SRT and Esplanade to bring top theatre directors to Singapore

KUALA LUMPUR: Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) and Esplanade - Theatre on the Bay are collaborating to bring the productions of three of the world's greatest theatre directors to the island republic.

The three directors - namely Simon McBurney, Yukio Ninagawa and Peter Brook - will step foot into Singapore between August and November.

In August, McBurney will go to Singapore for the first time with a mesmerising production, Shun-kin.

On November 8-9, Ninagawa will make his first appearance in Singapore in 21 years with the production Musashi. About two weeks later, Brook will make a return to Singapore with the production The Suit.

Over the past decade, SRT and Esplanade have teamed up to bring some of the best theatre in the world to Singapore. This include The Royal Shakespeare Company's tour of Ian McKellen's King Lear and The Bridge Project in which Singapore was the only city to host all three instalments, including Kevin Spacey’s Richard III.

“Having collaborated with SRT to bring to Singapore some of the most memorable international theatre productions in recent memory, we are pleased to further cement this through this joint presentation of three of the world’s greatest living directors," said Benson Puah, the CEO of Esplanade.

"It takes an alignment of the stars to be able to present their works in such close succession and we hope that local audiences and artists will seize this rare opportunity to witness firsthand the power and artistry of these visionary creators.”

Meanwhile, the Artistic Director of SRT, Gaurav Kripalani said that the staging of the three plays in the same season is a major coup for Singapore.

"For those of you who may be unfamiliar with any of them, trust me when I say this is an incredibly rare opportunity. Buy tickets to all three productions. You will not be disappointed.

"My hope is that everyone watching these plays will have an experience that is as profound and inspiring as mine was when I first saw their work," he said.

Kripalani watched Ninagawa's Macbeth and Brook's Mahabbharata over 20 years ago and admitted that the productions changed his life and inspired him to pursue a career in the arts.

Presented as part of the Audi Classics 2013, 3 Titans of Theatre is made possible with the support of Mitsubishi Corp and Ricoh (Singapore) Pte Ltd.

Tickets for these productions are available from June 13 at all SISTIC outlets and online via www.sistic.com.sg.