Photo credits: SDEA

The face of an overzealous published playwright! :)

Photo credit: Singapore Writers Festival 
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"இயற்கையும் இயற்கைக் குறித்த நுட்பங்களும் சங்க இலக்கியத்தில் நிலம் சார்ந்த காட்சிகளாக வரையறுக்கப்படவில்லை. அது கவிதையின் மையக் கதாபாத்திரங்களின் அக வாழ்வோடும் ஆழமான தொடர்பைக் கொண்டுள்ளது. சமகால எழுத்தாளர்களும் கலைஞர்களும் சங்ககால எழுத்துகளின் கூறுகளை எவ்வாறு மறு ஆக்கம் செய்துள்ளனர்? குறிப்பாக, அவற்றின் இயற்கை சார்ந்த காட்சிகளைத் தங்களின் படைப்புகளில் எவ்வாறு வெளிப்படுத்தியுள்ளனர்? சங்கக் கவிதைகளின் வளமான பாரம்பரியத்தை நேரடி இசையுடன் இந்தக் கலந்துரையாடலில் ரசித்து இன்புறலாம்.
இந்த நிகழ்ச்சி தமிழில் நடைபெறும்.

Nature has a deep connection with sangam literature, where, beyond serving as a mere backdrop, it has itself been a central character around which narratives revolve. How have contemporary writers and artists reinterpreted elements of these ancient Tamil texts and particularly their nature motifs into their own creative works? Enjoy the rich traditions of sangam poetry with a blend of music in this panel discussion with a live music station."

What a thrill it was to moderate a Tamil panel at this year's Singapore Writers Festival! I'm thankful to the Singapore Writers Festival team for picking up the proposal I had sent during the open call. We unpacked the role of nature in ancient Sangam poetry, how Sangam continues to be reinvented by contemporary poets and artists, and the relevance of Sangam literature today, including its connections with music. I would like to extend my gratitude to panellists Dr Manivannan Murugesan, Banu Suresh and Niranjan Pandian (who featured his flute at a live music station during the panel!) and Mr Ilango Krishnan, the award-winning lyricist for the blockbuster movies, Ponniyin Selvan 1 and 2! A big shout out to Ayilisha from the Arts House/SWF team for her support and efforts in ensuring the panel ran smoothly. I am still buzzing from the rich conversations and interesting discoveries, and I look forward to delving deeper into these ancient verses from a fresher perspective.

Photo credit: Sivananthan and Ayilisha ​

Thank you to SDEA for inviting me to be  one of the panelists at the Theatre Arts Conference with these esteemed individuals! I shared about my pedagogy, artistic practice and approaches towards decolonisation and was thrilled to be part of an exciting conversation. 

Photo credits: SDEA

Thank you to Brahmastra and Niranjan for featuring my story at 'My Identity, My Artistry'! This was a dance musical experience based on the creative journeys of five featured artists within the Singapore-Indian community! You can check out my interview and the dance and music performance here!

An engaging discussion on award-winning Tamil writer, Jeyamohan's Stories of the True (translated by Priyamvada Ramkumar). Thank you to the brilliant Prashanti Ram for facilitating this conversation and to Dana Lam for sharing the space with me! 

Thrilled to have been part of the subcommittee of Connections 2023 with Adeeb Fazah and Othman Yusof! Titled 'Our Many Colours - Cultural Inclusivity in the Drama Classroom' the panel discussion delved into unpacking the importance of cultural representation and how drama educators can create a safe space for cultural inclusivity. 
 
Thank you to our panelists, Akshita Nanda, Elnie S Mashari, Ezra Kamal, Kah Gay Ng and Serena Ho for your invaluable insights! 

Honoured to be one of the 10 personalities featured at Naanum Thamizhum (which translates to 'Me and Tamil)! I spoke about how the Tamil language plays an important role in my artistic career as a writer.  Thank you to the Centre for Singapore Tamil Culture for this recognition! 
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What does it mean to be a brown playwright in a diverse, changing world? In this instalment of Nadagavaathi, I was invited by Agam Theatre to share about my playwriting journey and the trials and tribulations I have faced in the last 8 years. I am honoured that I got the chance to share the stage with Dr Elavazhagan and Dr Umayal, both esteemed playwrights in the local Tamil industry! I remember feeling very nervous that day and both of them were very encouraging and made me feel at ease. They had a lot of illuminating thoughts to share and I learnt so much! 

Thank you, Ganesh Subramaniam and Agam Theatre, for this opportunity and for working hard to put this together. I appreciate the effort to make this content accessible as a resource material for students or anyone doing research on the Singapore Indian theatre scene. 

Photo credits: Agam Theatre ​

"What are the challenges faced by theatre companies and artists as we move beyond SG50?
Are theatre-makers now short-lived or just adaptably amorphous?
How does the individual artist navigate the new landscape of collectives vs companies, pop-up platforms and projects vs full-time positions?
Like every multi-hyphenate out there today, is talent now expected to be multi-talented?
Importantly, how does one ensure sustainability of your practice over years and decades, as the arts fight for attention from more avenues?

This forum invites some of today’s most exciting theatre-makers to share their thoughts, their motivations, their anxieties - as they respond to the ecology of funding and market today.

Hear from: Aswani Aswath, Grace Kalaiselvi, Jasdeep Singh Gill, Nabilah Said, Neo Hai Bin, Tan Liting"
Source/Ticketing Info: https://forum2016.peatix.com/ 

Photo credits: Intercultural Theatre Institute