Are you ready to be blown away by over 300 performances and 60 shows, live and online? We know, we are!

Thanks to Singapore International of Arts (SIFA) 2021 for entertaining all of us with what we need to feel uplifted every day. Bringing the world closer to you, it is an innovative way for you to appreciate art and watch performances by artists from all over the world such as Switzerland, Australia, USA, Lebanon, Japan, Malaysia and Philippines performing alongside hundreds of Singaporean artists and freelancers until June 20th. Yeayyy!!!

“This festival has been programmed as a response to everything we’ve been through and the environment we live in now. Streaming performances online was what a lot of us had to resort to during lock-down, which is less than ideal. What it did do though was spur my interest in exploring 3D, interactive and responsive technologies in relationship to performance, which I believe will become an integral part of the performing arts going forward. If we had to find a silver lining to COVID-19, it is that there is a far greater appreciation for the arts and a pent-up demand for live performances.” – Festival Director Gaurav Kripalani

Honestly, it a celebration of live and life. Since you are not able to travel to Singapore now, the shows will help you learn to understand once you have watched it. In a nutshell, it’s like a travelling of a lifetime. SIFA 2021 covers various venues with new festival commissions and works by Singaporean artists, including first-time collaborations between major arts companies. The list includes:

• The Year of No Return by The Necessary Stage
• A Dream Under the Southern Bough: Existence by Toy Factory Productions
• OIWA–the Ghost of Yotsuya by The Finger Players, which will feature both Singaporean and Japanese actors
• There will also be the first stage collaboration between Pangdemonium, Wild Rice Theatre and Singapore Repertory Theatre
• A hybrid concert by NADA 
• A VR immersive experience by The Observatory

Even better, during the opening weekend, there will be a tribute concert to celebrate Singapore jazz legend and 2018 Cultural Medallion recipient Louis Soliano. Isn’t that amazing?

Apart from that, there will be a list of incredible Festival House programmes that centres care, compassion and climate change. The list includes having performances that are related to self- care and healing; a weekend of works curated for toddlers, children and families that are related to climate change; and a concert series centred around compassion, which will feature various Singapore-based chamber ensembles. Below are some of inspiring notes to read by some of the directors involved, expressing their thoughts on SIFA 2021:

“Art serves as a mirror to our time as well as a cathartic tool to help heal and give hope. The festival will be a moment for us all to commune after a period of isolation and I am incredibly proud that Singapore has SIFA, a high-quality platform of curated experiences and shows to meet different passion points.” – Festival Director Gaurav Kripalani

“Based in New York throughout 2020, I saw at first hand the devastation the pandemic had on the arts scene with all live performances ceased and theatres closed. Both artists and audiences were out of work and cut off from the joys and consolations of art during this time of desolation. We are truly fortunate in Singapore to have the opportunity to experience the live arts at this moment. Gaurav’s final festival is one of hope, a signal for how art can help in the recovery of our society by bringing people together in theatres, concert halls as well as the virtual halls of the digital realm. It is a beacon for the new worlds of artistic presentation that are being forged by artists here and abroad in the wake of the pandemic.” – Arts House Limited Executive Director Tan Boon Hui

“We celebrate the resilience of the arts community as we saw how quickly they had adapted to put together an online showcase last year, allowing audiences from around the world to experience the best of performing arts. Even with the ongoing pandemic, the arts continue to bring people together as we remain safely apart. With SIFA 2021, we look forward to sharing meaningful arts experiences through works created by Singapore and international artists. As festival programmes thread across both physical and digital platforms, more audiences can now come together to enjoy and experience the arts, safely.” – Deputy Chief Executive (Sector Development), National Arts Council (NAC), Low Eng Teong