SINGAPORE – School holidays are on the horizon and the arts calendar is filling up with fun festivals for families.
Dance and sing along with anthropomorphised food favourites at The Theatre Practice’s (TTP) Berries Chinese Theatre Festival: Family Edition from May 18 to June 9.
At the crowd-pleasing Flipside at the Esplanade, circus performers and giant slinkies will roam the boardwalk, performing against the backdrop of the bay from May 31 to June 9.
Encourage curiosity and learning at the Asian Festival of Children’s Content while discovering new books and illustrations from Singaporean and international authors between May 23 and 26.
Let kids have a well-deserved break from school and allow their imaginations to run wild with the possibilities that theatre and the arts bring.
The Theatre Practice’s (TTP) Berries Chinese Theatre Festival: Family Edition
Reunite with the familiar faces of Kaya (Ng Mun Poh), Kopi (Abby Lai Ka Hei) and You Tiao (Ethel Yap Chern Fung) in the newest instalment of Here Comes The Breakfast Kakis: Imagine Our Songs!.
The acclaimed children’s series returns with a remake of two beloved digital stories for the stage. This is a chance for kids to see their favourite characters up close after years of on-screen productions.
Performers, too, are looking forward to the live shows.
Ang says her most memorable moment after playing Roti to a silent camera was the delayed reaction from home audiences. She adds: “After months of not hearing their responses, we started receiving little video clips from teachers and parents showing kids singing along at home, while watching us on screen.”
TTP artistic director Kuo Jian Hong says that there was one unexpected consequence of streaming the Breakfast Kakis, which has been a TTP staple since 2018. “Since Covid-19, the actors became identified with the nursery rhymes as their faces were so close on camera. Now, if I want to change an actor, I have to give him or her a new breakfast food name because the kids know his or her face.”
The festival has undergone various iterations since launching in 2010 as the Chinese Theatre Festival (CTF). After eight years, it was rebranded as M1 Patch! from 2018 to 2021.
The pandemic forced TTP to go online in 2020 and 2021, after which the festival took a hiatus before its return in 2024 as the CTF. The festival has been sponsored by tuition centre Berries World since 2011.
Kuo says: “The ambition would be for CTF to blossom back into a larger festival but... we’ve chosen a family edition as the reintroduction to the festival. This is still a home-grown, ground-up effort that we are funding fully. These things can start only on a manageable scale, and right now, that is two productions and two experiences.”
The second theatre production, The Wee Question Mark And The Adventurer, is a restaging.
Written by Huang Suhuai, with music by Julian Wong and direction by Kuo, the show takes kids on a seafaring adventure with a young girl named Mai Mai. It combines wacky storytelling with participatory theatre to teach children about punctuation marks. The 2015 show won Best Production For The Young at the 2016 Straits Times Life Theatre Awards.
Kuo says the festival’s purpose is to engage children in a fun manner, rather than aiming to see how much Mandarin they can learn.
“Our end of the bargain is to consciously make quality work that provides a portal to the exciting perspectives Mandarin can offer. We need to make sure the stories are accessible and relevant, and the artistry is exciting for them,” she says.
This approach has struck a chord with audiences, as Kuo says: “We see a consistency in the audiences who come back. We’ll see the first kid, then their sibling and the next one too. We see dialogues and relationships built with parents too.”
Although the festival is performed in Mandarin, she believes language should not be the primary focus.
She adds: “The bigger battle we’re fighting is not for the language, but rather for the space to let kids be kids. To allow them to play and explore their fascinations and find their voices because of who they are and not what their parents want.
“There is nothing wonderful about life if you are not allowed to play, that is a tragedy. I hope the kids come and have a great time, and parents will be enlightened enough to see that.”
Book it/Berries Chinese Theatre Festival: Family Edition
Where: The Theatre Practice, 54 Waterloo Street
When: May 18 to June 9, various times
Admission: $43 for theatre shows, $50 for learning experiences
Info: str.sg/EzZR
Flipside at the Esplanade
Fun and excitement are the main draws for Flipside, the Esplanade’s festival of quirky shows from Singaporean and international talents who push the boundaries of what art can be.
Beginning in 2004 as an accessible counter programme to the Singapore International Festival of Arts, Flipside has since shifted its focus to bringing unique and experimental performances to audiences here.
Ms Shireen Abdullah, senior producer at the Esplanade, says: “It is the only festival in Singapore and the only one in the Esplanade’s programming in which you can encounter things such as the circus, physical theatre, puppetry and various forms of comedy in one platform.”
She notes that there is a diverse range of work that people do not see here, but Flipside’s focus has made it easier for the Esplanade to reach out to specific communities, such as the growing contemporary puppetry groups in Singapore and Asia.
The programming is also dictated by the spaces available. She says: “The genesis of Flipside was to take over the outdoor spaces to have fun, quirky and unconventional programming in places that are not necessarily performance venues.”
So audiences get to see aerialists performing against the backdrop of the bay at the DBS Foundation Outdoor Theatre, while clowns compete for the audience’s favour at the Concourse and South Korean street artists take over the Forecourt Garden with a balancing act.
The 2024 equivalent to the popular giant seagulls roaming the Esplanade boardwalk in 2023 are hyperflexible slinkies – a highly choreographed performance that will invite audience interactions.
Flipside also has a new venue at the Singtel Waterfront Theatre, where The Umbilical Brothers will combine screens and special effects with live performance for a madcap physical comedy show.
While Flipside is not specifically family-friendly, its free and ticketed programmes have attracted many families. Ms Shireen says: “We want the adults to be entertained and be able to bring children to it. Of course, there are programmes solely for adults because of the content, but that is rare.”
She encourages people to take part in the interactive workshops, which are a chance to let their hair down. “We really want people to just come and try something new. Play with some clubs, learn to juggle, sign up for a workshop to balance on a rolling ball or be a clown.”
She adds: “Singapore is very serious, and we are so stressed from work each day. It’s a blast to come with your friends and family to try something different.”
Book it/Flipside
Where: Various locations around the Esplanade, 1 Esplanade Drive
When: May 31 to June 9, various times
Admission: Free and ticketed
Info: str.sg/eNWK
Asian Festival of Children’s Content
The Asian Festival of Children’s Content 2024 is going back to its beginning with its country of focus, the Philippines. In 2012, it was the festival’s first country of focus.
Mr William Phuan, executive director of the festival’s organiser Singapore Book Council (SBC), says: “This year marks the 55th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Singapore and the Philippines, so in a way, this is a full circle of our partnership with them.”
The 15th edition features more than 80 writers and speakers from Singapore, the Philippines and other countries. The 2024 theme is Curiosity.
Mr Phuan says: “All of us are driven by curiosity – wanting to learn or discover something new, to understand one another, whether that be linguistically or culturally. In this year’s festival, we are exploring how curiosity drives innovation, exploration and imagination.”
Among the more than 20 creatives in the Filipino literary community attending the event are writer Mae Coyiuto, leading children’s book illustrator Liza Flores and children’s literature stalwart Mary Ann Ordinario. They will speak at various panels during the festival.
A new feature at the festival is an artist alley, which will highlight products and new works by illustrators, graphic designers and artists from Singapore.
The line-up also includes familiar home-grown names, such as children’s authors Low Lai Chow and Evelyn Sue Wong; comic author Colin Goh; and industry names Josephine Chia and Lauren Ho.
More than 100 programmes, ranging from workshops for professionals to activities for children, will be held over four days, culminating in Philippines Night, an evening of performances and readings, on May 25.
An ongoing co-translation project organised by SBC promoting cross-cultural understanding will also be launched that evening. Five titles will be translated from English to Tagalog and five from Tagalog to English, all of which will be distributed to children in each country through local reading initiatives.
Book it/Asian Festival of Children’s Content
Where: National Library Building, 100 Victoria Street
When: May 23 to 26, various times
Admission: $30 to $220 (for a four-day pass that includes industry workshops)
Info: afcc.com.sg/2024
Other family-friendly events to look out for
i Light Singapore
What: From tennis games with illuminated balls to trees wrapped with inflatable light-up flowers, the 10th edition features 17 artworks by 25 artists across four locations in Singapore
Where: Marina Bay, Millenia Walk, South Beach and Tanjong Pagar
When: May 31 to June 23; 7.30 to 11pm (Sundays to Thursdays) and 7.30pm to midnight (Fridays and Saturdays)
Admission: Free and ticketed from $25
Info: ilightsingapore.gov.sg
Peter & Blue’s Treasure Hunt
What: Join Peter and Blue on a treasure hunt around landmarks in Singapore in this hour-long interactive children’s ballet
Where: Studio Theatre, School of the Arts Singapore, 1 Zubir Said Drive
When: May 23 to 26, 11am and 2pm
Admission: $35
Info: sistic.com.sg/events/peter0524
Monstrous Fun! at The Arts House
What: Jump in for a weekend of hands-on creative fun and immersive adventures at The Arts House
Where: The Arts House, 1 Old Parliament Lane
When: May 25 & 26, 10am to 5pm
Admission: Free and ticketed from $5
Info: artshouselimited.sg/tah-monstrous-fun
Bluey’s Big Play
What: The Heelers arrive in Singapore for their first live theatre show with a fully original story, brilliant puppets and iconic sets
Where: Sands Theatre, Marina Bay Sands, 10 Bayfront Avenue
When: June 13 to 23, various times
Admission: From $38
Info: sistic.com.sg/events/blueys0624
Correction note: This story has been edited for accuracy.
