All three shows will be performed in The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre, Wild Rice\u2019s main-stage venue in its performing arts complex in Funan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
From August, Wild Rice proudly presents its award-winning 20th Anniversary production of ANIMAL FARM<\/a><\/mark><\/em><\/strong>, an electrifying adaptation of George Orwell\u2019s classic novel about a farmyard of animals banding together to overthrow the farmer \u2013 only to discover that populist ideals can be easily corrupted when power and privilege enter the equation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Directed with keen, kinetic insight by Ivan Heng, from a powerful adaptation by Ian Wooldridge, Animal Farm<\/em> premiered in 2002 at Raffles Hotel\u2019s Jubilee Hall. It was last staged in Singapore at the Drama Centre Theatre in 2010.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201c20 years after we first made waves and headlines with our version of Animal Farm<\/em>, we thought it was about time to share this classic production with a whole new generation of audiences,\u201d says Ivan Heng, Wild Rice\u2019s Founding Artistic Director. \u201cAs you will discover when you join us at the theatre, Orwell\u2019s masterpiece hasn\u2019t aged a day. In this tumultuous age shaped by unrest, inequity and a literal plague, Animal Farm<\/em> continues to remind us of the corrupting influence of power and how easily democracies can morph into dictatorships.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond sealing Wild Rice\u2019s reputation as one of the country\u2019s leading theatre companies, this landmark production also flew the Singapore flag proudly at arts festivals in Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnimal Farm<\/em> is near and dear to my heart for so many reasons,\u201d Heng continues. \u201cChief amongst them is the fact that this show put us on the map, quite literally, and made people in Singapore and across the world sit up and take notice of Wild Rice and the important work we do, the vital stories we tell.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n In September, Wild Rice will stage the world premiere of award-winning playwright Alfian Sa\u2019at\u2019s PULAU UJONG \/ ISLAND AT THE END<\/a><\/mark><\/em><\/strong>, a riveting piece of documentary theatre that bravely confronts the ongoing climate crisis through a Singaporean lens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m not a particularly outdoorsy person but, during the pandemic, I found myself itching to go out and not live so much in my head,\u201d says Alfian. \u201cI started exploring nature trails, which got me asking questions about why so many of us are so estranged from nature, and why we think of it as something separate from our lives, something to be managed or exploited.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This prompted Alfian to conduct research into the climate emergency, which he describes as \u201cthe most urgent and defining issue of our current era\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The final result is Pulau Ujong<\/em>. Featuring interviews with climate scientists, botanists, zoologists, environmental historians and activists, this soul-stirring new play grapples with the reality of eco-anxiety and climate grief.<\/p>\n\n\n\n At the same time, it invites audiences to re-examine their relationship with nature by offering more-than-human perspectives, from Singapore\u2019s last tiger to zoo mascot Ah Meng.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI believe that art can communicate certain things to us that headlines and statistics cannot. I don\u2019t want to just sound alarms, because I know how easy it is for that to turn into background noise,\u201d Alfian explains. \u201cInstead, I\u2019d like for audiences to re-evaluate their relationship with nature, and to re-enchant themselves with its miracles and mysteries.\u201dPulau Ujong \/ Island at the End<\/em> will be directed by renowned theatre practitioner Edith Podesta, who has won numerous awards for her visionary work as a writer, director and performer. She will be directing an ensemble cast that includes Al-Matin Yatim, Ryan Ang, Koh Wan Ching, Krish Natarajan and Siti Khalijah Zainal.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nA Climate Crisis of Conscience<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n
A Truly Magical New Musical For The Whole Family!<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n