Singapore's Fringe Festival to explore "Art & Skin"

For its 13th edition, the Singapore Fringe Festival (January 5 -14) has chosen the theme of "Art & Skin", a "creative exploration and dialogue into matters of identity, beauty, intimacy, sensitivity, pleasure, pain and shame," the last time the festival will use its "Art & ____" thematic format.

For future editions of the show, the Singapore Fringe Festival will take on a completely different approach: instead of connecting art with a thematic concept, future shows will focus on themes highlighting iconic Singaporean artworks.

The 2017 festival will take place at multiple venues across Singapore, including the Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay and Centre 42, as well as new partners LASALLE College of the Arts, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, library@esplanade and Silver Ribbon Singapore.

The "Art & Skin"-themed festival will be divided into four categories: Fringe Highlights, Live Fringe, Fresh Fringe and Fringe Activities.

For the upcoming edition, Fringe Highlights highlights two projects: "Foreign Bodies" by the new multicultural Singapore burlesque troupe Skin in SIN and "Labels" by UK-based Worklight Theatre. The Live Fringe section will feature performances and talks such as "#CompulsiveCharcoal" by Liz Atkin (London), "Pretty Butch" by Tan Litin (Singapore) and "Under My Skin" by Alessandra Fel (Italy/Singapore).

A new addition to 2017's lineup, Fresh Fringe will showcase works in development by up-and-coming artists from around the world. The lineup includes "Chrysanthemum Gate," a collaboration between the Australian theater-producer Andrew Sutherland and Singaporean Chanel Ariel Chan, and "Deep in the Heart of Me" by local writer/director Kaylene Tan.

The Singapore Fringe Festival, organized by the non-profit theater company The Necessary Stage and run by new Artistic Director Sean Tobin, will run January 5-14. For more information about the 2017 lineup, visit www.singaporefringe.com/fringe2017/