Unlike traditional Chinese opera, which uses song and dance to tell stories, Chinese theatre (or drama) conveys narratives, dramatic conflict, and characterisation mainly through spoken dialogue – including monologues – as well as other techniques. Chinese theatre in Singapore started to take shape only in the early 20th century, much later than traditional Chinese opera, which was already well-established in Singapore by the late 19th century.

From a sociohistorical perspective, Chinese theatre sprang from the growing dissatisfaction that early 20th century Chinese intellectuals and newer audiences had with the form and content of traditional opera. As a result, this gave rise to a more “modern” type of performance.1

Beginnings in Singapore: 1913–1917

The earliest Chinese theatre performance in Singapore could be traced back to 1913, at the Sheng Ping Yuan theatre in Chinatown. The Zhen Tian Sheng troupe from Hong Kong performed plays written in vernacular Chinese or baihua (plain Chinese) there.2That same year, Lai Chun Yuen, a traditional Cantonese opera venue in Chinatown, also staged baihua plays by local troupe Qi Ying Shan She, which was considered “a pioneering feat in modern theatre in Singapore”.3

At that time, this type of performance — distinct from traditional Chinese opera — was known in China as xinju (new play), wenmingxi (cultured play), aimeiju (amateur play), or baihuaju (vernacular play). In 1928, Hong Shen (1894–1955), the first Chinese director to study Western drama in the United States, began to define such performances as huaju. In Singapore, such performances were known as xinju, and later baihuaxi.4Baihua refers to the language used in daily life, as opposed to verses and lyrics recited in classical Chinese in traditional Chinese opera. Local scholar Quah Sy Ren discovered that most of the languages spoken in these baihua plays that appeared in Singapore at the time were likely the dialects of different Chinese-speaking ethnic groups who hailed from different parts of China.5

In 1914, the first formal baihua theatre company in Singapore, the Guofeng Huanjing Cishanban, was jointly set up by several major newspapers and book publishers, which premiered plays such as Heihai cihang (Sailing the Dark Sea), Hairen zhong haiji (Karma Strikes), and Guohuai xingxue (National Education) in 1915.6 In the same year, an all-female local theatre company called Nüjie Cishe was set up, and staged charity performances at Sheng Ping Yuan.7

As Quah pointed out, baihua plays by Chinese theatre troupes who travelled south, as well as those being actively performed locally in the 1920s, formed the foundations of modern Chinese theatre in Singapore.8

Gaining momentum: 1918–1927

The Rensheng Baihua Jushe premiered three plays in 1918, the year it was founded, to raise funds for disaster relief. These plays were Dongfang jianying (The Shadow of the Sword in the Bridal Chamber), Xunhuanjing (Rotating Mirror), and Fengliudu (Venomous Romance). Back on stage again in 1920, it later held three to four performances a year between 1922 and 1926. This led to the emergence of more local baihua theatre clubs in the 1920s.

During this period, most of these baihua clubs were amateur theatre groups. In addition to Rensheng Baihua Jushe, the more active groups were Nanyang Chinese Students Society (established in 1919), Tong Seok Dramatic Association (1924), Baihua Cishan Jushe (1920), Hoi Thin Club (1920), Qingnian Jindehui (1921), United Chinese Library (1922), Xingyu Lizhi Xueshe (1923), Tongwen Shubaoshe (1923), and Tarn Kah Keng Ying Charitable Dramatic Association (1926).

Theatre performances by students and alumni associations were also a notable feature of early baihua theatre in Singapore. As early as 1915, students from Yeung Ching School (now Yangzheng Primary School) organised a baihua theatre club and performed Dufu xianxing (An Evil Woman Exposed), Hao naner (A Good Man), Tonge youbao (An Eye for an Eye), and Jiagou an (Case of the Fake Dog), creating a local student theatre scene. According to Quah, more than 40 local primary and secondary schools staged student plays from 1919 to the 1920s.9

When local baihua theatre was in still in early days, the majority of performances were organised for charitable causes. Most plays were still being developed — many did not even have scripts, only an outline of the scenes. Those that did have scripts were still rough around the edges.10 Performance standards were not high yet, mainly because baihua theatre still lacked a clear vision when it came to content and artistic form.

Development and transformation: 1927–1937

From 1927, discussions of “incorporating Nanyang colours into the arts” started to appear in Singapore-Malayan newspapers. After the article “The development of the new drama movement in Nanyang” was published in Kwong Wah Yit Poh,11 Lat Pau also pitched in with an article in 1929 by Huang Seng that proposed “rooting the arts in Nanyang soil, and creating literary and artistic works with Nanyang characteristics”.12 There were 22 Chinese theatre scripts written locally between 1922 and 1932.13 And since 1933, the centre of Malayan Chinese theatre activities had shifted from Penang to Singapore.

Besides Sheng Ping Yuan theatre (the new theatre), Heng Wai Sun, Heng Seng Peng, and Tong Le Yuan, all of which mainly performed traditional Chinese opera at the time, Wonderland Amusement Park (1921), New World Amusement Park (1923), Great World Amusement Park (1930), and Happy World (1936, renamed Gay World Amusement Park in 1966) all had areas for the performance of traditional Chinese opera as well as short baihua plays. During that period, professional song and dance troupes from China travelled to Singapore to perform. Among them were two troupes from Shanghai, the Bright Moon Song and Dance Troupe (1928) led by Li Jinhui, widely regarded as the father of Chinese popular music; and the Plum Blossom Song and Dance Troupe (1933/1935), which performed comedies and new plays.

In addition, Qingnian Lizhi Xueshe — established in 1919, and renamed Qingnian Lizhi She, or Nanyang Chinese Students’ Society in 1929 — became a driving force behind local baihua theatre in the early 1930s. It performed twice at the Victoria Memorial Hall (now Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall) in the 1920s,14 staging Youyihui zhuanchang (Special Entertainment) in 1923, and Kelian guiliyue (Poor Moon in the Boudoir) in 1924. This started the trend of holding Chinese-language arts performances in venues previously exclusive to Western performing arts.

In 1933, the society performed four local original short plays at the same venue: Fang Niang (Miss Fang), Lülinzhong (In the Green Forest), Yisinü (Serving Girl), and Xiongmei zhi’ai (Love Between Siblings). These shows were widely thought to have invigorated the Chinese theatre scene in Singapore.15

That same year, there were three other noteworthy performances by local companies: Nan gui (Returning South) by the Mayfair Musical and Dramatic Association; Shehui zhong (Clock of Society) and Chuxi (New Year’s Eve) by Ai Tong School Alumni Association; and Shenghuo de yizhi (The Will to Live) by Nam Loo Society. These vibrant developments were an important part of the transformation of Chinese theatre in Singapore.

Towards maturity: 1937–1945

In 1937, following the Marco Polo Bridge Incident in China, theatre activities became the main art form through which the local Chinese expressed their support for the anti-Japanese resistance. As a result, Chinese theatre in Singapore continued to mature as performances were held frequently. This period is regarded as the first peak in its historical development.16

First, student theatre activities in Singapore had grown significantly. In 1937, local schools performed a number of classic Chinese plays from abroad. For instance, Chong Hock Girls’ School performed Cao Yu’s (1910–1996) Thunderstorm, while Nan Hwa Girls’ School performed Tian Han’s (1898–1968) Return of Spring.

Second, the Singapore Amateur Theatre was established that year, bringing together well-known figures from the realms of theatre, education, music, and other arts circles. On multiple occasions between 1938 and 1939, the group performed plays related to the anti-Japanese war movement, including street drama Fangxia nide bianzi (Put Down Your Whip), Richu (Sunrise), and Yuye (Rainy Night).

Theatre performance, title unknown, 1945. Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

Third, during this period, professional performing arts troupes from China, such as the Wuhan Chorus (1938) and the New China Drama Troupe (1940), came as either guest performers or collaborated with local companies. They brought with them more original works related to the anti-Japanese war resistance, as well as classic traditional operas, which inspired the emergence of more original local Chinese plays.

Between 1937 and 1941, 77 Chinese plays were published in Singapore. Although most of these works had anti-Japanese and nationalist themes, they also reflected the everyday realities of Singapore and Malaya. This inspired local playwrights to localise and adapt theatrical content as a creative pursuit.17One-act plays and dialect plays were the main new creations that arose during this period.

In 1939, Britain declared war on Germany and wartime laws were enacted in Singapore, making regular it increasingly difficult for theatre activities to go on. Amateur theatre clubs were temporarily forced to disband. In early 1942, Singapore fell to the Japanese and street theatre activities ground to a complete halt, leading to a slump in Chinese theatre.

A vibrant revival: 1945–1959

From the end of World War II in 1945 to the establishment of the Republic of Singapore in 1965, Singapore had transitioned from the anti-colonial period to self-governance and finally to independence. During this period, local Chinese theatre also experienced a revival, embracing a vibrant new outlook. Quah referred to the 15-year anti-colonial period as “one of the most vibrant and active periods of modern Singapore theatre, brimming with a strong sense of social consciousness”.18

During the first stage of the anti-colonial period from 1945 to 1949, there were as many as 17 Chinese theatre companies in Singapore, including the Xingzhou Experimental Theatre, Seagull Theatre Company, Singapore Children’s Playhouse, Zhonghua Juyishe, Min Sin Dramatic Association, Lu Nam Ke Huan, and Xinlongfeng Min Dialect Troupe, among others.19 Professional screenwriters and directors emerged from these companies, among them Zhu Xu (1909–2007), Low Ing Sing (1924–2000) and Lin Chen (1919–2004) from Xingzhou Experimental Theatre; and Du Bian (1914–1997) from Singapore Children’s Playhouse and the Seagull Theatre Company.

Besides professional groups, there were as many as 28 amateur clubs during that period. The more active ones included the Malaya New Democratic Youth League, Mayfair Musical and Dramatic Association, the drama arm of Bell O’Morn Musical Association, Yeung Ching Alumni Association, Young Men’s Christian Association of Singapore, and the Hokkien Huay Kuan’s education promotion group.20 Seven theatrical companies belonging to professional trade unions also emerged around that time.21

There were also 22 school theatre clubs. Chung Cheng School’s 1954 performance of the classic Chinese play Family at the Victoria Theatre exhibited such a high level of professionalism that it was considered an important milestone in the history of Malayan Chinese theatre development.22

At the same time, the appearance of two theatre companies from abroad meant that local audiences were able to enjoy many well-developed Chinese plays. The Mingxing Troupe, from Hong Kong, staged a Cantonese version of Thunderstorm (1945). The China Music Dance and Drama Society also presented original works such as Singapore’s Chinatown: A Changing Scene and The Fate of Three Miles Village in 1947–1948. Dialect plays from the pre-war era also resurfaced.23

During this boom, a group of new theatre companies emerged, such as the Zhongjiao Jutuan (1953), which comprised secondary school teachers; Kang Leh Musical Association (1954); Rediffusion Mandarin Drama Group (1954); Arts Theatre of Singapore (1955), initiated by the alumni of Chung Cheng High School Drama Club; Artist Association of Singapore (1956) comprising professional getai entertainers; I-Lien Drama Society (1957), backed by the original key members of Zhongjiao Jutuan; Nanyang University Theatre Society (1957); Cathay Organisation (1958); Xingzhou Juyishe (1959).

Theatre performance, title unknown, 1955. Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

Although they were known as “amateur theatre clubs”, these non-professional companies demonstrated a certain level of expertise in their performances, as seen in the selection of complex, classic plays they put up, as well as from newspaper reviews of their performances. Among them, the Arts Theatre of Singapore and I-Lien Drama Society performed more frequently, and mostly featured classic overseas Chinese plays. Today, both organisations are still active, making them the two oldest surviving local Chinese theatre companies in Singapore.