Exploring Singapore's neglected stories

Drama Box's play on indigenous people is thought-provoking and leaves audiences with more questions than answers

Dalifah Shahril (standing) and (from left) Suhaili Safari, Farez Najid and Roslan Kemat play sea nomads in the verbatim Malay play, Air.
Dalifah Shahril (standing) and (from left) Suhaili Safari, Farez Najid and Roslan Kemat play sea nomads in the verbatim Malay play, Air. PHOTO: ZINKIE AW, COURTESY OF DRAMA BOX
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Drama Box's Tanah.Air: A Play In Two Parts is an intriguing exploration of Singapore's lesser-known stories and the dispossession of the indigenous Orang Seletar. It is performed in Mandarin and Malay and directed by Kok Heng Leun, Koh Wan Ching and Adib Kosnan.

The first part is Tanah ("land" in Malay), a Chinese piece by Neo Hai Bin, who is also co-writer of Wild Rice's Merdeka, another play that shines a light on neglected histories.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on October 19, 2019, with the headline Exploring Singapore's neglected stories. Subscribe