Wild Rice, Singapore\u2019s leading theatre company, today announced a new slate of shows as part of its 2021 season. Crafted around deeply personal stories, each production promises to take audiences on thought-provoking journeys of growth and self-discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From April to August, Wild Rice will present the following productions at The Ngee Ann Kong Si Theatre:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAt a time when we\u2019ve all been grounded in Singapore by the pandemic, there is one place you can go that can take you on journeys which are at once epic and intimate \u2013 the theatre,\u201d says Ivan Heng, the company\u2019s Founding Artistic Director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn the company of some of Singapore\u2018s finest storytellers, venture with Wild Rice to places you\u2019ve never been before \u2013 geographically, emotionally and spiritually.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first port of call for audiences is Agathi \/ Refugee<\/em><\/strong>, a groundbreaking collaboration between Wild Rice and Apsaras Arts Dance Company that will bring the classical Indian dance tradition of Bharatanatyam to the intimate stage of The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre for the first time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Through a unique fusion of dance, theatre and poetry, Agathi \/ Refugee<\/em> movingly examines the lives and plights of refugees \u2013 people who have been displaced from their homes since time immemorial because of political turmoil or natural calamity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This reimagined production draws inspiration from Apsaras Arts Artistic Director Aravinth Kumarasamy\u2019s own experience as a refugee in his youth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe want to give voice to refugee children all over the world \u2013 to chronicle and explore their shared experience of fleeing from their homes and rebuilding lives in new lands,\u201d says Kumarasamy. \u201cI am personally honoured to collaborate with Ivan and Wild Rice \u2013 who are important role models in Singapore on how art can transform, teach and heal \u2013 to make this show a memorable experience for all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In You Are Here<\/em><\/strong>, which runs from 22 April, poet Pooja Nansi movingly shines a spotlight on the migrant experience \u2013 examining the ways in which new histories and identities are forged when people move away from the countries where they were born.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou Are Here<\/em> is a project that came out of me trying to make sense of who I am and where I feel like I belong,\u201d explains Nansi, who moved to Singapore from India with her parents before the age of two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI hope this show expands people\u2019s ideas of belonging and home,\u201d says Nansi. \u201cMost of us have a history of migration to this country, however forgotten or far in the past. We should explore the rich stories available to us within our own families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n From 3 June, Pam Oei \u2013 one of Singapore\u2019s funniest, most beloved performers \u2013 makes her life-long journey as a LGBTQ+ ally and activist a point of pride in Faghag<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Written in the run-up to the tenth anniversary of Pink Dot in 2018, Oei\u2019s frank, funny and fabulous cabaret celebrates the gay men who have impacted her life. At the same time, it takes an unflinching look at the ongoing fight to repeal Section 377A of the Penal Code, which criminalises sex between consenting male adults in Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo many of my dear friends in the LGBTQ+ community are very far from having the same rights as me,\u201d says Oei. \u201cFaghag<\/em> will make you laugh and lift your spirits, but it also doesn\u2019t shy away from exploring the discrimination that my friends continue to suffer in Singapore \u2013 the place we call home.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI hope that curious audiences come to the show with open minds and leave with open hearts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The power of music and mentorship takes centre stage from July 2021 in Don\u2019t Call Him Mr. Mari Kita<\/strong>. In this intimate biographical concert, Julian Wong<\/strong> \u2013 one of Singapore\u2019s premier composers and music directors \u2013 honours the life and legacy of the late Zubir Said, who is today best known for composing Majulah Singapura<\/em>,Singapore\u2019s national anthem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wong owes his career as a musician to a fateful journey Zubir Said made close to a century ago. Intent on pursuing his dreams of becoming a musician, Zubir left his village in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra, for the bright lights and big bands of Singapore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Over the years, Zubir made his home here, becoming a pioneer of Singapore\u2019s music industry. He taught some of its leading lights, including the late Iskandar Ismail. Zubir encouraged a young Iskandar to further his music studies \u2013 advice that Iskandar wound up sharing with his prot\u00e9g\u00e9, Wong, three decades later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI created this show to share my appreciation for \u2013 and fascination with \u2013 my teacher’s teacher,\u201d says Wong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cZubir Said was so much more than \u2018Mr. Mari Kita\u2019. I hope audiences will come away from this show with a better understanding of who he is as a man \u2013 his courage, his convictions, his sacrifices \u2013 while also gaining an appreciation of his beautiful music. In my mind, there is no better composer whose music can unite us in a time of uncertainty and division.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wild Rice, Singapore\u2019s leading theatre company, today announced a new slate of shows as part of its 2021 season. Crafted around deeply personal stories, each production promises to take audiences on thought-provoking journeys of growth and self-discovery. From April to August, Wild Rice will present the following productions at The Ngee Ann Kong Si Theatre: …<\/p>\nMapping A Life<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Somewhere Over The Rainbow<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
A Musical Voyage<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n