FRINGE FOREWORD
To say that 2021 has been yet another tumultuous year would seem trite. COVID-19 and its variants sent infection rates through the world on a rollercoaster. Deliberate separation from family and friends ironically became an act of love and care. Political uncertainty reigned as power struggles and border clashes led new refugee crises. With the seemingly never-ending avalanche of bad news and pandemic fatigue, our sense of frustration, hopelessness and disappointment feel as if they will never lift.
Yet it is precisely in these times that we want to emphasise the importance of human kindness, of those who continue to help even when existing systems of care are overloaded—even more people are falling through the cracks. In an era of social justice warriors, endless Zoom meetings, and doom-scrolling, how can we be of help to others? What keeps the helpers among us going, despite their many stumbles?
We have been inspired by the applications from artists from Singapore and all over the world. Works that sensitively looked at what was happening around them, but also questioning beyond superficial responses. Works created by artists who picked themselves up through multiple lockdowns and restrictions.
Both the climate emergency and pandemic have compelled many to re-examine our relationship to nature and the environment. 微 Wei Collective & Collaborators takes you on a magical, mystical journey with Being: 息在, an installation-performance that examines the oft-forgotten relationship between man and nature, and hopes to reconnect city dwellers with their breath. Using urban loneliness and the yearning for human connection as a starting point, 0.01 is an intimate performance devised for a small, socially-distanced audience by co-directors Goh Shou Yi and Rei Poh and the students from the inaugural cohort from Nanyang Academy of Arts’ Bachelor of Arts in Performance Making.
Young theatre collectives The Second Breakfast Company (2BCo) and Bound Theatre make their debuts at the Fringe with contemporary Singaporean theatre pieces that will strike a chord with many. 2BCo’sThe Essential Playlist is a tongue-in-cheek look at our relationship with essential workers and probes if they are simultaneously celebrated and exploited. Bound Theatre tackles the pertinent issues of doxing and cancel culture in Screen. Shot. when a child disappears, and an adult in authority is accused of being a paedophile.
Critically acclaimed theatre company Rupa co.lab return to the Fringe with Rindu di Bulan
(明月千里寄相思) —a play juxtaposing the Chinese myth of Chang-E with a mother’s relationship with her adopted son, examine how hope and love can transcend biological familial ties.
Though international travel is still restricted, we are glad to share three works via video on demand by international artists who have created and developed their works inspired by and through multiple lockdowns. Circle Theatre from Thailand brings an astute observation of its socio-political climate with OK LAND—where an aunty, driven by hunger and hopelessness after losing her job, takes herself hostage at a convenience store.
From the United Kingdom is the humorous yet poignant Borderline by PSYCHEdelight—a satirical take on the unofficial refugee camp in Calais, France, devised and performed by a mixed ensemble of refugee and European performers. Also from the UK is the striking dance film IMAGO co-choreographed and performed by Travis Clausen-Knight and James Pett to examine how we may break free from toxic relationships.
Despite reduced capacities due to COVID-19 guidelines, we are glad to be able to continue presenting works by local artists in theatres. With your assistance by either getting vaccinated or presenting a negative pre-event test, we can ensure that everyone’s experience at the theatre is a safe and enjoyable one. We are also continuing our commitment to making the festival as inclusive as possible via our renewed partnership with Official Accessibility Partner Equal Dreams.
Whether you are in Singapore or abroad, we hope that the line-up at Fringe 2022: The Helpers will inspire hope and positive change, and see us continue to move towards a kinder, more caring society.
The Helpers.
12 – 23 January 2022.
Be kind to one another,
The Fringe team
FRINGE FOREWORD
To say that 2021 has been another hard year would seem silly. COVID-19 and its variants made infection rates go up and down everywhere in the world. Choosing to be apart from family and friends became an act of love and care. Political uncertainty was at a high as power struggles and border clashes led new refugee crises. With the never-ending rush of bad news and pandemic fatigue, our sense of frustration, feeling like there is no hope, and unable to do things feel as if they will never lift.
Yet this is why we want to show the importance of human kindness. There are people who continue to help even when current systems of care are almost giving up. Even more people are needing help. In an era of social justice warriors, endless Zoom meetings, and doom-scrolling, how can we help others? What keeps the helpers among us going, despite their many stumbles?
We have been inspired by the proposals from artists from Singapore and all over the world. These works looked at what was happening around them. They also questioned issues. They are created by artists who picked themselves up through multiple lockdowns and restrictions.
Both the climate emergency and pandemic have made many to re-examine our relationship to nature and the environment. 微 Wei Collective & Collaborators takes you on a magical, mystical journey with Being: 息在. This is a performance that examines the forgotten relationship between man and nature. It hopes to reconnect people who live in the city with their breath.
0.01 is an intimate show by co-directors Goh Shou Yi and Rei Poh. They directed the first batch of students from Nanyang Academy of Arts’ Bachelor of Arts in Performance Making. It starts by looking at lonely feelings in a big city and the want for human connections. It was created for a small, socially-distanced audience.
Young theatre groups The Second Breakfast Company (2BCo) and Bound Theatre make their debuts at the Fringe. They are presenting modern local theatre pieces that will strike a chord with many.
- 2BCo’s The Essential Playlist is a tongue-in-cheek look at our relationship with essential workers. It looks at how we both praise and make use of them.
- Bound Theatre tackles the current issues of doxing and cancel culture in Screen. Shot.. A child disappears, and an adult in power is accused of being an adult who is sexually attracted to children.
Critically acclaimed theatre company Rupa co.lab return to the Fringe with Rindu di Bulan
(明月千里寄相思). This is a play pairing the Chinese myth of Chang-E with a mother’s relationship with her adopted son. It looks at how hope and love can go beyond those related by blood.
Though global travel is still restricted, we are glad to share three works via video on demand. These are created by international artists who have created their works inspired by and through muany lockdowns.
- Circle Theatre from Thailand takes a sharp look at its socio-political climate with OK LAND. An aunty takes herself hostage at a convenience store. This is due to her hunger and loss of hope after losing her job.
- PSYCHEdelight from the United Kingdom (UK) presents the funny yet moving Borderline. It is a cheeky look at the unofficial refugee camp in Calais, France. It is devised and performed by a mixed group of refugee and European performers.
- Travis Clausen-Knight and James Pett from the UK created and danced in the film IMAGO. It looks at how we may break free from toxic relationships.
COVID-19 guidelines have made audience sizes in theatres smaller. But we are still glad to share works by local artists in theatre. We need your help to keep everyone at the theatre safe. You can do so by taking the injection to prevent COVID-19. Or, you need to take a pre-event test and show us your negative result. We also want to keep our festival as inclusive as possible. We do this by continuing to work with our Official Accessibility Partner Equal Dreams.
Whether you are in Singapore or abroad, we hope that the line-up at Fringe 2022: The Helpers will inspire hope and positive change. We hope to see us continue to move towards a kinder, more caring society.
The Helpers.
12 – 23 January 2022.
Be kind to one another,
The Fringe team
