SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF ARTS 2015: It Won’t Be Too Long, The Cemetery – Dawn & Dusk

PUBLISHED April 20th, 2015 04:24 pm | UPDATED June 9th, 2020 08:33 pm

In a country as small as Singapore, space – both physically and psychologically – comes at a premium. Drama Box explores the dynamics of space in Singapore in It Won’t Be Too Long, which blends performance and participation in two arts projects, The Lesson and The Cemetery. The two socially engaged art projects also reflect the different approaches to performance-making that have characterised Drama Box’s philosophy for 25 years.

Unfolding in two parts (Dawn and Dusk), The Cemetery examines the notion and reality of a burial ground – looking in particular at how Bukit Brown represents loss and being lost. Do we need a new road for economic growth or do we need to hold onto some roots in our land?

As Dawn approaches, slip into the rhythms of Bukit Brown in the wee hours of the morning. Watch as the shadows of performers evaporate, giving way to daily routines whilst the sun rises. From the ghostly to the earthly, this experiential event situates us firmly in the Bukit Brown Cemetery, which may disappear as contestations continue. Experience the nature of Bukit Brown in the early morning, a site that has dominated the news in the last year but which you have perhaps never visited.

In the Dusk of evening, The Cemetery shifts into the genre of verbatim theatre, directed by Kok Heng Leun and shaped by playwright Jean Tay from the words and experiences of ordinary family members as well as various stakeholders such as the Heritage Society, civil society representatives, institutions and agencies. Discover the heartbreak and hope of everyone involved in negotiating the fate of Bukit Brown.

Dusk ends with an elegy to this process led by indie pop band The Observatory.

It Won’t Be Too Long, The Cemetery, Dawn & Dusk will be taking place from Friday, 18 September to Saturday, 19 September at Bukit Brown Cemetery.

For the dawn slot, please click [here](http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/sifa2015r). For the dusk slot, please click [here](http://www.sistic.com.sg/events/sifa2015q).