A new mid-sized theater is coming within the next five years to Singapore’s waterfront, but some individuals in the nation’s art community are worried about how scheduling for its programming will be handled amid something of a shortage of venues around the country.
Research shows that the vast majority of theater productions are staged in mid-sized venues, and Singapore follows that trend. However, the nation lacks the space to stage as many productions as there are available. Many plays must book venues far in advance to have any hope of showing their productions there. And there’s always the chance that, for whatever reason, their bookings might not get approval from the organization in charge of the theaters.
Since this new venue will be opened on the waterfront, expected to seat over 500 people, some in the art community said its relationship with productions and theater groups should be fluid, like the water it will be near. The exchange of ideas and thoughts should be open and immediate, giving new voices the ability to be heard.
One example of a flexible theater policy right now is an agreement Capitol Theater has with the production of the play “Tropicana: The Musical.” The play is about a real topless club in Singapore, and its organizer said that even though Capitol Theater usually doesn’t feature such productions, she wanted to work with a historical venue in Singapore since the play features historical content. This could lay the groundwork for other venues to start having similar relationships with productions — all in the interest of promoting Singapore and its arts, culture, and history.
With Singapore averaging more than twenty artistic performances a day throughout 2015, some productions have had to scramble to see their shows realized. A ballet performance had its request rejected due to scheduling conflicts with a mid-sized theater — the size it needed — and was forced to push off showing its production until a much later date. Hopefully, the latest mid-sized theater venue on the Singapore waterfront will prompt the creation of more to fill the growing need for more art space.
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To read more about the new theater venue — and the growing need for more art spaces — go to http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/arts/more-room-for-the-arts.