THE ARTISTIC MINDS
IVAN HENG, FOUNDING ARTISTIC DIRECTOR,
AND GLEN GOEI, CO-ARTISTIC DIRECTORHAIR, MAKE-UP AND GROOMING: SHA SHAMSI;
PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANT: YANN CLOITRE
W
henwemetIvanHeng(picturedleft)
andGlenGoei,WildRicehadjust
wrappedupitsHousewarmingSeason,
withtherestagingofSingaporean
playwrightThomasLim’s domestic
drama, Supervision, in its new theatre.
Eventhoughtherewasstillmuchworktobedonewith
thetheatre,beforetheGrandOpeningSeasonkickedoff
lastmonth with Stella Kon’s Emily of Emerald Hill, the duo’s
excitement was palpable.
“There was something unusual in the air, which none of us
could articulate, but it had something to do with the theatre,”
Goei enthused. “With a thrust stage, most of the action takes
place centre stage so the audience feels like they are part of the
action. And with the acoustics in the new theatre, it is as if the
actors are speaking to you directly; and every time somebody
intheaudiencesnifflesorlaughs,itwillberelayedbacktothe
actors—itissuchavisceralexperience.”
Hengfoundedthe theatre company in 2000 to tell
Singaporean stories that “give people a sense of pride, a sense
of place, and a sense of belonging”. And with the new theatre
“being right in the heart of the Singapore’s Civic and Cultural
District, we are perfectly placed to be a forum for a community
to come together, to celebrate who we are, to negotiate
differences, and be inspired to think not only about the issues,
butalsothepossibilitiesofourtimes,”heexplained.Andnow
thatWildRicehasitsownhome,Hengaddedthat“wehave
startedthinkingaboutourlegacyinamoreactiveway”.
Besidespresentingnewwritingandprovidingplatformsfor
youngandemergingartiststohonetheircraft,WildRiceis
also expanding on its education and community engagement
initiatives, anchored by the new Theatre-in-Education
programme to cultivate young theatre audiences, under the
purview of Lim, who is also associate artistic director for
Youth & Education. The company is also exploring plans to
open an academy for young children next year, and a syllabus
is currently being developed.