Outreach

Theatre for Youth and Community

Theatre For Youth And CommunityThe Theatre For Youth Branch was set up in 1992 and renamed Theatre For Youth and Community (TFYC) in 2001. TFYC's principal interest is in theatre work with and for young people and different communities in Singapore. This includes presenting short plays during school assemblies, interactive Theatre-In-Education programmes, workshops and process-based drama programmes that focus on personal development. Since 1992, TFYC has performed to more than 1,000,000 students, piloted drama programmes for school curricula, and worked with numerous non-governmental organisations and voluntary welfare organisations. It was also responsible for the successful Marine Parade Theatre Festival (2000), FamFest (2001), The Necessary Community Festival (2001), M1 Youth Connection (1997 – 2003) and M1 Theatre Connect (2004).

We continue to conduct theatre-making workshops for students in schools, to impart basic skills in acting, playwriting and creative communications. We have also created a special two-session workshop on Off Centre, conducted by our Resident Playwright Haresh Sharma, in view of the text being part of the 'O' and 'N' Level Literature syllabus for 2018 to 2020. All the above workshops are approved for the Tote Board Arts Grant which schools can tap on for subsidies. To find out more about these workshops or make a booking, please drop us an email at admin@necessary.org.

Theatre for Seniors

In April 2008, The Necessary Stage launched the three-year Theatre For Seniors (TFS) programme, an innovative initiative geared towards training participants, aged 50 years and above, in various aspects of theatre-making and arts administration. The programme subsequently grew with the support from partners including the National Arts Council, Council for Third Age, Lee Foundation, Kwan Im Thong Hood Cho Temple and BinjaiTree.

Senior citizens were trained by professional theatre practitioners in essential skills and knowledge in theatre-making. The ground breaking programme provides seniors an avenue to impart personal stories, adding new spectrums of looking at their life history and cultural identity.TFS has since performed and conducted workshops at various community venues such as libraries, community centres and moral homes.

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External Projects

The Necessary Stage also receives commissions from various non-governmental organisations, statutory boards and government ministries to create and present original works dealing with a wide range of topics.

Examples of these commissions include:

  • Don't Forget to Remember Me
  • Don't Know, Don't Care
  • Future Perfect
  • When the Bough Breaks
  • Play Safe
  • Sweet Dreams
  • The Project
  • International Friendship Day

Commissioned by the Alzheimer's Diseases Association, Don't Forget to Remember Me (2009) deals with the trials and tribulations of people with dementia and their struggles to come to terms with their illness.

Play Safe (2007) saw The Necessary Stage partnering with the Health Promotion Board to create and tour a forum theatre performance on safe sex. We also worked with Kadang Kerbau Women's & Children's Hospital for a commission entitled When the Bough Breaks, focusing on post-natal depression.

Commissioned school and community tours were also organised for The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Sweet Dreams(2011) broached the topic of child abuse and was targeted at primary school students.

Our recent school and community tours include:

Future Perfect
In collaboration with The Centre for Biomedical Ethics Touring period: 2012 – 2014 Targeted at: Secondary school students Theme: Ethical issues in biomedical research.

Don't Know, Don't Care
In collaboration with Hospice Care Association Touring period: 2012 – 2014 Targeted at: Secondary school students Theme: Ethical issues in biomedical research.

The Project
In collaboration with the Singapore Maritime Foundation Touring Period: 2013 – 2014 Targeted at: Secondary school children Theme: Career opportunities in the Maritime industry.

International Friendship Day
In collaboration with Singapore Kindness Movement Touring Period: 2015 – 2016 Targeted at: Secondary school and tertiary students Theme: Appreciating culture and racial diversity between local and foreign students. The play will be reprised as part of M1 Peer Pleasure Youth Theatre Festival 2016.

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