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A comedy pokes fun at the military. A drama depicts a local
stripper from the 1950s. A satire portrays an ethnic Malay Muslim
general who becomes a dictator.
The biennial Singapore Theatre Festival, which wraps up Sunday,
showcased how artists here are taking advantage of relaxed
government censorship to explore once taboo subjects - even, to
some degree, the highly charged issues of race, religion and
politics.
"There's a huge difference in what's allowed now compared to
five years ago," said Gaurav Kripalani, who has helped stage
Rent, Death of a Salesman and Avenue Q
as artistic director of the Singapore Repertory Theatre.
But there are limits.
The government banned a 2006 play for "portraying Muslims in a
negative light," along with documentaries about opposition
political figures and even a couple of Janet Jackson CDs for racy
lyrics.
Still, the notoriously straight-laced Southeast Asian city-state
is finally letting its hair down, a few strands at a time.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced last week that the
government would lift a ban on films with political themes, while
maintaining one on political commercials and what he called
"partisan stuff."
The ban was lifted in part because of widespread internet use,
which has undermined government censorship efforts.
"I don't think an outright ban is still sensible because this is
how people communicate on the web in daily life," Lee said. "So
we've got to allow political videos, with some safeguards."
Another reason for loosening up is economic: Faced with a
shortage of skilled workers and an ageing population, the
government is trying to attract qualified foreigners to live
here.
It also wants to keep locals, who are becoming more
sophisticated, from migrating abroad.
So Singapore, which still suffers from a reputation as a quirky
place that canes vandals and bans chewing gum, is trying to become
a hip and fun place.
Making the city of 4.6 million people an "arts and theatre hub"
is part of that drive. Singapore also will host the first nighttime
Formula One race next month and unveil a casino resort next
year.
The government has poured money into theatre, music and dance
during the last decade.
The number of theatregoers has almost doubled since 2000, while
registered theatre companies grew to 73 last year from 18 in 1997,
according to the government's National Arts Council.
Artists applaud the government for establishing the Media
Development Authority in 2003, which put in place a ratings system
that can prohibit Singaporeans below the age of 16, 18 or 21 from
attending certain performances.
"Now there's a buffer between the police and the artists," said
Alvin Tan, who has directed plays about capital punishment,
pedophilia and marijuana use.
"Before the MDA came about, it was more high-handed. We would
just get a letter that would say, 'Take this line out, take this
paragraph out.' Now we can negotiate."
The authority requires playwrights to submit scripts for
approval and bans plays that threaten the "stability and harmony"
of the city, where Malays and ethnic Chinese clashed in riots in
the 1960s.
"Race and religion remain powerful and emotional subjects,
especially in our multiracial society,'' said Amy Chua, the Media
Development Authority's director of media content.
"Such issues should continue to be dealt with and presented
sensitively."
To avoid the censor's wrath, playwrights often use satire or
metaphor to discuss sensitive topics such as the People's Action
Party, known as the PAP, which has ruled Singapore since
independence in 1965.
One play at this year's festival depicts Stamford Raffles, who
founded Singapore as a British trading port in 1819, as a
debt-ridden and often irresponsible dreamer, a far cry from the
noble, visionary hero of history books.
"I wanted to expose the founding myth as a myth," said Ng
Yi-Sheng, who wrote the play. "It's a way of attacking some of the
myths of today. The PAP very much rules as a neocolonial
government, placing order and morality above all."
Some Singaporeans doubt the greater freedom given to theatre
will spill over into other media, such as television, radio and
print.
"Theatre only challenges the mindsets of a limited, middle-class
audience," said Stefanie Chan, a 20-year-old university student.
"Censorship is stricter in mass media."
The government did lift a ban on the Sex and the City
TV program in 2004. Cosmopolitan and the men's magazine
FHM are allowed; Playboy and Penthouse
are not.
"The government still doesn't believe the people are mature
enough to give completely uncensored views," Ng said. "But I think
Singapore has reached a stage that it does not need
limitations."
Discussions about censorship often come back to the relative
"maturity" of Singapore, with the society sometimes talked about as
if it's a teenager about to leave home.
"Over the past years, performance guidelines have changed in
tandem with community needs and expectations," Chua of the Media
Development Authority said. "As our society matures, we can
accommodate more debates and exploration of issues."
Since independence, Singapore, a tiny island with almost no
natural resources, has grown into a developed nation. Gross
domestic product per capita rose to $US35,163 ($A40,600) last year
from $US512 in 1965.
The general population thinks two things, said Chua Beng Huat, a
sociology professor at National University of Singapore: The
government has done a good job economically, but there needs to be
more public discussion about everything.
"You cannot have a society that has been economically
progressing for 50 years and not expect it to become much more
complex, educated, and demanding," Chua said.
The long-ruling People's Action Party, with an eye toward the
next election, recognises this shift.
"They know what public opinion is, and they know what the cost
would be if they continue to be stubborn," Chua said. "They're in
the business of staying in power."
AP
The Sydney Morning Herald
