25 Nov 2015: We round up the top highlights of this year’s cultural calendar
Best theatre festival
Singapore International Festival of Arts
Helmed by festival director Ong Keng Sen, the Singapore International Festival of Arts returned this year with a theme of ‘Post-Empires’, a decidedly local flavour and an ambitious mini dance festival on top of it all. We especially loved Wild Rice’s Hotel and Drama Box’s It Won’t Be Long – The Lesson.
Up-and-coming actor
Thomas Pang
He’s 24 years old and just finishing up his final year at Lasalle, but we were very impressed with Thomas Pang in his professional debut earlier this year. Taking on the role as Billy in Pangdemonium’s production of Tribes, he was quietly confident and portrayed a difficult character convincingly. We’ll be keeping our eye on this rising star for sure.
Biggest arts hero
Sukki Singapora
Sukki Singapora is beautiful, brainy and brave. Not only did she teach herself the art of burlesque by watching YouTube videos, she took on the Singapore legal system and convinced the authorities to legalise the dance form earlier this year. On top of that, she’s set up a programme to bring arts to underprivileged and vulnerable kids. Can we love this lady any more?
Best new arts series
Art after Dark
Gillman Barracks is quiet on most days, but the arts cluster comes alive at Art after Dark, a bi-monthly party that brings together visual art, music, performances, guided tours and talks. Paintings are always easier to digest with a glass of wine and a burger, we say.
Best new arts venue
National Gallery Singapore
Here’s a no-brainer. The National Gallery is without a doubt the most important addition to the Singapore visual arts scene this year. Spanning a whopping 64,000 square metres, it’s home to thousands of works by local and regional artists from the 19th and 20th centuries.
GWEN PEW 