A view of Total Theatre: Remembering William Teo

A View of Total Theatre: Remembering William Teo Screenings of Theatre Productions and a Forum with Theatre Practitioners Dates: Friday 11 – Saturday 12 February 2011 Venue: The Substation Theatre This is an InHouse event For the screening schedule please see below. William Teo (1957-2001) was one of the pioneers of Singapore’s English-language theatre in the 1980s and 1990s. That was a time when English-language theatre in Singapore took off, with a new generation of theatre artists, playwrights and directors who grew up in the post-Independence era of the late 1960s and1970s exploring and expanding theatre styles, techniques and methods.

Screening 1: 11 February, 7pm
Screening 2: 12 February, 11am
Screening 3: 12 February, 1pm
Screening 4: 12 February, 8pm
Forum: 12 Feb, 4pm-6.30pm. With T. Sasitharan, Jeremiah Choy, Sonny Lim, and Elizabeth de Roza.

William Teo (1957-2001) was one of the pioneers of Singapore’s English-language theatre in the 1980s and 1990s. That was a time when English-language theatre in Singapore took off, with a new generation of theatre artists, playwrights and directors who grew up in the post-Independence era of the late 1960s and 1970s exploring and expanding theatre styles, techniques and methods.

Growing in confidence as Singaporeans, they sought to put Singaporean culture, themes, languages, stories, and visual styles on the local stage. Among the influential figures of Singapore theatre in this period was William Teo, who founded Asia-in-Theatre Research Circus (later Centre), or ATRC, in 1990. William’s work as director was known for its qualities of a highly-visual staging, the influence of traditional Asian performance forms in the storytelling, acting, and a commitment to in-depth research and actors’ preparation and training.

Kuo Pao Kun had written that ‘although Asia-in-Theatre has not been very productive (an average of only one production a year), nor has it had a huge audience, the quality of the group’s presence in the Singapore theatre scene outweighs that of companies doing many more shows and commanding bigger audiences.’

William passed away at the age of 43 in 2001 but he touched the lives – and indeed, the theatre practices – of many Singapore theatre artists and is fondly remembered by artists as well as by his audiences. One of the hallmarks of his productions was the care for the audience’s experience of theatre, from the moment they enter the theatre building to the close of the performance. It was a view of total theatre, through which the magic of the theatrical experience emerged.

This event comprises screenings of Asia-in-Theatre Research Centre productions and a public forum on a view of total theatre. Featured speakers are: Jeremiah Choy, T. Sasitharan, Elizabeth de Roza, and Sonny Lim.

The event is organised by Elizabeth de Roza and Audrey Wong with support from World-in-Theatre and The Substation