Hi Huneybees,
The Singapore International Festival of Arts (aka SIFA) returns in 2016 with an ambition to becoming a creation festival, where 15 new creative productions are commissioned for this year's festival.
With Potentialities as the theme for SIFA 2016, the organizer hopes the festival will nurture hope and inspires imagination not just among artists but the general audience as well and hence the reason why there are a lots of documentary theatres installed for this year.
One of the highlights for SIFA 2016 is directed by Milo Rau, one of the most brilliant and sought-after directors of European documentary threatre today. Titled "Five Easy Pieces", in collaboration with the Ghent-based art centre CAMPO, it re-enacts the life and trial of an infamous convicted murderer and paedophile Marc Dutroux. To be presented by seven young performers aged eight to 13 to an adult audience, the rating of this performance has yet to be advised by MDA.
Another performance that I personally find very interesting is "Everything By My Side" by Fernando Rubio. Co-starring Singapore veteran actress Margaret Chan as one of the 10 actresses representing 10 different countries where this performance has toured, audience will get to spend a brief moment on a bed with one of the actresses whispering his/her childhood memories away....
SIFA 2016 will also be known as a festival of Olympics theatres with performances by some of the creators of past Olympics opening and closing ceremonies.
"Still Life" by Dimitris Papaioannou, creator of the Athens 2004 Olympics opening and closing ceremonies as well as the first European Games 2015 opening ceremonies, is expected to be a stunning visual performance that explores the duality and ambiguities of the recent traumas of his homeland Greece.
"Paradise Interrupted" by Huang Ruo and Jennifer Wen Ma, creator of the Beijing 2008 Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, is an arresting new music theatre blending traditional classicial Chinese idioms from the Ming Dynasty and contemporary music, is sensually set against a beautiful garden inspired by origami and calligraphy.
With 20 exciting productions lining up for the main festival in August till September, SIFA 2016 has also planned a public engagement initiative for its biggest pre-festival of ideas yet - The O.P.E.N.
With 43 programmes to be presented across eight platforms that include film screening, performances, concerts, exhibitions and talks, the 18 days pre-festival of ideas, held roughly a month prior to the main festival, is designed to shift the paradigm of public towards how arts is received today in Singapore.
Some of the highlights of The O.PE.N. includes the opening on 22nd June, "I Know Why The Rebel Sings" exhibition by Iranian photojournalist Newsha Tavakolian, artist workshop on Uyghur culture with dance and music by the famous 1st runner-up winner of "The Voice Of China" Perhat Khaliq on 23rd & 24th June, Club Malam @ Old Kallang Airport from 7th to 9th July and 25 International films featuring The Arabian Nights Trilogy as well as Fire At Sea (Fuocoammare) starting from 25th June till end of the pre-festival of ideas.
In bid to improve ticket sales for both the main festival and the pre-festival of ideas for SIFA 2016, the organizer has introduced a new ticket category called SIFA FRIEND, which allows performing art lovers 25% discount if they will to purchase passes to both the main festival and the pre-festival of ideas for SIFA 2016.
Early bird tickets (20% off) for the main festival and the pre-festival of ideas for SIFA 2016 are already on sales until 8th May at SISTIC.
The Singapore International Festival of Arts (aka SIFA) returns in 2016 with an ambition to becoming a creation festival, where 15 new creative productions are commissioned for this year's festival.
With Potentialities as the theme for SIFA 2016, the organizer hopes the festival will nurture hope and inspires imagination not just among artists but the general audience as well and hence the reason why there are a lots of documentary theatres installed for this year.
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| Five Easy Pieces by Milo Rau. Photo Credit: Phile Deprez |
One of the highlights for SIFA 2016 is directed by Milo Rau, one of the most brilliant and sought-after directors of European documentary threatre today. Titled "Five Easy Pieces", in collaboration with the Ghent-based art centre CAMPO, it re-enacts the life and trial of an infamous convicted murderer and paedophile Marc Dutroux. To be presented by seven young performers aged eight to 13 to an adult audience, the rating of this performance has yet to be advised by MDA.
 |
| Everything By My Side by Fernando Rubio. Photo Credit: Conrado Krivochein |
SIFA 2016 will also be known as a festival of Olympics theatres with performances by some of the creators of past Olympics opening and closing ceremonies.
"Still Life" by Dimitris Papaioannou, creator of the Athens 2004 Olympics opening and closing ceremonies as well as the first European Games 2015 opening ceremonies, is expected to be a stunning visual performance that explores the duality and ambiguities of the recent traumas of his homeland Greece.
"Paradise Interrupted" by Huang Ruo and Jennifer Wen Ma, creator of the Beijing 2008 Olympics opening and closing ceremonies, is an arresting new music theatre blending traditional classicial Chinese idioms from the Ming Dynasty and contemporary music, is sensually set against a beautiful garden inspired by origami and calligraphy.
With 20 exciting productions lining up for the main festival in August till September, SIFA 2016 has also planned a public engagement initiative for its biggest pre-festival of ideas yet - The O.P.E.N.
With 43 programmes to be presented across eight platforms that include film screening, performances, concerts, exhibitions and talks, the 18 days pre-festival of ideas, held roughly a month prior to the main festival, is designed to shift the paradigm of public towards how arts is received today in Singapore.
Some of the highlights of The O.PE.N. includes the opening on 22nd June, "I Know Why The Rebel Sings" exhibition by Iranian photojournalist Newsha Tavakolian, artist workshop on Uyghur culture with dance and music by the famous 1st runner-up winner of "The Voice Of China" Perhat Khaliq on 23rd & 24th June, Club Malam @ Old Kallang Airport from 7th to 9th July and 25 International films featuring The Arabian Nights Trilogy as well as Fire At Sea (Fuocoammare) starting from 25th June till end of the pre-festival of ideas.
In bid to improve ticket sales for both the main festival and the pre-festival of ideas for SIFA 2016, the organizer has introduced a new ticket category called SIFA FRIEND, which allows performing art lovers 25% discount if they will to purchase passes to both the main festival and the pre-festival of ideas for SIFA 2016.
Early bird tickets (20% off) for the main festival and the pre-festival of ideas for SIFA 2016 are already on sales until 8th May at SISTIC.
For more information, do check out www.sifa.sg
Have a GREAT week ahead!
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