Singapore’s biggest and longest-running arts festival is back for its 41st edition, moved up from its usual slot in August to end April/May (April 26 – May 12) and with a new director in tow – Guarav Kripalani, who is also artistic director at Singapore Repertory Theatre.
If you were a regular, you’ll notice that the festival has been cut down to roughly 3 weeks, compared to nearly 3 months for the older editions. Under Ong Keng Sen, the festival became known for a more cerebral, boundary-pushing slant but Kripalani reportedly aims to broaden the appeal of SIFA (Singapore International Festival of Arts), according to an interview he did with SG magazine.
“The end goal for me is that this cannot be a festival (over my three years) to only be for the dedicated arts lover. I would really at the end of the three years like to say we’ve broadened hearts and minds, and grown the audience of people who love the arts in Singapore.”
That sounds good to us: at the end of the day, art that only reaches a select group of “elites” doesn’t better the overall level of art appreciation/education in Singapore. Here, we’ve rounded up some of the most exciting shows to catch:
