S’pore theatre company Pangdemonium to close by end-2026
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Adrian Pang (left) and his wife, Tracie Pang, at the 14th annual Life Theatre Awards on March 10, 2014. The two co-founders emphasised that the closure was a purely personal choice.
PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE – Major Singapore theatre company Pangdemonium, founded in 2010 by husband-and-wife team Adrian and Tracie Pang, will end its 16-year run at the end of 2026.
The 2026 season, beginning in March, will be its final one. A note from the co-founders sent to the press on Feb 2 said Adrian, 60, and Tracie, 58, had done their best to take people on “a**-kicking adventures in theatre”, but that “as with the best stories, we just want to call an end to the Pangdemonium story on our own terms, on a grace note, and while we are still in love”.
The co-founders, who have become an established voice on the local theatre scene and specialised in importing West End plays and Broadway musicals, emphasised that the closure was a purely personal choice.
They thanked patrons and the Singapore theatre family for supporting the company’s work, including through the Covid-19 pandemic when theatres went dark, and in recent years with inflated production costs and the distraction of online media pulling audiences away from live shows.
They added: “We have always believed that every single individual who embraces some kind of art form, whether as a working professional, an avid hobbyist or a passionate patron, will have their life enriched – we hope our work has done a bit of that for you.
“And for the encouragement, motivation and inspiration you have given us to do what we do, we are very, very thankful.”
Pangdemonium’s hits include the 2015 musical Fun Home, based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling autobiography, and Next To Normal, about a woman battling bipolar disorder, which won Production of the Year at The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards in 2014.
Another memorable staging was autism play Falling by Deanna Jent, which earned the Life Theatre Awards’ Readers’ Choice for Best Production in 2017.
Sally Ann Triplett (left) and Adrian Pang in Next To Normal by Pangdemonium Productions.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Its 2026 season will include Force Majeure, Singapore playwright Stephanie Street’s reimagination of Anton Chekhov’s Three Sisters (1901), starring Inch Chua and Benjamin Kheng; British playwright Sam Holcroft’s wedding drama on theatre censorship A Mirror (2023); and 9/11 musical Come From Away (2017).
The final season is meant to celebrate the people and audiences who have shaped Pangdemonium, the company said. All shows will go on as planned and will not affect commitments to donors and season ticket holders.
The National Arts Council (NAC) chief executive Low Eng Teong said NAC held discussions with Pangdemonium to explore continued operation, but the council respected the decision by Adrian and Tracie Pang.
The NAC has supported Pangdemonium since 2017 through grants and schemes like the Cultural Matching Fund.
Mr Low said: “Our collective focus now is on a smooth transition. We will actively match affected staff with new career opportunities to keep their expertise within the sector. We remain committed to fostering the vibrant theatre ecosystem that Pangdemonium helped build.”
The company has 10 full-time staff, not including Adrian and Tracie Pang.
Mr Low also added that Pangdemonium was ending its run at the height of its success. “Its legacy of excellence endures. We invite everyone to celebrate the company’s final season and thank Adrian and Tracie for their immense contribution to our cultural landscape.”
