The Fringe moves into its third and final instalment of themes inspired by iconic Singaporean artists and their signature works, and also the last in Sean Tobin’s six-year Artistic Directorship. Fringe 2020 is curated around the theme My Country and My People, taken from the title of the iconic 1967 poem by Singapore literary giant Lee Tzu Pheng.
What truly unites a people or a country, and how do we achieve this? Can union only come at the expense of excluding others? How much of it is embedded in shared trial and tragedy?
Lee Tzu Pheng’s iconic poem, ‘My Country and My People’ (1967) invites us to consider the costs and cruelties of imperialism and colonisation, the compromises of national development and the sacrifices made due to economic ambition. The poem featured in her first collection of poetry, Prospect of a Drowning (1980), and was banned from performance on radio, with no official explanation given. More than five decades on, the themes in the poem continue to resonate in our world today—perhaps even more urgently than before.
As with its previous iterations, the festival will present a curated line-up of works from Singapore and international artists across four categories: Fringe Highlights, Live Fringe, Fresh Fringe and Fringe Activities. From exhilarating works that have toured internationally to world premieres of production equally challenging and playful, Fringe 2020 presents a thoughtful selection of works from artists of varying backgrounds and identities grappling with the important issues that ‘My Country and My People’ evokes.
More info on http://www.singaporefringe.com/fringe2020/
When: 8 - 19 Jan 2020,
By: M1 Singapore Fringe Festival