M1SFF 2018 - Sponsors Report

SPONSORS REPORT
The Immortal Sole by Edith Podesta (Australia | Singapore)

Photo credit: Crispian Chan
“…when it was announced that (Edith Podesta)

would be choreographing an all new dance
piece that would have performers stepping
through a literal body of water, it was almost
inevitable that the 2018 M1 Singapore Fringe
Festival would open with a tsunami-like roar
with the premiere of The Immortal Sole."
-—bakchormeeboy.com
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CONTENTS
Executive Summary
[ Pg 5 ]
The Fringe in Numbers

[ Pg 9 ]
Performance & Exhibition Details

[ Pg 12]
Sponsors, Partners & Supporters

[ Pg 17 ]
Publicity & Marketing

[ Pg 19 ]
Reviews & Audience Feedback

[ Pg 56 ]
Fringe Team 2018

[ Pg 65 ]
M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2019: Still Waters

[ Pg 67 ]
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“We are very happy about the work (by the
Festival). Very efficient and professional.”
—Mònica Almirall, Company Member/
Co-Deviser/Performer, ATRESBANDES
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The 14th edition of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival, curated around the theme Let’s Walk,
has been significant and positive in many ways.
We are delighted to share that the Fringe’s average house was a very well-performing 92%,
with 26 out of the 46 performances presented playing to sold-out houses. In addition, the
attendance of 4,731 for ticketed events was almost double that of the 2017 edition of the
Fringe.
The M1 Singapore Fringe Festival continues to be a key part of how The Necessary Stage
achieves our mission to create challenging and innovative theatre that touches the heart and
mind. With Fringe 2018: Let’s Walk, we challenged ourselves with a new thematic direction
which made for a slightly more complex curation process. We believe it has paid off,
resulting in a programme that was not only strong in its purpose and resonance, but also
extremely well attended.
Our new thematic series that began with Amanda Heng’s iconic performance Let’s Walk is
clearly off to an excellent start. Socially-engaged and artistically progressive artists from
Singapore and around the world were invited to enter into a robust conversation about a
range of issues, many of them centred around pressing questions of identity and equality.
The works were extremely varied in form and flavour, but all pertinent and relevant, as
attested to by the full houses and the thoughtful questions posed at the post-show
discussions.
Amanda Heng and Sean Tobin at the Fringe Media Launch
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Furthermore, we are also glad that Amanda took up the invitation to participate in the Fringe,
conducting workshops with student-participants and undertaking both solo and public walks,
which will culminate in the exhibition A Walked Line Can Never Be Erased in May 2018.
These events gave the festival a very strong anchor and focus.
We also sustained our strong support for independent Singapore artists, further developing
our Fresh Fringe programme, as well as platforming two very idealistically intimate shows at
Centre 42. Tickets sold out so rapidly that we had to add extra shows and seats to cope with
the overwhelming demand.
Our strong relationship with Centre 42 also resulted in three of the Fringe commissions
being supported in their development. Another two Fringe commissions benefited from our
exciting new partnership with Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, with whom we look forward to
exploring more collaboration possibilities.
Step Outta Line by Thong Pei Qin & Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Singapore)
Photo Credit: Asrari Nasir, Paradise Pictures
We are also delighted to have tried something new in commissioning Walking in Beauty, a
line-up of soul-baring storytelling performances. Considering how different this is—being less
experimental in form—for our usual Fringe audiences, it sold tremendously well at an
average of 88.3% house across three performances.
Fringe 2018 also saw a new partnership with ArtsEquator, which included a forum on theatre
reviewing that closed Fringe 2018. The panellists included the esteemed Lyn Gardner from
The Guardian (UK), highly respected playwright Alfian Sa’at, arts reviewer Corrie Tan, and
me in the capacity as Festival Artistic Director. We also worked with ArtsEquator to welcome
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a small group of emerging theatre critics to review our shows, which was another meaningful
way to support the capacity of our local industry, while also encouraging more conversation
about the Fringe programme.
Enclosed in the report are all the key information and statistics gathered by our team for this
year’s Fringe.
We thank you again for your wonderful support, and for attending our Fringe events. We
welcome any feedback you have and hope to keep working with you for many more years to
come. We are also looking forward to the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2019: Still Waters,
for which applications have closed on Friday 2 March 2018.
Kind regards,
Sean Tobin
Artistic Director
M1 Singapore Fringe Festival
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"[We liked] the variety of international and local
works! I particularly appreciate the attention
given to the Fresh Fringe works as it would be
easy to give less attention and effort for the
smaller shows but we didn’t feel left out at all.”
—Team from One Thousand Millennials Crying
One Thousand Millennials Crying by Kenneth Chia & Mitchell Fang (Singapore)
Photo credit: Kenneth Chia
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THE FRINGE IN NUMBERS
12 DAYS
7 COUNTRIES
102 ARTISTS
10 VENUES
16 EVENTS
92% OVERALL HOUSE
6,741 PEOPLE REACHED
$3,541.141.30 PR VALUE
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83% of our audience are Singaporeans and PRs
68% of our audience are aged below 30
52% of our audience for 2018 are new to the Fringe
28% of overall ticket sales were from school

bookings
91% of our audience rated the work they attended

excellent or good
93% of our audience could understand, relate to

and appreciate the work they attended
87% of our audience feel that the ticket prices are

very reasonable or reasonable
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“Boldly artistic and wildly imaginative … All In
left us shaken with its unusually portrayed hard
truths, paranoid over our true sense of agency,
and haunted by its perfectly scripted
showstopper of a final scene.”
—bakchormeeboy.com
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PERFORMANCE &
EXHIBITION DETAILS
Julie Wee in Attempts: Singapore by Rei Poh (Singapore)

Photo credit: Andre Chong
“The theme this year was very exciting, putting

a focus on Amanda Heng's work. I do feel this
allowed an open interpretation on how artists
could fit their work into the festival.”
—Rei Poh, Director/Facilitator for
Attempts: Singapore
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NO. OF TOTAL TIX/ %TAGE
TITLE DATES VENUE
SHOWS CAPACITY VISITORS HOUSE
Fringe Highlights
The Immortal Sole by Edith Podesta 17 – 20 January 2018, 8pm Esplanade

5 900 839 93%
(Australia | Singapore) 20 January 2018, 3pm Theatre Studio
If there’s not dancing at the revolution,

Esplanade
I’m not coming by Julia Croft (New 18 – 20 January 2018, 8pm 3 300 282 94%
Annexe Studio
Zealand)
Displaced by Ground Cover Theatre 26 – 27 January 2018, 8pm Esplanade

4 720 718 99%
(Canada) 27 – 28 January 2018, 3pm Theatre Studio
Let’s Walk by Amanda Heng

Various 1 Outdoors N/A 49 N/A
(Singapore)
Live Fringe
Hayat by Pink Gajah Theatre 17 – 20 January 2018, 8pm Centre 42

6 204 204 100%
(Singapore) 20 January 2018, 2pm & 5pm Black Box
Step Outta Line by Thong Pei Qin &

18 – 20 January 2018, 8pm NAFA Studio
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts 5 500 475 95%
19 – 20 January 2018, 3pm Theatre
(Singapore)
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NO. OF TOTAL TIX/ %TAGE
TITLE DATES VENUE
SHOWS CAPACITY VISITORS HOUSE
Esplanade
All In by ATRESBANDES (Spain) 19 – 20 January 2018, 8pm 2 436 231 53%
Recital Studio
The Neighbor’s Grief is Greener by Esplanade

23 – 24 January 2018, 8pm 2 360 340 94%
Emanuella Amichai (Israel) Theatre Studio
Attempts: Singapore by Rei Poh 24 – 27 January 2018, 8pm

6 Centre 42 132 132 100%
(Singapore) 27 January 2018, 2pm & 5pm
The Most Massive Woman Wins by

Madeleine George/Mitchell Productions Esplanade
24 – 25 January 2018, 8pm 2 204 200 98%
Inc. & Chopt Logic Productions Annexe Studio
(Australia | USA)
Walking in Beauty by Petrina Kow Esplanade

25 – 27 January 2018, 8pm 2 630 559 89%
(Singapore) Recital Studio
25 – 27 January 2018, 8pm NAFA Studio

Forked by Jo Tan (Singapore) 4 432 431 99.8%
27 January 2018, 3pm Theatre
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Fresh Fringe
One Thousand Millennials Crying by Esplanade

Kenneth Chia & Mitchell Fang 27 January 2018, 2pm & 4pm 2 Rehearsal 160 160 100%
(Singapore) Studio
Esplanade
Does This Work For You? by The
28 January 2018, 2pm & 4pm 2 Rehearsal 160 160 100%
Nervous System (Singapore)
Studio
Fringe Gallery
All In Her Day’s Work by Charmaine 17 – 28 January 2018,

N/A ION Art gallery N/A 1,876 N/A
Poh (Singapore) 10am – 10pm
Artist talk with Charmaine Poh 20 January 2018, 3pm N/A ION Art gallery N/A 32 N/A
Fringe Conjunction
Theatre Reviews: Last Word or the Start Centre 42

28 January 2018, 3pm N/A N/A 85 N/A
of a Conversation Black Box
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Walking in Beauty by Petrina Kow (Singapore)
Photo credit: Sung Lin Gun
“It was a powerful story, well told and possibly the

most important point to take away from the evening:
that ‘walking in beauty’ is about more than worrying
about appearance and size and clothing or
grooming choices. It is about honesty, compassion
and finding beauty in others and in ourselves."
—Akshita Nanda, The Straits Times Life!
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SPONSORS, PARTNERS
& SUPPORTERS
Special Thanks
Total no. of Sponsors, Partners and Supporters 31
No. of Repeat Sponsors 18
Title Sponsor – M1 Limited

Official Magazine – Time Out Singapore
Official Outdoor Media – Mediacorp OOH Media
Arts Fund
Cultural Matching Fund
BinjaiTree
Embassy of Israel in Singapore
Canada Council for the Arts
Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay
Centre 42
Objectifs: Centre for Photography and Film
ION Art gallery
ION Orchard
Young Changemakers
National Youth Council
qu’est-ce que c’est
Cornerstone Wines
Creative Eateries
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No. of New Sponsors 13
Official Hotel – ibis Singapore on Bencoolen

Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts
Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple
High Commission of Canada in Singapore
Creative New Zealand
Creative Saskatchewan
University of Saskatchewan
Acción Cultural Española
HOME
Festival TNT
Martin
Mash Up
Novu Aesthetics

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PUBLICITY & MARKETING
If there’s not dancing at the revolution… Julia Croft (New Zealand)

Photo credit: Josh Griggs
“Both of these [publicity and marketing efforts]

seemed very strong and the festival had a strong
marketing presence in the city as far as I could
see.”
—Julia Croft, Creator & Performer,
If there’s not dancing at the revolution,
I’m not coming
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COLLATERAL |
DESCRIPTION
AVENUE
PRINT
20,000 booklets were distributed to all SISTIC authorised agents, as

Programme Booklets
well as selected community libraries, schools, arts venues,
20,000 copies | A5 size |
embassies and cultural organisations, cafes, restaurants, clubs,
42 pages
hostels and entertainment and retail outlets around Singapore.
Programme Leaflets for

10,000 copies of in-house designed and printed programme leaflets
all productions
about each work and artist were distributed at all performances and
10,000 copies | A5 size |
exhibitions.
4 – 8 pages
Two half-page advertisements for the November and December

2017 issues, and one full-page advertisement in January 2018’s
Time Out Singapore
issue were included in Official Magazine Time Out Singapore to
advertise the Festival.
Step Outta Line was featured as the cover image for the Jan –
Nanyang Academy of
March issue of the NAFA quarterly calendar, which also included
Fine Arts (NAFA)
listings of Step Outta Line and Forked.
Information about All In Her Day’s Work was listed in the Singapore
Singapore Art Week
Art Week booklet.
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COLLATERAL | AVENUE DESCRIPTION
OUTDOOR AND ON-SITE
38 DigiBoard, 5 4Prime and 130 In-shelter posters advertising M1

Mediacorp OOH Media Singapore Fringe Festival 2018 were displayed at bus shelters
around the island in January 2018.
ibis Singapore on
Seven A0-sized posters were displayed in the hotel’s dining area.
Bencoolen
25 street banners were displayed along North Bridge Road and

Arts & Heritage District
Middle Road from 13 December 2017 to 23 January 2018.
Singapore Tourism Board 37 street banners were displayed along Bras Basah Road and
Penang Road from 2 to 28 January 2018.
In addition, the Visitors Service Centres were a pick up point for

the Festival booklet, and the Festival was also advertised on the
STB telemedia screens.
The Festival was advertised via floor stickers and posters

displayed via Foyerboards and at the Tunnel, Annexe Studio and
Esplanade – Theatres on bus stop from October 2017 onwards. The Festival events at
the Bay Esplanade were included in the giant calendar boards and trailers
of the Festival shows ran on the plasma screens around the
centre.
Six A2-sized posters advertising Step Outta Line and Forked were
NAFA
displayed around campus.
Two A1-sized posters advertising All In Her Day’s Work were

ION Orchard displayed at the mall’s concierge counters. E-posters were also
displayed on the mall’s i-Directories.
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Performers from Ground Cover Theatre’s Displaced posing with the
Esplanade bus stop poster advertising their work
ONLINE
A dedicated Festival website was created at

www.singaporefringe.com. The website, designed by qu’est-ce que
Festival website
c’est, was also mobile-enabled and customised for both desktop,
tablet and mobile-phone viewing.
The dedicated Facebook page and individual event pages were

frequently updated with mentions, listings, previews, rehearsal
photos and reviews. In addition, Festival director Sean Tobin
Festival Facebook page
posted Q&A with artists, which gave insights to the artists’
processes, inspirations and personalities. The Festival also
invested in purchasing advertisements to increase our outeach.
The dedicated Instagram account was actively posting and

connecting with artists, audience members and industry partners.
Festival Instagram account
The Festival also invested in purchasing advertisements to
increase our outeach.
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The dedicated Twitter account was actively posting and connecting

Festival Twitter account
with artists, audience members and industry partners.
5 unique EDMs were sent to a total mailing list of 10,000

(comprising databases of local and international partners of The
Necessary Stage, SISTIC, embassies, sponsors, partners and
Electronic Direct Mailers venues, schools, The Necessary Stage's Volunteer E-Group and
(EDMs) the Arts Community E-Group).
Genre-specific EDMs were sent to targeted groups such as

educators and students.
Esplanade – Theatres on The Festival’s events were included on Esplanade's dedicated

the Bay website (www.esplanade.com) from December 2017 - January
2018.
Electronic Direct Mailers were also sent to selected demographics

of Esplanade's mailing list.
Centre 42’s support for Attempts: Singapore under the Basement

Workshop programme included documentation and video
interviews with the artist and the process, posted on their
newsletter and blog.
Centre 42
In addition, Centre 42’s Citizen Reviewers attended the Fringe

performances and posted their reviews on the website
(http://centre42.sg/category/cr-theatrereviews).
Information about All In Her Day’s Work was included on the

ION Orchard
website.
5 dedicated EDMs were sent to SISTIC’s selected database to

advertise the Fringe, along with Facebook and Instagram shout
outs and advertising on the main website (www.sistic.com.sg) via
SISTIC New Release and Highlights icons.
The Festival was also advertised via the SISTIC Buzz Subheader,
mobile app icon and customised event pages.
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Official Magazine – Previews articles and event listings on Time Out's website from
Time Out Singapore November 2017 to January 2018, and mentions of the Festival
were included on the website, Electronic Direct Mailers and social
media posts.
Singapore Art Week Information about All In Her Day’s Work was included on the
website.
“It's constantly progressive work that I respect.”

—Charmaine Poh, Artist of All In Her Day’s Work
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Others
The M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018 staged a successful press

Media Launch of the
launch at the Esplanade on 10 October 2017, which generated a
Festival
few press articles immediately after.
The official Opening Reception of the M1 Singapore Fringe

Festival 2018 was held on 18 January 2018 after the Asian
Opening Reception of the
Premiere of If there’s not dancing at the revolution, I’m not coming,
Festival
attended by Guest of Honour Dr Kanwjit Soin and various
members of the media, sponsors and artists.
From L-R: Alvin Tan, Artistic Director of The Necessary Stage,

Guest of Honour Dr Kanwaljit Soin, and Sean Tobin at the Opening Reception
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Festival Press release
Images by Studio W Photography
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Festival Booklets
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Images by Studio W Photography
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Festival Website
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Festival Website
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Festival Electronic Direct Mailers
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Festival Facebook Page
Festival Twitter Page
Festival Instagram Page
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M1 – Online collaterals – Website
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M1 – Online collaterals – Facebook posts
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Esplanade – Online collaterals – Website
Esplanade – Onsite Collaterals – Floor stickers
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Esplanade – Onsite Collaterals – Tunnel poster
Esplanade – Onsite Collaterals – Bus stop poster
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Esplanade – Onsite Collaterals – Annexe posters
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Esplanade – Onsite Collaterals – Annexe posters
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Esplanade – Onsite Collaterals – Foyerboards
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Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts – Onsite collaterals – Posters
Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts – Online collaterals – Website
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Centre 42 – Online collaterals – Newsletter and Blog
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ION Orchard – Onsite collaterals – Poster at Concierge counters
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ION Orchard – Online collaterals – Website
Time Out Singapore – Online collaterals – Website
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Time Out – Print collaterals – Advertisements
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Mediacorp OOH – Outdoor collaterals – Bus Shelter 4Prime Posters
Mediacorp OOH – Outdoor collaterals – Bus Shelter DigiPrime Posters
Mediacorp OOH – Outdoor collaterals – InShelter Posters
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ibis Singapore on Bencoolen – Onsite collaterals – Posters at hotel restaurant
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ibis Singapore on Bencoolen – Online collaterals – Facebook posts
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Arts & Heritage District – Outdoor collaterals – Street Banners
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Singapore Tourism Board – Outdoor collaterals – Street Banners
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REVIEWS &
AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
Forked by Jo Tan (Singapore)

Page 56 of 70
Fringe Highlights:
"Working in both dance and theatre, Podesta

understands the expressive capacity of the moving body
and approaches her creation with a tinge of irreverence.
Surprises abound and they shake up The Immortal Sole
both in pace and pitch."
—Germaine Cheng, The Straits Times Life!
"There’s real power in this beautiful and darkly brilliant

dance piece, and a stark reminder that as a society, we
still have a long way to go in our need to come together
and support each other in the unending fight to undo
centuries of harmful social programming."
Fringe Highlights:
If there’s not dancing at the revolution, I’m not dancing by Julia Croft (New Zealand)
"Balancing whirlwind wit and cultural relevance, If

there’s not dancing is theatre that excites with its
dynamism, joyous to watch and the kind of show that
makes you feel alive. If this is the revolution against
societal expectations that Julia wants, then we want in
on it, dancing in true joy with her as she finds freedom
at last, set to the tune of Sia’s Chandelier."
“Fantastic depiction, so on point! If you ever hold it

again I'm bringing all my friends and family!”
— Audience feedback
“Amazing. So beautiful and heartbreaking and light-

hearted. Loved it!!”
Photo credit: Josh Griggs
Page 57 of 70
Fringe Highlights:
Displaced by Ground Cover Theatre (Canada)
"One of the most timely plays programmed for this festival, it
is a heartfelt illustration of the cyclical nature of migration and
a call for openess."
—Olivia Ho, The Straits Times Life!
"There is theatrical magic at work here in this polished,

professional production that is more apt than ever in a world
of increasing anti-immigration policies and sentiment, and
asks us only to show a little compassion towards every
person we meet."
“Bringing a human touch to the refugee situation from

past to present.”
Photo credit: S.E. Grummett — Audience feedback
Fringe Highlights:
Let’s Walk by Amanda Heng (Singapore)
Photo credit: Adar, Jean, Yixin, David, Christine and Andrew
“I really appreciated the opportunity to revisit this important work with everyone and to witness and
experience what it’s like to turn the entire city into a moving space for, and of art."
—Participant of Revisiting Let’s Walk
Page 58 of 70
Live Fringe:
Hayat by Pink Gajah Theatre (Singapore)
"The revelation that she sees herself as a woman

only after the loss of her mother - she is no longer a
child to anyone - is heartbreaking and honest."
"At its best, Hayat does no performing – the

business of living, as embodied in Anwari’s journey,
simply unfolds on stage. At its bravest, knots and
nonsequiturs are allowed to simply be, without the
pressure of sense or resolution."
—Jevon Chandra, Centre 42
"With Hayat, Pink Gajah has crafted a truly

inspiring, empowering work of art that wows with its
artistry and pierces with its honesty…"
Photo credit: Brandon Seah —bakchormeeboy.com
Live Fringe:
Step Outta Line by Thong Pei Qin & Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (Singapore)
"Ultimately, Step Outta Line acts as a means of remembering

the work these modern female heroes have done,
reintroducing them to a new generation. Even the oldest of
Ovidia Yu’s lines echo true today, and continue to remind us
of the seemingly unending uphill battle women are facing on a
daily basis, calling for unity amongst its young audience to
band together and continue to fight for gender equality."
—bakchormeeboy
“I loved the theme and stories that was so close to my heart &
experiences as a woman.”
—Audience feedback
Photo credit: Asrari Nasir, Paradise Pictures
Page 59 of 70
Live Fringe:
All In by ATRESBANDES (Spain)
"The very best absurdist plays often leave audience

members stunned, confused and even a little angry. All
In left us shaken with its unusually portrayed hard truths,
paranoid over our true sense of agency, and haunted by
its perfectly scripted showstopper of a final scene."
“Touched me deeply. Very human.”

Live Fringe:
The Neighbor’s Grief is Greener by Emanuella Amichai (Israel)
"The Neighbor’s Grief is an immensely clever take on the

breakdown of a marriage and the frustration of being a
woman in a patriarchal society, and all we can really say
is, it’s a bloody good show."
—Richard Chung, ArtsEquator
“Beautiful and disturbing.”

“So minimal yet so powerful.”

Photo credit: Nadia Poliez
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Live Fringe:
Attempts: Singapore by Rei Poh (Singapore)
"Attempts: Singapore is a detailed and absorbing

detective game that is one of the highlights of this year's
M1 Singapore Fringe Festival."
"There’s no need for any hints as to how much we

enjoyed this impeccably produced participatory theatre
experience."
"It has reshaped my understanding on what theatre can

be."
Photo credit: Andre Chong
Live Fringe:
The Most Massive Woman Wins by Madeleine
George/Mitchell Productions Inc. & Chopt Logic
Production (Australia | USA)
"True to the festival's theme, the production is a

triumph for raw, unbridled individuality and not
bowing down to societal expectations"
—Crystalwords
"The hilarious yet painfully resonant script by

George, a Pulitzer Prize for Drama finalist,
comprises four monologues, which Australian
director Jenn Havelberg breaks up. She interweaves
them with snatches of songs... including a rollicking,
satirical number on racial stereotypes of beauty."
Photo credit: Derek Tickner
—Olivia Ho, The Straits Times Life!
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Live Fringe:
"Petrina Kow has gathered an incredible superteam of

beautiful women both inside and out, and has masterfully
coaxed out some amazingly moving material from every
single one of them. We walked away from the theatre with a
little more life than before, and in that moment, felt infinitely
powerful with all the potential in the world."
"Thank you very much for the truly magical evening— the
words and the emotions will remain with me for a very long
time…."
Live Fringe:
Forked by Jo Tan (Singapore)
"Perhaps then, in viewing what it’s like to be a minority in another country, audiences may better
walk away from Forked with more compassion, empathy and understanding towards those around
them."
“Entertaining and educational. It really made me feel more proud to have a Singaporean identity."
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Fresh Fringe:
One Thousand Millennials Crying by Kenneth Chia & Mitchell Fang (Singapore)
Photo credit: Kenneth Chia
"An absurdist storm of buzzwords and punchlines that feels birthed straight from the mouth of a
millenial social media influenza."
Fresh Fringe:
Does This Work For You? by The Nervous System (Singapore)
"The Nervous System has done very well to put these accounts into a capable, accessible
production that feels feels fresh in its presentation of a familiar topic and polished in its execution ...
Does This Work For You? has the potential to go very far with its pertinent themes and subject
matter, sure to resonate with countless audience members watching it."
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Fringe Gallery:
All in Her Day’s Work by Charmaine Poh (Singapore)
Photo credit: Mish’aal
"Simple and poignant."

—Gallery visitor
"Intimate photos and personal take with a lot of respect and thought."
—Gallery visitor
"Great theme and selection of photos."

—Gallery visitor
"(I liked) the portrayal of the everyday lives of women and

the differences in class."
—Gallery visitor
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FRINGE TEAM 2018
Artistic Director Sean Tobin
The Necessary Stage

Artistic Director Alvin Tan
Resident Playwright Haresh Sharma
General Manager/Executive Producer Melissa Lim
Festival Manager Jezamine Tan
Festival Coordinator Mish’aal Syed Nasar
Project Managers Irma Suzanna Ruslan
Karmen Wong
Production Manager Azyyati Alias
Accounts Assistant Choo Kok Cheng
Accountant Two Point Pte Ltd
Volunteer Coordinator Natasha Fathin
Production Coordinators Keira Lee

Nadia Cheriyan
Fiona Lim
Shawna Chia
Lighting Coordinator Ignatius Tan
Production Volunteers Raiya Bte Bashir Basalamah

Marilyn Chew
Jean Ong
Page 65 of 70
Board of Directors Kenneth Paul Tan
Alvin Tan
Andy Yeo
Christopher Tan
Haresh Sharma
Sunder Iyer
Jian Yang
Vincent Lim
The public relations for the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2018 was managed by
Phish Communications Pte Ltd.

“There was a strong message from each of the

works that gave the audience food for thought and
a better understanding of how works are being
developed in different parts of the world."
—The Straits Times Life! quoting a Festivalgoer
Page 66 of 70
M1 SINGAPORE FRINGE
FESTIVAL 2019: STILL WATERS
Water. Elemental. Vital for all life forms. It makes up most of the human body. In its purest form,
water is colourless; yet despite looking transparent, water could well harbour contamination. It
perpetually and unpredictably travels and transforms through its cycle. It rejuvenates, cleanses and
refreshes, perhaps giving us a false sense of purity and security.
Water forms borders of protection, inviting invasion and defence. It saves us. And destroys us. We
seek to conquer and control it, even though we know it can engulf us. We consume it. We try to
conceal it in subterranean pipes and canals. Yet when it disappears down our drains, we forget
about it. Even in its deepest tranquillity, its potential to wreck chaos remains.
For Fringe 2019, we have selected Still Waters, a seminal work by ground-breaking Australia-
based Singaporean artist Suzann Victor. Shown widely on the international stage, Suzann has
been actively pushing the envelope in the Singapore contemporary arts scene since the late
1980s. Her desire to make art accessible—even transcendental, whilst critiquing assumed
structures of power and states of being, is evident in her work, which are always elegant, incisive,
and thought-provoking.
Suzann Victor’s site-responsive performance of Still Waters in 1998 was presented by the artist at
the façade of the Singapore Art Museum. She had utilised the liminal space of a drain on the
second storey of the Museum—a relic of its original colonial architecture, now bereft of its purpose,
having been excluded by way of a retrofitted glass wall around the Museum to control its internal
climate, sealing the works and people within its halls from the vagaries of external elements. Using
customised glass dams, Suzann filled this in-between space with water that reached above the
ankles, and her resolute presence within it sought to remind us of what the Museum perceived as a
threat of danger outside its carefully protected space. Her movement in this drain surfaced
questions about the place of art and performance. The audience, positioned along the corridors
within the Museum, found themselves with their backs to the hallowed galleries housing officially
sanctioned art. Instead, they focused on Suzann’s body interacting with the water within the glass
encased drain; the audience became riveted witnesses of a proscribed art form trapped in a zone
that is not state-endorsed.
Page 67 of 70
Still Waters had particular resonance at the time, since Performance Art had suffered a de facto
ban in Singapore since 1993, when 5th Passage, the art initiative Suzann directed, found itself
along with other artists embroiled in a media-incited controversy due to a performance that was
regarded by some—including the state—as contentious. The performance then led to Singapore’s
ban on the burgeoning art form. Government funding was proscribed for Performance Art until
2004. As such, Suzann’s Still Waters was one of the first public pieces of Performance Art that
grappled with the issues surrounding this interdict prior to the ban being officially lifted.
In relation to her work Still Waters (Between Estrangement and Reconciliation), Suzann says,
“I chose this space for its sense of journey, the passing of time and the
remaking of histories [vis-à-vis Performance Art]. The shallow pool of blue
water provided a site for the re-enactment of a loss of innocence embodied
by a performance that operated simultaneously inside and outside the
institution, mirroring the ‘fugitive’ status of the performing body in
Singapore.”1
During the performance, submerged lengthwise in the water, Suzann distributed photographs,
folded into sampans (small boats). She elongated her body sideways along the drain, dividing her
body in two experiential states: one ear under the silence of water and the other taking in noise
from outside the building; one half of her body in the cold waters, the other half exposed to the
warm atmosphere. Her unusual presence provoked inquiry, not only in terms of her performance,
of the space it is trapped within but also how this control could entrap creativity.
1 Victor, Suzann, 2008. “Abjection: Weapon of the Weak.” PhD thesis, University of Western Sydney.
Page 68 of 70
Discussing her work, Suzann continues,
“Drains operate as a visible sign of the abject, discouraging any form of

proximity by the stench they produce. As metaphorical repositories for
society’s overflowing ‘unconscious’, these longkangs 2 collect, siphon and
direct the abject, the polluting, expired, decaying or the “useless”, into
watery depths—the sea around the island. But the abject, like the
unconscious, has a persistent way of imposing itself upon us. The very
ubiquity of drains are a reminder of the impossibility of disappearance, the
futility of evasion. There is no escape, only return.”3
Still Waters poses an urgent question to us: what happens to art when it is carefully regulated and
only lives in designated spaces? While the cultural conditions may seem different on the surface,
more than 20 years after the ban on Performance Art, the questions and tensions—important ones
acknowledged in Still Waters—not only remain, but have become ever more pertinent. In the
physical and cultural context of Singapore at the time, Suzann’s work was highly charged with very
specific questions about the politics of art, the body and public space in Singapore. But it is such a
rich work that might invite a diversity of other investigations and responses about the fugitive, the
abject; about estrangement and reconciliation in society, and about “the remaking of histories”.
We have invited artists to consider Suzann Victor’s work and its many ideas, layers and symbols,
and respond to our call for proposals for Fringe 2019: Still Waters, which closed on 2 March
2018. Resources have also been provided on our website to better acquaint you with Suzann, and
have you engage with and be inspired by Still Waters (Between Estrangement and Reconciliation).
SEAN TOBIN
Artistic Director
M1 Singapore Fringe Festival
2 Longkang: Malay word for ‘drain’

3 Ibid
Page 69 of 70
THE NECESSARY STAGE |
M1 SINGAPORE FRINGE FESTIVAL
278 Marine Parade Road
#B1-02 Marine Parade Community Building
Singapore 449282
CONTACT US AT
Tel: (65) 6440 8115
Fax: (65) 6400 9002
Email: admin@necessary.org | info@singaporefringe.com
Website: www.necessary.org | www.singaporefringe.com
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SPONSORS REPORT

The Immortal Sole by Edith Podesta (Australia | Singapore)

“…when it was announced that (Edith Podesta)

The Fringe in Numbers

Performance & Exhibition Details

Sponsors, Partners & Supporters

Publicity & Marketing

Reviews & Audience Feedback

Fringe Team 2018

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2019: Still Waters

Amanda Heng and Sean Tobin at the Fringe Media Launch

92% OVERALL HOUSE

6,741 PEOPLE REACHED

68% of our audience are aged below 30

52% of our audience for 2018 are new to the Fringe

28% of overall ticket sales were from school

91% of our audience rated the work they attended

93% of our audience could understand, relate to

87% of our audience feel that the ticket prices are

Julie Wee in Attempts: Singapore by Rei Poh (Singapore)

“The theme this year was very exciting, putting

The Immortal Sole by Edith Podesta 17 – 20 January 2018, 8pm Esplanade

If there’s not dancing at the revolution,

Displaced by Ground Cover Theatre 26 – 27 January 2018, 8pm Esplanade

Let’s Walk by Amanda Heng

Hayat by Pink Gajah Theatre 17 – 20 January 2018, 8pm Centre 42

Step Outta Line by Thong Pei Qin &

The Neighbor’s Grief is Greener by Esplanade

Attempts: Singapore by Rei Poh 24 – 27 January 2018, 8pm

The Most Massive Woman Wins by

Walking in Beauty by Petrina Kow Esplanade

25 – 27 January 2018, 8pm NAFA Studio

One Thousand Millennials Crying by Esplanade

All In Her Day’s Work by Charmaine 17 – 28 January 2018,

Theatre Reviews: Last Word or the Start Centre 42

“It was a powerful story, well told and possibly the

Total no. of Sponsors, Partners and Supporters 31

No. of Repeat Sponsors 18

Title Sponsor – M1 Limited

Official Hotel – ibis Singapore on Bencoolen

The Immortal Sole by Edith Podesta (Australia | Singapore)

If there’s not dancing at the revolution… Julia Croft (New Zealand)

“Both of these [publicity and marketing efforts]

20,000 booklets were distributed to all SISTIC authorised agents, as

Programme Leaflets for

Two half-page advertisements for the November and December

OUTDOOR AND ON-SITE

38 DigiBoard, 5 4Prime and 130 In-shelter posters advertising M1

25 street banners were displayed along North Bridge Road and

In addition, the Visitors Service Centres were a pick up point for

The Festival was advertised via floor stickers and posters

Two A1-sized posters advertising All In Her Day’s Work were

COLLATERAL | AVENUE DESCRIPTION

A dedicated Festival website was created at

The dedicated Facebook page and individual event pages were

The dedicated Instagram account was actively posting and

The dedicated Twitter account was actively posting and connecting

5 unique EDMs were sent to a total mailing list of 10,000

Genre-specific EDMs were sent to targeted groups such as

Esplanade – Theatres on The Festival’s events were included on Esplanade's dedicated

Electronic Direct Mailers were also sent to selected demographics

Centre 42’s support for Attempts: Singapore under the Basement

In addition, Centre 42’s Citizen Reviewers attended the Fringe

Information about All In Her Day’s Work was included on the