Actually, this is just footage of a speech by former Barisan Socialis member Dr Lim Hock Siew at the launch of the book, "The Fajar Generation".
View it here. Also read Martyn's account of the ban here.
And then write to the Media Development Authority at their Online Feedback site to tell them you don't appreciate their taking away your right to information.
Showing posts with label censorship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label censorship. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
No to censorship - Regulate instead
I should've posted this weeks ago, but better late than never. Arts Engage has created a position paper on behalf of the arts community, urging the nominally independent Censorship Review Committee to get their act together and actually advocate freeing up culture her instead of just being the MDA's rubber stamp.
I'm slightly involved in the report: they interviewed me and have included the cases of Lee Low Tar, the ContraDiction literary readings and 251 as case studies.
The main point they're putting across is that instead of censorship, a system of arts regulation would be preferable - something that provides classifications but ultimately leaves the issue of choice to the individual audience member.
Sign the petition against censorship in Singapore at http://sites.google.com/site/artsengagesg/.
From the website:
What is censorship of the arts? It is the control of content, prevention of production and prohibition of presentation, of artistic expressions.
In censorship, ideas and material considered objectionable or problematic by the censor, are suppressed, and often justified as an attempt to protect minors and adults from content that would apparently harm them. But is that really the case?
The value of the arts is not only in their entertainment, but also in the ways in which the arts provides us with food for thought, broadens our perspectives and gives us new insight to the world around us.
Isn't it your right to decide what would or would not be objectionable to you?
The position of the arts community paper on Censorship and Regulation is for regulation - an independent, unexceptional and impartial process of providing information about content that allows art to be produced as intended, and for you to choose what you would experience and enjoy.
I'm slightly involved in the report: they interviewed me and have included the cases of Lee Low Tar, the ContraDiction literary readings and 251 as case studies.
The main point they're putting across is that instead of censorship, a system of arts regulation would be preferable - something that provides classifications but ultimately leaves the issue of choice to the individual audience member.
Sign the petition against censorship in Singapore at http://sites.google.com/site/artsengagesg/.
From the website:
What is censorship of the arts? It is the control of content, prevention of production and prohibition of presentation, of artistic expressions.
In censorship, ideas and material considered objectionable or problematic by the censor, are suppressed, and often justified as an attempt to protect minors and adults from content that would apparently harm them. But is that really the case?
The value of the arts is not only in their entertainment, but also in the ways in which the arts provides us with food for thought, broadens our perspectives and gives us new insight to the world around us.
Isn't it your right to decide what would or would not be objectionable to you?
The position of the arts community paper on Censorship and Regulation is for regulation - an independent, unexceptional and impartial process of providing information about content that allows art to be produced as intended, and for you to choose what you would experience and enjoy.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
i) Yong Vui Kong result tomorrow, ii) NAC censorship questioned
Yong's appeal trial gets its result out tomorrow. My boyfriend's been working on the case. Full story here at the Online Citizen.
There's a chance that this could overturn the mandatory death penalty law for drug trafficking (not repealing the death bit, but the mandatory bit: i.e. a judge can actually have the chance to make up his/her mind instead of saying go to death row, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars.)
There's a chance that this could overturn the mandatory death penalty law for drug trafficking (not repealing the death bit, but the mandatory bit: i.e. a judge can actually have the chance to make up his/her mind instead of saying go to death row, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars.)
I'll be super-happy at Pink Dot tomorrow if the law gets repealed; more than a little bummed if it doesn't.
Oh, and ST Life! did a good front page story today on how arts groups are answering back to the whole NAC sponsorship thing. Slightly optimistic. Cut and pasted below (thanks Alf).
May 13, 2010
Oh, and ST Life! did a good front page story today on how arts groups are answering back to the whole NAC sponsorship thing. Slightly optimistic. Cut and pasted below (thanks Alf).
May 13, 2010
Don't play play
Arts groups now realise how strict the OB markers are after the National Arts Council cut Wild Rice's funds by $20,000
By adeline chia
A group of artists have asked to meet the National Arts Counil (NAC) to clarify funding guidelines, following news last week that the council had cut funding for theatre group Wild Rice.
The chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Information, Communication and the Arts, Mr Zaqy Mohamad, has said that he is happy to hear Wild Rice out and to explore the possibility of restoring the $20,000 cut.
Government Parliamentary Committees monitor the policies of particular ministries to provide a wider range of views.
Members of the arts community issued a statement yesterday, signed by 23 people from 14 theatre companies, including Wild Rice artistic director Ivan Heng, TheatreWorks artistic director Ong Keng Sen, Singapore Lyric Opera general manager Ng Siew Eng and The Theatre Practice artistic director Kuo Jian Hong.
They were responding to an NAC statement last week that had said Wild Rice's funding was cut because the council would not fund 'projects which are incompatible with the core values promoted by the Government and society or disparage the Government'.
The artists in their statement took issue with the notion of 'core values', which they said was not clearly defined. Instead, they argued that 'the spectrum of 'core values' must include notions such as tolerance, inclusivity and diversity - the very values that are upheld in a multiracial and democratic country such as ours'.
They said that as the council handles public funds, it should put public interest before those of the state. 'As such, a precondition that works should not 'disparage the Government' has no place in its funding guidelines.'
They added: 'NAC's priority should be directed towards developing Singapore's potential as a world-class city for the arts, and not towards developing the potential of a statutory board - entrusted with public money - as an organ of social control.'
Mr Zaqy, an MP for Hong Kah GRC, said he has seen the group's productions, adding: 'I can understand where NAC comes from. It is given public funds and needs to be accountable to the public. 'On the other hand, the arts need space. If there are grounds to look at restoring the cut to Wild Rice, I am open to exploring it. Hopefully we can find a middle ground for both parties.'
Wild Rice artistic director Ivan Heng, 47, said he will write to Mr Zaqy, but adds that the issue is larger than the funding his company gets from the council.
Wild Rice's annual grant was cut to $170,000, down from $190,000 last year. He said: 'We should not look at this on a case-by-case basis. What we are saying is that the guidelines are wrong. It's not just about Wild Rice getting funding re-instated, we are calling for transparency, accountability and a total re-look of the guidelines.'
The council is one of the major arts funding bodies in Singapore. Last year, it gave out $6.79 million in general grants. Government funding is important because it supplements an arts company's other funding streams, namely sponsorship and ticket sales.
The council has pointed out that its conditions are not new and artists are well aware of them. These conditions are spelt out in any grant application form. In an annex on the form, it is clearly stated that 'NAC is obliged to prioritise financial support away from artistic projects which:
a) erode the core moral values of society, including but not limited to the promotion of permissive lifestyles and depictions of obscenity or graphic sexual conduct;
b) denigrate or debase a person, group or class of individuals on the basis of race or religion, or serve to create conflict or misunderstanding in our multicultural and multi-religious society;
c) disparage or demean government bodies, public institutions or national leaders, and/or subvert the nation's security or stability.'
Mr Benson Puah, chief executive of National Arts Council, told Life! yesterday: 'Arts groups will always need financial support to do all that they want to do. As the arts scene in Singapore continues to develop, there will be greater demands on limited public funds.
'We encourage them to nurture additional funding and community support. In the long term, the arts scene will enjoy greater sustainability and diversity with the broader support of the private and people sectors.'
Alvin Tan, 47, artistic director of The Necessary Stage, said the council's clauses are rarely acted on but 'they are problematic because technically, NAC can use them anytime they like'. He was one of those who signed the press statement.
Over the years, Wild Rice has made news for plays that skewer local politics in a cheeky way. These included Eleanor Wong's satire The Campaign To Confer The Public Service Star On JBJ (2006) and Ken Kwek's Apocalypse: Live! (2008), which explored issues of censorship and government surveillance.
Artists interviewed said the funding cut goes against the trend of the opening up of the arts scene in recent years. Regulation of the arts has been done by introducing age restrictions and content advisories to guide audiences in picking what they want to watch.
Slashing funding is a 'softer' kind of censorship, artists said, as it can be used to signal to the arts community what is favoured by the authorities and what is not.
They said it ensures that prickly political and sexual issues are less likely to be represented in productions. As Heng put it: 'It is economic censorship, the oldest tool in the book. They hit you where it hurts.'
Drama Box's artistic director, Kok Heng Leun, 43, who also signed the statement, said that 'NAC should never play a regulatory role through funding'.
'Their job is to nourish the arts,' he said. 'Their responsibility is to make sure that there are enough choices, that there are different kinds of arts activities. It's not for them to say that certain segments of society are not worthy of being represented on stage.'
As for works which disparage the Government, he said: 'If you cannot criticise the Government, then you are saying that the Government is right. Then where is democracy?'
Wild Rice is not the first theatre company which had its funding cut over content. In 2000, the council pulled $8,000 from Drama Box's The VaginaLogue because Kok refused to take down a projected image of a vagina that was used as a backdrop.
After the council pulled out, he could not make enough from ticket sales and the company lost money on the production.
But artists have to accept that some taxpayers prefer to see public monies being directed elsewhere.
Assistant finance manager Nancy Lim, 40, who said that she is 'not in favour of the gay movement', added: 'If we support shows with homosexual content, it is a signal to the general public that we are in favour of this kind of lifestyle.
'In the arts, there is a wide range of topics. We don't have to go into the grey areas.'
There are also taxpayers who think that the arts companies are being disingenuous in thinking that the Government should continue funding companies which put up productions that criticise the authorities.
Arts councils overseas contacted by Life! said their funding is based on artistic and not political considerations.
Mr Graham Berry, who was the chief executive of the Scottish Arts Council, said the primary consideration for the Scottish body when it comes to funding is 'the quality of the work'.
The Scotsman is a Singapore permanent resident and married to MP Irene Ng (Tampines GRC). He said that there are no restrictions on content, but 'people have to stay within the law'.
'If they produce something abusive and offensive, we won't support it. Controversy is part and parcel of the arts. Artists are funded to produce art of distinction and quality, and sometimes that runs contrary to public opinion.'
The arts community here also asks if the council applies its guidelines consistently. Wild Rice, which turns 10 this year, is not the only company to touch on politically sensitive topics in its productions.
The Necessary Stage has also created works with political themes. For example, Haresh Sharma's Gemuk Girls (2008) grappled with the painful effects of political detention on a family.
Theatergoer and civil servant Pan Xuequn, 27, said that The Necessary Stage's plays are not so 'outwardly subversive'.
She said: 'Some of the plays are non-linear and not so easy to interpret, and most of their works are staged in their black box theatre space at Marine Parade.
'Wild Rice is coming under fire because it stages mainstream, well-made plays that are very popular.'
The Necessary Stage's artistic director Tan said: 'Our works don't polarise issues into us and the Government. For us, 'alternative' does not mean 'oppositional' only.'
Theatre companies who choose to operate outside the government funding structure can opt to do commerical theatre.
Dream Academy Productions, owned by lawyer-turned-performer Selena Tan, stages popular musical revues such as the Dim Sum Dollies and Broadway Beng franchises and does not receive funding from the Government.
Tan said: 'It was always at the back of my mind whether I wanted to be reliant on arts funding. Then I will take on certain social responsibilities, such as making sure that my works advance the theatre scene here.'
She chose instead to see 'if it was economically viable to put entertainment out there'. The Finger Players' artistic director Chong Tze Chien, 34, said that alternatives to government funding include staging works outside a theatre so that rental is cheaper, and working with companies overseas to share costs.
'I don't put all my eggs in one basket,' he said.
chiahta@sph.com.sg
Funding based on merit
Many arts councils in the world practise arm's length funding, in which funding decisions are made by the council without government interference.
These include organisations such as the National Endowment For The Arts in the United States, the Canada Council For The Arts, Arts Council England, Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Australia Council For The Arts.
These are all funding bodies that give artists and arts organisations money to create artworks and activities in disciplines such as theatre, dance, visual arts and music. The main consideration when it comes to assessing whether an artist or arts group deserves a grant is artistic merit.
An Arts Council England spokesman tells Life!: 'There is no clear advice that states that if an activity is overtly political that it is or is not eligible.
'However, if the activity is a promotional tool for a political party, it could be ineligible under the following criteria: applications for self-promotional activities that do not provide public benefit, either immediately or in the longer term, or where the applicant does not have an artistic track record.'
The council awarded £67 million (S$138 million) in grants last year. For the Canada Council For The Arts, criteria for multi-year grants to theatre companies are given clear weights. Seventy per cent is placed on a pattern of positive artistic assessments and 30 per cent given to artistic and administrative stability and sound financial management.
The council awarded C$158 million (S$212 million) in grants to individuals and arts organisations last year.
A spokesman says: 'The council is an arm's length agency and makes decisions about funding using a peer assessment process. At no time is the Minister of Canadian Heritage, who is responsible for the council, involved in the granting decision process.'
In Hong Kong, the arts council 'assesses all applications mainly based on artistic merits and it is in the council's ordinance that it would uphold the principle of, and encourage, freedom of artistic expression', says a spokesman.
It gave out HK$49.3 million (S$8.7 million) in grants last year. There have been a few high-profile cases overseas where the public questioned councils for supporting certain controversial works and complained about misapplied funds.
A famous case was the National Endowment For The Arts in the United States, which came under fire in 1989. The federal agency granted money to museums featuring Piss Christ by Andre Serrano, an image of a crucifix submerged in the artist's urine, and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe's Retrospective, The Perfect Moment, a showcase of homoerotic images.
Some members of the US Congress found the Mapplethorpe pictures pornographic and Serrano's work was condemned for being blasphemous and offensive to Christians. When considering the agency's budget 1990, Congress reacted to the controversy surrounding the Mapplethorpe and Serrano photographs by cutting US$45,000 from the agency's budget, the precise amount contributed to the two exhibits.
A spokesman for the agency, which awarded US$128 million (S$177 million) in grants last year, maintains that 'the general criteria for NEA grants are artistic excellence and merit'.
Arts groups now realise how strict the OB markers are after the National Arts Council cut Wild Rice's funds by $20,000
By adeline chia
A group of artists have asked to meet the National Arts Counil (NAC) to clarify funding guidelines, following news last week that the council had cut funding for theatre group Wild Rice.
The chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for Information, Communication and the Arts, Mr Zaqy Mohamad, has said that he is happy to hear Wild Rice out and to explore the possibility of restoring the $20,000 cut.
Government Parliamentary Committees monitor the policies of particular ministries to provide a wider range of views.
Members of the arts community issued a statement yesterday, signed by 23 people from 14 theatre companies, including Wild Rice artistic director Ivan Heng, TheatreWorks artistic director Ong Keng Sen, Singapore Lyric Opera general manager Ng Siew Eng and The Theatre Practice artistic director Kuo Jian Hong.
They were responding to an NAC statement last week that had said Wild Rice's funding was cut because the council would not fund 'projects which are incompatible with the core values promoted by the Government and society or disparage the Government'.
The artists in their statement took issue with the notion of 'core values', which they said was not clearly defined. Instead, they argued that 'the spectrum of 'core values' must include notions such as tolerance, inclusivity and diversity - the very values that are upheld in a multiracial and democratic country such as ours'.
They said that as the council handles public funds, it should put public interest before those of the state. 'As such, a precondition that works should not 'disparage the Government' has no place in its funding guidelines.'
They added: 'NAC's priority should be directed towards developing Singapore's potential as a world-class city for the arts, and not towards developing the potential of a statutory board - entrusted with public money - as an organ of social control.'
Mr Zaqy, an MP for Hong Kah GRC, said he has seen the group's productions, adding: 'I can understand where NAC comes from. It is given public funds and needs to be accountable to the public. 'On the other hand, the arts need space. If there are grounds to look at restoring the cut to Wild Rice, I am open to exploring it. Hopefully we can find a middle ground for both parties.'
Wild Rice artistic director Ivan Heng, 47, said he will write to Mr Zaqy, but adds that the issue is larger than the funding his company gets from the council.
Wild Rice's annual grant was cut to $170,000, down from $190,000 last year. He said: 'We should not look at this on a case-by-case basis. What we are saying is that the guidelines are wrong. It's not just about Wild Rice getting funding re-instated, we are calling for transparency, accountability and a total re-look of the guidelines.'
The council is one of the major arts funding bodies in Singapore. Last year, it gave out $6.79 million in general grants. Government funding is important because it supplements an arts company's other funding streams, namely sponsorship and ticket sales.
The council has pointed out that its conditions are not new and artists are well aware of them. These conditions are spelt out in any grant application form. In an annex on the form, it is clearly stated that 'NAC is obliged to prioritise financial support away from artistic projects which:
a) erode the core moral values of society, including but not limited to the promotion of permissive lifestyles and depictions of obscenity or graphic sexual conduct;
b) denigrate or debase a person, group or class of individuals on the basis of race or religion, or serve to create conflict or misunderstanding in our multicultural and multi-religious society;
c) disparage or demean government bodies, public institutions or national leaders, and/or subvert the nation's security or stability.'
Mr Benson Puah, chief executive of National Arts Council, told Life! yesterday: 'Arts groups will always need financial support to do all that they want to do. As the arts scene in Singapore continues to develop, there will be greater demands on limited public funds.
'We encourage them to nurture additional funding and community support. In the long term, the arts scene will enjoy greater sustainability and diversity with the broader support of the private and people sectors.'
Alvin Tan, 47, artistic director of The Necessary Stage, said the council's clauses are rarely acted on but 'they are problematic because technically, NAC can use them anytime they like'. He was one of those who signed the press statement.
Over the years, Wild Rice has made news for plays that skewer local politics in a cheeky way. These included Eleanor Wong's satire The Campaign To Confer The Public Service Star On JBJ (2006) and Ken Kwek's Apocalypse: Live! (2008), which explored issues of censorship and government surveillance.
Artists interviewed said the funding cut goes against the trend of the opening up of the arts scene in recent years. Regulation of the arts has been done by introducing age restrictions and content advisories to guide audiences in picking what they want to watch.
Slashing funding is a 'softer' kind of censorship, artists said, as it can be used to signal to the arts community what is favoured by the authorities and what is not.
They said it ensures that prickly political and sexual issues are less likely to be represented in productions. As Heng put it: 'It is economic censorship, the oldest tool in the book. They hit you where it hurts.'
Drama Box's artistic director, Kok Heng Leun, 43, who also signed the statement, said that 'NAC should never play a regulatory role through funding'.
'Their job is to nourish the arts,' he said. 'Their responsibility is to make sure that there are enough choices, that there are different kinds of arts activities. It's not for them to say that certain segments of society are not worthy of being represented on stage.'
As for works which disparage the Government, he said: 'If you cannot criticise the Government, then you are saying that the Government is right. Then where is democracy?'
Wild Rice is not the first theatre company which had its funding cut over content. In 2000, the council pulled $8,000 from Drama Box's The VaginaLogue because Kok refused to take down a projected image of a vagina that was used as a backdrop.
After the council pulled out, he could not make enough from ticket sales and the company lost money on the production.
But artists have to accept that some taxpayers prefer to see public monies being directed elsewhere.
Assistant finance manager Nancy Lim, 40, who said that she is 'not in favour of the gay movement', added: 'If we support shows with homosexual content, it is a signal to the general public that we are in favour of this kind of lifestyle.
'In the arts, there is a wide range of topics. We don't have to go into the grey areas.'
There are also taxpayers who think that the arts companies are being disingenuous in thinking that the Government should continue funding companies which put up productions that criticise the authorities.
Arts councils overseas contacted by Life! said their funding is based on artistic and not political considerations.
Mr Graham Berry, who was the chief executive of the Scottish Arts Council, said the primary consideration for the Scottish body when it comes to funding is 'the quality of the work'.
The Scotsman is a Singapore permanent resident and married to MP Irene Ng (Tampines GRC). He said that there are no restrictions on content, but 'people have to stay within the law'.
'If they produce something abusive and offensive, we won't support it. Controversy is part and parcel of the arts. Artists are funded to produce art of distinction and quality, and sometimes that runs contrary to public opinion.'
The arts community here also asks if the council applies its guidelines consistently. Wild Rice, which turns 10 this year, is not the only company to touch on politically sensitive topics in its productions.
The Necessary Stage has also created works with political themes. For example, Haresh Sharma's Gemuk Girls (2008) grappled with the painful effects of political detention on a family.
Theatergoer and civil servant Pan Xuequn, 27, said that The Necessary Stage's plays are not so 'outwardly subversive'.
She said: 'Some of the plays are non-linear and not so easy to interpret, and most of their works are staged in their black box theatre space at Marine Parade.
'Wild Rice is coming under fire because it stages mainstream, well-made plays that are very popular.'
The Necessary Stage's artistic director Tan said: 'Our works don't polarise issues into us and the Government. For us, 'alternative' does not mean 'oppositional' only.'
Theatre companies who choose to operate outside the government funding structure can opt to do commerical theatre.
Dream Academy Productions, owned by lawyer-turned-performer Selena Tan, stages popular musical revues such as the Dim Sum Dollies and Broadway Beng franchises and does not receive funding from the Government.
Tan said: 'It was always at the back of my mind whether I wanted to be reliant on arts funding. Then I will take on certain social responsibilities, such as making sure that my works advance the theatre scene here.'
She chose instead to see 'if it was economically viable to put entertainment out there'. The Finger Players' artistic director Chong Tze Chien, 34, said that alternatives to government funding include staging works outside a theatre so that rental is cheaper, and working with companies overseas to share costs.
'I don't put all my eggs in one basket,' he said.
chiahta@sph.com.sg
Funding based on merit
Many arts councils in the world practise arm's length funding, in which funding decisions are made by the council without government interference.
These include organisations such as the National Endowment For The Arts in the United States, the Canada Council For The Arts, Arts Council England, Hong Kong Arts Development Council and the Australia Council For The Arts.
These are all funding bodies that give artists and arts organisations money to create artworks and activities in disciplines such as theatre, dance, visual arts and music. The main consideration when it comes to assessing whether an artist or arts group deserves a grant is artistic merit.
An Arts Council England spokesman tells Life!: 'There is no clear advice that states that if an activity is overtly political that it is or is not eligible.
'However, if the activity is a promotional tool for a political party, it could be ineligible under the following criteria: applications for self-promotional activities that do not provide public benefit, either immediately or in the longer term, or where the applicant does not have an artistic track record.'
The council awarded £67 million (S$138 million) in grants last year. For the Canada Council For The Arts, criteria for multi-year grants to theatre companies are given clear weights. Seventy per cent is placed on a pattern of positive artistic assessments and 30 per cent given to artistic and administrative stability and sound financial management.
The council awarded C$158 million (S$212 million) in grants to individuals and arts organisations last year.
A spokesman says: 'The council is an arm's length agency and makes decisions about funding using a peer assessment process. At no time is the Minister of Canadian Heritage, who is responsible for the council, involved in the granting decision process.'
In Hong Kong, the arts council 'assesses all applications mainly based on artistic merits and it is in the council's ordinance that it would uphold the principle of, and encourage, freedom of artistic expression', says a spokesman.
It gave out HK$49.3 million (S$8.7 million) in grants last year. There have been a few high-profile cases overseas where the public questioned councils for supporting certain controversial works and complained about misapplied funds.
A famous case was the National Endowment For The Arts in the United States, which came under fire in 1989. The federal agency granted money to museums featuring Piss Christ by Andre Serrano, an image of a crucifix submerged in the artist's urine, and photographer Robert Mapplethorpe's Retrospective, The Perfect Moment, a showcase of homoerotic images.
Some members of the US Congress found the Mapplethorpe pictures pornographic and Serrano's work was condemned for being blasphemous and offensive to Christians. When considering the agency's budget 1990, Congress reacted to the controversy surrounding the Mapplethorpe and Serrano photographs by cutting US$45,000 from the agency's budget, the precise amount contributed to the two exhibits.
A spokesman for the agency, which awarded US$128 million (S$177 million) in grants last year, maintains that 'the general criteria for NEA grants are artistic excellence and merit'.
Friday, August 14, 2009
My review for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee...
... kena censor by Straits Times in today's Life!. Sigh.
Don't really want fight, since I'm just doing it for the money. But the bit that got cut is the focal point of my review (and pretty damn scandalous, so I guess ST didn't want to cause a conservative uproar), so I reproduce it here, excised material in bold.
> theatre
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Atlantis Productions, Inc.
Victoria Theatre
Wednesday
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is full of surprises. Sure, you might have expected this Tony Award-winner to be a song and dance extravaganza that inspires children to excel academically. Instead, it turns out to be a wonderfully mischievous drama, charming audiences young and old with its vivid characters.
The show takes a while to warm up. There is an energy missing from the first few scenes, as the cast sings too softly, moving without the exuberance one would expect of an opening. Even a song like “Pandemonium”, in which the contestants leap off their chairs in frustration, comes across as a little too tame.
However, as the players gain momentum, we warm to their roles. Johann Dela Fuente plays the endearing Leaf Coneybear, a child of hippies who feels out of place among all the geniuses, as he relates in his song “I’m Not That Smart”.
Another memorable figure is Nancy Park, an overachieving Korean-American girl played by Shiela Valderrama Martinez. After her solo, “I Speak Six Languages”, she dramatically forces herself to fail, encouraged by a kindly apparition of Jesus.
Extra spice is added through audience participation. Four “guest spellers” are invited on stage at every show, pretending to be students, and made to spell ridiculously obscure or ridiculously simple words – my night, guests got terms as varied as “pilgarlick” and “dog”.
Remarkably, these hapless guests are soon persuaded to join in some of the basic choreography, while the MC improvises commentary on their appearances, noting, for instance, how they were the first in their grade to grow facial hair.
The biggest surprise, however, is the level of adult humour in the show. This ranges from intellectual references to Nietzsche to shocking flashes of sequined panties under checkered skirts.
One character faces pressure from her gay fathers (their relationship is fairly dysfunctional, which is probably why the censors okayed it). Another character, played excellently by Felix Rivera, has a lament about the circumstances which caused him to misspell his word, entitled “My Unfortunate Erection”. Pretty funny stuff – and fortunately, it goes right over the heads of younger children.
Spelling Bee is not your typical big-budget musical, nor, in my opinion, is it brilliantly executed by this cast. Still, the power of the script and its lovable band of quirky characters shines through. Audiences can still expect a satisfying, rib-tickling evening at the theatre. Thankfully, no surprises there.
Don't really want fight, since I'm just doing it for the money. But the bit that got cut is the focal point of my review (and pretty damn scandalous, so I guess ST didn't want to cause a conservative uproar), so I reproduce it here, excised material in bold.
> theatre
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Atlantis Productions, Inc.
Victoria Theatre
Wednesday
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is full of surprises. Sure, you might have expected this Tony Award-winner to be a song and dance extravaganza that inspires children to excel academically. Instead, it turns out to be a wonderfully mischievous drama, charming audiences young and old with its vivid characters.
The show takes a while to warm up. There is an energy missing from the first few scenes, as the cast sings too softly, moving without the exuberance one would expect of an opening. Even a song like “Pandemonium”, in which the contestants leap off their chairs in frustration, comes across as a little too tame.
However, as the players gain momentum, we warm to their roles. Johann Dela Fuente plays the endearing Leaf Coneybear, a child of hippies who feels out of place among all the geniuses, as he relates in his song “I’m Not That Smart”.
Another memorable figure is Nancy Park, an overachieving Korean-American girl played by Shiela Valderrama Martinez. After her solo, “I Speak Six Languages”, she dramatically forces herself to fail, encouraged by a kindly apparition of Jesus.
Extra spice is added through audience participation. Four “guest spellers” are invited on stage at every show, pretending to be students, and made to spell ridiculously obscure or ridiculously simple words – my night, guests got terms as varied as “pilgarlick” and “dog”.
Remarkably, these hapless guests are soon persuaded to join in some of the basic choreography, while the MC improvises commentary on their appearances, noting, for instance, how they were the first in their grade to grow facial hair.
The biggest surprise, however, is the level of adult humour in the show. This ranges from intellectual references to Nietzsche to shocking flashes of sequined panties under checkered skirts.
One character faces pressure from her gay fathers (their relationship is fairly dysfunctional, which is probably why the censors okayed it). Another character, played excellently by Felix Rivera, has a lament about the circumstances which caused him to misspell his word, entitled “My Unfortunate Erection”. Pretty funny stuff – and fortunately, it goes right over the heads of younger children.
Spelling Bee is not your typical big-budget musical, nor, in my opinion, is it brilliantly executed by this cast. Still, the power of the script and its lovable band of quirky characters shines through. Audiences can still expect a satisfying, rib-tickling evening at the theatre. Thankfully, no surprises there.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Film director Yasmin Ahmad (1958-2009)
She passed away last night. See here. Yesterday there was already news that she'd collapsed during her press conference from a stroke.
I'd admired her work ever since I watched Sepet. Or maybe before that, when I was doing my internship at Young and Rubicam KL and I found out about her Petronas National Holiday ads. It's Malaysians like her, I thought, that put Singaporeans with all our superficial racial harmony agendas, to shame.
Unfortunately, the only time I met her was at a free screening of Muallaf, which was awkward because I didn't actually like the movie, since it pulled its punches. But of course it was daring enough to actually take on the issue of Islam, and what filmmakers in Singapore have dared to do that? (I know of one, but he was called up for questioning by the ISD and his film was confiscated and he was forbidden to even discuss what happened thereafter.)
She was scheduled to shoot her first film in Singapore next year. It would've been called "Go, Thaddeus!" She'd already proven her worth with two short films advertising the importance of family love.
She quite liked us, although we kept on mispronouncing the titles of her films. We never censored and marginalised her and called her a traitor to her race the way Malaysia did. Of course, if she'd been born in Singapore, she would've been outspoken about the ironies we have here, and we would've destroyed her in our own way just the same.
I'm glad at least that she lived to see the elections of 2008, with the breaking through of a post-racial Malaysian politics. If only I knew there were other film directors like her around.
I'd admired her work ever since I watched Sepet. Or maybe before that, when I was doing my internship at Young and Rubicam KL and I found out about her Petronas National Holiday ads. It's Malaysians like her, I thought, that put Singaporeans with all our superficial racial harmony agendas, to shame.
Unfortunately, the only time I met her was at a free screening of Muallaf, which was awkward because I didn't actually like the movie, since it pulled its punches. But of course it was daring enough to actually take on the issue of Islam, and what filmmakers in Singapore have dared to do that? (I know of one, but he was called up for questioning by the ISD and his film was confiscated and he was forbidden to even discuss what happened thereafter.)
She was scheduled to shoot her first film in Singapore next year. It would've been called "Go, Thaddeus!" She'd already proven her worth with two short films advertising the importance of family love.
She quite liked us, although we kept on mispronouncing the titles of her films. We never censored and marginalised her and called her a traitor to her race the way Malaysia did. Of course, if she'd been born in Singapore, she would've been outspoken about the ironies we have here, and we would've destroyed her in our own way just the same.
I'm glad at least that she lived to see the elections of 2008, with the breaking through of a post-racial Malaysian politics. If only I knew there were other film directors like her around.
Saturday, July 25, 2009
If you haven't read Loo Zihan's NTU valedictorian speech...
... well, you should. Click here.
The poster for his short film "Threshold" got censored just before his speech, which makes it a little more than the usual sappy go-forth-and-prosper-fest.
The poster for his short film "Threshold" got censored just before his speech, which makes it a little more than the usual sappy go-forth-and-prosper-fest.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Obligatory Oscars Post
I know I should be mad at Mediacorp for censoring both the best screenplay and best actor award speeches on their replay of the Oscars yesterday. (Both were won for "Milk" and involved pro-gay rights speeches, in case you're living in a different universe. Check out the people complaining in the comments section of Fridae.)
But I'm mostly entranced by how handsome 34 year-old openly gay "Milk" screenwriter Dustin Lance Black is.
Are all lapsed Mormon boys this hot? I thought they grew out of it after their missions.
But I'm mostly entranced by how handsome 34 year-old openly gay "Milk" screenwriter Dustin Lance Black is.
Are all lapsed Mormon boys this hot? I thought they grew out of it after their missions.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Cambodian monks force nation's first rock opera off air
I've got an interest in censorship, and it amuses me that it's going haywire in countries other than Singapore and Malaysia. via AFP.
PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodian monks have persuaded authorities to ban the country's first rock opera, which features actors dressed as clergy who break into song and dance, saying it insults Buddhism.
In a letter sent to the ministry of cults and religion, as well as to the media, the Supreme Sangha Council of Buddhist Monks also demanded an apology from the show's director, writer and actors.
"Where Elephants Weep", a modern take on a traditional Cambodian love story that merges pop and rock music with more traditional and historical Cambodian tunes, played in Phnom Penh from late November through early December.
It tells the story a Cambodian-American man who returns after the demise of the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime to reconnect with his roots. While he is a monk, he falls into a doomed love affair with a pop singer.
...
The show had a successful US preview last year and, after its run ends in Cambodia, it is expected to tour South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan before returning to the United States.
This actually resonates with past events in Singapore. In 1984, for example, the Singapore Buddhist Federation tried to ban a Chinese opera excerpt from "Forsaking Vows", in which a Buddhist monk and nun get down and dirty. I've also been told of theatremakers being advised, in the '80s, not to stage the musical "Nunsense", even though Catholic priests were cool with it, just because they didn't want to start a precedent for mocking religious figures through drama.
I'll probably be going to Cambodia in November to help out with the Flying Circus Project. I suppose this'll be an old joke by then. Helas!
PHNOM PENH (AFP) — Cambodian monks have persuaded authorities to ban the country's first rock opera, which features actors dressed as clergy who break into song and dance, saying it insults Buddhism.
In a letter sent to the ministry of cults and religion, as well as to the media, the Supreme Sangha Council of Buddhist Monks also demanded an apology from the show's director, writer and actors.
"Where Elephants Weep", a modern take on a traditional Cambodian love story that merges pop and rock music with more traditional and historical Cambodian tunes, played in Phnom Penh from late November through early December.
It tells the story a Cambodian-American man who returns after the demise of the 1970s Khmer Rouge regime to reconnect with his roots. While he is a monk, he falls into a doomed love affair with a pop singer.
...
The show had a successful US preview last year and, after its run ends in Cambodia, it is expected to tour South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan before returning to the United States.
This actually resonates with past events in Singapore. In 1984, for example, the Singapore Buddhist Federation tried to ban a Chinese opera excerpt from "Forsaking Vows", in which a Buddhist monk and nun get down and dirty. I've also been told of theatremakers being advised, in the '80s, not to stage the musical "Nunsense", even though Catholic priests were cool with it, just because they didn't want to start a precedent for mocking religious figures through drama.
I'll probably be going to Cambodia in November to help out with the Flying Circus Project. I suppose this'll be an old joke by then. Helas!
Monday, February 18, 2008
Yay for Progress!
I just wanna thank TCS for screening "28 Days Later" last night complete with that gratuitous butt shot of Cillian Murphy in the shower. Yowza!
I've just been linked to by Martyn See for my chronicle of Singapore censorship 1959-2008, so I might as well provide some balance.
UPDATED: Hold on, what's all this on the Net I'm reading about him having had full frontal nudity in the opening scene? I guess something did get censored after all. Poo.
I've just been linked to by Martyn See for my chronicle of Singapore censorship 1959-2008, so I might as well provide some balance.
UPDATED: Hold on, what's all this on the Net I'm reading about him having had full frontal nudity in the opening scene? I guess something did get censored after all. Poo.
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Marilah kita ke JB!!!
The Freedom Film Fest in Johor Bahru is screening films related to human rights in Southeast Asia, including a number of banned Singapore films, including Royston Tan's "24 hrs", "15" and "Cut", as well as Martyn See's "Speakers Cornered".
It's on this coming weekend! Quite close to the Causeway also! Don't think I can go though... sigh.
Was alerted by Martyn See's blog.
It's on this coming weekend! Quite close to the Causeway also! Don't think I can go though... sigh.
Was alerted by Martyn See's blog.
Friday, September 21, 2007
re: Impetus. GAH
National Archives refused to give us permission to use Teh Cheang Wan's photos in our performance. Also, MDA has refused to approve my rhythmic poem using only the words of the Singapore pledge based on late submission.
Very, very upset. It's definitely not funny anymore.
(Clarification: MDA refused to approve the pledge poem because we submitted it late, not because of content. Wouldn't even look at it. Still, it turned out for the best - I performed it gripping a pen between my teeth to garble the words, and that heightened the violence of it.)
Very, very upset. It's definitely not funny anymore.
(Clarification: MDA refused to approve the pledge poem because we submitted it late, not because of content. Wouldn't even look at it. Still, it turned out for the best - I performed it gripping a pen between my teeth to garble the words, and that heightened the violence of it.)
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Oh noes!!! I kena censorized agen!!!
MDA contacted Theatreworks and asked for us to remove one line of my Confucian timeline poem/monologue from our "Impetus" performance.
The line cryptically referenced the 1982 death of Wong Ming Yang - Lee Hsien Loong's first wife, who had a fatal heart attack 3 weeks after giving birth to their albino son Lee Yi Peng. (Hey, I printed the official version - I never even mentioned the rumours of what kind of pressure caused the heart attack.)
Mood: grumpy.
The line cryptically referenced the 1982 death of Wong Ming Yang - Lee Hsien Loong's first wife, who had a fatal heart attack 3 weeks after giving birth to their albino son Lee Yi Peng. (Hey, I printed the official version - I never even mentioned the rumours of what kind of pressure caused the heart attack.)
Mood: grumpy.
Monday, August 13, 2007
ContraDiction aftermath and Pink Run
Phew! About 100 people turned up for ContraDiction (maybe more; we ran out of seats!). Iris had an inflamed throat so we had a replacement singer, I lost my peanut butter cookies and Tupperware on the bus, our reader for Johann S. Lee's novel extract couldn't make it, and Maia Lee lost her way... but it all turned out extremely well! Great mix of voices! Will upload photos once people send them to me!
In the meantime, here's a photo by Ian Lee of the Pink Run on Saturday morning... I'm fourth fom the right in the back row. 37 people in the photo, not counting the ones who turned up late, and not counting the 10 plainclothes police officers who advised us to cancel the run (we cancelled it, took the group photo, and allowed everyone to run in a non-organised fashion if we chose... and most of us did choose to).
I ran 4km, did my Cold Storage Shopping, watched Ovidia Yu's "Hitting (on) Women", attended my capoeira class and then went to watch Jochen Roller's "Perform Performing", in which I volunteered to go onstage to dance for 3 minutes in exchange for S$10 to demonstrate the economic opportunity cost of art.
So on Sunday morning my ass was very sore indeed. Sex is overrated as a full-body workout.
In the meantime, here's a photo by Ian Lee of the Pink Run on Saturday morning... I'm fourth fom the right in the back row. 37 people in the photo, not counting the ones who turned up late, and not counting the 10 plainclothes police officers who advised us to cancel the run (we cancelled it, took the group photo, and allowed everyone to run in a non-organised fashion if we chose... and most of us did choose to).
I ran 4km, did my Cold Storage Shopping, watched Ovidia Yu's "Hitting (on) Women", attended my capoeira class and then went to watch Jochen Roller's "Perform Performing", in which I volunteered to go onstage to dance for 3 minutes in exchange for S$10 to demonstrate the economic opportunity cost of art.So on Sunday morning my ass was very sore indeed. Sex is overrated as a full-body workout.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
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