Get ready for some of the most compelling shows to be staged when the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) returns May 15-31, 2020. Back for their 43rd year, the arts festival juggernaut will be showcasing four new works from beloved local theatre companies like Nine Years Theatre, The Fingers Players, Toy Factory Productions and The Necessary Stage.
The local commissions that are expected to shine at SIFA 2020 are already setting everyone buzzin’. There’ll be A Dream Under The Southern Bough: Existence by Toy Factory Productions, the final installation in a trilogy that tells the tale of disparities between dreams and reality. Originally written more than 400 years ago by Ming Dynasty writer Tang Xianzu, the play will be adapted for the contemporary stage and audience by the local theatre company.
The Year of No Return (Image Courtesy of Tuckys Photography)
Then there’s Oiwa – The Ghost of Yotsuya, to be presented by The Finger Players through a unique ensemble of puppeteers and actors. The collective who brought us Forked in August and A Fiend’s Diary in October will deliver a horrific performance that sees a jilted wife haunting her murderer. If that’s not bone-chilling enough for you, the supernatural production is said to be based on real-life events and historical figures from the Japanese Edo period.
Also look forward to the award-winning ensembles of Singapore Nine Years Theatre and the SITI Company of NYC as they collaborate to bring forth a multilingual retelling of Anton Chekhov’s classic play, Three Sisters. And going into 2020 strong is The Necessary Stage who will be at the M1 Fringe Festival in January before putting on The Year of No Return for SIFA, a piece that delves into climate change and all its related crises.
But that’s not all. Coming all the way down from the North is Canadian contemporary dance company Kidd Pivot, making their Singaporean debut with their internationally acclaimed production, Revisor. Based off Nikolai Gogol’s farcical play, The Government Inspector, anticipate an enthralling performance that goes beyond pure movements.
While there has been some condensing of sorts for SIFA in regard to its length of run over the years, we’re certainly not disappointed with this current line-up. In fact, we’re already eagerly awaiting the complete list of programmes. We just hope that there’re more local acts where that came from.
SIFA 2020 runs from May 15-31, 2020 at various venues in Singapore. More information available here.
