Description
About the Author
Quah Sy Ren graduated from National Taiwan University (BA), National University of Singapore (MA) and Cambridge University (PhD). He is currently Associate Professor of Chinese literature at the School of Humanities, Nanyang Technological University. His research interests include literary and cultural studies, theatre and performance, and the history of Singapore theatre. He is the author of SCENES: Singapore Chinese Language Theatre 1913-2013 (2013), Keywords: Critical Terms for Chinese Literary Study (co-written, 2008), and Gao Xingjian and Transcultural Chinese Theater (2004). He has also edited several literary anthologies including Memorandum: A Sinophone Singapore Short Story Reader (co-edited, 2020), Literary Phenomena 2016: A Collection of Lianhe Zaobao Literary Writings (2017), SCENES: An Anthology of Contemporary Singapore Chinese Language Plays (co-edited, 2010), and The Complete Works of Kuo Pao Kun (2005-2012).
Praise for the book
Drama Box 30 Keywords is a comprehensive collection of essays that richly detail an outstanding history and spectrum of innovative theatre-making approaches, paying the highest tribute to the gargantuan impact of a theatre of social transformation. It documents Drama Box’s ‘artivism’ that places plural voices of Singapore society at centre-stage.
Alvin Tan, Artistic Director,
The Necessary Stage, Singapore
My keyword for Drama Box: Resilience
Resilience. If it did not possess the courage of its deeply felt convictions, this fledgling theatre company that was born 30 years ago, and all the people in its fabular box, would surely have ended their theatre dreams a decade ago. Drama Box may be very small, but it has been steadfast in its resolve, with remarkable vigour and tenacity. The resilient may bend when they encounter external forces, but they will not break. Strength and endurance have been at the heart of Drama Box’s practice for 30 years, and these values continue to undergird its promise.
Han Lao Da, Theatre Veteran,
Singapore
In order to flourish, Theatre of the Oppressed needs able advocates, and luckily in Singapore it found first The Necessary Stage, and then, growing out of it, Drama Box. Over its lifetime, Drama Box has clearly made its mark on Singaporean society and cultural life.
Adrian Jackson, Founding Artistic Director,
Cardboard Citizens, United Kingdom
To win acclaim for the state and to serve society are policy frameworks constructed by the state. Within such determined frameworks, to maintain independent thinking and expression so as to deconstruct, construct, and nurture a visionary culture for the future — that has been the perpetual challenge of the past 30 years.
Danny Yung, Artistic Director,
Zuni Icosahedron, Hong Kong
In form and in spirit, this book expresses Drama Box’s signature qualities of multi-faceted depth and innovative experimentation. It serves as a reminder that Singapore has a theatre company that is always surprising and delighting you, and which has accompanied you through 30 years of change. Its reflections on society, politics and life have brought you keywords of care and connection, of emotion and resonance. We have experienced the key moments of these keywords together. This book gives you a chance to revisit the impact of these moments, and appreciate once more their keen relevance to the present moment and to the future, thus proving that Drama Box does not just belong to Singapore, but also to the world.
Wang Wan-Jung, Professor,
National University of Tainan, Taiwan
About Drama Box
Founded in 1990, Drama Box is a socially-engaged theatre company known for creating works that inspire dialogue, reflection and change. By shining a spotlight on marginalised narratives and making space for the communal contemplation of complex issues, it seeks to tell stories that provoke a deeper understanding of Singapore’s culture, history and identity.
Drama Box is a charity and Institution of Public Character (IPC) registered in Singapore, supported by the National Arts Council under the Major Company Scheme for the period of April 2020 to March 2023.
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Additional information
Book Size: 190mm x 230mm (portrait)
Pages: 320