Benefitting the community through arts

Ms Peggy Ferroa, President of Singapore Drama Educators Association (SDEA) 

Excellencies

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and gentlemen

Good evening,

1. I am very happy to be here today to join you at the third Singapore Drama Educators Association (SDEA) Theatre Arts Conference. 

2. I would like to commend SDEA for their effort in once again providing this opportunity to bring together a meeting of minds – for practitioners and advocates to exchange research, ideas and practices in drama education.

3. The theme of this year's conference is Standing Still: Still Standing – Reflecting on the changing landscape of drama and theatre practices. It is an opportune time for us to reflect as this is the year of our Golden Jubilee. As Singapore celebrates its 50th birthday, we want to continue the momentum that in the next 10, 20 years and even in SG100, Singapore will have an even more vibrant, lively, and continuously growing drama scene.

4. I am therefore heartened by the efforts that the SDEA has put into developing drama in Singapore – its advocacy, education, and its professionals. As a Major Grant recipient, the Association's 9 key volunteer practitioners have tirelessly committed their time, effort and expertise to grow the association's programmes. From simple skills-based workshops for practitioners, to events and festivals that reached out to youths, teachers and communities.

5. At their latest large scale event, Celebrate Drama!, held right here at The Arts House in June last year, 200 youth explored various ways to adapt local literature for drama. The event reached out to students from various secondary schools. It also reached out to the beneficiaries from the Little Arts Academy, the Singapore Association for Mental Health and Club Rainbow.

6. This is the power of the arts. It can benefit the wider community by bringing people from different walks of life to experience and create something together. It builds bridges, mutual understanding and communication.

7. The National Arts Council recently tripled the grant for Special Education schools to take part in arts education programmes each year. The grant encourages schools to involve students in arts initiatives. Some of the students who took part in drama lessons in particular, learnt social skills such as working with others, and ways to express their emotions and creativity. And the schools did notice that the students have become more expressive after several weeks of lessons. Thus, we hope to ensure that everyone, regardless of their age or ability, will continue to have access to the arts.

8. I'm especially delighted, that this conference opens with a conversation with two respected arts practitioners, Mdm Goh Lay Kuan (my old friend) and Mrs Santha Bhaskar. Not only are they Cultural Medallion Recipients, they were also the pioneer practitioners when arts education in Singapore was at its infancy. I look forward to them enlightening us on their journey this evening. I hope the many young ones here today who are just starting their careers will take full advantage of being here, to learn from those who have gone before us.

9. I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome academics and practitioners from all the countries represented here at the conference. I hope you will go home with fresh ideas that will reach out to the different learners and communities you work with.

10. Finally, I would also like to thank the volunteers, supporters and organising and programming committees for putting this inspiring event together, and to thank The Arts House for supporting this event for the second time. Thank you all once again, and have a wonderful evening ahead.