Greater support for creating quality Singapore content

Ms Kathy Lai, CEO of NAC
Ms Yeoh Chee Yan, Permanent Secretary of MCCY
Mr Casey Lim, Executive Director of Centre 42, and his fellow Members of the Founding Board
Ladies and Gentlemen

1. A very good morning to all of you. It is a pleasure to be here to join all of you at Centre 42 – our Singapore’s first text-based centre. It is good to see so many arts practitioners and people from the arts sector who are here to join us today, for the launch of this Centre. It shows a strong support that the Centre enjoys; I think that that is important, because it also shows the support that all of you have for this shared vision of creating quality Singapore content.
   

2. In fact, the idea for this Centre came about through consultations between NAC and the arts sector over several years. As a result of the consultations, one of the gaps identified was this issue of creating good Singapore content, particularly in the area of writing. This was why the idea for a centre for text-based works came about.
   

3. In the sector – while we can talk about building infrastructure, more arts spaces, film and movies, and how we want to develop Singapore movies and film – if we do not have good writing, and if we do not have good content, then we do not have a strong foundation to develop. Good writing underpins a lot of artistic pursuits, and this can be in theatre, film or TV. Even if you have a good story, you also need good scriptwriters to translate the literary work into a script. There is a lot that we can do to develop these capabilities, and that was the basis for setting up a Centre like this.
   

4. NAC could have decided to run the Centre on its own, but I think they have wisely chosen not to do so, and felt that it was better to develop this Centre in partnership with a group from the arts sector itself. I am happy that we have chosen Centre 42, with Mr Casey Lim and the Founding Members who have come onboard to help set up this Centre. And so, I would like to thank Mr Casey Lim, and all the members of Centre 42.
   

5. The Centre has already some initial ideas that they wish to start developing, and programmes that they have to further develop the industry. For example, they are looking at how they can do more to support the arts sector. One of the ideas is to provide free usage of production space – for four days, as I understand – including a production stipend. Of course, there is a catch – but the catch is a simple one to fulfil. You only need to make use of one day for a public reading. I think that is a noble cause that anyone should be happy to take up – public reading for the public, for producers, for interested parties – so that more can learn about the work. So I would encourage anyone in the arts sector to make use of this facility and this initiative.
   

6. Another idea that we are thinking of developing is to start an archive all things related to Singapore theatre – whether it is photographs, information – and that is something that is a work in progress; we hope to get it ready by next year, in 2015. And when it is ready, I believe that it will be a valuable resource for people who are interested in Singapore theatre, maybe students or members of the public. I believe that it will help build a richer repository of the history, the legacy and the foundations of what has made up Singapore theatre today. I think that this is another very valuable initiative that the Centre is embarking on.
   

7. There are many good ideas, and I would encourage all who are in the arts sector to support Centre 42 in its endeavours, and help build up this new Centre for text-based work.
   

8. The broader scene is also a very positive one for the overall arts sector in Singapore. It is very apt that Centre 42 is based right here in the arts belt, where many cultural institutions are located. We are also starting to develop better programming – for example, we have the Singapore International Festival of the Arts (SIFA) coming up. We are looking at expanding arts spaces, with the Victoria Theatre and Victoria Concert Hall ready. It will open its doors very soon. It is beautiful and done up very nicely. Mok Wei Wei, the architect, did an excellent job in the refurbishments. It will be another beautiful sight among our cultural institutions.
   

9. The arts scene looks optimistic, with many things to do. We have our 50th anniversary coming up next year.  In our Jubilee year, there are many opportunities for programming, and development of the arts in Singapore. I look forward to working with all of you; I hope that you will continue to support the Ministry, the National Arts Council, and now, Centre 42, in developing our arts sector in Singapore.
   

10. Thank you very much, and have a very good morning.