Front Cover; The Theatre and the State in Singapore; Copyright Page; Contents; Acknowledgments; Preface; 1. Imagining the Singapore theatre field; 2. The arts in Singapore: site of ideologies, fantasies, and orthodoxies; 3. The Singapore theatre field: "a different world ... unique" but not completely so; 4. Claiming authenticity: theatre-state tensions; 5. Cultural intermediaries: the media and the Arts Education Program; 6. "Because it's in my blood": the politics of illusio; 7. The invisible state: disciplining the theatre field
8. Resistance and defiance: the revenge of themiddle-class artist9. Conclusions; Appendices; Notes; Bibliography; Index
Summary
This book provides a comprehensive examination of the contemporary English-language theatre field in Singapore. It describes Singapore theatre as a politically dynamic field that is often a site for struggle and resistance against state orthodoxy, and how the cultural policies of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) have shaped Singapore theatre. The book traces such cultural policies and their impact from the early 1960s, and shows how the PAP used theatre - and arts and culture more widely - as a key part of its nation building programme. Terence Chong argues that this diverse theatre comm
