SINGAPORE - Wild Rice is cancelling two main stage shows for its Housewarming Season because of construction delays at its new theatre space at Funan Centre.
An Actress Prepares, starring Siti Khalijah, was scheduled for July 10 to 14, and Faghag, starring Pam Oei, for July 24 to 28. Faghag tickets were sold out.
Ticket holders will be refunded via credit cards used to purchase tickets. For cash refunds, present original tickets at the Sistic box office at Singapore Post Centre. For more information on refunds, call the Sistic Ticketing Hotline on 6348 5555.
The two shows were originally scheduled for the main 360-seat theatre. The company's youth wing showcase - Young & Wild's Anything Can Happen/Something Must Happen - is also affected. The show, scheduled for July 4 to 7 at the 60-seat studio space, will be relocated to Aliwal Arts Centre instead.
Artistic director Ivan Heng said: "It was not an easy decision to make, given that this is the first time in 20 years Wild Rice has ever cancelled a production. But it was imperative, given the risk of the many compromises that were being made in order to reach the impossible deadlines. Ultimately, we felt it important to build the theatre complex without compromising safety, and one that our artists and audiences need and deserve."
The theatre will now open on August 8, with a re-staging of Thomas Lim's domestic drama Supervision, featuring the original cast of Umi Kalthum Ismail, Patrick Teoh and Janice Koh. The work was nominated for six Life Theatre Awards early this year and Lim won for Best Original Script.
Wild Rice's 18,000-sq ft complex is designed by renowned theatre consultants Charcoalblue and built by Singapore architecture studio Zarch Collaboratives. The $15-million venue, which takes up prime frontage along North Bridge Road, has a thrust stage instead of a proscenium arch, and a statement from Wild Rice about the construction delay characterised this feature as "a highly complex and mammoth undertaking".
The statement added: "We are very grateful to all who booked tickets to these shows in good faith. We are deeply sorry for disappointing you, and for any inconvenience caused."
