The Lesson
(2019)

Participatory theatre production, as part of the Esplanade’s Feed Your Imagination (F.Y.I.) 2019 programme.

21 to 24 May 2019, 10am, 2.30pm, 5.15pm. Esplanade (Theatre Studio).

Production Info

Produced by Drama Box

Production Credits

Director — Koh Hui Ling
Facilitators (rotational basis) — Michael Cheng, Chong Gua Khee, Han Xuemei, Koh Hui Ling, Adib Kosnan, Liew Jiayi, Muhammad Muazzam Bin Amanah, Ghazali Muzakir
Production Manager — Ng Siaw Hui

A new train station is planned for the estate, but there is little space left and something must be demolished. What should stay and what should go?

In this participatory theatre production, facilitators take the students through a series of activities, as they learn about the costs, risks, stakes and sacrifices that come with creating a community. Through this experience, students will be given the opportunity to explore how they value the different spaces in their own country, what their priorities and concerns are, as well as what democracy is really about – the power and choice of their vote, their role and responsibility as an individual living in our society.

Created by Li Xie and Drama Box, The Lesson made its first appearance at the Singapore International Festival of Arts 2015 to critical acclaim. As part of the trilogy It Won't Be Too Long, the impactful participatory performance was lauded by local media as one of the best productions of 2015. We have since adapted the piece and brought it to Taiwan in December 2016, and the International Community Arts Festival in Rotterdam in March 2017. The piece was also piloted as a theatre programme for youths at two local secondary schools in 2016, and a junior college in 2017 with the support of MOE CCEB.

→ Photo Credit: Zinkie Aw, courtesy of Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay