Every day, we are inundated with dire consequences of the climate emergency.
In the face of this threat to humanity, what do we do? Recycle? Switch to environmentally-friendly products? Be a vegan? Stop having children? What can we do—and do our actions even matter?
Why do we have such different responses to climate change? What makes one a denialist, or another to commit acts of civil disobedience in the name of climate justice?
Can we as individuals, and collectively, affect change? Or will politics and profit dictate the fate of this planet—our only home?
A ground-breaking interdisciplinary collaboration with artists from Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, The Year of No Return by The Necessary Stage seeks to unravel the complications and contradictions in humanity’s responses to climate change. This hybrid production incorporating live performance and video presentation seeks to question whether we live in an age of despair—or one of hope in the dark.
Written by
Haresh Sharma & Rody Vera
Directed by
Alvin Tan
Performed by
Chihiro Hirai
Marco Viaña
Rody Vera
Siti Khalijah Zainal
Sukania Venugopal
Tan Guo Lian Sutton
With Ensemble Cast
Ariel Lim
Ezzafatin Aslam
Isaac Lim Jue Hao
Jaclyn Magdalene Rajendran
Rajkumar Thiagaras Dancers
Edina Handali
Jereh Leong
Voiceover Actor
Karen Tan
Dramaturg
Melissa Lim
Choreographer and Movement Director
Goh Shou Yi
Set Designer
Wong Chee Wai
Lighting Designer
Yo Shao Ann
Sound Designer and Composer
Ng Jing
Costume Designer
MAX.TAN
Multimedia Designer
Jasmine Ng
Multimedia Co-Designer
Hanafi Haffidz
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The Year of No Return was initially due to be staged as part of the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) 2020, but was postponed to the 2021 festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic and mandatory safe distancing measures.
For 2020, we have created Digital Traces: The Year of No Return, a series of vodcasts and play readings that provide a glimpse into the world of the play. These were released monthly from 15 August to 15 November 2020 via SIFA's All-Access. Click here to view the vodcasts released so far.
