · Fri & Sat, 2pm – 5pm 16 May · Sun, 10am – 1pm, 2pm – 5pm & 6pm – 9pm Blue Room, Festival House

All Access – Bundle of 12* 5 – 12 JUN

$60

Singular Screen Films 31 MAY – 6 JUN

$8

All Access – Bundle of 7 Films* 31 MAY – 6 JUN

SIFA RADIO SINGULAR SCREENS

$35

21 – 23 MAY

FRI – SUN

21 & 22 May Fri & Sat, 8pm Drama Centre Theatre

THE YEAR OF NO RETURN

21 May · Fri, 8pm 22 May · Sat, 2pm & 8pm Victoria Theatre

CAN OR CANNOT? MAKING SUSTAINABLE ART EVENTS THE NORM

14 – 16 May Fri – Sun, 8pm & 9pm Esplanade Theatre

DANCING LANDSCAPES

EN ROUTE

THERAPEUTIC SOUND​ BATH

14 & 15 May Fri & Sat, 11am, 2.30pm, 5pm & 6.15pm 16 May · Sun, 11am, 2.30pm & 5pm Central Singapore

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16 May Sun, 9.30am & 12pm Gallery II, Festival House

BE COMFORTED NOW: BACH CANTATAS

CONNECTIONS: EMBODIED MOVEMENT, MEDITATION AND JOURNALING​

16 May · Sun, 5pm Victoria Concert Hall

IMPOSSIBLE CONVERSATIONS

15 May · Sat, 9.30am Gallery II, Festival House

15 & 16 May Sat & Sun, 3pm Online

TACTILITY STUDIES: HOLD TO RESET WORKSHOP: RESET (I)

15 May · Sat, 10.30am Blue Room, Festival House

SUNSET SESSIONS · 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 & 29 MAY, 7PM

25 – 27 MAY

TUE – THU EN ROUTE

TACTILITY STUDIES: HOLD TO RESET WORKSHOP: RESET (II)

NEVELEVEN

OIWA AND WHO ELSE? THE MANY FACES OF J-HORROR

ALONE TOGETHER

22 May · Sat, 7.30pm Chamber, Festival House

DANCING LANDSCAPES 22 May · Sat, 12pm Gallery II, Festival House

ECHOES OF FIRE AND WATER

23 May · Sun, 3pm & 6pm Chamber, Festival House

NATURE OF DAYLIGHT 23 May · Sun, 5pm Esplanade Concert Hall

25 – 27 May Tue – Thu, 7pm Online

25 – 27 May Tue – Thu, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm & 8pm Gallery II, Festival House

26 & 27 May · Wed & Thu, 11am, 2.30pm & 5pm Central Singapore

27 May · Thu, 8pm Online

AS FAR AS ISOLATION GOES

27 May · Thu, 5.30pm, 5.55pm, 6.20pm, 6.45pm, 7.10pm, 8pm, 8.25pm, 8.50pm, 9.15pm & 9.35pm Online

HEALING RHAPSODY 26 May · Wed, 7.30pm Victoria Concert Hall

GARDENS SPEAK

26 & 27 May · Wed & Thu, 6pm, 7.30pm & 9pm 222 Arts Club

21 & 23 May Fri & Sun, 11am Living Room, Festival House

SIFA RADIO SINGULAR SCREENS DEMON STATES

15 May · Sat, 12pm Gallery II, Festival House

THE JOURNEY

22 May · Sat, 10am Blue Room, Festival House

THREE SISTERS

15 May Sat, 11.30am & 3pm Living Room, Festival House

BEFORE LIFE AND AFTER

21 May · Fri, 7.30pm Chamber, Festival House

Three Sisters

TOOLKITS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: THE ROLE OF ART IN CLIMATE ADVOCACY

Photo by Jesse Hunniford

Gardens Speak

SUNSET SESSIONS · 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 & 29 MAY, 7PM 14 – 30 MAY 19 – 30 MAY

All information is correct at the time of print. SIFA reserves the right to make changes and modifications to the programme without prior notice. For updates, please visit our website at sifa.sg.

17 – 20 MAY

MON – THU

THE JOURNEY

21 – 23 MAY GARDENS SPEAK

18 – 20 May Tue – Thu, 7pm Online

21 May · Fri, 6pm, 7.30pm & 9pm 22 & 23 May · Sat & Sun, 11am, 12.30pm, 3.30pm, 5pm, 8pm & 9.30pm 222 Arts Club

GARDENS SPEAK

19 & 20 May · Wed & Thu, 6pm, 7.30pm & 9pm 222 Arts Club

EN ROUTE

EN ROUTE

19 & 20 May · Wed & Thu, 11am, 2.30pm & 5pm Central Singapore

The Journey

NEVELEVEN

21 & 22 May · Fri & Sat, 11am, 2.30pm, 5pm & 6.15pm 23 May · Sun, 11am, 2.30pm & 5pm Central Singapore

19 & 20 May · Wed & Thu, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm & 8pm THE JOURNEY Gallery II, Festival House 21 – 23 May THE CONSOLER Fri – Sun, 7pm 19 May · Wed, 7.30pm Online Chamber, Festival House

THE WANDERING 20 May · Thu, 7pm Screening Room, Festival House

Photo by Jane Barlow

en route

AS FAR AS ISOLATION GOES

GHOSTS OF YESTERYEAR

20 May · Thu, 5.30pm, 5.55pm, 6.20pm, 6.45pm, 7.10pm, 8pm, 8.25pm, 8.50pm, 9.15pm & 9.35pm Online

20 May · Thu, 7.30pm Esplanade Concert Hall

THREE SISTERS

20 May · Thu, 8pm Drama Centre Theatre

A THOUSAND WAYS PART III: AN ASSEMBLY 21 May · Fri, 7pm 22 & 23 May Sat & Sun, 2pm & 7pm SOTA Drama Theatre

28 – 30 MAY

21 May · Fri, 5.30pm, 5.55pm, 6.20pm, 6.45pm, 7.10pm, 8pm, 8.25pm, 8.50pm, 9.15pm & 9.35pm 22 & 23 May · 4.30pm, 4.55pm, 5.20pm, 5.45pm, 6.10pm, 7pm, 7.25pm, 7.50pm, 8.15pm & 8.35pm Online

NEVELEVEN

21 & 22 May · Fri & Sat, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm & 9pm 23 May · Sun, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm & 8pm Gallery II, Festival House

TACTILITY STUDIES: HOLD TO RESET

(Installation) 21 & 22 May · Fri & Sat, 2pm – 5pm 23 May · Sun, 10am – 1pm, 2pm – 5pm & 6pm – 9pm Blue Room, Festival House

Fri & Sat, 12pm Online

(Performance) 21 & 22 May Fri & Sat, 6pm Blue Room, Festival House

ONLINE / SPOTIFY

14 – 30 MAY

OLDHAM THEATRE

19 – 30 MAY

VARIOUS LOCATIONS

FRI – SUN

GARDENS SPEAK

28 May · Fri, 6pm, 7.30pm & 9pm 29 & 30 May · Sat & Sun, 11am, 12.30pm, 3.30pm, 5pm, 8pm & 9.30pm 222 Arts Club

EN ROUTE

28 & 29 May · Fri & Sat, 11am, 2.30pm, 5pm & 6.15pm 30 May · Sun, 11am, 2.30pm & 5pm Central Singapore

NEVELEVEN

28 & 29 May · Fri & Sat, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm & 9pm Gallery II, Festival House

THE INVISIBLE OPERA 28 – 30 May · Fri – Sun, 6pm & 7pm Refer to sifa.sg

THE JOURNEY

AS FAR AS ISOLATION GOES

TO GATHERING: LAYING THE TABLE BARE TACTILITY STUDIES: 21 & 22 May HOLD TO RESET

NIGHTCAP @ 9 · 16, 23 & 30 MAY, 9PM

DEMON STATES

FRI – SUN

28 – 30 May · Fri – Sun, 7pm Online

AS FAR AS ISOLATION GOES

28 May · Fri, 5.30pm, 5.55pm, 6.20pm, 6.45pm, 7.10pm, 8pm, 8.25pm, 8.50pm, 9.15pm & 9.35pm 29 & 30 May · 4.30pm, 4.55pm, 5.20pm, 5.45pm, 6.10pm, 7pm, 7.25pm, 7.50pm, 8.15pm & 8.35pm Online

PLAY+GROUND: THE ANYWHERE OF EVERYTHING, NO MATTER THE TIME

28 – 30 May · Fri – Sun, 9am, 11.30am, 2pm & 4.30pm Play Den, Festival House

PLAY+GROUND: CLOSER APART

28 – 30 May · Fri – Sun, 11.30am & 4pm Living Room, Festival House

OIWA - THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA 28 – 30 May Fri – Sun, 8pm Victoria Theatre

IMPOSSIBLE CONVERSATIONS 29 & 30 May Sat & Sun, 3pm Online

TO GATHERING: THE BROTHERS LAYING THE TABLE BARE CIRCLE

⬅

28 & 29 May · Fri & Sat, 12pm 29 May Online Sat, 9am & 12pm Blue Room, Festival House

_T0701_

28 May · Fri,8pm 29 May · Sat, 2pm & 8pm SOTA Studio Theatre

THE RHYTHM OF US 28 & 29 May Fri & Sat, 8pm Esplanade Theatre

A DREAM UNDER THE SOUTHERN BOUGH: EXISTENCE

29 May · Sat, 2pm & 8pm 30 May · Sun, 2pm Drama Centre Theatre

NIGHTCAP @ 9 · 16, 23 & 30 MAY, 9PM

THE HOPE VIBRATION​ 30 May · Sun, 9am Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall Atrium

FROM MEE TO YOU​ 30 May · Sun, 11am Online

ENTER THE WATERS: AN EMBODIED ART-MAKING JOURNEY​

30 May · Sun, 12pm Blue Room, Festival House

ONLINE / SPOTIFY

OLDHAM THEATRE VARIOUS LOCATIONS

ASIAN ARTS MEDIA ROUNDTABLE MUSICAL SWINGS

15 MAY – 12 JUN

ONLINE & FESTIVAL HOUSE

1 – 13 JUN

CATHAY GREEN

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FESTIVAL COMMISSION

The Finger Players

OIWA –

THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA (Singapore)

THEATRE

28 — 30 May Fri — Sun, 8pm Victoria Theatre SIFA On Demand: 5 — 12 Jun SISTIC Live

$58*, $68 *Limited concessions available for students, NSFs and seniors Limited student tickets at $10 2h No intermission Rating: TBD Performed in Japanese with English subtitles

Programme Partner:

Admission for audience age 12 years and above.

Advisory: The following contains scenes of violence and references to rape. Viewer discretion is advised.

Admission is subject to tickets produced at the entrance.

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With an innovative ensemble of puppeteers and actors, this age-old Japanese ghost story of betrayal and revenge is magically reinvented by Singapore’s The Finger Players.

Based on blood-tingling real-life events and historical figures from the Edo period, the tale of Oiwa – a jilted wife who haunts her murderer – continues to reverberate through its countless adaptations.

Now, one of Singapore’s leading theatre companies The Finger Players retells this timeless tale through an innovative ensemble of puppeteers and actors.

Actors simulate the movements of puppets, while shadowy puppeteers manipulate these human puppets, with techniques inspired from Japanese Bunraku – a traditional form of Japanese puppet theatre.

Witness the scorned and powerful figure of Oiwa and the fearsome scavengers and peasants who commit horrific deeds around her, in this riveting tale of revenge, betrayal and heartbreak.

A legend with a contemporary resonance, Oiwa – The Ghost of Yotsuya promises an enthralling performance with hauntingly beautiful moments that unfold one after another.

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FESTIVAL COMMISSION

Singapore Dance Theatre and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra

THE RHYTHM OF US (Singapore)

MUSIC

28 & 29 May Fri & Sat, 8pm Esplanade Theatre SIFA On Demand: 5 — 12 Jun SISTIC Live

$78*, $88 *Limited concessions available for students, NSFs and seniors Limited student tickets at $10 Tote Board Arts Grant: All Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges / Centralised Institute & ITEs may use the Tote Board Arts Grant to subsidise up to 50% of the programme cost. Special Education Schools may use the Tote Board Arts Grant to subsidise up to 70% of the programme cost 1h 5m No intermission No admission for infants-in-arms.

Admission for audience age 6 years and above.

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A long-awaited performance by two of Singapore’s preeminent arts companies, The Rhythm of Us is a transcendent evening of dance and music for these uncertain times.

The Rhythm of Us marks an exciting collaboration between Singapore Dance Theatre (SDT) and the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO) – one bound to delight fans and new audiences as the companies break new ground in this cross-disciplinary concert.

Buoyed by a collective longing for the theatre, The Rhythm of Us leads audiences on a lyrical journey with three works, culminating in the remembrance of the transcendence and wonder of live music and dance.

Three contemporary musical pieces will come to life with new choreography by Artistic Director of SDT Janek Schergen, well-known local choreographer Christina Chan and special guest Pam Tanowitz. Tanowitz’s new work marks the first showing of her work in Singapore.

The evening opens on a meditative note with William Walton’s Passacaglia for Cello, performed by Ng Pei-Sian, SSO’s Principal cellist and The HEAD Foundation Chair, along with dancer Chihiro Uchida, and builds up to a crescendo with a performance of Henry Cowell’s Variation on Thirds, featuring a string ensemble and six dancers.

In the performance’s effervescent finale, expect a brand-new piece, The Light Behind Us, by local jazz pianist and composer, Chok Kerong, matched by fresh choreography by Christina Chan and a dazzling ensemble of musicians and dancers (as far as safe management measure will allow!).

A testament to hope and the indomitable spirit of the arts, The Rhythm of Us is an unprecedented treasure by two of Singapore’s most celebrated arts companies and a rare treat for these challenging times.

Programme Partner:

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FESTIVAL COMMISSION

Zeugma

_T0701_ (Singapore) MULTI-DISCIPLINARY

28 & 29 May Fri, 8pm Sat, 2pm & 8pm SOTA Studio Theatre SIFA On Demand: 5 — 12 Jun SISTIC Live

$35* *Limited concessions available for students, NSFs and seniors Limited student tickets at $10 1h No intermission Rating: TBD Performed in Malay and English with English subtitles No admission for infants-in-arms.

Admission for audience age 6 years and above.

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Blurring the lines between the real and the virtual, this stylish, futuristic trip into the everyday struggles of a PMD delivery rider is a multi-sensory treat.

As our protaganist reaches a moment reckoning, Jati soon realises he could not tell who is the enemy as the line that connects the real and virtual is not as clearly defined anymore.

In an ordinary neighbourhood sometime in the future, a PMD Delivery Personnel (DePer) finds himself caught between the struggles of the real and digital world. In the digital realm, mainly ruled by MegahCorp, Jati is another avatar of the digital working class, ruled mainly by MegahCorp.

Driven by materialistic rewards of financial incentives and social ratings, it offers him a living and hope for the future.

Conceived by Zeugma, a collective made up of Rizman Putra, Safuan Johari, Brandon Tay and Zulfadli Rashid (Big), _T0701_ exudes the wit and originality the collective is known for.

With its existential themes around survival, ethics and modern life, along with a mix of virtual reality and storytelling panache, _T0701_ is a dark and entertaining ride not to be missed.

Meanwhile in the real world, he has to navigate a journey of life lessons while mounting on his PMD. Genuine human connections made often paint a different story of this new way of life he has just started believing in.

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FESTIVAL COMMISSION 艺术节委约作品

Toy Factory Productions Ltd, Toy肥料厂

A DREAM UNDER THE SOUTHERN BOUGH: EXISTENCE 《南柯一梦》之辱梦 (Singapore, 新加坡) THEATRE

29 — 30 May Sat, 2pm & 8pm Sun, 2pm Drama Centre Theatre SIFA On Demand: 5 — 12 Jun SISTIC Live

$48, $58*, $68 *Limited concessions available for students, NSFs and seniors Limited student tickets at $10 2h No Intermission 演出时长2小时，无中场休息

Rating: TBD 分级制: TBD No admission for infants-in-arms.

Admission for audience age 6 years and above.

Performed in Mandarin with English subtitles 华语演出，附英文字幕

39

As we reminisce the wonders and fantasies in The Beginning, as well as the bountiful blessings and beauty in Reverie, we invite you to dream with us in the finale play of the trilogy, Existence, in all its bold and ambitious glory.

In an extravagant dream spanning twenty years, Chun Yu Fen finds the perfect life he has yearned for bestowed upon him. He excels in governing the Southern Bough and lives blissfully with his spouse, the Kingdom’s princess, and their children.

His perfect life is short-lived when a series of unfortunate and tragic events threatens to destroy Chun’s perfect life — a love rival, a violent invasion from another kingdom, failure to defend his troops in the crossfire, and the death of his beloved spouse.

Disillusioned and heart-broken, Chun devotes his time to work, swiftly rising through the ranks. He indulges in alcohol and merry-making as his status grows but neglects his official duties, much to the chagrin of the King, who banishes Chun from the Ant Kingdom.

在回味第一部“入梦”的奇幻，第二部“如 梦”的绚丽斑斓，第三部“辱梦”篇的腥风血 雨早已酝酿已久，收官之作必然气魄惊魂。 转眼二十载，南柯太守淳于棼将南柯郡治理 的仅仅有条，他与公主生儿育女，全家其乐 融融。 然而，好景将尽，檀萝国四太子垂涎瑶芳公主 美色，派兵侵犯南柯边关。淳于棼请命点将练 兵，不料交战后大败，淳于棼上奏国王交卸太 守职务回大槐安国。祸不单行，妻子瑶芳公主 害病，在回大槐安国的路上离他而去。 回到大槐安国的淳于棼一心工作，晋升为左 相，威望和权势越来越高的他沉迷在酒色之 中。此时的国王对他疑心似起，决定将淳于棼 送出大槐安国，回归故土。大势已去的淳于 棼，驱车行驶在当年来时的路，山川原野，景 色依旧却已物是人非。出蚁穴，入家门，睡梦 中的淳于棼陡然惊醒。斜阳西晒，杯中剩酒， 梦虽短暂，却在梦里过了一世。 回首望去二十年的如梦南柯，淳于棼的人生如 梦，梦辱人生。

On his journey home, Chun retraces the paths he crossed decades ago and abruptly awakens from his twenty-year dream, realising that time has barely passed and that reality mirrors his dream – human calamities continue to ensue. Despite the passage of a mere few minutes, Chun experiences an entire lifetime in his slumber, traversing the blurred lines between dream and reality…

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SINGULAR SCREENS Curated by Asian Film Archive 14 — 30 May Various Timings Oldham Theatre, National Archives of Singapore Tickets at $15 Bundle of 4: $50 FILM

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Curated by the Asian Film Archive (AFA) for the Singapore International Festival of Arts 2021 (SIFA), Singular Screens celebrates diverse, independent and singular visions from Singapore and around the world. Discover a bold palette of cinematic adventures, featuring the ingenious and risk-taking in film. Screenings will be held at Oldham Theatre, with selected films also available on Video on Demand (VOD).

Ratings for all films to be advised.

FOR FULL LINE UP, VISIT SIFA.SG

LIGHT OF A BURNING MOTH / 蛾の光

N.P.

A dancer stops speaking to be a “voice” for silent people. Meeting an old artist, she faces her trauma of her mother’s disappearance.

Lisa Spilliaert’s feature debut is a silent film translation of the Banana Yoshimoto’s novel into a cinematic scenario.

THE MOLE AGENT / EL AGENTE TOPO

LOVE POEM / 情诗

When a family becomes concerned about their mother’s well-being in a retirement home, private investigator Romulo hires Sergio, an 83-year-old man who becomes a mole.

What feels like an ordinary weekend outing a young couple gets into a heated argument, exposing many secrets. But have they told each other everything?

BLOODY NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS

THE HUMAN VOICE & LUX ÆTERNA

A mosaic of disparate lives, teetering between dignity and debauchery, reckoning with the past as they face an uncertain future.

In The Human Voice, a woman watches time passing by and goes though all sorts of moods over three days; in Lux Æterna, a shoot gets thrown into a chaos of pure light.

OUVERTURES

A LOVE UNKNOWN

Ouvertures brings the Haitian revolutionary Toussaint Louverture back to life.

A woman in New York and her abandoned daughter in Singapore pursue a change in their lives. Over four days, their inner demons unravel an interconnectedness between mother and child.

THERE ARE NO FALSE UNDERTAKINGS / IL N’Y A PAS DE FAUX MÉTIER

GUNDA

Theatre, burlesque, detective, sitcom, cineme: Oliver Godin’s new film is a playful and delirious tale with unexpected twists.

Experiential cinema in its purest form, GUNDA chronicles the unfiltered lives of a mother pig, a flock of chickens, and a herd of cows with masterful intimacy.

THE YEAR OF THE DISCOVERY / EL AÑO DEL DESCUBRIMIENTO

IF IT WERE LOVE / SI C’ÉTAIT DE L’AMOUR

As the day goes on in a bar in Cartagena, the riots from the industrial crisis of 1992 are heard more and more closely.

Fifteen young dancers are on tour with Crowd, Gisèle Vienne’s epic dance piece. From theatre to theatre, the work mutates into strange, intimate relationships.

SÁTÁNTANGÓ

LANDSCAPES OF RESISTANCE

Based on the book by László Krasznahorkai, Sátántangó follows members of a small, defunct agricultural collective living in a post-apocalyptic landscape after the fall of Communism.

Landscapes of Resistance traces a journey through the memories of antifascist fighter Sonja, one of the first female partisans in Yugoslavia.

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SIFA ON DEMAND

For a limited time only after SIFA 2021, catch your favourite festival programmes in the comfort of your home. From our popular festival commissions, to past videos to selected films from Singular Screens.

SIFA On Demand: Singular Screens

$8 per film $35 for a bundle of 7 films Selected films available to Singapore-based audiences from 31 May to 6 June.

N.P.

THE MOLE AGENT / EL AGENTE TOPO

THERE ARE NO FALSE UNDERTAKINGS / IL N’Y A PAS DE FAUX MÉTIER

BLOOD NOSE, EMPTY POCKETS

OUVERTURES

THE YEAR OF THE DISCOVERY / EL AÑO DEL DESCUBRIMIENTO

IF IT WERE LOVE / SI C’ÉTAIT DE L’AMOUR

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT SIFA.SG/VOD

SIFA On Demand: 2021 Festival Commissions & SIFA v2.020

THE COMMISSION

$15 per show $60 for a bundle of 12 shows Available to audiences worldwide from 5 to 12 June.

A SONG FOR LOUIS

Creative Captioning (English) is available for VOD

THE YEAR OF NO RETURN Creative Captioning (English) is available for VOD

OIWA – THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA

THREE SISTERS 三姐妹 Creative Captioning (English and Chinese) is available for VOD

A DREAM UNDER THE SOUTHERN BOUGH – EXISTENCE《南柯一梦》之辱梦 Creative Captioning (English and Chinese) is available for VOD

THE RHYTHM OF US

_T0701_ Creative Captioning (English and Malay) is available for VOD

THE WANDERING

SOUND SOCIAL SERIES

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Chong Gua Khee and Bernice Lee

TACTILITY STUDIES: HOLD TO RESET

(Singapore)

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY

14 — 23 May Blue Room, Festival House Installation

14 — 15, 21 — 22 May Fri — Sat, 2pm — 5pm 16 & 23 May Sun, 10am — 1pm, 2pm — 5pm, 6pm — 9pm Blue Room, Festival House

Free with registration

Performance

14 — 15, 21 — 22 May Fri — Sat, 6pm Blue Room, Festival House

$15 3h This is a come-as-you-wish performance.

The performances are durational and unfold over three hours. People are welcome to enter and exit over the course of the three hours, and to stay for as long or as short as they would like, space permitting. As audience capacity is limited, we recommend to pre-book a slot at your preferred timing.

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Workshops In the workshops, Gua Khee and Bernice will introduce some of the concepts and exercises they have developed over the years of working on Tactility Studies projects.

Reset (I) 15 May Sat, 10.30am Blue Room, Festival House

$20 2.5h No intermission This workshop is open to the general public – no prior movement experience is needed!

Reset (II) 22 May Sat, 10am Blue Room, Festival House

$20 3h No intermission This workshop is intended for performers who have at least two years of professional experience.

When was the last time you felt safe and free in your own body? A response to a year of collective upheaval and the human costs of ‘pushing on’, Tactility Studies: Hold to Reset is an invitation to audiences to open up their bodies as sites and spaces for performance – to be soft, to wobble, to stretch and uncoil.

The piece will unfold in three parts: miniworkshops that invite you to hold space and care for your own body; durational performances that pay attention to our collective bodies; and an experiential installation where anyone can sit and spend time with other human, object and plant bodies.

If you’re feeling the weight of aches you’ve absorbed, or reflecting on the callouses that have grown over the skin of your heart, we hope that this is a reminder - where there is tension, there can be release.

About the Artists Tactility Studies: Hold to Reset is an iteration of Tactility Studies (2018-ongoing), a long-term performance project jointly manifested by theatre and dance artists Chong Gua Khee and Bernice Lee. Since 2018, Tactility Studies has been incubated at and supported by Dance Nucleus, Singapore.

Bernice Lee / 李怡珣 is a contemporary dance artist whose practice extends beyond her field.

Her current practice also involves everyday technologies and social media. She sees artmaking as a form of social activism and roots her labours in improvisation, playing in connection between thought, feeling, and movement, with time as primary material.

Chong Gua Khee / 张月崎 is deeply interested in opening up space and time for emergent, intimate and joyful conversations, and in her work she seeks to invite others to collectively play with and discover ways of better caring for ourselves, one another, and the worlds we live in.

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BRACK in collaboration with Warung Ijo

TO GATHERING: LAYING THE TABLE BARE

(Singapore)

INSTALLATION

21, 22, 28 & 29 May Fri — Sat, 12pm Online/Zoom

$15 Inclusive of a delivered meal 1h 30m No intermission

How is the impossibility of gathering in these exceptional times made manifest through the attempt of executing a simple act, the sharing of a meal? What lies within the host’s realm of control – and what lies beyond?

Join us for a meal. Piled onto the plate in front of you are layered stories, layered labour, layered opportunities and constraints. Take a bite, what do you taste? Bite into the obscurity, chew on it.

Laying the Table Bare is an opportunity for honest storytelling, a chance to lay the table bare.

Recommended for 16 years and above

To Gathering is a series by Brack, a Singapore-based platform for socially-engaged artists in Southeast Asia, who are interested in practices of gathering, and in dialogical exchanges across mediums, disciplines, and communities.

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Exhibition

14 — 30 May Tue — Fri, 11am — 3pm, 4pm — 9pm Sat — Sun, 11am — 3.30pm, 4.30pm — 9pm Closed on Mondays

Composed around the origin and operations of Warung Ijo, an Indonesian vegetarian eatery, the work unfolds in two parts: a physical installation at the eatery, and a digital lunch gathering with provided food. How do foods get to our tables – what networks and labours enable their arrival?

When lockdowns restrict access to overseas produce, how are substitutes chosen and procured?

In running a vegetarian eatery, what happens when principles meet pragmatism?

Warung Ijo, 337 Beach Rd, Singapore 199565 Entry for Dine-in customers at Warung Ijo

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WORKSHOP

HEALING ART SESSIONS The Festival House will be offering a series of artist-led workshops that cultivate mindful practices, creating pathways for participants to re-connect with their body and self as a form of care.

CONNECTIONS:

EMBODIED MOVEMENT, MEDITATION, AND JOURNALING

15 May Sat, 9.30am Gallery II, Festival House

$20

Unapologetic Yoga What does it mean to be connected in these times? How can we explore links both in ourselves and with other people? In Connections, you are invited to an introspective, embodied movement practice that nurtures and develops connections – between body and mind, the multiple facets of the self, and in community.

We’ll explore embodiment as we work with yoga asana, meditation and journaling in gentle, mindful ways, as we learning new ways of connectedness and explore the process of consciously listening to the body’s needs, in each specific moment. This is a journey into the Self.

1h 30m No intermission

DANCING LANDSCAPES

15 May Sat, 12pm Gallery II, Festival House 22 May Sat, 12pm Playden, Festival House

$20 1h 30m No intermission

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Chloe Chotrani

Dancing Landscapes is an embodied exploration with guided facilitation by movement artist, Chloe Chotrani and a space to let your body speak before your mind. This practice invites you to listen to your bodily impulses and increase your spatial awareness. We will get to know our own bodies deeper by understanding, expanding, and strengthening our range of motion with the intention to feel free in our bodies, using movement as the gateway.

All levels, abilities, and bodies are welcome.

THERAPEUTIC SOUND BATH

The Singing Bowls The sound of the singing bowls has unique qualities that bring our mind to a state of relaxation similar to meditation. At the same time, the vibrations from the deep sound of the singing bowls soothe and relax the body. It is an effortless and enjoyable way to release our physical, mental and emotional tensions.

Beginning with a short introduction, singing bowl practioner Christina Shui will guide participants into position before starting to play 12 pieces of the Fullmoon Singing Bowls. Following a session, Christina will facilitate a short Q&A session to address any questions from participants.

16 May Sun, 9.30am & 12pm Gallery II, Festival House

$20 1h No intermission

THE BROTHERS CIRCLE

⭕

Hafeez Hassan My fellow brothers, I know it’s tough dealing with our wounded hearts, I can feel your exhaustion keeping up with expectations and the desire of letting your inner divine child out keeps whispering into your ears. Let’s dissolve the taboo around male vulnerability and connect with our hearts, our minds and our souls. I will see you in the circle.

29 May Sat, 9am & 12pm Blue Room, Festival House

Join Hafeez Hassan as he leads this circle of men embodying their masculinity in a safe and healthy manner through meditation, breath work and creative movement.

$20 1h 30m No intermission

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ENTER THE WATERS: AN EMBODIED ART-MAKING JOURNEY

30 May Sun, 12pm Blue Room, Festival House

Unapologetic Yoga and art by radha Let the waters stir your imagination in this embodied art-making session, as we wade through the tides in a multi-sensorial guided visualisation, and then play with patterns to create intuitive art. Explore how to incorporate movement and unity in your artwork as we move through the different patterns of the watery landscapes of the earth, bringing your visualisation to life with acrylics, watercolours and other unexpected tools and mediums.

$20 2h No intermission

THE HOPE VIBRATION

30 May Sun, 9am Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall Atrium

$20 1h No intermission

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Danielle Van de Velde Join meditation teacher Danielle Van de Velde in the beautiful setting of the Atrium between the Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall. In this powerful group meditation, which amplifies higher resonance states, she will guide participants via breathwork practice and an opening of the heart-centre to access the vibration of hope. The practice will be supported by one of her original tracks, Arc en Celeste, that utilizes hertz frequencies that serve to open, activate and heal the Heart Chakra.

Building Conversation

IMPOSSIBLE CONVERSATION MULTI-DISCIPLINARY

15 & 16, 29 & 30 May Sat — Sun, 3pm Online/Zoom

$15 2h No intermission

Impossible Conversation on Care - 15 May, Sat What does it mean to care?

How can we talk about giving care in these times?

Impossible Conversation on Risk - 16 May, Sun Have you ever felt there was a moment when you failed to take a risk? Or maybe you risked too much?

(Netherlands)

During an Impossible Conversation you enter into conversation with each other based on personal experiences related to a challenging topic. The different perspectives present in the group come together during the conversation.

Impossible Conversation is inspired by a Jesuit method in which you slow down and connect personal images by writing, reading, and speaking together.

This conversation is part of a series of Impossible Conversations with topics relating to the exceptional times we are in.

About Building Conversation The way we talk to each other influences the future we shall build together. Building Conversation explores innovative ways to engage in thought-provoking topics through the power of interactive art and performance as well as other creative social endeavors.

Impossible Conversation on Obedience - 29 May, Sat Have you ever had an experience in which you obeyed but wanted to disobey? What makes you obey or disobey?

Impossible Conversation on Trust - 30 May, Sun How can we trust? Was there a moment that you just needed to trust someone or something whatever the outcome

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Photo by Abbie Trayler-Smith

Climate Conversations

TOOLKITS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: THE ROLE OF ART IN CLIMATE ADVOCACY (Singapore) WORKSHOP

15 May Sat, 11.30am & 3pm Living Room, Festival House Free with registration 1h 30m No intermission

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Toolkits for Climate Change focuses on the role art can play in facilitating conversations and dialogues for climate advocacy.

How do we tell stories about climate change through visual archives? Climate Conversations will lead the audience through a contemplative journey to think about values and personal st ake in climate breakdown, ending with an empowering exercise for audiences to consider how they can take a more active role in advocating for climate change.

About Climate Conversations Climate Conversations seeks to build a society that lives in balance and peace with one another and the miraculous natural systems that support life on earth. At Climate Conversations, we are building this society, one circle of friends at a time and we want to build a critical mass of people that will support the actions needed to address climate breakdown.

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Arts Equator

ASIAN ARTS MEDIA ROUNDTABLE (Singapore)

CONFERENCE

15 May — 12 June Sat — Sat Online and Play Den, Festival House Register at artsequator.com/aamr

What does the work of a critic look like as performances and festivals are reimagined for the future? This year’s Asian Arts Media Roundtable (AAMR) is back with AAMR@SIFA2021, a digital programme bringing together international arts writers, critics and journalists to learn, share and converse.

Presented by ArtsEquator in collaboration with SIFA, this year’s programme launches with the inaugural Master Conversations series, focusing on production and technical theatre. Four in-depth presentations, led by master technical theatre practitioners, are designed to give critics insights into and knowledge in the under-discussed aspects of performance-making.

Participants will engage closely with SIFA 2021’s programming, attending shows both in-person (for Singapore-based participants), and online via digital watch parties. Through four public critics-led post-show discussions known as Critics Live!, participants will, amongst others, explore the role of criticism in emerging hybrid performance spaces.

The programme is open to arts writers, critics, and arts journalists, who will be selected for AAMR@SIFA2021 through an open call. All programmes will be held in English, with possibilities for translation support.

The four Critics Live! sessions – one of which will be held in-venue and three online – will be open to members of the public via registration. For more information and to register, visit www.artsequator.com/aamr

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MAMA MAGNET

SUNSET SESSIONS

(Singapore)

PODCAST

14, 15, 21, 22, 28 & 29 May Fri — Sat, 7pm Online / Spotify 45m No intermission Listen On Spotify

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Sunset Sessions is an easy-listening podcast series brought to you by MAMA MAGNET in collaboration with SIFA. These podcasts invite listeners to reflect on the dialogues and conversations between international and local creatives like artist Jason Lai; Claire O’Neill from Greener Fest; Kenny Leck from BooksActually; poet ArunDitha and many more!

From 7pm daily, tune in to this programme that talks about art at the intersection of other fields like sustainability and compassion for healing the soul and the environment.

About MAMA Magnet MAMA MAGNET was founded to create greater public access to a diversity of art, ideas and perspectives – whether cultural, social or digitally-relevant. Through public programming and counter-culture archiving, the consultancy creates offline and online encounters for the community to navigate unconventional futures.

T42

NIGHTCAP @ 9 (Singapore)

PODCAST

16, 23 & 30 May Sun, 9pm Online/Spotify

It’s the festival podcast no one asked for! Join best friends Kishan, a science educator, and Joel, a playwright and performer, as they take their raucous podcast T42 to the Festival. Join them with a stiff drink to chat every Sunday at 9pm about what they saw at SIFA that week, opinions and digressions guaranteed.

20m No intermission

About T42 Kishan Singh calls himself a science educator because he believes that science is for everyone. His proudest moments include accosting people in clubs about the chemistry of tonic and getting young minds excited about science in the classroom. Kishan is one half of the podcast, T42.

Listen On Spotify

Joel Tan is a playwright, performer, and now podcaster.

As a playwright, recent work includes commissions with the Royal Court, The Orange Tree Theatre, Headlong Theatre, Pangdemonium and Wild Rice.

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Chan Sze-Wei & P7:1SMA Featuring Ensemble ÆQUILIBRIUM

neveleven

(Singapore)

DANCE FILM

19 — 20, 23, 25 — 27 May Tues, Wed, Thurs, Sun 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm 21, 22, 28 & 29 May Fri — Sat, 4pm, 5pm, 6pm, 7pm, 8pm, 9pm Gallery II, Festival House $15 20m No intermission

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This dance video installation invites you to step into surreal landscapes blending the natural and the human-made.

Bodies dialogue with the heat and light of the rapidly shifting environment. Each seeks a way to live.

Set to George Crumb’s Eleven Echoes of Autumn, recorded by local contemporary music ensemble Ensemble Æquilibrium, neveleven is conceptualised and choreographed by Chan Sze-Wei and P7:1SMA.

Photo by Alfonse Chiu ©️ SAtheCollective, Pōtocol

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SAtheCollective & Pōtocol

THE WANDERING (Singapore)

DANCE FILM

20 & 22 May Thu, 7pm Sat, 5.30pm Screening Room, Festival House SIFA On Demand: 5 — 12 Jun SISTIC Live $5 34m No intermission

Something has gone wrong for a typical Singaporean family.

After a man loses his job and the respect of his wife and teenage son, he tries to reconnect with his family by taking them on a trip to visit a childhood haunt. Now abandoned and falling apart, the place is nothing like he thought it would be — especially not the ghosts of his past lying in wait.

Scored and inspired by Samsara, the latest album from SAtheCollective, The Wandering is a sensitive reflection of a family in crisis.

Choreographed by performance artist Rizman Putra, and codirected by filmmakers Russell Morton and Yeo Siew Hua, this interdisciplinary creation through music, choreography, and the moving image re-makes a richly complex world, exploring some of our most primal fears and the metamorphosis they bring forth.

Starring Oliver Chong, Xiao Jing & Aloysius Tan Commissioned by Arts House Limited for Singapore International Festival of Arts.

First presented at the Singapore International Festival of Arts v2.020 in 2020.

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Green Nudge

CAN OR CANNOT? MAKING SUSTAINABLE ART EVENTS THE NORM (Singapore) WORKSHOP

21 & 23 May Fri & Sun, 11am Living Room, Festival House

By Invite Only 2h No intermission

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Can or Cannot? Making Sustainable Art Events The Norm is a mapping workshop for the performing arts to diagnose the obstacles to overcome in our industry’s journey towards becoming more sustainable in our production and consumption. Led by Green Nudge, this workshop is designed specifically for the key sector players to think about how we can ’nudge’ peers, colleagues and audiences to think green when in staging plays, performances, or produce events and festivals.

About Green Nudge Green Nudge is a social enterprise based in Singapore that supports companies and communities to achieve positive environmental impact through activities, outreach and training and advisory. We believe that lasting environmental impact can be achieved collectively and organically and focuses on creating lasting sustainable mass events; building long-term engagement with companies and communities.

In doing so, we want to change the way we create and deal with waste in Singapore.

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Chef Justin Quek

FROM MEE TO YOU (Singapore)

TALK

29 May Sat, 11am Home-meals delivered to participants; access exclusive cooking tutorial available via QR code.

30 May Sun, 11am Live Q&A accessible via Facebook and YouTube* *Available on SIFA All Access after livestream

$50/set for 5

From Mee to You is a culinary delight and exercise that reminds us of the beauty in the simple act of assembling a meal and the enjoyment of eating traditional food.

Chef Justin Quek brings his special Mee Siam right to your doorstep this year to enjoy this traditional dish in the comfort of your home with loved ones.

Each hand-delivered set, enough to feed five, is a rare opportunity to taste this local dish from the Chef’s secret menu, unlisted from his restaurants! You can even treat yourself to an exclusive cooking tutorial from the chef himself and see why this Mee Siam is a must-try dish.

Log on to Chef Justin’s live segment as the festival closes on Sunday, 30 May at 11am to interact with one of Asia’s most celebrated chefs and assemble the meal together if you can wait.

Each set contains packaged condiments and ingredients to cook the Mee Siam along with Chef Justin’s special pastes.

Ingredients not included are eggs and prawns.

Note: This Mee Siam is not certified Halal but does not contain pork or lard. The dish contains dried shrimps, ground peanuts and soya bean.

About Chef Justin Quek Chef Justin Quek’s modern approach to French cuisine melds a mastery of technique with a delicacy of touch.

This award-winning chef worked in the kitchens of some of the most feted Michelin-starred restaurants in the world and his overseas ventures also brought him to East Asia, where he operated as chef-owner of fine-dining French establishments.

In June 2018, Chef Justin was invited to return to Marina Bay Sands, where he opened JustIN Flavours of Asia and fine dining restaurant Chinoiserie.

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The Artground

play+GROUND

(Singapore)

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY

28 — 30 May Fri — Sun

I: The Anywhere of Everything, No Matter The Time (work in progress showcase)

By Dalija Acin Thelander

Programme I: The Anywhere of Everything, No Matter The Time

In this dynamic colourful landscape, come explore and discover a new form of being-in-the-world!

9am, 11.30am, 2pm, 4.30pm Play Den, Festival House

Advisory for audiences: The performance and installation is designed and recommended for pre-walking babies (from 6 months and up) and neuro-divergent young children with additional mobility needs, who would enjoy music, movement and sensory objects in an aesthetic setting. Due to the need for social distancing and no intermingling between groups, the nature of this performance will not be suitable for active babies who have started to walk independently.

1h

Group of 2 pax: $20 Group of 3 pax: $40

Programme II: Closer Apart 11.30am, 4pm Living Room, Festival House 40m No intermission

$30/pair

II: Closer Apart

By My SuperFuture Theatrical Productions In this post-apocalyptic story, a father raises his daughter in the new normal where clean air is scarce and real food is hard to come by. Experience this heart-warming tale of how little everyday acts make the memories we have tomorrow.

Advisory for audiences: Recommend for 5 years old and up, with minimum age for admission at 4 years old.

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Dr Lim Beng Choo

OIWA AND WHO ELSE? – LOOKING BEYOND J-HORROR (Singapore) TALK

27 May Thu, 8pm & 9pm SIFA All Access / Facebook / Youtube 30m No intermission Rating: TBD

When we talk about “J-horror” the first image that comes to mind is probably that of a woman with long black hair in a white long dress lurking behind unsuspected people and scaring them to death. There are actually a large number of supernatural creatures that are related to “J-horror”, ranging from vengeful female ghost like Oiwa to disgruntled early Heian court official. In this talk audience members will be introduced to the fascinating world of J-horror characters and what have they done to be classified as “horror.”

About Dr Lim Beng Choo Dr Lim Beng Choo is Associate Professor at the Department of Japanese Studies, NUS. Other than teaching courses on Japanese film and anime, she also researches on digitisation and traditional Japanese theatre, as well as Chinese elements in traditional Japanese theatre.

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Flipside A playful festival of circus, comedy, physical theatre and puppetry.

Information correct at time of print.

Esplanade Presents

www.esplanade.com/flipside Supporting Sponsor

Esplanade is a charity and not-for-profit organisation. Help us bring the joy

and inspiration of the arts to different communities, including the underserved.

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www.esplanade.com

EsplanadeSG

EsplanadeSingapore #esplanadesg #mydurian

VENUES

SIFA will take place at the following venues:

THE ARTS HOUSE IS FESTIVAL HOUSE 1 Old Parliament Lane, Singapore 179429

VICTORIA THEATRE & VICTORIA CONCERT HALL

ESPLANADE – THEATRES ON THE BAY

9 Empress Place, Singapore 179556

1 Esplanade Drive, Singapore 038981

SCHOOL OF THE ARTS (SOTA)

THE NGEE ANN KONGSI THEATRE @ WILD RICE, FUNAN

1 Zubir Said Drive, Singapore 227968

107 North Bridge Rd, Level 4, Singapore 179105

222 ARTS CLUB

CATHAY GREEN

222 Queen St, #01-01/02, Singapore 188550

Located on the Open Field opposite The Cathay, 2 Handy Road, Singapore 229233

DRAMA CENTRE THEATRE #03-01 National Library Building, 100 Victoria St, Singapore 188064

OLDHAM THEATRE National Archives Singapore, 1 Canning Rise, Singapore 179868

MALAY HERITAGE CENTRE 85 Sultan Gate, Singapore 198501

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TICKET HOLDER PRIVILEGES

FLASH YOUR 2021 SIFA TICKET TO ENJOY SPECIAL DEALS AT OUR PARTNER OUTLETS

ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM 1 EMPRESS PLACE, #01-03, SINGAPORE 179555 10% off a la carte F&B items

EMPRESS GOODMAN ARTS CENTRE 90 GOODMAN ROAD, BLOCK N, #01-56, SINGAPORE 439053 MEDIAPOLIS 1 STARS AVE, #03-01, SINGAPORE 138507 10% off total bill (Excluding promotional items)

CAFE MELBA

WARUNG IJO 337 BEACH RD, SINGAPORE 199565 10% off all food (Excluding drinks and promotional items) Valid from 2 May - 31 May

WARUNG IJO MISCHIEF 8 RAFFLES AVE, #01-10/12, SINGAPORE 039802 10% off all food Happy hour beers on tap

OTC CAFE MISCHIEF M SOCIAL SINGAPORE 90 ROBERTSON QUAY, SINGAPORE 238259 Art Jamming Staycation at S$220++ (U.P. S$258.94) bit.ly/msocialxsifa2021 Promo code: ARTSIFA

M SOCIAL 67

NATIONAL LIBRARY 100 VICTORIA STREET, #03-01, NATIONAL LIBRARY BUILDING, SINGAPORE 188064 10% off total bill (Excluding alcoholic beverages)

OTC CAFÉ ASIAN CIVILISATIONS MUSEUM 1 EMPRESS PLACE, #01-02, SINGAPORE 179555 10% off a la carte F&B items

PRIVÉ ACM THEKETTLEGOURMET.COM 5% off total bill; quote “HAPPY5” at checkout.

THE KETTLE GOURMET ZOUK 3C RIVER VALLEY ROAD, CLARKE QUAY, #01-05 TO #02-06, THE CANNERY, SINGAPORE 179022 Complimentary Glitter Pop 250ml at Zouk Cinema with min. spend of $80 at any Zouk participating outlets (Zouk Cinema, Capital Kitchen or RedTail).

ZOUK

Valid from 19 April - 30 June.

For more ticket holder privileges, please visit sifa.sg/ticketing/privileges Terms & Conditions Unless otherwise stated, all promotions are valid till 12 June 2021. Not applicable with other promotions, discounts, vouchers and offers by credit privilege cards. Management reserves the right to amend any promotional terms and conditions without prior notice.

Merchants’ terms and conditions apply.

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VISITOR SAFETY INFORMATION Arts House Limited (AHL) places the utmost importance on the safety and well-being of all patrons, staff and artists visiting our venues. Please be assured all our venues are SG Clean certified and that Safe Management Measures (SMMs) have been implemented across all venues.

For your health and safety, please observe the following when visiting any of our venues, including:

TraceTogether check-in and check-out required

Mandatory temperature- taking upon arrival

Face masks to be worn at all times

Ensure safe distancing of one metre at anytime

Sanitize hands before and after the session

As the COVID-19 situation in Singapore evolves, these measures will be updated in accordance to the latest advisories issued by the Singapore Government. For the latest advisories, please visit sifa.sg

All information is correct at the time of print. Every reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of information within, hence, Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) cannot accept responsibility for errors and/or omissions however caused. Every effort has been made to identify copyright holders. We deeply regret that if, despite our concerted efforts, any copyright holders have been overlooked or omitted.

Opinions expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the editor or the official policy and position of SIFA and their related corporations. Any reproduction, retransmission, republication, or other use of all or part of this publication is expressly prohibited, unless prior written permission has been granted

by SIFA or the appropriate copyright owner. SIFA reserves the right to make changes and modifications to the programme without prior notice. For updates, please visit our website at sifa.sg

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TICKETING BOOK NOW! Tickets are available via online booking at www.sifa.sg, phone booking (+65 6348 5555) and at all SISTIC outlets.

$10 FRONT ROW STUDENT SPECIAL Selected Programmes

SINGULAR SCREENS: BUNDLE OF 4

Students (with a valid student pass) are entitled to a special rate of $10 for front row seats at selected in-venue programmes. Limited tickets available for purchase via online and phone bookings. ID will be required for on-site verification.

4 FOR $50 Applicable for in-venue Singular Screens line-up.

Purchase 4 tickets in a single transaction.

Selected Programmes

SIFA ON DEMAND: 2021 Festival Commission & SIFA v2.020 Available 5 — 12 Jun

$15 (Individual Titles) $60 (All Access - Bundle of 12*) U.P: $135 Applicable for 2021 Festival Commission: _T0701_ , A Dream Under the Southern Bough: Existence 《南柯一梦》之辱梦, A Song for Louis, OIWA - The Ghost of Yotsuya, The Commission, The Rhythm of Us, The Year of No Return, Three Sisters 三姐妹 SIFA v2.020: Applicable for Sound Social – Planeswalker, Sound Social - Zul Mahmod, Sound Social - weish x Gabriel Loh, The Wandering by SAtheCollective

SIFA ON DEMAND: SINGULAR SCREENS Available 31 May — 6 Jun

$8 (Individual Titles) $35 (Singular Screens Bundle of 7) U.P: $56 Applicable for The Mole Agent, N.P. , There are No False Undertakings, Bloody Nose, If It Were Love, The Year Of The Discovery, Overutures

*Bundle of 12 includes the eight 2021 Festival Commissions and four SIFA v2.020 programmes **SISTIC booking fee applies to all ticket purchases.

Concessions SIFA offers 15% off ticket purchases to local and international students, NSFs, and seniors aged 55 and above (Applicable to selected ticket categories and programmes).

Tote Board Arts Grant For selected programmes approved by Tote Board Arts Grant, government schools may enjoy subsidises of up to 50% of the ticket price. Applicable to Primary Schools, Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges, Centralised Institute and Institute of Technical Educations (ITE). Special Education Schools may use the Tote Board Arts Grant to subsidise up to 70% of the programme cost. For more details on school bookings or Tote Board Arts Grant, please email sifatickets@artshouse.sg.

Corporate Bookings For corporate bookings and group bookings, please contact sifatickets@artshouse.sg.

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MY SIFA CHECKLIST CATEGORY

The Arts House will be transformed into Festival House during SIFA. FOR FULL FESTIVAL LINE UP, VISIT SIFA.SG

PAGE

14 MAY FRI

15 MAY SAT

16 MAY SUN

THE COMMISSION The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre @

9

8pm

2pm & 8pm

2pm & 6pm

17 MAY MON

18 MAY TUE

19 MAY WED

7pm

7pm

THEATRE Wild Rice, Funan

THREE SISTERS 三姐妹 Drama Centre Theatre

25

THE YEAR OF NO RETURN Victoria Theatre

27

OIWA – THE GHOST OF YOTSUYA Victoria Theatre

33

A DREAM UNDER THE SOUTHERN BOUGH: EXISTENCE 《 南柯一梦》之辱梦 Drama Centre Theatre

39

INSTALLATION MUSICAL SWINGS Cathay Green

16

TO GATHERING: LAYING THE TABLE BARE Various Locations

47

1 — 13 Jun, Various Timings

IMMERSIVE en route Central Singapore

3

COSMOGONY Esplanade Theatre

7

GARDENS SPEAK 222 Arts Club

17

AS FAR AS ISOLATION GOES Online

19

THE JOURNEY Online

21

A THOUSAND WAYS PART III: AN ASSEMBLY

23

SOTA Drama Theatre

Various Timings 6.30pm & 8pm

6.30pm & 8pm

6.30pm & 8pm

MUSIC A SONG FOR LOUIS Victoria Theatre

5

COMPASSION: CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES

11

THE RHYTHM OF US Esplanade Theatre

35

Festival House, Esplanade Concert Hall, Victoria Concert Hall

6pm & 9pm 5pm

MULTI-DISCIPLINARY DEMON STATES Various Locations

8

THE INVISIBLE OPERA Location TBC; refer to sifa.sg

29

_T0701_ SOTA Studio Theatre

37

TACTILITY STUDIES: HOLD TO RESET Festival House

45

Various Timings

IMPOSSIBLE CONVERSATION Online

52

3pm

3pm

play+GROUND Festival House

61

49

9.30am & 12pm

9.30am & 12pm

TOOLKITS FOR CLIMATE CHANGE: THE ROLE OF ART IN CLIMATE ADVOCACY Festival House

53

11.30am & 3pm

ASIAN ARTS MEDIA ROUNDTABLE Online, Festival House

54

CAN OR CANNOT? MAKING SUSTAINABLE ART EVENTS THE NORM Festival House

59

WORKSHOP HEALING ART SESSIONS Festival House and Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall Atrium

15 May — 12 Jun, Various Timings

FILM SINGULAR SCREENS Oldham Theatre, National Archives

41

neveleven Festival House

57

THE WANDERING Festival House

58

of Singapore

14 — 30 May, Various Timings

TALK SUNSET SESSIONS Online

55

NIGHTCAP @ 9 Online

56

FROM MEE TO YOU Online

60

OIWA AND WHO ELSE? – LOOKING BEYOND J-HORROR Online

62

71

7pm

7pm 9pm

7.30pm

20 MAY THU

21 MAY FRI

22 MAY SAT

8pm

8pm

8pm

8pm

2pm & 8pm

23 MAY SUN

24 MAY MON 25 MAY TUE 26 MAY WED 27 MAY THU

28 MAY FRI

29 MAY SAT 30 MAY SUN

8pm

1 — 13 Jun, Various Timings 12pm

7.30pm

8pm

2pm & 8pm

2pm

1 — 13 Jun, Various Timings

12pm

12pm

12pm

Various Timings

Various Timings

Various Timings

Various Timings

Various Timings 7pm

8pm

Various Timings

7pm

7pm

7pm

7pm

2pm & 7pm

2pm & 7pm

7.30pm

7.30pm

3pm, 5pm 6pm

7pm

7pm

7pm

7pm

7pm

8pm

8pm

7pm

7.30pm

Various Timings

Various Timings 6pm & 7pm

6pm & 7pm

8pm

2pm & 8pm

6pm & 7pm

Various Timings

Various Timings

12pm

9am & 12pm 9am & 12pm

15 May — 12 Jun, Various Timings 11am

15 May — 12 Jun, Various Timings 11am

14 — 30 May, Various Timings

14 — 30 May, Various Timings

Various Timings 7pm

Various Timings 5.30pm

7pm

7pm

7pm 9pm

7pm 9pm 11am

8pm & 9pm

72

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