Generation NOW! (1-30 June)

This June, the library@esplanade celebrates youth and the young-at-heart. Generation NOW! is a month-long festival dedicated to contemporary youth culture and talent. Groove to the beat with hip-hop and jazz dancers, rock the night away with explosive band performances, sing along with Glee: The Concert Movie, chat with young playwrights and do so much more every weekend at the library! We’re also hosting an exhibition of boots from Dr Martens, well-loved by youth worldwide for the brand’s historic associations with music subcultures and cutting-edge fashion.

Admission to all events is free.

Film screening: Glee: The Concert Movie
Venue: Open Stage
Date: 1 June 2012
Time: 6:30pm – 8pm

Calling all Gleeks! Come on down to the library@esplanade for a free screening of Glee: The Concert Movie, and watch your favourite characters sing and dance their hearts’ out at their Glee Live! In Concert! Tour. With behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with fans, as well as a set list of songs from the first and second season of Glee, let’s go back to where it all started and fall in love with the cast and their music all over again.

Introduction to Contemporary Dance
Venue: Open Stage
Date: 3 June 2012
Time: 2.30pm – 4.30pm

Contemporary dance is often thought of as intellectual, obscure and boring. This afternoon, Canadian choreographer and dancer Alvin Erasga Tolentino, and talented Singaporean dancers from local secondary schools will show you what a youthful and vibrant art form contemporary dance can be.

This public lecture cum artist demonstration is presented in association with DanzINC – International Dancers and Choreographers Residency Festival 2012.

Introduction to Jazz Dance and Hip Hop
Venue: Open Stage
Date: 10 June 2012
Time: 4pm – 4.45pm (Jazz Dance), 4.45pm – 5.30pm (Hip hop)

Ever watched an episode of So You Think You Can Dance? and wondered what the difference between jazz and hip hop is? The library@esplanade, in conjunction with local dance studio Danz People, is proud to present two lectures which will give you all the basics on the history, major styles and fundamental techniques of jazz and hip hop, in just 180 minutes! Each lecture will be conducted by instructors from Danz People and will feature demonstrations of key dance moves. The Hip Hop programme will also feature a special performance by Danz People’s youth dance crew, the United Groovers Junior Team. So come on down and join us for an afternoon of locking, popping and grooving to the beat!

Sing a New Song
Venue: library@esplanade
Date: 16 June 2012
Time: 2.30pm – 7pm

The library@esplanade and KAMCO Music present an afternoon of original pop and rock music composed and performed by five young musical acts mentored by local singer-songwriter Kevin Matthews. The artistes who will be performing are: Celina Foo, Victoria Ho, Sam Willows, Maricelle Wong and Lydia Low.

For more information on the performing artistes, check out KAMCO’s official website: http://kamcomusic.blogspot.com.

Write a Play in 24 Hours? Yes, You Can!!
Venue: Open Stage
Date: 24 June 2012
Time: 3pm – 4pm

Calling all young and aspiring playwrights! Visit the library this June to hear a lively exchange between past winners of the 24-Hour Playwriting Competition. Ahmad Musta’ain Bin Khamis (Open Category, 2010) and Hu Fangda (Youth Category, 2011) will talk about their competition experience and share tips on how to write a play in 24 hours. Musta’ain and Fangda’s winning plays have been staged in community tours featuring theatre luminaries such as Lim Yu-Beng, Aidli Mosbit, Gerald Chew and Andrew Lua. Find out how the competition has enriched these young playwrights’ views on theatre-making, and how you can begin your artistic journey here too.

Moderating this exchange is famed stage actress and director, Lok Meng Chue.

This programme is part of the TheatreWorks Writers’ Lab, which is supported by the South East Community Development Council.

Lok Meng Chue is a veteran actress who has been part of many TheatreWorks productions since 1985. These include seminal plays such as Army Daze, Beauty World, 3 Children, The Lady of Soul & Her Ultimate ‘S’ Machine and The Spirits Play. She has also appeared in recent productions such as Ma Moment, 120 and Sandakan Threnody. She was last seen in the TheatreWorks production Fear of Writing in September 2011.

On television, Meng Chue played memorable roles in both seasons of Sayang Sayang and has appeared in numerous drama series including the landmark Growing Up. On film, she has appeared in The Hainanese Falcon, Seeds of Pine, The Blue Mansion, Already Famous, The Three Sisters and Time Rojak.

Meng Chue has also worked closely with Ong Keng Sen (TheatreWorks Artistic Director) as associate director / collaborator in diverse projects including Springboard, Writers’ Lab, Directors’ Lab, the Flying Circus Project, Lear, Search: Hamlet and Lim Tzay Chuen.

Ahmad Musta’ain Bin is a final-year drama major in National Institute of Education / Nanyang Technological University. He was the first-prize winner of the Open Category in TheatreWorks’ 24-Hour Playwriting Competition 2010 for his play Serunding. He spends his time as a budding drama teacher and volunteers his time making theatre in various small projects and helps out at Singapore Drama Educator’s Association (SDEA). He enjoys reading, working out and watching past episodes of Grey’s Anatomy.

Hu Fangda is a 17-year-old aspiring playwright from Raffles Institution. His play Saying Grace was a prize-winning entry of TheatreWorks’ 24-Hour Playwriting Competition 2011 (Youth Category). An active member of his school’s drama society, he has written plays and acted under instructors such as Kenneth Kwok and Matthew Lyon. He also writes articles for the student paper where he has a regular column in addition to other publications. Saying Grace was drawn largely from unfortunate personal experiences and long struggles with severe mental illness in his family.

Dr Martens: Story of an Icon
Venue: Glass showcases
Date: 1 June 2012 – 30 June 2012
Time: 11am – 9pm

Dr Martens boots are well-loved by youth worldwide for their historic associations with rock royalty such as Pete Townshend (The Who), Sid Vicious (The Sex Pistols), Joe Strummer (The Clash) and Kurt Cobain (Nirvana). This exhibition traces the history of Dr Martens from its beginnings as an industrial shoemaker for the working classes, to its appropriation by youth music subcultures such as the skinheads and the punks, and finally to its status today as global fashion icon.

C.A.S.T. (Comic Art and Story Telling) Exhibition
Venue: Innovation Gallery
Date: 1 June 2012 – 30 June 2012
Time: 11am – 9pm

From Superman to Mr Kiasu, comics speak to young readers in a way that affords them both the visuals of television and the expansive imagined landscape of the novel. This exhibition takes you behind-the-scenes and shows you what goes into the production of a comic book. Take a look at how writers and artists come together to create comics, one of humanity’s oldest forms of entertainment, and an indispensable part of youth culture today.

Esplanade Baybeats 2012 Observation Deck: Artist Sharing Sessions
Venue: Open Stage
Date: 30 June and 1 July 2012

Come to the library to get up close and personal with your favourite indie and alternative bands from the Baybeats festival!

30 June:
3.30pm – 3.50pm: Stars and Rabbis (Indonesia)
4.00pm – 4.20pm: Darren Ashley (Malaysia)
4.30pm – 4.50pm: PLOT (Thailand)
5.00pm – 5.20pm: MONSTER CAT (Singapore)
5.30pm – 5.50pm: The Great Spy Experiment (Singapore)

1 July:
3.30pm – 3.50pm: Deon (Singapore)
4.00pm – 4.20pm: Urbandub (Philippines)
4.30pm – 4.50pm: Ling Ly Chee (Hong Kong)
5.00pm – 5.20pm: START OF THE DAY (Japan)
5.30pm – 5.50pm: Bottle Smoker (Indonesia)

For more information, click on the Esplanade’s Baybeats website: http://www.baybeats.com/2012/microsite/about-us.html.