Embracing its potential as a digital platform, the Festival Of Women: N.O.W. 2020 presented by local performance company T:>Works, formerly known as TheatreWorks, offers more than 10 events next month, including livestreamed performances, video narratives and workshops.
Artistic director Noorlinah Mohamed, who conceptualised it last year, says it celebrates the diverse experiences of women, focusing on the different intersections of class, race, gender and structural inequality in their lives.
The second edition of the festival runs from July 15 to Aug 2.
The company worked with migrant women, who provided accounts of transnational divorces, as well as the researchers who did the field work.
Noorlinah says: “In doing so, we ask ourselves: What is this society we live in and how can we make and hold space for others who do not fit in? Who has a voice and who gets heard? And how do those with access amplify, make and hold space for others who may not enjoy the same privilege? These are questions that thread through the programme of N.O.W. 2020.”
She revamped the festival into its current virtual form as the Covid-19 pandemic began forcing restrictions on physical gatherings and arts events earlier in the year.
The result is a programme that delves into a wide spectrum of topics, ranging from transnational divorce narratives to female musicians in the punk music scene.
The festival includes a digital exhibition of interviews with more than 25 female leaders from different sectors, including educators, business leaders and grassroots volunteers.
One featured group is Women of Shakti, set up to empower South Asian domestic workers based in Singapore. Run by A. Aarthi, Vaishnavi Naidu and Sindhura Kalidas, the group conducts workshops and information sessions for South Asian domestic workers, including financial literacy and art sessions.
The festival also features visual art and performances, including the debut of the play King, written and performed by Jo Tan and directed by Jasmine Ng.
BOOK IT / FESTIVAL OF WOMEN: N.O.W. 2020
WHERE: Different events will be available across various T:>Works’ social media channels such as Facebook (www.facebook.com/TWorkssg) and YouTube (www.youtube.com/ user/TheatreWorksSG). Livestreamed events will be available for catch-up viewing on T:>Works’ YouTube and SoundCloud channels
WHEN: July 15 to Aug 2
ADMISSION: The festival events are free except for the 24-hour playwriting competition on July 18 and 19. It has a registration fee of $30; $15 for attendees of the festival’s Writing In The Digital workshop, which has a registration fee of $100. For details, go to the festival website
INFO: www.notordinarywork.com/festivalofwomen
The one-woman show follows a Singaporean female office worker who cross-dresses as a man for an office party and explores the limits and accesses of male privilege.
For its third week, the festival has lined up radio play The Book Of Mothers, written by Eleanor Tan and directed by Edith Podesta, which looks into the difficult choices women face when grappling with career and motherhood.
T:>Works has also launched a fund-raising initiative, T:>Care, to support projects created and developed by women that bring about change to the community.
The initiative supports seven such projects, including by non-profit arts company 3Pumpkins and Project X, which advocates against violence towards and the exploitation of Singapore’s sex workers.
The public can donate to T:>Care at www.giving.sg/ theatreworks-singapore-limited/tcare.
Festival highlights
1. Entangled Intimacies: Transnational Divorce Narratives
What: A livestreamed performance with transnational divorce narratives of migrant women. The project includes discussions with researchers and writers Quah Ee Ling Sharon, Chong Ning Qian and Amanda Chong, and is directed and moderated by Noorlinah Mohamed.
Where: T:>Works’ Facebook and YouTube channels
When: July 18, 7.30pm. It will be available on T:>Works’ YouTube channel till Aug 2
2. King
What: One-woman show written and performed by Jo Tan and directed by Jasmine Ng.
Where: T:>Works’ Facebook and YouTube channels
When: July 23, 7.30pm. It will be available on T:>Works’ YouTube channel till July 26. 3.
3. The Book Of Mothers
What: A radio play discussing the struggles of motherhood and career aspirations written by Eleanor Tan, directed by Edith Podesta and performed by Karen Tan and Koh Wan Ching.
Where: T:>Works’ SoundCloud channel
When: July 30, 7.30pm. It will be available on T:>Works’ SoundCloud channel till Aug 2.
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