Children’s theatre shows by Teater Ekamatra and Paper Monkey Theatre

Two children’s theatre shows offer quirky stories in mother tongue languages tailored for the young.

Teater Ekamatra’s Hantu Kaki Kotor is based on Sharon Ismail’s book, The Ghost With Dirty Feet (2016). Adapted by playwright Adib Kosnan, this tells the story of little Ali, who schemes to win three months’ supply of rice for his adoptive family. 

This heartwarming tale, told in Malay with English surtitles, explores family ties and relationships. The 40-minute show is recommended for children aged between seven and 12. 

Paper Monkey Theatre’s My Cloud employs shadow and object puppetry to tell a story about a child who learns to explore the universe and protect the environment with the help of a talking cloud. 

This 45-minute Mandarin play is suitable for children aged between four and nine.  

Admission to both plays is for children aged four and above, and all children must be accompanied by an adult. 

Where: Hantu Kaki Kotor, Drama Centre Black Box, 100 Victoria Street; My Cloud, Stamford Arts Centre Black Box, 155 Waterloo Street
MRT: Bugis
When: Hantu Kaki Kotor, Feb 22 to 25, 10.30am and 1.30 and 2.30pm; My Cloud, March 2, 11am, and 1 and 3pm, March 3, 11am and 1pm
Admission: Hantu Kaki Kotor, from $20 from bookmyshow (str.sg/B9C7); My Cloud, $25 from peatix (str.sg/zzBB)
Info: www.facebook.com/TeaterEkamatra and www.papermonkey.com.sg

Liminal: Group Exhibition 

Cuturi Gallery’s latest show brings together works by a diverse group of seven male artists, including Singaporean painter Khairulddin Wahab’s sculpture debut. 

Cleave is a minimalist piece that presents an intriguing ambiguity. The wide-brimmed hat and the shovel signal this is a workman, but the outfit and the man are deliberately shorn of detail, depriving the viewer of any clues to ethnicity and context.

The catalogue notes that this work is intended to champion the everyman who laboured during colonial times, so it seems the sculpture’s aesthetic is in keeping with the artist’s paint practice, which seeks to reclaim tropical landscapes from the Western gaze. 

Mongolian sculptor Sukhburen Narankhuu’s ceramic depictions of women are also eye-catching. The faces are cleanly delineated, contrasting with the baroque and textures detailing of robes. 

French artist Hubert Le Gall’s Cretan Bull Tea Light Holder presents a similar combination of frills contrasted with clean lines, in a work that dances cheekily on the thin line between contemporary art and kitschy decor bric-a-brac. 

Other artists in the show include Singaporean ceramist Steven Low and Indonesian artist Wayan Upadana, as well as French artists Lionel Sabatte and Quentin Garel. A rather prettily curated collection of pieces that is worth a detour. 

Where: Cuturi Gallery (Singapore), 61 Aliwal Street
MRT: Jalan Besar
When: Feb 24 to April 6, noon to 7pm (Tuesdays to Saturdays)
Admission: Free
Info: str.sg/GTyY

The Face Of Jizo 

Japanese writer Hisashi Inoue’s 1994 play The Face Of Jizo, translated into English by Roger Pulvers, gets a staging by We Colour People X Theatre Boleh. 

Inoue is famed for his humanist approach to storytelling and this work is a heartwarming example. It centres on a father-daughter relationship. Daughter Mitsue is a survivor of the Hiroshima atomic bombing and her father Takezo worries over her. 

Singaporean actress Joanne Ng and Japanese actor Koji Miyoshi take on the roles under the direction of veteran home-grown theatremaker Alin Mosbit.

Where: Black Box, Stamford Arts Centre, 155 Waterloo Street
MRT: Bugis
When: Feb 23 to 25, 8pm; Feb 24 and Feb 25, 3pm
Admission: $28 from Peatix