The Necessary Stage
presents
Civilised
There is no past without colonisation,
and there is no future without it.
As we celebrate commemorate the bicentennial of the colonisationfounding of Singapore, let us take a moment to express our gratitude to our founding father/s for their foresight in transforming Singapore from a small fishing village to a global metropolis. We are civilised!
Let's marvel at how, all over the world, our land has been plundered, our laws kept archaic and our freedoms curtailed by those in power. Let us honour our pursuit of economic success and excess [nothing less will do], as we continue to colonise today—through money, discrimination and land conquests, even in space. We are civilised!
Because after all, through colonisation, we are civilised! We are also schooled and silenced.
Written by Haresh Sharma and directed by Alvin Tan, Civilised by The Necessary Stage is a groundbreaking new work that takes you on a wild ride through the complications and violence of colonisation past, present and future.
Featuring
Edith Podesta
Ghafir Akbar
Koh Wan Ching
Lian Sutton
and Siti Khalijah Zainal
Dramaturg:
Melissa Lim
Set Designer:
Vincent Lim
Lighting Designer:
Adrian Tan
Costume Designers:
Max Tan and Yuan Zhiying of MAX.TAN
Multimedia Designer:
He Shuming
