“... simultaneously epic and intimate. It’s rich and complex, hitting you both at the level of gut and intellect.”
—Mayo Martin, TODAY
A man stabs an MP at a Meet the PeopleSession. But this is not their story.
It is the story of the man’s girlfriend, an Indonesian maid who wants to get married and become a Singapore citizen. It is the story of the MP’s wife, who tries to cope with her husband’s injury and the media spotlight. It is the story of the maid’s employer, who is also struggling with her own tragedy.
These three women may mean nothing to each other, but they need one another to survive.
The maid, the employer and the MP’s wife. Are they all model citizens?
First staged in 2010 to critical acclaim and subsequently restaged in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur the following year, Model Citizens is a thought-provoking work helmed by director Alvin Tan and playwright Haresh Sharma. This new iteration of Model Citizens will see the return of the original cast—Goh Guat Kian, Karen Tan and Siti Khalijah Zainal—11 years since the production’s premiere.
“A penetrating look at the price of citizenship and the fragility of trust.”
—Clarissa Oon, The Straits Times
Nominated at 2011 The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards in five categories: Production Of The Year, Best Director for Alvin Tan, Best Script for Haresh Sharma, and two Best Actress nominations for Karen Tan and Siti Khalijah Zainal
Awarded Best Director for Alvin Tan, and Best Actress for Siti Khalijah Zainal
“...an intrepid, trenchant and succinct piece of political theatre that speaks out against the oppression legitimised by paternalistic social planning… a compelling work that affirms theatre's potential as a powerful site ofresistance against forms of social and cultural tyranny.”
—The Flying Inkpot
Written by
Haresh Sharma
Directed by
Alvin Tan
Performed by
Goh Guat Kian
Karen Tan
Siti Khalijah Zainal
Set Designer
Petrina Dawn Tan
Lighting Designer
Liu Yong Huay
Multimedia Designer
Yusri Sapari
Composer/Sound Designer
Ng Jing
Costume Designer
Yuan Zhiying
Film Director
Jasmine Ng
Director of Photography
Tuckys Photography
