The Influence of Chekhov and Ibsen on Singapore Theatre

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Singapore theatre is greatly influenced by the theatre of Anton Chekhov and Henrik Ibsen, especially in regard to the purpose of the play. Ibsen and Chekhov use their plays as social commentaries to explore Europe’s social issues and criticise outdated norms; Singaporean plays function as social commentaries, too. However, Singapore theatre and the theatre of Chekhov and Ibsen are definitely not entirely the same, with writing styles being a main contrast. This paper examines how much the work of Ibsen and Chekhov has affected Singapore theatre.

One may say that we cannot compare the issues addressed by Singapore theatre and the theatre of Chekhov and Ibsen, because these are performed in different eras, in different countries with different cultures. However, the common thread between the two lies in the use of social issues as material for plays. In 2011, with what was hailed as a “watershed” General Election and a Presidential Election that produced a winner by a margin of 0.35%, Singapore’s political climate was charged, to say the least. Politics became a topic that was discussed by Singaporeans from young to old, regardless of our eligibility to vote. And of course, politics became fodder for Singapore theatre. As a result, 2011 saw plays like Mata Hati, HERstory, The 1955 Baling Talks, Cooling Off Day, Fear of Writing, as well as restagings of Gemuk Girls and Model Citizens (Martin, 2011, p. T11).

In 1996, Tan Tarn How’s Six of the Best explored racial and ethnic tensions, topics seldom discussed, but highly relevant to multi-ethnic Singapore. Six advertising executives gather to celebrate the closing of a big deal, but the gathering quickly degenerates into a fall out over the controversial caning of Michael Fay, an inci...

... middle of paper ...

...ly 21). Broken Taboos Take Center Stage in Singapore. The New York Times. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/22/arts/22iht-jessop22.html?pagewanted=all

Lee, L. (2011, July 3). Six of the Best. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from Quarterly Literary Review Singapore: http://www.qlrs.com/critique.asp?id=860

Martin, M. (2011, December 30). Enter stage left: Politics. TODAY, p. T11.

Meyer, M. (1967). Ibsen. Harmondsworth: Penguin.

Peterson, W. (2001). Theater and the politics of culture in contemporary Singapore. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan University Press.

SparkNotes Editors. (n.d.). SparkNote on Chekhov Stories. Retrieved January 4, 2012, from SparkNotes: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/chekhov/themes.html

TheatreWorksSG. (2010, September 3). Six Of The Best [Video file]. Retrieved January 8, 2012, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MvQdf5HegXE

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