"SENSATIONAL" ARTICLE ON THE NECESSARY STAGE AND FORUM THEATRE (Fears of the artistic community)

The following question stood in the name of Dr Kanwaljit Soin -

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: To ask the Minister for Information and the Arts whether he will allay the fears of the artistic community over the "sensational" article in the media concerning The Necessary Stage and forum theatre.

Dr Toh Keng Kiat: Sir, on behalf of Dr Soin, Question No. 12. She has requested that I declare her interest as a Director of The Necessary Stage.

BG George Yong-Boon Yeo: Mr Speaker, Sir, the Straits Times' article on 5th February 1994 reported that the two principal dramatists of The Necessary Stage had attended a workshop in New York in April 1993 organised by an avowed Marxist belonging to a group called the Theatre of the Oppressed. The article asked whether The Necessary Stage had similar political motives. The Necessary Stage subsequently clarified that it had no such motive whether in the past or for the future. Prof. Tommy Koh, Chairman of the National Arts Council (NAC), wrote to the Straits Times on 7th February 1994, stating that the NAC was satisfied that The Necessary Stage had not politicised its past performances.

While the Straits Times' article was somewhat sensational, it did focus public attention on a potential problem which we should be mindful of. It is not good for the arts in Singapore to become politicised. While art, especially theatre, cannot avoid commenting on social and political conditions of society, in Singapore art should not be used to promote particular political causes, and certainly not in a covert way. Otherwise, the Government will be forced to treat and regulate such performances as a form of political activity. This will be quite different from the NAC's present approach towards the arts, and will surely retard the development of the arts in Singapore.

Forum theatre makes the audience a part of the performance. It can create a very intense experience for the audience, who become participants. The technique is not new. It is a variation of the group experience used by psychologists for group therapy, and by political and religious groups to secure the commitment of members to their causes.

Such techniques can be exploitative. Schools and members of the public should be aware of their possible dangers. The NAC rightly takes a very cautious approach towards them, and has stated that it will not fund forum theatre projects.