M1SFF15 Sponsors Report

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SPONSORS'

REPORT

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CONTENTS

Executive Summary

[ Pg 4 ]

The Fringe in Numbers [Pg 11]

Performance & Exhibition Details

[ Pg 12]

Sponsors, Partners & Supporters

[ Pg 18 ]

Publicity, Marketing & Outreach

[ Pg 22 ]

Reviews & Audience Feedback

[ Pg 41 ]

Fringe Team 2015

[ Pg 49 ]

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2016

[ Pg 50 ]

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“The festival explored its theme of Art & Loss in a variety of ways,

with some works opting for the tender and humorous, and other

skirting the heavier edge of grief. While some works were more

naturalistic and accessible and others more abstract and visceral, the

personality of the festival — intimate, risk-taking and at once incisive

and playful — came through.”

- The Straits Times Life!

White Rabbit Red Rabbit by Nassim Soleimanpour (Iran)

Photo credit: Pink Elephant Labs

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The Duchamp Syndrome by Por Piedad Teatro | El Trapo Teatro | The Play Company (Mexico | USA)

Photo credit: Lia Rueda

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

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The M1 Singapore Fringe Festival has clearly made its mark in the Singapore cultural landscape with its

11th edition curated around the theme of Art and Loss. Not only has the appointment of a new Artistic

Director and Festival Manager created a great deal of fresh attention and conversation, we also

managed to further strengthen the quality of our programming, as well as continue growing audience

numbers and engagement.

The 28 ticketed performances in 2015 reached out to 3,608 audiences filling 86% of the seats. While we

were not able to compete with our own record 93% house in 2014, which was largely due to especially

low ticket prices to celebrate the 10th anniversary, this is an increase compared to 81% in Fringe ’13.

The 2015 Festival reached a total of 14,989 people as compared to 13,934 in 2014, and it is also

noteworthy that we received a record number of applications for participation this year from both local

and international artists. 19 of the 28 performances were also sold out for the following productions:

With/Out by Loo Zihan - All 5 performances sold out

The Duchamp Syndrome by Por Piedad Teatro | El Trapo Teatro | The Play Company - All 2

performances sold out

The Malay Man and His Chinese Father by ponggurl - All 2 performances sold out

Mosaic by Take Off Productions - All 3 performances sold out

Minister for Culture, Community & Youth Mr Lawrence Wong as our Guest of Honour for the Opening Reception.

Photo credit: dawn chua / www.echoroar.com

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White Rabbit Red Rabbit by Nassim Soleimanpour – 3 performances out of 4 sold out

untitled women by The Necessary Stage - All 4 performances sold out

92% of our audience agree that ticket prices are reasonable or very reasonable, which is in line with our

aim of keeping the Festival challenging yet accessible to audiences old and new. We want audiences to

take a chance on edgier works, and having free exhibitions and wallet-friendly ticket prices also

encouraged 29% of our audience to attend 3 or more events at the Festival. Standard tickets were

priced at $22 ($17.60 for M1 staff and customers who enjoy an exclusive 20% discount) and concession

tickets at $19 for students, NSFs and senior citizens.

The Fringe also saw an increase in attendance from Polytechnic and Junior College groups, and we

were very encouraged by their active participation in the various programmes, including a very healthy

turn out in post-show discussions with the artists.

The Fringe continued with its usual blend of experimental and hybrid arts disciplines from countries

such as Australia, Canada, France, Iran, Japan, Mexico and USA, all sparking very rich and stimulating

post-show discussions, and a range of very supportive reviews. It is evident from the reviews, audience

feedback forms and post-show discussions that the works in the Fringe challenged and stimulated

imaginations and stirred meaningful discussions and debates around the theme of Art & Loss, and also

around the nature of art-making. We are proud of the range of distinctly unique forms and styles of

work we presented in the Fringe, and the range of different responses to the theme.

How Loneliness Goes by Nguan (Singapore)

Photo credit: Nguan

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Despite the potentially sombre nature of the theme, we managed to attract and curate works and

programmes that were as colourful, playful and humorous as they were contemplative and soul

searching.

New and improved partnerships also gave new life and talking points to the Fringe; namely our

partnership with Centre 42, which gave birth to our most talked about programme With/Out by local

artist Loo Zihan. Centre 42 also played host to the two sold-out Fringe Talks that focused on the arts

practices of the Fringe artists, both local and international.

An emphasis in the Fringe this year was on Singaporean work from very strong local artists with a

significant following. We favoured works that were reworkings and re-imaginings as we believe that it is

a good time to mark a maturing of the independent and experimental art-making scene in Singapore.

We also believed it was time to allow our local artists to show more of their muscle and craft, by

showing how they could take their artistic development further, achieve higher production quality, and

to show that Singaporean audiences were ready to prioritise local work even if it had already been seen

before, in some form. In fact, it is all the local works that were entirely sold out.

We had three festival highlights: With/Out by Singaporean artist Loo Zihan, a groundbreaking

reimagining of Completely With/Out Character (1999), a piece about the late Paddy Chew by The

Necessary Stage; the haunting How Loneliness Goes by Singaporean photographer Nguan; and the world

premiere of The Duchamp Syndrome from a collaboration between Mexican-based Por Piedad Teatro and

El Trapo Teatro with New York’s The Play Company. With/Out and The Duchamp Syndrome were both

With/Out by Loo Zihan (Singapore)

Photo credit: Olivier Henry, Milk Photographie

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completely sold out and created a great deal of buzz and conversation in the festival and the press, and

Nguan’s exhibition attracted 4,645 visitors over the 12-day Festival.

The three installations at the National Museum of Singapore with their themes of home, family,

community and memories clearly struck a chord with people. In all, 5,435 visitors interacted with the

knitted installation The Wedding Guest’s Tale, took away photographs from Fade… in exchange for

donations to the Alzheimer’s Disease Association, and chatted about their concepts of home over cups

of tea at Where the heart is.

Media coverage of the Festival remained robust, including preview and review articles from Official

Magazine Time Out, The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao, The Business Times and TODAY, to name a

few. In addition, numerous reviews were posted on popular arts websites and blogs, including Centre

42’s Citizen Reviewers, and interviews on 938 Live, FM96.3 Smilewave and Lush 99.5.

A new initiative to increase audience engagement and understanding processes involved holding Artist

Ask Me Anything (AMA) posts on Facebook (www.facebook.com/m1sff), where the 39 questions

reached a total of 7,952 people. Together with consistent social marketing efforts, we increased the

number of Facebook likes to the Fringe page by 54% and audience engagement was multiplied many

times over. Nuffnang also continued their support into the 7th year as the Official Blog Community,

enhancing the Festival’s viral marketing efforts via engagement through social media including

Facebook, Twitter and our dedicated website, designed by local creative communications outfit

fFurious.

Fade… by Tan Ngiap Heng (Singapore)

Photo credit: The Necessary Stage

http://www.facebook.com/m1sff

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The Festival also continued to brand itself via outdoor sites such as street banners displayed

prominently along North Bridge Road and Brash Basah Road in partnership with the Arts and Heritage

District and Singapore Tourism Board. Clear Channel also continued as the Official Outdoor media to

advertise the Festival via eye-catching ads at more than 50 bus stop shelters and taxi stands islandwide.

All of this would not be possible without the support of M1 in our 11th year and all our sponsors and

partners, including Festival venues Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, National Museum of Singapore,

ION Art Gallery at ION Orchard, Centre 42 and Drama Centre Black Box. The continued support of

international embassies and cultural institutes such as the Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur, Embassy

of Mexico in Singapore and Institut Français, as well as new artist sponsors from Jalisco, Quebec and

Picardie enabled us to present exciting international works as well.

The Festival continued to grow and develop with your support in 2015 with the thought-provoking

theme of Art and Loss, and we would not be able to achieve this growth and nurturing of Fringe

audiences without your faith in the Fringe.

Enclosed in this report are all the key information and statistics gathered by our team. We welcome

your feedback on this year’s instalment of the Fringe, and the continued conversation between us, to

keep the Fringe a dynamic and vital part of our Singapore arts scene.

Here’s to working with you again in Fringe 2016: Art and the Animal.

Kind regards,

Sean Tobin

Artistic Director

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival

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“The work was well curated for the theme Art and Loss. And it was

not an easy theme to find work for but I think Sean was able to put

together such a satisfying array of art exploring this difficult theme.”

- Tan Ngiap Heng, Artist

Fade… by Tan Ngiap Heng (Singapore) Photo credit: The Necessary Stage

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12 DAYS

8 COUNTRIES

68 ARTISTS

10 VENUES

18 EVENTS

86% OVERALL HOUSE

14,989 PEOPLE REACHED

$2,553,982.69 PR VALUE

THE FRINGE IN NUMBERS

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“Incredibly brave to programme young groups/artists. Refreshing to focus

on restagings.”

- Chen Yingxuan, Director, Take Off Productions

Mosaic by Take Off Productions (Singapore)

Photo credit: Crispian Chan

PERFORMANCE & EXHIBITION DETAILS

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Performance & Exhibition Details

TITLE DATES NO. OF

SHOWS VENUE

TOTAL

CAPACITY

TOTAL

ATT.

%TAGE

HOUSE

Fringe Highlights


14 – 18 Jan 5 Black Box & Rehearsal

Studio, Centre 42 250 250 100.00%

The Duchamp Syndrome by Por Piedad Teatro | El Trapo Teatro | The Play Company (Mexico | USA)

14 – 15 Jan 2 Gallery Theatre,

National Museum of Singapore

342 342 100.00%


14 – 25 Jan - ION Art - 4,645 -

Live Fringe

Terra Incognita by Pat Toh (Singapore)

14 – 15 Jan 2 Esplanade Theatre

Studio 360 245 68.06%

Loss-Layers by A.lter S.essio (France | Japan)


Studio 360 213 59.17%

Grand Singe (Great Ape) by Nicolas Cantin (Canada)


Studio 360 217 60.28%

Under Pressure—Temporary Title by Groupe ACM (France)


Studio 360 210 58.33%

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TITLE DATES NO. OF

SHOWS VENUE

TOTAL

CAPACITY

TOTAL

ATT.

%TAGE

HOUSE


21 – 24 Jan 4 Esplanade Recital Studio 907 898 99.01%

The Malay Man and His Chinese Father by ponggurl (Singapore)



240 240 100.00%


17 Jan 1 free

durational

Gallery Theatre, National Museum of

Singapore - 108 -




513 513 100.00%

untitled women by The Necessary Stage (Singapore)

23 – 25 Jan 4 Drama Centre Black Box 480 480 100.00%

Fringe Gallery


14 – 25 Jan - The Platform, Level 2, National Museum of

Singapore - 3,447 -

Where the heart is by Asha Bee Abraham (Australia | Singapore)

14 – 25 Jan - The Concourse, Level 1,


- 813 -

The Wedding Guest’s Tale by Shelly Quick (Canada | Singapore)

14 – 25 Jan - The Concourse, Level 1,


- 1,175 -

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TITLE DATES NO. OF

SHOWS VENUE

TOTAL

CAPACITY

TOTAL

ATT.

%TAGE

HOUSE

Mambo Night for a King by Jason Wee (Singapore)

14 Jan onwards

- handsignsfortheking.com - 1,013 -

Fringe Activities

Devising Masterclass by The Necessary Stage (Singapore)

17 – 18 Jan - Esplanade Rehearsal

Studio - 20 -

Fringe Talk: Reimagining Singapore Theatre

22 Nov - Black Box, Centre 42 - 80 -

Fringe Talk: The Presence and Power of a Playwright

25 Jan - Black Box, Centre 42 - 80 -

“For audiences tired of the mainstream, the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival promises to provide

audiences with alternative works that provoke and challenge.”

- 联合早报 Lianhe Zaobao

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Loss-Layers by A.lter S.essio (France | Japan) Photo credit: Nicolas Laverroux

80 % OF OUR AUDIENCES ARE SINGAPOREANS

83% OF OUR AUDIENCES ARE BETWEEN THE AGES OF 19 TO 40

61% OF OUR AUDIENCES FOR 2015 ARE NEW TO THE FRINGE FESTIVAL

92% OF OUR AUDIENCES FEEL THAT THE TICKET PRICES FOR FRINGE 2015 ARE VERY REASONABLE OR REASONABLE

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“There was an appreciation and care for the development of the work. Really appreciated all the chats, feedback, and coming into my rehearsal process. That presence and dialogue shows an interest in not just a product but a respect for the value of process in theatre making.”

- Pat Toh, Artist

Terra Incognita by Pat Toh (Singapore) Photo credit: Ramadhani

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How Loneliness Goes by Nguan (Singapore) Photo credit: Nguan

SPONSORS, PARTNERS & SUPPORTERS

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Special Thanks

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival

Sponsors | Partners | Supporters

M1

Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay


ION Art

ION Orchard

Arts Fund

Japan Foundation

Institut Français

National Youth Council

Fridae

First Printers

Barossa

Pixel Creations

fFurious

Official Magazine - Time Out Singapore

Official Outdoor Media - Clear Channel

Official Blog Community - Nuffnang

Official Hotel - Hotel Grand Pacific

Total no. of Sponsors, Partners and Supporters 28

No. of Repeat Sponsors 18

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Secretaría de Cultura - Gobierno del Estado de Jalisco

Gobierno del Estado de Jalisco

Bienestar

Canada Council for the Arts

Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec

Conseil régional de Picardie

Take Off Productions

Young Changemakers

Centre 42

Q Framing

Mambo Night for a King by Jason Wee (Singapore) Photo credit: Jason Wee

No. of New Sponsors 10

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“Tobin says: I want the Fringe to keep being friendly and

approachable, to be fiercely experimental and innovative and fresh

and not obliged to follow the mainstream – but neither should it be

alienating. It should reach out as much as possible and I want to

keep that alive.”

- The Straits Times Life!

Where the heart is by Asha Bee Abraham (Australia | Singapore) Photo credit: Asha Bee Abraham

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Under Pressure—Temporary Title by Groupe ACM (France) Photo credit: Vincianne Verguethen

PUBLICITY, MARKETING & OUTREACH

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Publicity & Marketing

COLLATERAL |

AVENUE DESCRIPTION

PRINT

Programme Booklets 30,000 copies | A4 size | 38 pages

30,000 booklets were distributed to all SISTIC authorised agents, community libraries, M1 stores, secondary schools, international schools, tertiary institutions, arts schools, arts venues, embassies and cultural organisations, cafes, restaurants, clubs, and entertainment and retail outlets around Singapore.

Programme Leaflets for all productions and exhibitions 10,000 copies | A5 size | 4 – 8 pages

10,000 copies of in-house designed and printed programme leaflets about each work and artist were distributed at all performances and exhibitions.

M1 The Festival was advertised on a DL flyer inserted into all M1 customers' bill mail-outs inform them of the Festival and their exclusive discounts.


White Rabbit Red Rabbit was used as the cover image and all M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2015 events at the Esplanade were included in the What’s On (January – March 2015 issue), disseminated at SISTIC counters, lifestyle café chains, hotels, arts venues and Esplanade from December 2014.


M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2015 was included in the Quarterly Calendar for January – March 2015 and distributed at the Museum, libraries and arts venues.

Time Out Singapore 2 half-page advertisements for the November and December 2014 issues, and a full-page advertisement in January 2015’s issue were included in Time Out to advertise the Festival.

ENCORE (The European Season)

Events from the Festival that hailed from Europe (specifically Loss-Layers by A.lter S.essio (France | Japan) and Under Pressure—Temporary Title by Groupe ACM (France) were listed in the ENCORE! events listings in their programme booklet, disseminated free islandwide from January to February 2015.

SISTIC

3 full-page SISTIC Run-on-Print advertisements were featured in the November and December 2014 and January 2015 SISTIC Entertainment Guides, available at all authorised SISTIC agents islandwide. 2 full-page advertorial interview with Sean Tobin in SISTIC Entertainment Guide for January 2015, to promote the Festival to customers.

Art Stage Singapore 2015 Art Stage Singapore included listings of How Lonelines Goes by Nguan in their guide, disseminated at numerous venues in the lead up to their event in January 2015.

OUTDOOR AND ON-SITE

M1 Copies of the Festival booklets were distributed to customers.

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COLLATERAL |

AVENUE DESCRIPTION

Clear Channel 54 posters advertising M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2015 were displayed at bus stops and taxi stands around the island from December 2014 to January 2015.


Banners, floor stickers, directional signages, and posterboards of various sizes were displayed at venues in and around the Esplanade, such as the Box Office, Bus stop, Concourse and Tunnel.


2 ad panels were displayed at the National Museum of Singapore from November 2014 to January 2015.

ION Orchard 2 A1-sized posters about How Loneliness Goes by Nguan were displayed at concierge desks at the mall, and the e-poster was displayed on information screens.

Centre 42 Various A2-sized posters advertising the various Fringe events at Centre 42 were displayed at their venue.

Drama Centre An ad panel for untitled women by The Necessary Stage was displayed at the ground floor foyer.

Arts & Heritage District 11 street banners were displayed along North Bridge Road.

Singapore Tourism Board 35 street banners were displayed along Bras Basah Road.

ONLINE

Festival website

A dedicated Festival website was created at www.singaporefringe.com.

The website, designed by fFurious, was also mobile-enabled and customised for both desktop, tablet and mobile-phone viewing.

Festival Facebook page

The dedicated Facebook page was frequently updated with previews, rehearsal photos and videos, with individual event pages set up. In addition, we started Artist Ask Me Anything (AMA) sessions, which gave insights to the artists’ processes, inspirations and personalities.

Festival Twitter account The dedicated Twitter account was frequently updated with regular event updates, blurbs, discussions and recommendations, as well as uploads of preview and review articles.

Electronic Direct Mailers (EDMs)

14 unique EDMs were sent to a total mailing list of 10,000 (comprising databases of local and international partners of The Necessary Stage, SISTIC, embassies, sponsors, partners and venues, schools, The Necessary Stage's Volunteer E-Group and the Arts Community E-Group).

Genre-specific EDMs were sent to targeted groups such as educators and students.

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COLLATERAL |

AVENUE DESCRIPTION

M1

A web banner advertising the Festival was included on M1’s dedicated website (www.m1.com.sg) from November 2014 to January 2015. Facebook posts on the Festival and exclusive discounts for M1 customers were advertised.


A web banner advertising the Festival was included on Esplanade's dedicated website (www.esplanade.com) from November 2014 to January 2015.

4 EDMs were also sent to selected demographics of Esplanade's mailing list. The Studios also promoted Terra Incognita by Pat Toh on their Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/esplanadethestudios)


The M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2015 was listed on the Museum’s dedicated website (www.nationalmuseum.sg) and Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/National.Museum.of.Singapore). 1 EDM was also sent to their database.

Centre 42

Centre 42’s dedicated website (www.centre42.sg) featured 2 Homepage banners advertising the Fringe talks and listed all Fringe events held at Centre 42. Their support for With/Out, which was Loo Zihan’s creation as part of their Basement Workshop programme, included documentation and video interviews with the artist and the process. Centre 42 also supported Fringe Talk: Reimagining Singapore Theatre as part of The Living Room series, and video recordings of both the Fringe Talks were also filmed as part of the documentation process, and will be made available on their website and Facebook page. 3 unique EDMs, each featuring a Fringe event at Centre 42, were also sent to their database. In addition, Centre 42’s Citizen Reviewers attended the Fringe performances and posted their reviews on the website (http://centre42.sg/category/cr-theatrereviews).

Drama Centre untitled women by The Necessary Stage was included in the online calendar.

ION Orchard How Loneliness Goes by Nguan was included on the website for ION Art and 1 EDM was sent to their database.

Official Blog Community - Nuffnang

Network wide cost-per-click campaign provided box ads of the Festival to blogs signed up to Nuffnang (4,000 clicks) for January 2015.

The Festival’s main visual was used as the skin for Nuffnang’s official Twitter page in January 20145 Shoutouts and mentions of the Festival were done on Nuffnang's official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages.

2 feature blog posts on the Festival were included on the Nuffnang site.

http://www.m1.com.sg/

http://www.esplanade.com/

https://www.facebook.com/esplanadethestudios

http://www.nationalmuseum.sg/

https://www.facebook.com/National.Museum.of.Singapore

http://www.centre42.sg/

http://centre42.sg/category/cr-theatrereviews

http://centre42.sg/category/cr-theatrereviews

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COLLATERAL |

AVENUE DESCRIPTION

1 dedicated EDM advertising the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival and 1 mentioning the Fringe in a community EDM were sent out to registered Nuffnang bloggers islandwide.

Official Magazine – Time Out Singapore

Previews and event listings on Time Out's website from December 2014 to January 2015, and 3 EDMs were sent to their database.

Fridae

2 EDMs were sent out to Fridae’s members.

Premium Homepage Banner advertisements were included on Fridae’s website over a 3-month period.

3 Run-Of-Site Banner advertisement inserts were included in Fridae's agenda listings.

3 Email Notification Banner advertisements were included in Fridae's emailers.

1 Featured Agenda advertisement button were included on Fridae's website over a 3-month period.

5 Newsletter Banner advertisements were included on Fridae.com's emailers.

SISTIC

4 dedicated EDMs were sent to SISTIC’s selected database to advertise the Fringe, along with 4 Facebook shout outs and advertising on the main website (www.sistic.com.sg) via New Release and Highlights icons. The Festival also ran a Mastercard Promo giveaway contest via SISTIC.

Broadcast Advertising

Festival video A 60-second Festival video was produced and screened from October 2014 to January 2015 at M1 shops, the Fringe website, partners' websites, and on-site plasma screens at the Esplanade and National Museum of Singapore.

Others

Media Launch of the Festival The M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2015 staged a successful press launch at the Esplanade on 22 October 2014, which generated several press write-ups immediately after.

Opening Reception of the Festival

The official Opening Reception of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2015 was held at the National Museum of Singapore on 15 January 2015, and was attended by Guest of Honour Minister Lawrence Wong and various members of the media, sponsors and artists.

http://www.sistic.com.sg/

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Publicity & Marketing Collaterals

Programme Booklet

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Time Out Advertisements

SISTIC Run-on-Print Advertisements

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Arts & Heritage District Street Banners

Singapore Tourism Board Street Banners

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Clear Channel Bus Stop & Taxi Stand Posters

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Esplanade Onsite Collaterals

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Esplanade Onsite Collaterals

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National Museum Ad Panel

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ION Orchard A1 Poster Centre 42 Posters

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M1 Singapore Fringe Festival TV Commercial (Screen Capture)

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Festival Website

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Electronic Direct Mailers

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Electronic Direct Mailers

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Festival Facebook Page

Festival Twitter Page

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With/Out by Loo Zihan (Singapore) Photo credit: Olivier Henry, Milk Photographie

“The best thing about the Fringe, as I have experienced yet again this year, is definitely the robust publicity infrastructure that has been refined over the years. You feel that your work is getting the maximum exposure and the publicity team (both at Phish and the Fringe) really believe in the work – which is very important.”

- Loo Zihan, Artist

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Under Pressure—Temporary Title by Groupe ACM (France) Photo credit: Monica Mahendran

REVIEWS & AUDIENCE FEEDBACK

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Fringe Highlights:


Photo credit: Olivier Henry, Milk Photographie

“… With/Out is as much a faithful reconstruction of the late Chew’s 1999 monologue, Completely With/Out Character, as it is a deeply moving homage to a man who chose to do the brave and extraordinary in the face of certain death.”

- Corrie Tan, “With/Out pays a moving tribute to the late Paddy Chew”, in The Straits Times Life! [15 January 2015]

“Strong, powerful source material that was given respectful and unembellished presentation.”

- Audience member “The restaging is very sincere and had a spirit of respect/ dignity and dare I say, defiance still? I am left with a sense of yearning though, perhaps this is the experience of loss itself.”

- Audience member “… you negotiated and wrestled with this fragmented — albeit tenuously linear — experience that simultaneously hit you on two levels: The deeply moving emotion one feels towards Chew’s monologue you see and hear, and the intellectually compelling detachedness of the presentation strategy Loo used. It was a show full of warmth, it was a clinically cold show, a combination that worked brilliantly.”

- Mayo Martin, “S’pore Fringe Fest 2015: The late Paddy Chew comes to life in With/Out”, in TODAY [18 January 2015]

Fringe Highlight:

The Duchamp Syndrome by Por Piedad Teatro | El Trapo Teatro | The Play Company

(Mexico | USA)

“… in the very hands of Mexican directors Antonio Vega and Ana Graham, [The Duchamp Syndrome] is a fantastical tale that speaks of loss, hope and the American dream … at once funny, heartwarming and achingly sad. … a visual and auditory feast …”

- Nabilah Said, “The Duchamp Syndrome shrinks loneliness into a charming, bitter pill”,

in The Straits Times Life! [15 January 2015] “…an intriguing feat that pushes theatrical conventions at every turn, drifting between the real and surreal through a cast of colorful characters and unusual routines..”

- Casidhe Ng, in Centre 42’s Citizen Reviews

“I was blown away by the sheer creativity and it wasn't like anything I've ever seen before.”

- Audience member

Photo credit: Lia Rueda

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Fringe Highlight:



“What I remembered most: The ambiguity about being alone; pleasurable or sad/troubling; artist's eye for beauty in city’s architectural geometries.”

- Visitor “Nguan’s discerning, sensitive eye is a given, with a seeming knack for being in the right place at the right time to capture overlooked moments. But there’s more at work here. The power of his images, we suspect, is equally due to his approach of framing his moments of isolation in that distinct bright palette of his. Enveloped in daytime, there’s a stark contrast and an uneasy tension between what these images tell us and the mood evoked. For us, it’s this ambiguity that makes heightens the unique familiar-but-not-really quality — “ethereal” as a friend put it — of his work.”

- Mayo Martin, “S’pore Fringe Fest 2015: The visual arts exhibition round-up”

in TODAY [15 January 2015]

Live Fringe:

Terra Incognita by Pat Toh (Singapore)

“There were many things I liked about this piece, which developed from a work-in-progress presentation back in 2012 titled Homogeneous. That “butoh transformation” moment was physically top-notch. I was captivated by her extremely detailed description (and demonstration) of how, physiologically, our legs work. ”

- Mayo Martin, “S’pore Fringe Fest: Terra Incognita goes in different directions”,

in TODAY [16 January 2015]

“I loved the intensity, devotion to walking, towards our body.”

- Audience member “T oh approached walking from the conceptual, emotional and anatomical, providing many perspectives to this simple theme. While this work had many thematic threads, it got one fundamental thing right, it was honest and heartfelt storytelling.”

- Lee Mun Wai, The Muse

Photo credit: Delvin Lim

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Live Fringe:

Loss-Layers by A.lter S.essio (France | Japan)

“Physically, Takayama was a mind blowing repository of dance styles, shifting nimbly from fluid circular motions to accented ticks and hops that packed a punch. … Watching Loss-Layers was one of those rare times that a theatre going experience was so powerful that I left the venue shaken and out of breath.

- Lee Mun Wai, The Muse

"In transforming her body, solo performer Yum Keiko Takayama expertly transforms the space she inhabits, making Loss-Layers a compelling production."

- Audience member

“[I enjoyed] the unrelenting pace, the play of light and lines, the manipulation of body and shapes.”

- Audience member

Photo credit: Fabrice Planquette

Live Fringe:

Grand Singe (Great Ape) by Nicolas Cantin

Photo credit: Sandra Lynn Bélanger

“… a work that was rich in meaning despite its simple, comic banality. In Grand Singe, so little was done, yet so much was gained. Virtuosity was not displayed through complicated physical technique but through the performative confidence the performers exuded.”

- Lee Mun Wai, “Electrifying tension in empty space”, in The Straits Times Life! [26 January 2015]

“Clarity, minimalism, joy.”

- Audience member “Grand Singe is performed by Ellen Furey and Mathieu Campeau, both strong artists who easily command attention. Furey is the more adept performer of the two, easily swinging from fragile to manic to strong to subdued. She moves with such finesse that even the most drudging of actions – such as slapping paint on herself – is executed with enviable grace.”

- Selina Chong, “Monkey Business”, in The Flying Inkpot

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Live Fringe:

Under Pressure— Temporary Title by Groupe ACM (France)

“a snappy, hilarious piece of meta-theatre which peeks behind the curtain to celebrate the tedium, the coffee and the photocopying that goes into pulling a work together.”

- Lisabel Ting, “Inside look at circus of theatre”, in The Straits Times Life! [26 January 2015]

“I loved the truth behind the whole play! Excellent stuff that I can relate to and laugh at as a theatre student.”

- Audience member

“… we are given a thrilling exposé into the drama that goes on behind the stage even before the curtains have risen for the first time ... As an audience member , it's something we never get the chance to see and it's refreshing to see the inner workings of a theatre production being laid bare with no holds barred”

- Naeem Kapadia, Crystal Words


Live Fringe:



“One cannot deny that White Rabbit Red Rabbit is a unique and engaging theatrical experience. It reminds us, with cheeky charm, how theatre is a tool to connect people and places - a thread that links playwright, actor and audience despite geographical or linguistic boundaries. True to the theme of this year's Fringe Festival, it also underscores a particular type of art and loss: the loss of a playwright who can never see the play he has created being performed live.”

- Naeem Kapadia, Crystal Words

“Soleimanpour is at once very far away and very present. ... Soleimanpour is a master of words, although he says that it is challenging for him to be writing in English. He manages to provoke laughter and incite fear in the audienc..”

- Isaac Lim, Centre 42’s Citizen Reviewers

“.Very glad that TNS decided to bring this experience here. A great piece of theatre!”

- Audience member

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Live Fringe:


“There is something very powerful about a pared-down production ... When done well, it leaves the audience with layers of images and ideas that continue to linger in the mind long after the curtain call … [The Malay Man and His Chinese Father] is one such production.”

- Nabilah Said, “Ponder on father-son bond”, in The Straits Times Life! [19 January 2015]

“Abstract performance that was heart-wrenching.”

- Audience member “While our hopes of meeting the Malay Mother were not fulfilled, save for a spectre in the shadows, we were no less moved and affected. We can’t wait to see what ponggurl does next.”

- Gavin Khoo, Coconuts SG

Photo credit: Shawn Byron Danker

Live Fringe:


Photo credit: Joel Lim

“More than just a post-ironic celebration of nostalgia (especially in the orgiastic throes of SG50 frenzy), Mosaic probes deep into the heart of teenage relationships, exposing the insecurities of Singapore’s younger generation.)

- Walter Chan, Centre 42’s Citizen Reviewers

“This play’s an affirmation of Tan’s talents but my ultimate shout out has to be to its young director Chen. You do feel Mosaic as a whole and I’m very sure it’s to her credit, teasing out the little nuances in the script, getting the best out of her actors.”

- Mayo Martin, “S’pore Fringe Festival 2015: Mosaic’s pieces fit just right”,

in TODAY’s For Art’s Sake [23 January 2015]

“As a whole, Mosaic is beautiful, admirably complex and disturbing. It offers no solution to its crises, leaving viewers with a knot of angst in their chests. Yet it is also grounds for optimism. This show, created and staged exclusively by 20somethings, is evidence that young Singaporeans can make great theatre.”

- Ng Yi-Sheng, “Mosaic Marvels”, in The Straits Times Life! [24 January 2015]

Page 47 of 52


Live Fringe:

untitled women by The Necessary Stage (Singapore)

“As both plays unfolded, what became clear was that loss is confusing. We are often left to sort through our emotions as we cope with loss, and sometimes we can’t even be sure what’s gone. There seems no better way to close the M1Singapore Fringe Festival 2015.”

- Selina Chong, The Flying Inkpot

“Set, movement, light and sound was beautiful and natural.” - Audience member

“Charged with a flurry of powerful, raw emotions and a patchwork of m

yths and narratives within vague contexts…” - Gloria Ho, Centre 42’s Citizen Reviewers

Photo credit: Caleb Ming / SURROUND

Fringe Gallery:


Photo credit: Tan Ngiap Heng

“It's magical. When you enter it, you feel like entering one's inner world!”

- Visitor “I enjoyed seeing visitors of the exhibition touched and amazed by your art and installation.”

- Visitor “I thought it was really relatable. It allows you to become part of the exhibition and bring back a piece of the exhibition, especially when … each photo has a story of its own.”

- Visitor

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Fringe Gallery:

Where the heart is by Asha Bee Abraham (Australia | Singapore)

“Lovely, engaging, inspiring.” - Visitor

“Conversation with Asha was homely, fulfilling and insightful - simply wonderful!”

- Visitor

“So personable yet relatable. An intimate work.”

- Visitor

Photo credit: Asha Bee Abraham

Fringe Gallery:

The Wedding Guest’s Tale by Shelly Quick (Canada | Singapore)

“I love the theme and motif of the exhibition/ The execution was done well and I personally love the aesthetics.”

- Visitor

“I like how it replicates a real nest with the use of knitting. It's really creative and I like the motif and reason behind it.”

- Visitor

“I did enjoy the interactivity in the exhibition that let visitors

contribute to the overall artwork.”

- Visitor

Fringe Gallery:

Mambo Night for a King by Jason Wee (Singapore)

“Cheeky take on The Singapore Story: From Third World to First.”

- Visitor

“Amused by this very Singaporean dance interpretation of the text.”

- Visitor

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Artistic Director

Sean Tobin

The Necessary Stage –

Administrative Office

Artistic Director

Resident Playwright

General Manager

Festival Manager

Project Managers

Alvin Tan

Haresh Sharma

Melissa Lim

Jezamine Tan

Irma Suzanna Ruslan

Edlyn Ng

Joyce Tan

Volunteer & Intern Coordinator Pearlyn Wee

Production Office

Production Coordinators

Jason Ng

Josiah Yoong

Yusri Sapari

Visual Arts Coordinator Nurul Izzatul Fia Sumono

Lighting Coordinator Josiah Yoong

Fringe Production Interns Ang Kia Yee

Egan Chan

Kenneth Chia

Monica Mahendran

Muhammad Syafiq Bin Anuar

Board of Directors Tan Chong Kee

Vincent Lim

Diana Lim-Chong

Haresh Sharma

Alvin Tan

Christopher Tan

Serene Tan

Andy Yeo

The public relations for the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2015 is managed by Phish Communications Pte Ltd.

FRINGE TEAM 2015

Page 50 of 52

Humankind has dwelt together with animals for thousands of years. The history of our relationship

with them is a long, rich, wonderful and sometimes shameful one. We love them, hate them, eat them,

domesticate them, destroy them, worship them, wear them, clone them and lead them to extinction, as

we live off them in affection, fascination, need and greed. They roam around our gardens, streets, our

imaginations and our nightmares. They love us, care for us, intimidate us and entertain us. They

protect us and reflect us. They also kill us. Great men like Gandhi and Lincoln highlighted the

treatment of animals as a sign of how healthy our society is.

Animals have featured in our art since cave paintings and campfire rituals. Our fear and fascination of

them is found in our sculpture, literature and our mythology. Orwell’s Animal Farm, Adam’s Watership

Down, and Ionesco’s The Rhinoceros are among the greatest literary classics. Animals feature in all sorts of

traditional and contemporary spaces, in many cultures, from martial arts to haiku, to fairytales, to

tattoos and some of the greatest pop songs.

Animals have always had this dual charm and dual challenge for me.

I love them so much I want to hold onto them, but I know that the right thing to do is to let them go

and be wild. And I often love them as much as I fear them. But, if you put the feathers and fur aside,

and I could be talking about humans.

Animals are often referenced when we want to talk about human behaviours that we prefer to distance

or disassociate ourselves with. We often conjure up the names of animals when we talk about the less

savoury, or more taboo kinds of human behaviour. I am curious about the way we refer to animals as

this ‘other’ which we secretly know is much more like us than it might be convenient or comfortable to

admit. We allegedly have more manners and intelligence, but that is not always so evident.

M1 SINGAPORE FRINGE

FESTIVAL 2016:

ART & THE ANIMAL

Page 51 of 52

It’s this love and hate. This affection and fear. This closeness and distance. This familiarity and

ignorance that I find fascinating. Animals as this ‘not us’ and this ‘other us’.

Theatre maker and thinker, Tadashi Suzuki talks of the ‘innate animal energy’ from which a strong and

healthy human culture comes from. Something that is firstly more natural than industrial, more

expressive than mechanical.

I am excited about how next year’s Fringe could bring a bit more of the wild, the natural, and the

instinctive into our physical and emotional space in the heavily built up concrete jungle that is

Singapore.

I am excited to see how your creative investigations into ‘Art and the Animal’ might invite us into a

whole bestiary of exciting new questions, games, adventures and songs.

“A bird doesn't sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song.”

- Maya Angelou

Art and the Animal.

13 – 24 January 2016.

Get involved.

Find out more about the application process and download the application form at

www.singaporefringe.com

http://www.art-quotes.com/auth_search.php?authid=1098

http://www.singaporefringe.com/

Page 52 of 52

THE NECESSARY STAGE

278 Marine Parade Road

#B1-02 Marine Parade Community Building

Singapore 449282

CONTACT US AT

Tel: (65) 6440 8115

Fax: (65) 6400 9002

Email: [email protected]

www.necessary.org

www.singaporefringe.com

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.necessary.org/

http://www.singaporefringe.com/

Documents

M1SFF15 Sponsors Report