Celebrating a vibrant theatre scene

Ms Helen Chia, Associate Editor and Life Editor, The Straits Times

Mr Ivan Lim, Director, Corporate Communications and Investor Relations, M1 Limited

Mr Benson Puah, Chief Executive Officer, The Esplanade Company Limited

Ms Kathy Lai, Chief Executive Officer, National Arts Council

Theatre practitioners

Ladies and Gentlemen

1. I am very happy to be here this afternoon to join you to celebrate the best of Singapore’s theatre. 
   

The significance of Singapore theatre

2. From my own personal experience, I do know that creating a theatre production is no easy feat. The audience does not see what goes on backstage during a performance, they do not see the months, and sometimes, even years of preparations beforehand. From scripting to costumes, set design to acting, sound to lighting…the work behind each production is significant and tremendous. But when the curtains are raised and the audience enters the world you have created for them, you know it’s all been worthwhile.

3. More so because your work makes an impact on us. We are entertained. We get provoked. Importantly, your work inspires. And in doing so, you make Singapore’s theatre scene come alive. An average of 1,900 ticketed performances are staged each year, and many more people are watching these shows. You made all this possible, and you represent the best of Singapore’s theatre. Congratulations everyone!

4. Last year, we celebrated SG50 and The Esplanade was the venue that showcased 50 Singapore plays from the last 5 decades. Over five weeks, audiences were treated to Singapore theatre classics, including works like Emily Of Emerald Hill by Stella Kon, Off Centre by Haresh Sharma, directed by Oliver Chong; and The Lady Of Soul And Her Ultimate 'S' Machine by Tan Tarn How, directed by Zizi Azah. These are all well-loved texts which resonate with Singaporeans and some of them, including Off Centre, are now part of the school curricula.

5. And new classics continue to emerge in our thriving theatre sector. The Singapore International Festival of Arts for instance set new artistic standards with works such as The Incredible Adventures of Border Crossers and Hotel. We all know that Hotel was so well-received and was fully sold-out at its first run last year, and I am very glad that it is making a comeback during the upcoming Singapore Theatre Festival by Wild Rice this July. We also saw shows that reflected our multicultural heritage, like the Chinese wuxiaepic Legends of the Southern Arch by The Theatre Practice. There was Teater Kami’s Aku Si Malang Jalang, which is also used as a Malay literature text in schools. The musical Murasu by the Ravindran Drama Group told the story of the founder of the Tamil Murasu newspaper. As you can see, the diverse offerings of Singapore theatre is something we can all take pride in.
   

The importance of children’s theatre

6. I am happy today that we are also marking another milestone in the Life Theatre Awards, with the inaugural Best Production for the Young award. This is given out in partnership with the National Arts Council, this award recognises excellence in children’s theatre. Children’s theatre is a fun and engaging way to introduce our young to the arts, to nurture their creativity and imagination, and to strengthen their language and communication skills. It could also spark a lifelong love for the arts, and nurture our next generation of artists and audiences. I hope that more companies will venture into creating productions, especially for children and youth. But a word of advice from a parent, children can sometimes be our worse, and most honest, critical audiences!         
   

Conclusion

7. Before I end, I would like recognise our supporters of the arts, because this journey together is a partnership. M1 Limited, who is for the second year running, this award’s title sponsor, and Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, for hosting this ceremony. Thank you to all the judges as well, for your very tough job of picking the best among the best. And thanks to The Straits Times Life! which started this awards 16 years ago. Thank you all for helping to make arts accessible to more Singaporeans, so that we can all make works that we can relate to, that can help us document a slice of Singapore’s society and Singapore’s history.

8. And once again congratulations to all the nominees. We are here today to celebrate Singapore’s growing theatre scene, and to celebrate you, our theatre practitioners, who make this very special. Thank you.