Which are the venues that can be considered Singapore’s ‘national theatre’ historically?

Ed: This was an ASK! Performing Arts question Eleaner answered. Before we begin, allow me to first put this question within its context.

Here, when Ellie talks about “national theatre”, she is defining theatre as “an edifice specially adapted to dramatic representations; a playhouse” (“Theatre”).

In turn, “drama”, which means action in Greek, is defined as “a composition in prose or verse, adapted to be acted upon a stage, in which a story is related by means of dialogue and action, and is represented with accompanying gesture, costume, and scenery, as in real life; a play” (“Drama”).

Therefore, in this sense ‘”national theatre” is defined as an establishment, edifice or venue that can be representative of the theatrical arts in Singapore. Or, to put it more callously, a venue to Singapore, what Broadway is to New York and West End is to London.

As we are looking at this question from a historical context, we’ve decided to leave out the still relatively youthful Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay. More information regarding the Esplanade can be found here at their official website.

And now we begin.

Going strictly by the definition of a national theatre as an establishment or a venue, during the 1950s, plays were mostly staged at the Victoria Theatre (now called the Victoria Concert Hall) and the Kallang Theatre, which is now defunct.

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Victoria Theatre

The Victoria Theatre, especially, was where one of Singapore’s pre-independent theatre company, The Stage Club, held their productions. The Stage Club was a theatre outfit established by a group of British servicemen and civilians.

The Victoria Concert Hall, as it is known now, is used mostly for music concerts today, and is the residing venue for the Singapore Symphony Orchestra (SSO). The current keepers of the place have charted the history of Victoria Theatre extensively, so to find out more, just head over their website.

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Kallang Theatre

The Kallang Theatre ceased operations with effect from 31 Mar 2007. Built on 23 Feb 1970, the Kallang Theatre, operated by the National Arts Council, Singapore (NAC) was shut down as the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay had become the preferred or more popular choice of venue.

Here are 2 abstracts of newspaper articles about the closure and cultural significance of the Kallang Theatre. These articles were pulled selectively from Factiva, an electronic database which the National Library Board (NLB) subscribes to.

[i]
Final curtain for Kallang Theatre on Mar 31
(c) 2006 MediaCorp News Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved

SINGAPORE: One of Singapore’s iconic arts venues, Kallang Theatre, will be closing down, come March 31 next year.

The stage for world class musicals since 1986, Kallang Theatre has hosted major international productions such as Cats and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat and local arts festivals.

It was also the venue for National Day rallies and political dialogues.

The National Arts Council is shutting down the theatre after careful review of its strategic relevance to Singapore’s arts facilities and infrastructure.

It says since the opening of the Esplanade, there has been a 20 percent drop in the use of Kallang Theatre.

Its inability to host large-scale events is another key factor.

[ii]
Kallang Theatre to shut, too
(c) 2006 MediaCorp News Pte Ltd. All Rights Reserved

A fixture on the local arts scene for nearly two decades, it has been overshadowed in recent years by newer kids on the block like the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and the NUS Cultural Centre.

According to the National Arts Council (NAC), which operates Kallang Theatre, the venue’s utilisation rate has dropped from 80 per cent to 60 per cent since The Esplanade opened.

Also, usage has changed over the years — from a majority of bookings made by local arts groups, private impresarios and international presenters in 2000, the theatre had come to be used mainly by schools and non-arts related hirers [ . . . ]

Converted from a cinema in 1986 to serve as an interim venue until The Esplanade came into full operation in 2002, the Kallang Theatre was thus not a purpose-built performing arts centre.

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Other Significant Venues

[i]
The National Theatre, dubbed the People’s Theatre, also demolished, was where the very first Singapore Arts Festival was held.

More information on the National Theatre is found here at this Singapore Infopedia entry.

[ii]
Another theatre venue used in the 1950s which is still in existence is the Drama Centre. It has relocated from its original site at Fort Canning Hill to its current site at 100 Victoria Street, National Library.

For more information, you can refer to the NAC’s write-up on the place. Also featured on the same page is a brief history of the Victoria Theatre.

[iii]
Last but not least, another arts venue of significance is The Substation, conceived by the late Father of Singapore Theatre, Kuo Pao Kun. The Substation was opened in 1985 as a not-for-profit organisation, where activities like poetry recitals, art installations, theatre productions, etc, are held.

To find out more about The Substation, head over to their official website.

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The Contenders

So if Singapore were to elect a historically and culturally significant venue as our “national theatre”, the above would certainly be amongst the contenders. What do you think?

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List of Works Cited

• Channel News Asia. “Final curtain for Kallang Theatre on Mar 31.” MediaCorp News Pte Ltd. 28 Dec 2006. Factiva. National Library Board, Singapore. 28 Jan 2008. http://global.factiva.com/

• —. “Kallang Theatre to shut, too.” MediaCorp News Pte Ltd. 29 Dec 2006. Factiva. National Library Board, Singapore. 28 Jan 2008. http://global.factiva.com/

• “Drama.” Oxford English Dictionary Online. 2nd ed. 1989. 23 Dec 2008. http://dictionary.oed.com/

• “Theatre.” Oxford English Dictionary Online. 2nd ed. 1989. 23 Dec 2008. http://dictionary.oed.com/

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