drama box

Drama Box is Singapore's most prominent contemporary Mandarin theatre company. It is a professional non-profit company with charity status. Formed in 1990, it has since gained a respectable reputation for its acute sensitivity and perception in heightening social awareness and civic responsibility. Our productions remain fun and entertaining, yet thought-provoking and reflective.

mission: To be Singapore's best contemporary Mandarin theatre company that liberates life!

our objectives

• To be the leading professional contemporary Mandarin theatre company in Singapore
• To produce original, or adapting particularly Asian classical work such that it is immediate and illuminates present society
• To evolve a theatrical aesthetic and performance methodology that is distinctive of our cultural diversity
• To engage and develop audiences by making theatre an entertaining and thought-provoking experience, and ultimately a way of life
• To contribute to Singapore's presence as an artistic force in the region and internationally

our strategy

• Originality
We believe in providing a platform for local playwrights. To date, we have produced more than 20 original works that have explored a diverse range of themes across various genres - all in our search for a unique Singaporean idiom on stage.

We also adapt classical texts making them relevant to contemporary society.

• People
We believe in bringing theatre closer to people, allowing participation and for audiences to create their own theatre. Since 2001, we have brought community tours to housing estates, shopping malls, factories and a drug rehabilitative centre, reaching out to more than 10,000 people.

In 2004, NeNeMas [NEver NEglect MAnkind] was started to reach out to audiences in schools through plays and workshops.

• Training
We believe in having an exploratory ground to experiment with the art of theatre-making. The Blanc Space was inaugurated in 2000 to provide a training platform for performers to use their body, emotions, voices and their intellect to reflect, to question, to excavate and to create. This evolving performance methodology is often featured in our productions.

• International Perspective
We believe that we live in a big global village, not in terms of economic scale, but one of collective humanity and human concerns. We believe that what happens in other countries affects us as well and hence we have a lot to share and learn from international collaboration.

In 2003, we started our International Outreach Programme and led a group of youths to India to work on a theatre exchange programme. We are also a member of the World Cultural Forum Alliance.

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