Celebrate Drama! 2016, everyone’s favourite youth and community drama festival is back with 10 workshops, performances and a theatre open house from the best in Singapore theatre. Since 2005, Celebrate Drama! has established itself as a festival that applauds the passion and creative diversity of youths using drama in, with and for communities. Celebrate Drama! takes place this year at The Arts House from 15-16 July 2016. Targeted at youths from 13 to 21 who are experienced or new to drama, the festival is a great opportunity to build skills, have dialogues about theatre making, as well as open conversations on social issues. All this is done through fun and meaningful drama workshops, performances and practitioner facilitated discussions.
Celebrate Drama! 2016, everyone’s favourite youth and community drama festival is back with 10 workshops, performances and a theatre open house by the best in Singapore theatre. The festival, organised by SDEA (Singapore Drama Educators Association), happens once every two years and introduces youths to applied drama that engages with issues in the local community.
This year, the festival features fully-fledged, heart-warming drama projects created, performed and managed by youths along the theme of ‘Celebrating Diversity’. For these young performers, the festival is the first public platform for their original works.
In keeping with the festival’s tradition and SDEA’s mission to advocate for the practice of theatre, two rare forms of theatre, a theatre-in-education project and playback theatre have been programmed encouraging youths and theatre artists to discuss ways that these art forms can build community and inspire their own work.
Festival-goers are also treated to workshops run by the best names in local theatre such as Best Original Script at Life! Theatre Awards 2011 and 2014 nominee Faith Ng, artistic director of Teater Ekamatra Fared Jainal, programme director of “Young and Wild” youth division at W!ld Rice Serena Ho, Shell-NAC Arts Scholarship recipient Pat Toh and 15-year veteran theatre designer extraordinaire Nasyitah Tan.
Through the festival, SDEA encourages youths not only to view each other’s works but also to collaborate in workshops, make new friends and have meaningful dialogues with each other about drama and their own identity in the wider, diverse community they belong to.
“I liked how the workshops allowed me to be free and explore my creativity.” – Mohamed Hendri Susanto Bin Razali, Student (Singapore Polytechnic)
“The productions have touched on many issues relevant to people today!” – Kelly Pang Jia Hui, Student (Ngee Ann Polytechnic)
“I appreciated the advice on breaking into the theatre scene, a long-awaited opportunity!” – Aaron Cheng, Student (School of the Arts)
Check out SDEA‘s website for more information about the workshops and events at the upcoming festival Celebrate Drama! 2016.
Tickets available at: www.bytes.sg and the box office at The Arts House.
“Take A Guardian To The Theatre”
To encourage family bonding, SDEA will be giving away one complimentary ticket to the performance of “You Never Knew I Was…” to accompanying parents and grandparents with every ticket purchased. Send SDEA the full name and NRIC of your accompanying guardian. Limited tickets are available on a first come first served basis. Email to: [email protected]
Celebrate Drama! 2016
Dates: 15th to 16th July 2016
Venue: The Arts House
ABOUT SDEA
Established in 2002 as a not-for-profit organization by a group of teaching artists and educators, SDEA’s mission is to advance the profession of the drama/theatre educator and advocate for the practice and value of drama and theatre in performance, education and community. SDEA is run by a volunteer committee comprising 9 members elected on a 2-year cycle supported by a secretariat at Goodman Arts Centre.
