ABOUT
WRITING IN THE DIGITAL
22, 24, 26 & 27 JUNE
Workshop Fees
$100 per person
(enjoy 50% off published rate to the registration fee of the 24-Hour Playwriting Competition)
Incl. workshop materials and
in conversations with industry practitioners
Participants interested to participate in the 24-hour Playwriting Competition are encouraged to attend the workshop, although entry to the competition is not limited by workshop attendance.
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T:>Works organises a performance writing and creation workshop focusing on digital storytelling. Beginning with the basics of scriptwriting and thereafter experimenting with forms and platforms, participants will gain insights into the different considerations needed to craft a good story and present it digitally. Our workshop leaders –playwright/director Kaylene Tan, writer Nabilah Said and producer/filmmaker Jasmine Ng – will guide you with case studies and working off their experiences in their area of expertise. There will also be an in-conversation event with practitioners from Singapore and beyond.
OPENING NIGHT &
LIVE CHATS WITH WOMEN OF N.O.W. I, II, III
15, 16 & 17 JULY
When
Opening & Live Chats I
15 July, 7.30pm
Live Chats II
16 July, 7.30pm
Live Chats III
17 July, 7.30pm
Where
Livestreamed on
T:>Works FB and YouTube
Available on T:>Works YouTube, free to view, till 2 Aug
Join N.O.W. Artistic Director Noorlinah Mohamed on 15 July, opening night of the Festival as she introduces not only the programmes but the team that puts the digital festival together.
Thereafter, stay for Live Chats with Women of N.O.W., directed by Anita Kapoor and hosted by Aarathi Arumugam & Dhaniah Wijaya and featuring women from the digital exhibition Women of N.O.W. Each conversation brings us across the island live, from one woman, her cause and her story, to another. Join them as they chat on life, work and the future of care in our society.
24-HOUR PLAYWRITING COMPETITION
18 - 19 JULY | 3PM - 3PM (24HRS)
For the first time, the popular site-specific 24-Hour Playwriting Competition moves to a digital space, provoking the search of writings that consider the relationship between the art of storytelling, liveness and immediacy of performance and the world of digital platforms. How will these elements meld and weave into an exciting new creation?
It begins with a great story. Then participants are invited to craft a provocative and emotive experience for the audience, digitally. In 24 hours, create a 10-15 min performance piece (8-15 pages) that is presented on either one or multiple digital platforms (e.g. WhatsApp, Zoom, Social Media). It can also be a hybrid performance, written for both the ‘live’ as well as virtual stages.
We’ll announce a theme that the writers must respond to at the start of the competition. Guiding the 24-hour ride are several stimuli to be included in the writing process. But we don’t want it to be a lonely enterprise. Our judges will be on hand as artist-facilitators. At selected intervals throughout the 24-hour period, the judges will be available for participants to discuss story ideas with.
Where
Zoom / WhatsApp
Who
Youth category: 15-18 yrs;
Open category: 19 yrs and above
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Fees
Registration fee: $30
($15 if attending the Writing in the Digital workshop)
Prizes
First Prize: S$500
Second Prize: S$300
Third Prize: S$150
ENTANGLED INTIMACIES: TRANSNATIONAL DIVORCE NARRATIVES
18 JULY | 7:30PM
Entangled Intimacies presents verbatim accounts of transnational divorce narratives of non-citizen migrant married women, performed by women from the community, featuring Suparmi, Shaila Sultana Monir, Zenny Nguyen Thi Ha and many more. Woven into the tapestry of voices are discussions with researchers and writers Amanda Chong, Dr. Quah Ee Ling Sharon and Shailey Hingorani. Directed and moderated by Noorlinah Mohamed, the readings and discussions of the verbatim accounts reveal gender, class and economic inequalities that impact the decisions made by these women. Their struggles are compounded by systemic and structural deficiencies that limit not only their mobility in the country they adopt as foreign spouses but also their intimate connections with their new families.
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Trigger warning:
Mention of sexual and physical abuse
When
A verbatim performance
18 Jul, 7.30pm
Where
Zoom Webinar
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Entangled Intimacies is available on T:>Works YouTube, free to view, till 2 Aug.
UNSEEN LABOUR: THE MAKING OF AN EXHIBITION
22 JULY | 7:30PM
Two artists – Ginette Chittick and Hazel Lim – investigate the unseen and unpaid labour of care and intimacy performed by women. The texts of these narratives are translated into patterns which are later crafted as cross-stitch as well as a combination of different techniques such as tapestry weaving, latch hooking and embroidery. The use of crafts as a means to express these narratives is also strategic to the artists’ conceptualisation of their works. Both artists are aware of the nebulous and ambivalent position these crafts hold in traditional hierarchies of both the art and design worlds. Now in the virtual domain, the irony of the unseen is made more apparent as the exhibition takes on a different turn. Presented as video narratives, the artists make visible the process of thinking and making the art works, and as result, reducing the importance of the final artistic project.
Conceptualised and created by Ginette Chittick and Hazel Lim.
Two different sets of three video narratives screened on 21 and 22, followed by talks hosted by Plural Art Mag.
When
Video narratives with livestream talk
22 Jul, 7.30pm
Talk moderated by Pauline Gan from Plural Art Mag
Where
T:>Works Facebook and
YouTube
Unseen Labour is available on
T:>Works YouTube,
free to view till 2 Aug
KING BY JO TAN
23 JULY | 7:30PM
Geok Yen is a Singaporean office lady who really can’t complain – her insurance agent boyfriend is about to propose any minute, and she has a nice stable job as a PR executive glorifying chicken essence. Life is going according to plan, until at one fateful office party, she accidentally becomes the drag king Stirling da Silva, who increasingly takes on a life of his own. And while Yen can’t complain, Stirling certainly can…and he has a lot to say.
Rating: M18
King was developed under the dramaturgy of Checkpoint Theatre.
When
Livestream: 23 Jul, 7.30pm
Join Jo Tan and Jasmine Ng in conversation on 24 Jul, 7.30pm
Where
T:>Works Facebook and
YouTube
King is available on
donate-as-you-view from 24 Jul - 2 Aug
Written and Performed by Jo Tan
Directed by Jasmine Ng
Technical Direction by Hanafi Haffidz
Stage Management by Samanthia Chia
Sound Design by Raymond Goei
N.O.W. 2020 Technical Management by ARTFACTORY
Camera Operation by Cai Rui Rong, Jazlyn Song, Ranjenee K
ProjectIon Operation by Shahfeeq Mohamed
FIT FOR A KING: A DISCUSSION ABOUT GENDER, PERFORMANCE & EVERY KING IN BETWEEN
25 JULY | 7:30PM
When
Livestream talk on 25 Jul, 7.30pm
Where
T:>Works Facebook and YouTube
Available on
T:>Works YouTube, till 2 Aug
What is a drag king? Why would someone want to be one? How many ways are there to be a drag king? In this panel, watch queer art-makers and occasional kings Tan Liting (a.k.a. Southside Tingles) and Stephanie Chan (a.k.a. Aloysius D) discuss drag while getting into drag king makeup. They will be talking about what drag means to them, the appeal and transgressive power of performing masculinity onstage, and how drag king culture creates safe spaces and identities for queer people while challenging gender norms, and some of their favourite drag kings, among many other things. This will be followed by a live Q&A session.
Live stream in conversation with Stephanie Chan and Liting Tan
THE BOOK OF MOTHERS
30 JULY | 7:30PM
When
Launch on 30 Jul with
a Listen/Watch Party, 7.30pm
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Followed by a ‘live’ in conversation with director Edith Podesta,
playwright Eleanor Tan,
sound artist Inch Chua and performers Karen Tan and
Koh Wan Ching
Where
T:>Works Facebook, YouTube and SoundCloud
In conversation via
T:>Works Facebook and
YouTube
The Book of Mothers is available on T:>Works SoundCloud, till 2 August.
What are the myths surrounding motherhood, and how do they shape the experience of being a mother? Is a woman truly free to make her own decisions, when her body has essentially been invaded and occupied? Is there really such a thing as maternal instinct? The Book of Mothers explores these questions through the eyes of Louise, whose complicated relationship with her mother leaves her ambivalent about her own pregnancy, and fearful for the loss of her own life as it used to be.
Written by Eleanor Tan
Directed by Edith Podesta
Sound Designed by Inch Chua
Performed by Karen Tan, Koh Wan Ching, Brendon Fernandez, Pavan J. Singh,
Grace Kalaiselvi, Julie Wee, Day Cutiongco and Erin Chen Si Ying
SOUND STORIES
31 JULY | 7PM
Sound Stories is an experiment in telling stories using largely sound effects, leaving the rest to the listener’s imagination. This anthology of three is inspired by artworks by women artists that have been overlooked or forgotten in history. Titled according to the original artwork, each track aims to bring the artwork to life as the listener is immersed in the soundscape.
Conceptualised by Lauren Sim and co-created with Chaya Gonzales and Shahid Nasheer.
Acknowledgement:
We would like to thank Noorlinah Mohamed, Inch Chua, Jing Ng, LASALLE College of the Arts, Rochelle Boon, Melissa Quek, Gary Kong and Splat Paint House for their support.
When

31 Jul, 7pm
Where
T:>Works SoundCloud, Facebook and YouTube
available till 2 Aug
SOUND SENSE
31 JULY | 7:30PM
A conversation between two sound artists, pushing the boundaries of aural sensation, each through their respective media. Inch Chua from music and Lim Tingli from sound design for films, both unpack the experience of telling an immersive story through sound. From history to current practices, they examine the impact of technology on the creation and perception of sound and its reverberations from the ear, to our hearts, minds, bodies and souls.
Live stream in conversation with Inch Chua and
Lim Tingli
When
31 Jul, 7.30pm
Where
T:>Works Facebook and
YouTube
Sound Sense is available on
T:>Works YouTube, free to listen,
till 2 August.
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CARVING SPACE UNDERGROUND
1 AUGUST | 7:30PM
Those involved in the DIY/Punk/Hardcore scene in Singapore take on various roles in the process-making, to do what they do. A band member also designs the band’s merch; the organiser of a gig will also take on being the front-of-house. These multiplicities have another dimension when a woman carries out these roles: the unseen labour that is ‘equated’ with a female in a capitalist and hetero-normative framework. This panel focuses on common issues women in this scene experience and gather stories that will further dismantle the status quo of the DIY culture.
Live stream talk with video moderated by Panuksmi Hardjowirogo
with guests Sharmeen/Sifar, and members of Obstacle Upsurge, Radigals, Fuse and E-thereal
Image courtesy of Radigals
When
Live stream talk on 1 Aug,
7.30pm
Where
T:>Works Facebook and
YouTube
Available on
T:>Works YouTube, free to view,
till 2 Aug
BRUNCH TALK: DISTANT YET CLOSE
2 AUGUST | 11.00AM
With public interaction still limited, artists are re-examining the way they communicate, make art, connect and engage with their audiences. How do discoveries, challenges and negotiations of going digital impact their ways of working? Find out how four groups of artists, ranging from practices in the community, to visual arts and performances, collaborate, create new vocabulary, and achieve intimacy, connection as well as interactivity within their respective digital space. Grab a cuppa and join Noorlinah Mohamed as she chats with the artists.
Artists include:
Melinda Lauw, Co-creator & Creative Director of Whisperlodge (SIN) [https://whisperlodge.nyc]
Amanda Wallace, Director (NY), collaborator of Whisperlodge
Alecia Neo, Kei Franklin and Jevon Chandra from Brack [https://togathering.cargo.site/The-Team-Behind]
Dana Lam and Pat Toh with their work-in-progress, 'Measure of Us'
Lin Shiyun of 3Pumpkins [https://www.3pumpkins.co]
When
Live stream talk on 2 Aug,
11.00am
Where
T:>Works Facebook and
YouTube
Available on
T:>Works YouTube,
till 2 Aug