For better or for worse, this year will forever be ingrained in our memories. 2020 saw us all exploring the world's best museums and binge-watching award-winning Broadway shows – from our couches, that is. All over the world, theatres were being forced to shut down. But the spirit of theatre lives on, with the world's major theatre companies making their theatrical productions more accessible to the public for the first time ever by bringing them online.
In Singapore, local theatre companies stood in solidarity to build a stronger and more resilient community around theatre performances and great storytelling. Support also came in the form of the Digitalisation Fund announced on March 26, which helped offset the cost of rent, wages and training of businesses and individuals in the arts industry.
We're definitely looking forward to hitting physical theatres in the new year, with exciting events and performances such as M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2021 and Pangdemonium's 'Girls & Boys'. But in the meantime, let's reminisce on the best theatre events of 2020.
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Right before live performances were being forced to a halt, The Theatre Practice managed to run a few performances of Four Horse Road. Taking the form of an immersive "promenade theatre", Four Horse Road saw the audience walking from space to space along Waterloo Street. There were six groups every night, with each experiencing the play differently. Audiences gathered interesting little nuggets that they may or may not have heard about the storied street.
While we were all in isolation, three of the biggest names in the theatre industry – Pangdemonium, Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) and Wild Rice – joined forces for a 20-minute short film. Titled The Pitch, the film raised the curtain on the three theatre companies as they struggle to make art – and get along with each other. Go behind the scenes through acclaimed film-maker Ken Kwek's subversive lenses and join three respected artistic directors Ivan Heng, Gaurav Kripalani and Adrian Pang as they navigate their way through these tumultuous times.
You can watch it at thepitch.sg
No pandemic is putting a damper on Checkpoint Theatre's spirit. Amidst the chaos, the theatre company brought on of its plays right to your living room. The production in question, The Heart Comes to Mind, was initially scheduled as part of Esplanade's The Studios: Lost & Found. Instead, it premiered as an audio recording as part of the inaugural digital season, The Studios Online, from May 16 to June 12.
In November, Wild Rice reopened its theatre complex in Funan with Alfian Sa'at's An Actress Prepares. It was the first show to play to live audiences in The Ngee Ann Kongsi Theatre since all performing art venues were closed in March.
An Actress Prepares followed Siti Khalijah Zainal on a journey through her life in theatre, from learning Chinese dance in primary school, falling in with the cool girls at the Bedok Institute of Technical Education, and being told that she might be ‘too big’ or ‘too Malay’ to get roles.
After being closed much of this year, Singapore Repertory finally reopened its doors for live performances of Tuesdays with Morrie. Based on Mitch Albom's best-selling memoir, the play – performed by theatre veteran Remesh Panicker and Benjamin Chow – charted the deep personal bond between mentor and student as they explore themes of love, acceptance, and death.
The Theatre Practice celebrated its 55th anniversary this year – and threw an epic 55-hour party in the form of a Facebook Livestream. Called Practice 55, it took place from 3pm on November 27 to 10pm on November 29 with a massive line-up that follows a rough chronological timeline of Practice’s development. 38 programmes divided into five main categories: Stories, Vault, Spaces, Homecoming, and Play.
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