Singapore Literature Festival Presents An Evening of New Theatrical Work

The Singapore Literature Festival Closing Night: OUTSIDE THE LINES features theatrical performances of works by Alfian Sa'at (Hotel), Ovidia Yu (The Woman in a Tree On the Hill), and Marcus Yi (After the Merlion Returned Home). The staged readings will be performed on September 30, 2016 at 7:00 pm at the National Opera Center at 330 7th Ave, New York, NY. Free and open to the public. Registration is required. The show runs approximately 90 minutes. Talk-back and reception to follow.

THE PLAYS

A multi-generational epic that spans a century and unfolds in nine languages over five hours, Hotel explores the notions of empire, nationhood, migration and identity against the backdrop of a shrinking world. A hotel in Singapore opens at the turn of the century, when the island is still a jewel in the British Crown. It serves as an exotic pit stop for travellers who wish to explore the glittering expanse of the British Empire. Each day, new faces appear and swiftly disappear - guests and staff alike. Every ten years, we check into the hotel and meet its residents.

By weaving the three tales of Mr and Mrs Noah, Nu Wa (Chinese Goddess of Creation and Marriage), and Singapore heartlanders Nora and Norman, The Woman In A Tree On the Hill explores love, oppression, violence, and freedom. It explodes the myths and archetypes surrounding Man and Woman, subverts preconceived notions of the age-old battle of the sexes and makes a compelling case for reclaiming an individual perspective. All this, set against the backdrop of global environmental holocaust.

A musical specifically written for this event, When the Merlion Returned Home is a post-apocalyptic tale of survival and commemoration after the Lion City sinks to the bottom of the sea due to climate change. Survivors gather to mourn, remember and let go of the place they used to call home.

THE ARTISTS

Alfian Sa'at (Playwright) is a Resident Playwright with W!LD RICE, one of Singapore's most recognized theater companies. He was also an Associate Artist with Teater Ekamatra, a Malay-language theater company as well as an Associate Playwright with The Necessary Stage. Alfian has been nominated eight times for Best Original Script at the Life! Theatre Awards, winning in 2005 for Landmarks, in 2010 for Nadirah, and in 2013 for Kakak Kau Punya Laki (Your Sister's Husband). In 2011, Alfian was awarded the Boh-Cameronian Award in Malaysia for Best Book and Lyrics for the musical The Secret Life of Nora. In 2013, he won the Boh-Cameronian Award for Best Original Script for the play Parah. His plays and short stories have been translated into German, Swedish, Danish and Japanese and have been read and performed in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Brisbane, Melbourne, London, Zürich, Hamburg, Munich, Berlin, Copenhagen and Stockholm.

Ovidia Yu (Playwright) has had over thirty plays produced in Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States, including The Woman In A Tree On The Hill, which won an Edinburgh Fringe First, and Hitting (On) Women, which won the Audience Award and Singapore's Life! Theatre Awards Best Original Script. She has also written musicals like A Totally Fictitious Island In The Sun. Ovidia has received the National Arts Council Young Artist Award (Drama and Fiction), the Singapore Youth Award (Arts and Culture), the Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI) Singapore Foundation Award for outstanding contribution to the development of arts. She received a Fulbright Scholarship to the University of Iowa's International Writing Program and spent three months at the Toji Cultural Centre Residency.

Marcus Yi (Playwright/Director) is an award winning writer/director and performer based in New York. He has created work in Singapore, Atlanta, and New York, and is the artistic director of Living Room Theater. He has worked on over 100 productions and his recently created work include Micro Shrimp The Musical (Winner of 11th Annual NJ Playwrights Contest), 29x/y (WIld Project, Paradise Factory), Pretty Little Mouth (Roy Arias), The Procedure (Gene Frankel Theater), The Ephemeral Lightness of Dreams: the dream plays (Lynn Redgrave Theatre), Thicker Than Water: the blood plays and Baby Baby!. His work has been produced by the National Asian Artists Project, Yangtze Rep, Asian American Film Lab, The Secret Theatre, New Jersey Playwrights Contest, Ingenue Theater, Modern Griot Theatre, Ticket2eternity Productions, Queens Players, Rising Solo, POPLAB, URNetworkAlliance, NYC Actors and Playwrights Collective, All Out Arts, Short Play Lab, Angry Head Productions, and Living Room Theater. His work has been seen at the Midtown International Theater Festival, Planet Connections Theater Festivity, Fresh Fruit Festival, and the Midwinter Madness Theater Festival. Marcus was also named one of Indie Theater Now's 2014 People of the Year and is an Indie Theater Now Playwright.

Mei Ann Teo (Director) is a Singaporean theatre/film maker working internationally and based in the U.S.A. Her work has toured extensively including Belgium's Festival de Liege (Lyrics From Lockdown, "Truly polished, meaningful and entertaining" -New York Times), Edinburgh International Fringe (MiddleFlight, "Stunning" -Scotsman), M1 Singapore Fringe Festival (The Shape of a Bird, "Superb staging" - Straits Times), INFANT Experimental Theatre Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia, Beijing International Festival (Labyrinth - Top 8 in Beijing News), Dumbo Arts Festival, Shanghai International Experimental Theatre Festival, and the Montreal World Film Festival. She has directed and developed new work at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (Phil Killian Fellow 2015), Goodman Theatre, Public Theater, Berkeley Rep, and was the first Asian American to direct at the National Black Theatre. She is the first cohort for the Hemera Foundation Tending Space Fellowship and ArtEquity Facilitator Training, and has received grants from the Center for Cultural Innovation, the Asian Cultural Council, NET, and LMCC. She is an Artist in Residence for The Performance Project at University Settlement 2015/2016 and the Asst. Professor of Directing and Dramaturgy at Hampshire College. MFA in Theatre Directing from Columbia University.

About the Singapore Literature Festival in NYC:
Started in 2014, the independent biennial festival brings together Singaporean and American authors and audiences for lively conversations about literature and society. The Singapore Literature Festival is conceived and organized by a group of Singaporean volunteers-writers, artists, and creatives-who call New York City home. The team behind the festival: Jee Leong Koh (organizer); Maureen Hoon (communications and non-profit arts consultant); Flora Chan (design consultant), Hong-Ling Wee (fundraising); Kimberly Lim, Bonnie Bee, Genevieve Lim (events); Tomson Tee (video); and Kimberly Charles (intern). Please check out the festival site at www.singaporeliteraturefestival.com.

For the full list of authors and moderators, please click here.

For more information about the festival program, please click here.