“An intriguing exploration of Singapore’s lesser-known stories and the dispossession of the indigenous Orang Seletar” – The Straits Times
Air is a verbatim play, intimately sharing the authentic voices of the Orang Seletar, an indigenous coastal community that once lived in Singapore. Through interviews and conversations, the play unfolds their stories, struggles, and resilience as they compromise with the encroaching changes to ensure the survival of not only their people, but more importantly, their identity. As the community strives to preserve its heritage, the verbatim captures the raw emotions, dilemmas, and unique perspectives of the Orang Seletar.
First staged in 2019 as part of the well-received double bill, Tanah•Air, this new iteration of Air is a further development of the threads presented in the play’s original staging. In the careful hands of acclaimed playwright Zulfadli Rashid, materials new and old are woven into a tapestry of stories, resulting in an emotionally potent play that resonates now more than ever, confronting the issues of land, dispossession and community. Air is helmed by co-directors Adib Kosnan and Kok Heng Leun, and features evocative production design and a cast comprising Dalifah Shahril, Rizman Putra, Saiful Amri and Suhaili Safari.
Check out What is Living? What has been lost? What more can we be? by Drama Box (13 Jul 2024) at the Esplanade Black Room, a companion programme to Air. Join members of surviving coastal communities of Singapore and Johor speak about their culture and history in this contemplative dialogue.
Playwright
Zulfadli Rashid
Co-directors
Adib Kosnan & Kok Heng Leun
Dramaturg
Charlene Rajendran
Producer
Jo Lim
Set Designer
Mohd Fared Jainal
Lighting Designer
Emanorwatty Saleh
Sound Designer & Live Performer
Tini Aliman
Multimedia Designer
Jevon Chandra
Costume Designer
Max Tan
Researcher
Ilya Katrinnada
Performers
Dalifah Shahril, Rizman Putra, Saiful Amri & Suhaili Safari