M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2025 finds its presentations bound by a common theme of dislocation, an apt subject for a pioneering platform currently in a state of flux. The festival, taking place from January 8th to the 19th, showcases seven theatrical performances that span a wide range of subjects, from conflict and diasporas to environmental changes and the mental wellbeing of freelancers. All of these come together under the umbrella of ‘a compelled shift which is not due to personal circumstances or choices’. This festival acts as a unique harbor in Singapore, hosting shows that address nonconventional topics, with an annual operational cost of $230,000.
The assortment of shows curated for the 2025 iteration comprises both homebrewed and international works. Four of these performances are domestic creations while a triad of monologues hail from Australia, India, and South Africa. One standout within the Singaporean roster is The Troupe, a production by the Birds Migrant Theatre company, alumni of the Fringe 2023 season. This multi-language play incorporates English, Bahasa Indonesia, Bengali and Burmese, presenting vignettes of refugees, scholars, farmers, and humanitarian workers grappling with global migration.
The brains behind The Troupe are playwrights A.K. Zilani and Deni Apriyani, both migrant workers hailing from Bangladesh and Indonesia. Their unique vantage point lends deeper insight into the performance, as their homelands have been heavily impacted by the ongoing Rohingya crisis. This crisis has led to the dislocation of more than a million Muslim Rohingya from Myanmar, as they seek refuge in adjacent territories.
The production Eclipse, originating from the pen of local playwright Haresh Sharma and brought to life by TNS, is another intriguing offering. Previously executed in an abbreviated format in Scotland back in 2007, the revision introduces award-winning actor Shrey Bhargava and Hindustani classical vocalist Sveta Kilpady. The narrative shadows a young Singaporean man as he embarks on a touching pilgrimage to his late father’s birthplace, Hyderabad, Pakistan, carrying his father’s ashes.
Through the lens of kinesthesia, Dancing With The Ghost Of My Child delves into therapeutic methodologies. This inventive work is the brainchild of Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts students, overseen by previous The Substation artistic director Noor Effendy Ibrahim and movement artist Ruby Jayaseelan.
I Am Seaweed, a piece devised by young theatrical innovators Cheryl Ho and Rachel Lee, explores notions of emotional resilience and the rate race, under the cloak of the absurd. Pioneering in its approach, the play incorporates real-time audience input and for the first time in the festival’s history, interpretation for the hearing impaired.
In terms of international contributions, three actors deliver performances reflecting on social issues deeply ingrained in their societies. Jane Phegan, an actress from Australia, presents The End Of Winter, a play that conjures a bleak vision of a world stripped of winter. The piece, crafted amid Australia’s catastrophic bushfires, weaves a narrative using personal tales and academic insights.
Tony Bonani Miyambo from South Africa revisits themes of healing from the vestiges of apartheid in his performance. His character is a government officer tasked with preserving records from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, an organization conceived to begin repairing the ravages of South Africa’s past injustices. This performance named The Commission Continua marks its first presentation for a live public.
Completing the trio of international exhibits, Nisha Abdulla, a playwright and performer based in Bangalore, showcases her solo production WePushTheSky. This piece harmonizes food, songs, myth, and history in a poignant lament for contemporary India. The performance draws heavily from real-life incidents, such as puzzling disappearances of vocal dissenters, and poses questions about the ups and downs of maintaining relationships in times governed by divisive politics.