A sense of nationhood: 1959–1977

Singapore achieved self-governance in 1959, joined Malaysia in 1963, and became an independent nation in 1965. During this period, the Chinese language theatre scene in Singapore developed its own unique characteristics.

In 1959, the government proposed building the National Theatre. To raise funds for the theatre, which officially opened in 1963, the Singapore Amateur Players (now Arts Theatre of Singapore) staged two charity performances in 1960 of Singapore’s Chinatown: A Changing Scene written by Yue Ye (1920–2001) in 1948, as well as another double bill of the original one-act play by local playwrights Lin Chen (1919–2004) and Lu Bai.

The National Theatre under construction, 1962. Courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

In 1960, the government’s Ministry of Culture held its first playwriting competition, which included categories in the four official languages. The winning works were adapted into radio plays and performed by Radio Singapura. The government also held two annual cultural festivals in 1960 and 1961 under the National Theatre Fund committee. During this period, performances of local plays were received with much enthusiasm.1

In 1965, the Ministry of Culture started a committee for promoting theatre, and organised a local one-act playwriting competition. That same year, the Central Cultural Bureau of the People’s Action Party also established a drama arm, and held a special performance of original one-act local plays at Victoria Theatre.

On 9 August 1965, the Republic of Singapore was born. That year, Kuo Pao Kun (1939–2002) and Goh Lay Kuan set up the Singapore Performing Arts School and staged their first play, Kaoyan (The Test). In 1972, graduates from the drama training programme founded their own troupe called Selatan Arts Ensemble (later known as the Southern Arts Society).

The Singapore Children’s Playhouse was born in 1965. Initially affiliated with the Chinese department of Radio Singapura, its members were mentored by senior broadcasters and Thia Mong Teck (1936–2007), the brain behind radio plays. In 1970, the Children’s Playhouse became an independent arts organisation. It went on to set up more than 10 professional units for various activities. As its members grew older, a youth branch was established in 1971. At its peak, the Children’s Playhouse and its youth offshoot had close to 500 members. It was one of the most active local Chinese theatre companies in the 1970s.

The bustling 1970s also saw the birth of more Chinese language theatre companies,2 including the Singapore Art Experimental Studio (1971), Life Drama Society (1971), People’s Association Cultural Troupe’s drama group (1972), Xiang Yang Jushe (1972), Chuen-Lei Literature and Arts Association (1972), Young People’s Performing Arts Ensemble (1973), Singapore Broadway Playhouse (1973), Sun Flower Arts Ensemble (1973), Hsinghai Art Association (1974), Chang Feng Jushe (1974), and Chang-Tee Cultural Organisation (1974).

Boom and bloom: 1978–late-1990s

In 1978, the government launched the Drama Promotion Scheme, and the Ministry of Culture began organising annual theatre festivals in the four official languages. This important platform for Chinese language theatre performance spanned the entire 1980s, and gave rise to an array of original classic plays by local theatre companies, such as The Flying Swallow (1984) by the Singapore Amateur Players, Princess Jasmine (1984), by I-Lien Drama Society, and Five Libras (1986) by the Southern Arts Society.3

More theatre companies were established during this period, including the Chin Kang Huay Kuan’s affiliated drama group (1978); Chuangyi Xijutuan (1980); the theatre company under the Nanyang Fang Shee Association (1983–1986); and the Lianhe Bao Drama Group (1984). Local bilingual Chinese-English theatre companies also made their debut, such as The Practice Theatre Ensemble (1986), which was renamed The Theatre Practice in 1996; as well as Arts & Acts (1986–1989).

Nanyang Fang Shee Association’s theatre company performing at the National Theatre, 1983. Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations Collection, courtesy of National Archives of Singapore.

Plays performed by students and alumni associations also ushered in a new chapter for the local theatre scene. It was common to see plays performed by junior college students. National Junior College, for instance, mounted a special staging of one-act plays at the Victoria Theatre in 1976. That same year, Hwa Chong Junior College organised an annual theatre festival featuring public performances. Nanyang Junior College and Temasek Junior College also started staging theatre performances for the public in 1976 and 1977 respectively.

Theatre activities by junior college students resulted in a fresh pool of talent in the local scene. For example, Hwa Chong Junior College alumni who performed Fuhao mama in 1991 — among them Lim Hai Yen, Baey Yam Keng, and others — would go on to form theatre group The ETCeteras five years later. The group remains active today.

At the fourth Singapore Festival of Arts in 1982, 14 local Chinese language theatre companies teamed up to present The Little White Sailing Boat, ushering in another period of flourishing of Chinese theatre in the 1980s.4 The production brought together a team of veterans who were still active in Singapore Chinese theatre. For instance, Wang Qiutian (1905–1990) and Zhu Xu (1909–2007) were advisors; Low Ing Sing (1924–2002) and Tay Bin Wee (1926–2000) served as chairpersons; and Lin Chen and Chow Liliang (1926–2019) were playwright-directors. Kuo Pao Kun was executive writer-director of the production, which featured close to 50 actors from different generations, as well as members of the 14 theatre companies who worked behind the scenes. It held six sold-out performances at the Victoria Theatre — four in end-1982 and two more the following year.

In 1984, 17 local Chinese theatre companies again collaborated for a performance of Han Lao Da’s new play Oolah World. The production, directed by Hua Liang, Han Lao Da, and Kuo, signalled the rise of a new generation in local Chinese theatre. Two years later, the Singapore Festival of Arts featured Kopi Diam, which was written and directed by Kuo Pao Kun. It involved 23 theatre companies, including those from clan associations as well as National Junior College, Hwa Chong Junior College, Nanyang Junior College, and Temasek Junior College. The event took collaborative Chinese theatre in Singapore to new heights.

In 1991, the National Arts Council was established to oversee the planning and implementation of national policies related to the arts. Around the same time, Kuo Pao Kun founded The Substation in 1990. As Singapore’s first independent contemporary arts centre, it was a platform for the arts in different languages and mediums, especially those that were more experimental and avant-garde. As a younger generation of arts practitioners matured, the 1990s saw the birth of more trailblazing organisations. Among them were Drama Box (1990); Toy Factory Productions (1990); The ETCeteras (1991); Lim Jen Erh and Friends (later renamed Yixiang Zhizhuoqun) (1992); Wutai Zapai Jun (1994); Theatre OX (1995); and The Finger Players (1996), which was founded under The Practice Theatre Ensemble and went independent in 1999.5

Going global: 2000–present

Esplanade — Theatres on the Bay, a milestone in the history of Singapore’s arts and cultural development, opened in 2002. In 2005, Drama Centre moved from its Fort Canning home to the newly-completed National Library building, where it has a 615-seat mid-sized theatre and a 120-seat black box. Modern facilities gave various local performing arts activities, including Chinese theatre, a boost as arts groups here strove for greater professional development.

During this period, notable local theatre companies such as The Practice Theatre, Toy Factory Productions, Drama Box, Arts Theatre of Singapore, and I-Lien Drama Society regularly staged original plays and experimented with different styles. Other companies like The Finger Players and Paper Monkey Theatre (2008) focused on developing styles in puppetry performance. While The Finger Players targeted youths, Paper Monkey Theatre pitched its performances at children and families.

The list of companies would not be complete without Nine Years Theatre (2012) and Emergency Stairs (2017), both unique with their own artistic directions. Nine Years Theatre is dedicated to reinterpreting classic works, as well as producing adaptations of local Mandarin classics in Chinese dialects. Emergency Stairs, meanwhile, is the only experimental Chinese language theatre company known for multidisciplinary and multifaceted works which push artistic boundaries.

Singapore Focus Theatre, comprising graduates from the theatre department of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), was established in 2010 and became a non-profit organisation in 2016. Since 2002, the graduation performances of (Chinese) drama majors at NAFA have been geared towards reviving world theatre classics, including local original plays. The event has since become an indispensable part of the colourful local Chinese theatre scene.

In the new millennium, unique and mature works of local theatre — reflecting the scene’s multifaceted quality — have appeared on the global stage.

In 2014, the Singapore Arts Festival (established in 1999) was rebranded as the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA). Nanyang, The Musical , a commissioned work that was jointly presented by local artistes, premiered at the inaugural SIFA 2015. Two years later, Nine Years Theatre was commissioned to adapt and stage the local Chinese literary work Art Studio (2017). Every year since then, commissioned productions and performances by local Chinese language theatre companies have been a regular feature of SIFA.

More local Chinese theatre companies have also taken the initiative to organise drama or arts festivals since 2000. These include Works for Pao Kun – Legend Alive (2002) by Practice Performing Arts Centre, where international directors paid tribute to the late Kuo Pao Kun; the Kuo Pao Kun Festival (2003, 2012); the M1 Chinese Theatre Festival (2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017); and Drama Box’s New Play Season (2009, 2011).

Being invited to perform in overseas drama festivals or exhibitions has become the norm for local Chinese theatre groups. Drama Box took part in the Singapore Season in China in 2007; Toy Factory Productions has staged multiple works in China (2003, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2017); Nine Years Theatre participated in the Macao Arts Festival (2013); I-Lien Drama Society was invited to the Masan International Theatre Festival in South Korea (2002, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2016) as well as the Shandong International Small Theatre Drama Festival in China (2009, 2014); and Arts Theatre of Singapore was involved in three editions (2014, 2017, 2023) of the China-ASEAN Theatre Week.

Over the past century, Chinese  language theatre in Singapore has transformed from a “foreign import” into a Singaporean art form with its own unique charm.