Drama Box turns 20!

Dear friends,

This year marks 20 years since the inception of Drama Box. Recounting the years past, our theatre group has weathered many ups and downs, and the very reason we have made it this far is the kind support we’ve received, in one way or another, from each and every one of you.  Thank you very much for your firm support and belief in our mission, and in our relentless dedication to creating theatre that liberates life!

We are very proud to have kicked off our 20th anniversary celebrations by co-producing SCENES: Singapore’s Chinese Language Theatre with Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay as part of Huayi Chinese Festival of Arts 2010.  Held at Esplanade from 30 January to 28 February, SCENES celebrates the triumphs of the Singapore Chinese language theatre scene while providing important documentation and a reflection of its development, going as far back as the 1920s. 

SCENES brought us back to the beginning, back to a time when making theatre was simple, yet what those practitioners achieved was colossal and magical.  This is the thread that runs through our 20th Anniversary Programme – BACK TO FUNDAMENTALS.  It reminds me of the early days before Drama Box turned full-time, when we were mere novices.  Challenges abound but we just met them head on, and the JOY that comes with creating theatre.  We make theatre not because it is a job.  We make theatre because we like it!

This year, we will also stage Sh… Sh…, a forum theatre community performance on the theme of censorship.  Drama Box is the only theatre company in Singapore that does community theatre – it is this simple form with its humble presentation that makes us unique, and we look forward to bringing this important aspect of our work to the people again as part of our 20th Anniversary Programme.  Drama Box also owes much of its aesthetics and approach to theatre to V Meyerhold’s Biomechanics, hence our other programme highlight for the year will be The Magnanimous Cuckold, which he staged in 1922. It will be adapted and directed by our associate artiste, Li Xie, as a tribute to Meyerhold’s spirit of inventiveness.

To help us continue our work and programmes, and to support us in our efforts to develop and grow the arts & cultural landscape in Singapore, we hope that you will consider making a donation to us please, as we celebrate our 20th birthday.  If you have in the past, enjoyed our performances; participated in our workshops; and share in our vision, please help us before we bow out.  You can also make a donation to us with much ease and convenience via give2arts.sg, a new portal set up by the Arts and Culture Development Office (ACDO) of the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts (MICA). The portal supports ACDO’s aim of promoting cultural philanthropy by enabling online donations and volunteerism by individuals and organisations to arts and culture.

We thank you in advance for your generous support and would like to take the opportunity to wish you and your family a most wonderful year ahead. Please visit our website for updates about our upcoming programmes.  We hope to share and experience together with you, our artistic journey for the next 20 years, and many more to come.

Yours sincerely,
Kok Heng Leun
Artistic Director