Pushing the boundaries of Singapore’s Tamil theatre

Good evening,

1. It is a privilege to be here tonight for the opening of NADAGAMIC 2026. This milestone did not happen overnight. The last 7 years have been tremendously successful for AGAM – especially considering that it was established through the pandemic.

   1. The growth from strength to strength to where you are now, I must say, is fantastic work.

   2. I have always been looking out for AGAM, I think you have been doing a wonderful job – with your ability to get everyone together, to start a Blackbox, and the thoughtfulness that has gone into the design, reflects your commitment and creativity.

2. It is a privilege to be here tonight for the opening of NADAGAMIC 2026. What is NADAGAMIC? Nadagam (theatre) and dynamic – a wonderful play of the words.

   1. I like the way in which you have found your footing, and the way in which you have excelled and grown over the years in growing Tamil theatre in Singapore. You have done fantastically well.

3. For the first time, artists, playwrights and theatre companies from Singapore, India, Malaysia and New Zealand are gathering on a Singapore stage to celebrate Tamil theatre – and doing so in Singapore's first dedicated Tamil theatre black box. My warmest congratulations to AGAM and to everyone who has worked to make this moment possible.

4. It is also heartening to note that you have been able to attract youths.

   1. In doing so, we are building our culture, and strengthening the Tamil language.

   2. Most importantly, it is done in a multicultural, Singaporean context. Again, that requires great vision.

   3. In fact, you can see our youths reflected on stage as you saw just now, in their language experiences, and how they have grown to have a deeper sense of who they are.

   4. NADAGAMIC is that mirror; it gives young Tamil Singaporeans not just a cultural inheritance to receive, but a living tradition to shape.

5. 121 artists, 8 productions, 21 performances, 10 days. And alongside the performances, workshops, masterclasses, forums and community events bringing together practitioners at every stage of their journey. That is what NADAGAMIC looks like.

6. This is also precisely why we created the INEI Forum. In AGAM, we see that spirit made real.

   1. Through its bursary programme, its work nurtures emerging artists, and now through NADAGAMIC, AGAM is investing in people, building communities, and creating pathways for the next generation. That is the kind of work INEI was established to support.

7. AGAM has, in fact, been supporting community-building for years – creating thoughtful work that helps us reflect and relate to one another, and pushing the boundaries of Singapore’s Tamil theatre scene.

   1. NADAGAMIC is a natural expression of that ambition: a platform that looks beyond AGAM's own stage to benefit the wider Tamil arts community and Singapore's cultural landscape as a whole. Tonight, that ambition comes to life.

8. It now gives me great pleasure to officially declare NADAGAMIC 2026, open.

Thank you.