A comedy pokes fun at the military. A drama depicts a local stripper from the 1950s. A satire portrays an ethnic Malay Muslim general who becomes a dictator.
The biennial Singapore Theatre Festival showcased how artists here are taking advantage of relaxed government censorship to explore once-taboo subjects — even, to some degree, the charged issues of race, religion and politics.
“There’s a huge difference in what’s allowed now compared to five years ago,” said Gaurav Kripalani, who has helped stage Rent, Death of a Salesman and Avenue Q as artistic director of the Singapore Repertory Theatre.
There are limits. The government banned a 2006 play for “portraying Muslims in a negative light,” along with documentaries about opposition figures and even a couple of Janet Jackson CDs for racy lyrics.
Still, the notoriously straight-laced city-state is finally letting its hair down, a few strands at a time.
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (李顯龍) recently said the government would lift a ban on films with political themes, while maintaining one on political ads and what he called “partisan stuff.” The ban was lifted in part because of widespread Internet use, which has undermined government censorship efforts.
“I don’t think an outright ban is still sensible because this is how people communicate on the Web in daily life,” Lee said. “So we’ve got to allow political videos, with some safeguards.”
Another reason for loosening up is economic: Faced with a shortage of skilled workers and an aging population, the government is trying to attract qualified foreigners to live here. It also wants to keep locals from migrating abroad.
So Singapore, which still suffers from a reputation as a quirky place that canes vandals and bans gum, is trying to become more hip. Making the city of 4.6 million people an “arts and theater hub” is part of that drive. Singapore also will host the first nighttime Formula One race next month and unveil a casino resort next year.
The government has poured money into theater, music and dance during the last decade. The number of theatergoers has almost doubled since 2000, while registered theater companies grew to 73 last year from 18 in 1997, the government’s National Arts Council said.
Artists applaud the government for establishing the Media Development Authority (MDA) in 2003, which put in place a ratings system that can prohibit Singaporeans below the age of 16, 18 or 21 from attending certain performances.
“Now there’s a buffer between the police and the artists,” said Alvin Tan, who has directed plays about capital punishment, pedophilia and marijuana use. “Before the MDA came about, it was more high-handed. We would just get a letter that would say, ‘Take this line out, take this paragraph out.’ Now we can negotiate.”
The authority requires playwrights to submit scripts for approval and bans plays that threaten “stability and harmony.”
“Race and religion remain powerful and emotional subjects, especially in our multiracial society,” said Amy Chua, MDA’s director of media content. “Such issues should continue to be dealt with and presented sensitively.”
To avoid the censor’s wrath, playwrights often use satire or metaphor to discuss sensitive topics such as the People’s Action Party, which has ruled since independence in 1965.
Some Singaporeans doubt the greater freedom given theater will spill over into other media.
“Theater only challenges the mindsets of a limited, middle-class audience,” said Stefanie Chan, a 20-year-old university student. “Censorship is stricter in mass media.”
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