Whilst studying my Masters of Creative Industries (Creative Production and Arts Management) six students studying Events and Festivals were selected for a Travel Study Tour to attend the Singapore International Festival of Arts 2014.
Below is the script to accompany the video submitted for assessment.
The Festival of Arts which began in 1977 as a biennial, went on a hiatus in 2013 in order to form Arts House Limited, an independent entity who now lead the festival.
Before the company was created and Ong Keng Sen appointed as Festival Director from 2014 – 2017, a review was conducted in regards to the previous model for the Singapore Arts Festival and a report created as to the new direction of the festival. It was identified that the function and unique role of the Arts Festival was that of artistic excellence and audience development, to create an impact beyond the festival period, a need for greater clarity and focus for the festival, for the festival to be programmed free from political interference without having to communicate an agenda and to promote arts for arts sake.
2014 is the first year the festival has not been organised by bureaucrats, with this new phase of ‘independence’ being referred to as the festival’s ‘Corporatization’.
Now in its 37th year, The renamed and rebranded Singapore International Festival of Arts featured 12 international productions over 6 weeks ; compared to the usual range of 25 to 40 events compressed into two weeks.
Festival Director, Ong Keng Sen states that “the Singapore International Festival of Arts provides this opportunity, as a team player with other artistic institutions of Singapore, to enhance the qualitative experience of the arts in a leisurely, unstressful manner.”
This years festival theme is Legacy and the Expanded Classic – a theme which turns the spotlight on the legacies of the 20th century. The Festival’s overarching question asks “How have the last hundred years left an indelible mark on our future?”
As a result when we look at the international reach of the festival and the inclusions and adaptations of classics we can see that the productions span a wide range of subject matter reviewing the world’s history as well as the classic performances that retell this narrative.
The Festival includes highlights such as:
Facing Goya (USA/ Singapore)
Give Me Your Blood and I will Give You Freedom (India)
Mystery Magnet (Belgium)
Martha@… The 1963 Interview (USA)
The Chorus; Oedipus (Korea)
Sambaso (Japan)
Double Bill: I Stand Corrected/ Hatched (South Africa/ UK)
Disabeld Theatre (France / Sweden)
Listen to the 20th Century (UK)
Amid the Clouds (Iran)
Peter Pan (Germany)
Cry, Trojans! (USA)
Venues:
Victoria Theatre
72 -13
SOTA Studio Theatre
SOTA Drama Theatre
SOTA Concert Hall
Drama Centre
Prices:
$120 – $40 (Facing Goya)
$35 (Give Me Your Blood and I will Give You Freedom)
$35 (Mystery Magnet)
$50, $40, $30 (Martha@… The 1963 Interview)
$45 (The Chorus; Oedipus)
$100 – $40 (Sambaso)
$45 (Double Bill: I Stand Corrected/ Hatched)
$50, $40, $30 (Disabeld Theatre)
$80 – $40 (Listen to the 20th Century)
$35 (Amid the Clouds)
$120 – $40 (Peter Pan)
$55
10% discount for students, NSFs and seniors ages 55 and above.
20% off ticket prices for early bird
15% off ticket prices for a bundle – min. 4 productions
The program is largely performing arts based. The venues occur within the recognised architecture accessed by the public for the arts, and does not make an effort to move outside the institutional structure. In addition to this ticket prices are affordable ranging from $30 – $120, but having a program with any kind of price structure automatically illuminates the accessibility of the arts to the general public.
The program was well advertised around the city, in the subways and on street advertisements. It was also cross promoted greatly by other arts venues, partnering or otherwise, mainly due to the reach of the National Arts Council. However there was no festivalisation of the spaces within which the festival occupied, nor was it obvious to the general public that something out of the norm was occuring at a festival venue.
Festival Director, Keng Sen identifies what the festival is not: “The Festival is not about exposure. It is invested in creating a deeper immersion and love for the arts.” This as an objective for the festival director, is why it is evident that the program is not seeking to attract a new audience, but to inspire and instill a deeper affiliation for those already patrons of the arts.
Keng Sen, also made a conscious decision when programming his festival to be transparent about his decision to exclude ‘culture’ from the program stating that “art as a unifying element has the power to bridge ethnic cultures”. This is his medium for addressing culture in the festival, not programming pieces that illustrate what is being done for a certain community. He avoids limiting words and concepts such as ‘identity’, ‘community’, ‘representation’ and ‘education’. Keng Sen makes sure that he is transparent about his reasons for excluding certain art forms and approaches as it doesn’t fulfil the overall festival objective for audiences to grow a deeper love for the arts. He is aware that he has a single vision, it is his vision and “you can love it or hate it, but it is a vision”.
The NAC or National Arts Council is the central funding body for the arts in Singapore and originally organised the Singapore Arts Festival before it became SIFA.
Singapore is known as the “Global City for the Arts” with their pioneering arts policy describing the transformation of Singapore into a Renaissance City.
The policy’s attempts to achieve leverage from “a cultural hotchpot” by branding it a distinctive whole. This is not a blurring of culture and the arts, rather it is a line drawn in the sand. NAC is in the business of funding the arts, not culture. Singapore’s population is a mix of Malay, Indian, Chinese and British influences and therefore there is a vast array of different cultural events, traditions, customs and cultral practices evident within the community – this is what is defined as ‘culture’. As a result of NAC only funding the arts, it makes sense as to why SIFA did not include any cultural performances in their program.
Singapore’s arts policy is externally oriented with objectives to project a city’s cultural achievements into the international arena – to generate economic growth and enhance the city’s image. It is also an internally oriented policy investied in cultivating cultural growth and local socio-cultural advancement.
SIFA has very much fulfilled the arts policy’s objective to enhance the city’s image, especially to an international arena and attracting cultural tourists. However in terms of cultivating cultural growth and local sociao-cultural advancement – this is not as evident.
In terms of increasing accessibility and dialogue regarding the program 2014 saw the initiation of SIFA’s O.P.E.N program.
Held in the weeks preceeding the festival The O.P.E.N program (which stood for Open, Participate, Enrich, Negotiate) acted as a means for the public to approach and engaged with the festival program through a range of screenings, talks, beginner’s guides, exhibitions, concerts and performances in an intimate and casual setting. A new initiative that began with the new festival this year, Ong Keng Sen states that the festival wants to “move beyond sheer consumerism in the arts, with its trend of ‘use and throw’. Instead we hope to transform the cultural landscape of Singapore by encouraging audience ownership of ideas, issues and themes, four weeks before the festival opens”
This too is a ticketed event – so although the content and platforms have become more accessible – the price structure automatically excludes memebers of the public from a low socio-economic background.
Singapore is known as the “Global City for the Arts” with their pioneering arts policy describing the transformation of Singapore into a Renaissance City.
The policy’s attempts to achieve leverage from “a cultural hotchpot” by branding it a distinctive whole, see’s the city as “poised to become the events capital of Asia.” Singapore’s Tourism Board’s vision of the best of traditional and modern comprises a big picture that brings together the arts, entertainment and sport with an annual turnover of $800million.
Professor Chua Beng Huat at a Community and Cultural Development forum at Aliwal Arts Centre, stated that “Keng Sen has created a festival of arts for artists”. I would agree with this, however Keng Sen never promised otherwise.
In terms of metrics the nearly $7-million festival drew 22,000 people – including those who attended its pre-festival programme, The O.P.E.N. – and sold 86 per cent of tickets. In 2012, the last time the festival was held, the event’s ticketed performances drew 16,000 people and had gross sales of 72 per cent.
From the list of partners and sponsors on the back page of printed festival collateral it can be seen that the festival has gone to great lengths to leverage international support and generate and international interest in the festival. However this has been at the expense of locals’ interests and products, with only one established Singaporean group presenting at this years festival.
This perhaps will be addressed in the second year of SIFA – whose theme is Post Empire and coincides with the 50th year of Singapore being an independent nation.
The festival should be cautious that this year was so well attended due to the touring reputations of international productions in the program. However with 2015’s program consisting of all new works, this might inhibit ticket sales.
NAC acknowledges that this years festival is relatively hard to access in terms of content, event the OPEN program talks about difficult issues, but also acknoledges that this was the director’s agenda, which he achieved.
Overall, the festival presented a range of highly professional and progressive theatre pieces. I was introduced to new areas of the arts I have gone on to investigate and the program has indeed strengthened my love and interest of the arts, as the Festival had promised to do so.
Singaporean author, critic and theatre maker Clarissa Ong made the following suggestions for the festival:
- The O.P.E.N. should introduce single ticketing for individual talks and screenings because the current ticketing format of a $45 access-all-areas pass is a deterrent to time-strapped arts lovers who cannot catch enough events to make the $45 worthwhile.
- For year-round engagement with audiences, there should also be a downtown festival centre where such public outreach events could be held.
- Ong may want to consider mixing avant-garde acts with the occasional more mainstream name in future festivals.
- Without compromising the boldness of the overall festival, the inclusion of the odd familiar name would help bring in new audiences.
- The Singapore International Festival of Arts team needs to step out of the four walls of the theatre and the six weeks of the festival to explore the engagement possibilities of other media and formats
In addition, my recommendations include:
- A shorter period for the festival, to differentiate the festival period from the general arts calander for singapore.
- More festivalisation of sites that are hosting shows to generate interest and create a festival identity.
Reference List
Gallasch, Kieth. 2004. “Singapore Plays Its Own Tune”. Real Time. August – September. Accessed October 24, 2014. http://www.realtimearts.net/article/issue62/7546
Lee, Wai Kin. 2003. “Creating a “City of Art” Evaluating Singapore’s Vision of becoming a Renaissance City”. MIT.
National Arts Council. 2013. “Annexes of the Arts Fest Review Committee Report”. Accessed October 24, 2014. https://www.nac.gov.sg/docs/news/annexes-of-the-arts-festival-review-committee-report.pdf
National Arts Council. “Singapore Arts Festival”. October 24, 2014.
https://www.nac.gov.sg/events/singapore-arts-festival
Ong, Keng Sen. 2014. Singapore International Festival of Arts: Legacy and the Expanded Classic. Festival Program.
Oon, Clarissa. 2014. “Culture Vulture: Getting more audiences to sample a ‘three-Michelin star meal’”. Strait Times, September 9. Accessed October 27, 2014. http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/singapore-international-festival-arts-2014/story/culture-vulture-stepping-out-woo-fest
Tan, Corrie. 2014. “5 top moments at the Singapore International Festival of Arts 2014”. Straits Times, September 23. Accessed October 27, 2014.
Tan, Corrie. 2014. “Singapore International Arts Festival warmly received with total attendance of 22,000”. Straits Times, September 21. Accessed October 27, 2014. http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/singapore-international-festival-arts-2014/story/singapore-international-arts-festiv-0
alexandra winters 
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