In a span of less than five years, the Singapore arts and cultural scene has seen the demise of several independent arts spaces. From The Necessary Stage’s black box theatre in 2022 to The Projector in 2025, and to The Substation and Centre 42 having to relinquish their venues back to the authorities, these losses have been deeply mourned by the local arts community and audiences. In 2024, the Singapore Fringe Festival lost their title donor. But the support from the public and artists rallying around the festival’s crowdfunding initiative made it possible for the 2026’s ground-up Fringe to take place.
There is cause for alarm in the diminishing spaces for the incubation and presentation for bold, inventive, and socially pertinent art-making. We are suddenly left bereft of spaces for crucial discourse, collaboration, and civic engagement amongst diverse communities. It compels the question: does this spell the end of fringe arts? Are independent creators who push the envelope and challenge the mainstream being edged out because of market forces, or worse, a dismaying decline of interest? What can we collectively do to ensure that fringe arts will not only survive but thrive in our landscape?
A candid and insightful panel discussion with Anais Adjani, Kok Heng Leun, Melissa Lim, and Noorlinah Mohamed, facilitated by theatre educator and dramaturg Charlene Rajendran.
Venue: Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay — Esplanade Black Room Lvl 3
When: 24 Jan 2026, 1pm - 2.30pm
By: Esplanade
