Crystalwords Theatre Highlights 2016

Happy New Year's Eve! It's time for the Crystalwords annual Singapore theatre round-up.

Following an outpouring of arts productions alongside last year's SG50 celebrations, 2016 has been a much quieter year for Singapore theatre. I've seen far less shows compared to the past few years and there have been fewer standouts, most productions being just average instead of truly spectacular. Nonetheless, the year has seen a handful of powerful, challenging productions tackling important themes and original plays that make things look bright for the future.

A couple of preliminaries:

(a) This list is written in a purely personal capacity and reflects all the theatre productions I have watched in Singapore for the year, whether by local companies or touring foreign companies. It does not purport to be definitive by any stretch. Revivals by the same theatre company are generally not considered unless I did not watch the original production.

(b) I rate all my productions out of five, basing my score on acting, directing, script, production values and the overall experience. My average production score for 2016 is 3.33/5. The vast majority of productions have been in the serviceable but otherwise ho-hum three-star category with only three local productions earning a solid four-star rating.

(c) I've done my theatre round-up in Academy Awards style like previous years without any specific commentary on my choice - please click on the links to read my full reviews for each production.

*****

Best Actor
Andrew Marko, Falling (Pangdemonium!)

Best Actress
Tan Kheng Hua, Falling (Pangdemonium!)

Best Supporting Actor
Aaron Khaled, Rent (Pangdemonium!)

Best Supporting Actress
Frances Lee, Rent (Pangdemonium)

Best Original Script
Helmi Yusof, My Mother Buys Condoms (W!LD RICE)

Best Set Design
Wong Chee Wai, Falling (Pangdemonium)

Best Costume Design
Moe Kasim, Romeo and Juliet (Singapore Repertory Theatre)

Best Lighting Design
Gabriel Chan, Romeo and Juliet (Singapore Repertory Theatre)

Best Sound Design
Darren Ng, Starring Hitler as Jekyll and Hyde (The Finger Players)

Best Multimedia Design
Brian Gothong Tan, Ghost Writer (The Necessary Stage)

Best Ensemble
The Last Bull: A Life in Flamenco (Checkpoint Theatre)

Best Director
Tracie Pang, Falling (Pangdemonium)

Production of the Year
Falling (Pangdemonium)