From Forum Theatre to Devising Theatre Showcase 2025

Standard: $15

Ticket Pricing excludes Booking Fee. Booking Fee is as follows:

$1 booking fee per ticket for tickets priced up to $20

Join us for an exciting showcase of fresh, innovative performances from the talented artists of The Necessary Stage’s (TNS) From Forum Theatre to Devising Theatre workshop!

Earlier this year, 14 artists from a range of backgrounds dove into an intensive training programme, focussing on forum theatre techniques and TNS's unique devising methodology. Combined with lectures and clinics led by a diverse range of established theatre practitioners, the creatives channelled their newfound skills and interests in social issues into these dynamic works-in-progress.

Each performance features a dynamic work-in-progress devised around a specific theme chosen by the artists, followed by an engaging dialogue with the audience led by Alvin Tan and A Yagnya. Your valuable feedback will help shape these pieces as the artists continue to develop these works.

The schedule of presentations are as follows:

Saturday, 6 December 2025, 3pm

You Made Me Feel Like This Would Last Forever by Eugene Chow, Kaelen Ong, Lim Ci Xuan, Aliff Kamaruddin, and Nah Jieying

A father is unable to move on from the sudden death of his daughter, suspended in a purgatorial space of frustration and regret. The delightfully quirky therapy Cyborg is assigned to help Father grieve and heal. Despite the Cyborg’s quiet and persistent care, Father is stuck in an abyss of grief, trapped in never-ending cycles of implosion. Father takes us on a surreal journey marked by his grief and the loss of his parental identity, of love that is both ephemeral and enduring, but not eternal. What happens when fragments of the past begin to surface, as the uneasy relationship between Father and Cyborg start to unravel?

Saturday, 6 December 2025, 8pm

And Then, Love by Chrisdale Allison Tay, Elizabeth Samosir, Lum Wing Chee, and Tejas Hirah

What does it mean to love yourself? What does it take to love someone else?

We posed these universal questions to our families, friends, colleagues, and strangers. Through laughter and tears, their tales of love and loss were crafted into a work of verbatim theatre that seeks to uncover responses from myriad perspectives.

In a world of growing conflict and dissonance, we hope to create a work that brings some clarity and hope, a safe space for all of us to reflect on what it means to love, wherever we may be in our own personal journeys.

Sunday, 7 December 2025, 3pm

A Life Well Led by Fanny Kee, Jasmine Xie, Suffiyan Mohamad, Timothy Yeo, and Yane Tan

Four pastel-clad committee members have gathered in a town hall. Their agenda: to assess whether Singaporeans have a life well led.

You, the audience, will be invited to vote on how a series of fictional “case studies” drawn from everyday Singaporean lives perform against the new Living Index for Fulfilment and Efficiency (L.I.F.E.) metric. This index will guide future governmental policies based on what the audience agrees is “a life well led".

Will we be able to agree on what defines success and failure?

Terms of Ticket Sales

• Once sold, tickets are strictly non-refundable or exchangeable unless the Singapore government mandates the closure of events in Singapore. All information given is correct at the time of publishing, but is subject to change without prior notice. The Promoter reserves all rights to amend any terms and conditions without prior notice, and, in the event of any dispute, the Promoter’s decision is final.

Conditions of Entry

• Admission is subject to valid tickets produced at the entrance.
• Each ticket admits one person.

General

• Attendees must follow all venue rules and safety guidelines, including any health protocols in place on the event day.
• Mobile phones must be switched off or switched to silent mode in the theatre.
• Patrons are required to follow all house rules and regulations set out by the venue. The House Rules are displayed within the venue premises.
• No food and drinks are allowed in the venue.

Photography / Videography Recording Rules

• Photography and videography are strictly not allowed during the performance.

_{All information is correct at time of publishing but may be subject to change without prior notice.}

_{The Promoter reserves the right to amend the above without prior notice. In the event of any dispute, the Promoter’s decision is final.}

THE NECESSARY STAGE

Established in 1987, The Necessary Stage (TNS) is a non-profit theatre company with charity status. Our mission is to create challenging, indigenous and innovative theatre that touches the heart and mind. TNS has the honour of being the only arts company in Singapore helmed by two Cultural Medallion recipients: Artistic Director and Founder Alvin Tan and Resident Playwright Haresh Sharma. The company is also the organiser and curator of the annual Singapore Fringe Festival.

TNS is supported by the National Arts Council under the Major Company Scheme for the period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2026.

For more information, visit necessary.org and tnsarchives.com.

Follow us on:

Facebook at facebook.com/thenecessarystage

Instagram at instagram.com/thenecessarystage

LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/the-necessary-stage

YOU MADE ME FEEL LIKE THIS WOULD LAST FOREVER

PLAYWRIGHT, DIRECTOR AND CAST – EUGENE CHOW

Eugene enjoys the time between seasons, listening to how the transitions light up his body. He is an actor-director, having studied creation at the Ecole internationale de théâtre Jacques Lecoq. He finds pleasure in movement: in observing it, in playing with it. Sometimes, he asks himself what it means to move the subconscious. Other times, he asks for ice cream.

IG: @galaxydorks

CHOREOGRAPHER AND CAST – NAH JIEYING

Jieying Nah is a movement choreographer, producer, workshop facilitator, and founder of Tinydancer Productions, a company that creates interdisciplinary works for events and stages.

A London Contemporary Dance School graduate and National Arts Council Arts Scholar, she has performed internationally and with The Human Expression Dance Company.

Her works blend physicality, theatricality, and whimsy, drawing on everyday narratives to engage diverse audiences.

IG: @tinydancerjane

DRAMATURG AND CAST – ALIFF KAMARUDDIN

A Young & Wild graduate, Aliff is a bilingual actor who believes in creating and engaging in socially conscious theatre. His interest in devising and movement processes has influenced his craft, which seeks to reflect the complexities in our everyday experiences.

His past works include Candide (WILD RICE) and The Golden Record (NUS Stage).

RESEARCHER AND CAST – LIM CI XUAN (SHE/THEY)

Ci Xuan is a performance maker who explores the intersections of social advocacy and experimental arts. She explores themes of grief and intimacy through tender playfulness, finding fluidity in chaos while navigating ways to weave intricate care systems with communities that lack access to healthcare systems.

Past works include: Pillow and Garbage Fashion Studio (3 Pumpkins), Medusa Salon (RAWGround residency), How be Tender with Aluminium (Transient Tribes residency).

MUSIC AND CAST – KAELEN ONG

Kaelen is an actor and artist. She believes that art is about finding the truth, within and without.

Her credits include Much Ado About Nothing (The Winter Players), Adventures with Andi (HowDrama), and Saving Billy! (KidsSTOP Science Centre).

She hopes that you find some comfort and resonance in the work expressed and shared with you today.

IG: @kaelenong

AND THEN, LOVE

DIRECTOR & CAST – TEJAS V HIRAH

Tejas Hirah is a freelance theatre and screen actor, drama educator, director, and casting agent. A BA (Hons) Acting graduate from LASALLE College of the Arts, he has performed in English and Malay theatre and television, directed and cast the sold-out interactive theatre production The Jury Experience (Fever Singapore), and cast talents for TV, commercials, and Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth’s interdisciplinary production Kaleidoscope: Harmony in Motion.

IG: @tejasthehirah

HEAD WRITER & CAST – ELIZABETH SAMOSIR

Elizabeth Samosir is a Singapore-based actor whose practice spans stage, screen, and writing. She trained in theatre at School of the Arts, Singapore and holds a Diploma in Performance from LASALLE College of the Arts. Currently pursuing a Degree in Arts Management at LASALLE, she is passionate about storytelling that bridges personal experience and cultural inquiry.

IG: @elizabethsamosir_

ASSISTANT PLAYWRIGHT & CAST – CHRISDALE ALLISON TAY

Allison is a bilingual Singaporean actress, writer, and drama practitioner with a BA Hons in Musical Theatre from LASALLE College of the Arts. Stage work includes Once on This Island, The Jury and Kaleidoscope: Harmony in Motion. Screen work includes Hidden Wounds, Provocative, and Lovesick, amongst others. She founded ProjectImagine!, an expressive arts initiative for youth and mental health advocacy, and is currently writing, directing and producing The Sound of Our Voice, an original play with a mental health agency.

Email: [email protected]

DRAMATURG – LUM WING CHEE

Recently graduating from LASALLE's BA (Hons) Acting programme, Wing Chee is a versatile actor and performance-maker who loves connecting with people through storytelling. A firm believer in collaborative art-making, he was recently seen in the Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth’s interdisciplinary production Kaleidoscope: Harmony in Motion. Interested in other ways to support devising processes, Wing Chee has decided to dip his toes into dramaturgy.

IG: @cheezywingz

A LIFE WELL LED

DIRECTOR/ PLAYWRIGHT/ COLLABORATOR – SUFFIYAN MOHAMAD

Suffiyan recently graduated from LASALLE College of the Arts’ BA (Hons) Acting programme and promptly decided performing wasn’t enough, so now he’s directing, writing, and conjuring worlds through Tabletop Role-playing Games. From contemporary theatre to experimental oddities, he thrives on mischief, collaboration, and storytelling that blurs the line between play and performance. Basically: if it builds a world, he wants in.

DRAMATURG/ COLLABORATOR – LUM WING CHEE

Recently graduating from LASALLE's BA (Hons) Acting programme, Wing Chee is a versatile actor and performance-maker who loves connecting with people through storytelling. A firm believer in collaborative art-making, he was recently seen in the Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth’s interdisciplinary production Kaleidoscope: Harmony in Motion. Interested in other ways to support devising processes, Wing Chee has decided to dip his toes into dramaturgy.

IG: @cheezywingz

CAST/ CO-PLAYWRIGHT/ COLLABORATOR – FANNY KEE

Fanny has worked in WILD RICE’s The Visit of the Tai Tai, I Theatre's Beyond Therapy, The Finger Players and Mime Unlimited's Furthest North, Deepest South (winner of Best Production and Best Ensemble at The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards). Other theatre credits include Singapore Repertory Theatre's Scrooge – The Musical; ACTION Theatre's Catching Adam Cheng, and Mother in Boom in both Singapore Repertory Theatre and Sight Lines stagings. She was last seen in Pangdemonium's Dragonflies.

CAST/ CO-PLAYWRIGHT/ COLLABORATOR – JASMINE XIE

Seen in <<灵戏>> The Spirits Play by The Finger Players and Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay’s PLAYtime!’s A Prince, An Explorer and A Girl - The Story of Batu Bulat, Jasmine Xie is a fluently bilingual performer whose work spans theatre, TV, film, and voice. Trained in Australia and New York City’s Movement Theatre Studio, she is a graduate of The Finger Players’ inaugural Apprentice Programme and a former member of Emergency Shelter.

CAST/ CO-PLAYWRIGHT/ COLLABORATOR – TIMOTHY YEO

Tim is an improviser who has since betrayed his unscripted roots for memorising lines. He has dabbled in both English and Mandarin theatre and is in love with musical theatre. As an improviser, Tim has performed, coached and directed globally; including but not limited to Taipei, Beijing, London, Oslo, Hanoi, and Manila. Like many actors in Singapore, Tim took the traditional route of doing a law degree.

CAST/ CO-PLAYWRIGHT/ COLLABORATOR – YANE TAN

Yane is a bilingual actor with a B.A.(Hons) in Theatre Studies. She returned to theatre after a corporate stint. She has appeared on stage and screen, and has performed with Toy Factory and The Theatre Practice.