Alvin Tan will share his experiences on the effective use of community theatre. He will discuss The Necessary Stage’s devising and collaborative methodology, using some plays to illustrate how The Necessary Stage negotiates multiple cultural sensibilities, and the need to educate themselves before embarking on the artistic journey of theatre-making.
One of the plays include Off Centre, a play on mental illness and the field research conducted during the process of creating the work. Another play, Completely With/Out Character, is about Paddy Chew, the first Singaporean who came out with his HIV status. Paddy had approached The Necessary Stage to create a play about living with HIV in Singapore, and it took a year to interview and prepare him for the stage.
Other international collaborations such as Mobile 1 and Mobile 2: Flat Cities, involve multiple partners from Japan, Thailand and the Philippines, showcases The Necessary Stage’s application of an intercultural approach that has its genesis from working in multicultural Singapore for twenty-seven years.
