n/a

The Drama Centre, SINGAPORE

1999

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

3

4

4 chorus

-

A group of young people are forced to protest when their lives are threatened by impending change.

Jubilee Hall, SINGAPORE

2001

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

3

2

-

ABUSE SUXXX!!! Was conceptualised by Alvin Tan and Haresh Sharma.

It's a jungle out there. And it's raining shit. So do something, dammit! Say it: I have the power. To fight. To kill. To love. To be who I wanna be. They can try, but they can't take that away from you. They can't touch you. Abuse Suxxx!!! But you're a survivor and you're gonna make it.

Various Primary School, SINGAPORE

2001

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

-

-

-

Ah Boy and the Beanstalk toured various primary schools in Singapore from July - November 2002.

Ah Boy is not just another re-telling of the same old tale, which has been simply plonked into a Singapore setting with Singapore references. The play manages to create many new twists and turns and breathe a whole new life of meaning into this magical tale. Through Ah Boy and his good family pet Ah Cow, the value of relationships above material comfort and success is conveyed, as well as the realization that when the world around us is filled with commotion and deception, family and friends are what we need most.

Jubilee Hall, SINGAPORE

2005

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

2

4

-

-

The Tsunami tragedy on Boxing Day 2004 was one of the most traumatic crises in recent human history of natural catastrophes. The Necessary Stage, with our history of engaging society and reality, will present a work that looks at human behaviour during the Tsunami tragedy. Texts, multimedia, sonic landscape and performance will be brought together in contemporary theatre practice, not to recapture the tragic moments, but to bring across moments of recollection - how human beings recall, what they remember of Boxing Day 2004. This exploration and presentation is not a singular narrative but will comprise voices of people affected by the Tsunami. Like most life situations, there are many perspectives that encourage us to explore, reflect and make our own verdicts as to what went wrong and how to move on. But different perspectives cannot erase the devastation experienced first hand by those affected by the tsunami. The Verbatim Theatre method - using voices of people involved in the tragedy - will bring texts direct from them onto stage to us from actual interviews conducted in Aceh, Phuket, Phang Nga and Penang.

Ntional University of Singapore LT 13, SINGAPORE

1989

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

1

1

-

Bread & Barter was co-presented with The Arts Club at NUS LT13 in July 1989.

A salesman encounters a customer's idiosyncrasies.

Shell Theatrette, SINGAPORE

1994

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

1

1

-

The Chosen One was first presented as part of the Shell Friday Lunchtime Cultural Programme on 11 November 1994 at Shell Theatrette. It was later staged at various community centres and libraries in February 1995. The Chosen One was also translated into Mandarin by Quah Sy Ren in 1995, and presented as a doublebill entitled 1 + 1 = 3 alongside Mother's Day (also by Haresh Sharma) at The Drama Centre from 18 - 25 May 1995. In 2000, both The Chosen and Mother's Day were restaged in their original English language as the doublebill 1 + 1 = 3 at the Marine Parade Theatre Festival.

Siew and Mickey - a young couple getting used to married life and nagging mothers-in-law, handle demands for grandchildren with patience (not much) and wit (a lot). After all, the last thing they need right now is a baby, right?

Marine Parade Community Building Theatrette, SINGAPORE

2002

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

4

6

-

Close - In My Face was co-presented with South East Community Development Council, with dramaturgy by Haresh Sharma. It was conceptualised and directed by Sean Tobin. An extract from Close - In My Face was later restaged as The Crow Show in January 2003.

Close - In My Face is a communal collage of what has been shared between a community of people over a six-month period. An array of stories, impressions and thoughts has been arranged to allow the audience to make their own links, imaginings, questions and reflections. Prevalent issues include privacy, intimacy, claustrophobia, loneliness, neighbourly relations, animals, social prejudice and stereotyping of various sorts.

The Drama Centre, SINGAPORE

1999

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

1

-

-

Completely With/Out Character was a play devised by Alvin Tan, Haresh Sharma and Paddy Chew. This is a landmark production in Singapore, featuring the first man in Singapore who came out in public to talk about his experience as an HIV victim.

Paddy Chew talks about living with HIV/AIDS in Singapore - the support, prejudice, pain and the laughter.

Bukit Panjang Plaza and Causeway Point Shopping Centre, SINGAPORE

2003

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

1

1

-

The Crow Show was taken from an extract of Close - In My Face by Haresh Sharma.

The Crow Show is extracted from a previous work, Close - In My Face. What goes through a crow's mind before it is shot?! What goes through a crow shooter's mind during the kill?! This drama traces a friendship that grows between a crow and a crow shooter. It directly and indirectly explores themes such as friendship, compassion, acceptance and respect of others, racism, and appreciation of nature.

National Museum Gallery Theatre, SINGAPORE

2007

CAKE Theatrical Productions

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

-

-

-

-

A brand new show by Cake Theatrical Productions that takes a comically crazy look at the once-comatose artform known as Bangsawan. This original play will tell stories from the past with a generous dash of humour from the present. A young handsome king meets a beautiful mysterious young woman. They instantly fall in love. However, she agrees to marry him only if he asks no questions - about her history. After much merry-making, they have a child. When he is pressed by 'society', he has no choice but to question her. Snap. Double snap. And she is gone. Divine Soap presents the story of a Bangsawan, as it was told in the past. It also sheds light on the trials and tribulations faced by these troupes as they struggle to hang on to their traditions while keeping with the times. With a buffet of elaborate costumes, painted 2-dimensional backdrops, stock comic characters, dance, music and fight sequences, there's plenty to savour and delight in. Get clean. Get cleansed. Soap has never been so divine.

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, UK

2007

7:84 Theatre Company, Scotland, EUR

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

1

-

-

Eclipse was presented as part of 7:84 Theatre's Re:Union. Written by Selma Dimitrijevic, Nicola McCartney, Linda McLean and Haresh Sharma. To celebrate the 300th Anniversary of the Act of Union between Scotland and England and the upcoming Scottish Elections, 7:84 has commissioned four writers - Nicola McCartney, Haresh Sharma, Selma Dimitrijevic & Linda McLean - to examine the theme of Separation and Reconciliation. They will use four momentous historical events as a backdrop: Ireland/England 1921; India/Pakistan 1947; Croatia/Serbia 1991; Scotland/England 2007.

A young Singaporean man is making a journey to his father's birthplace in Hyderabad, Pakistan. With him are his father's ashes. As he makes the arduous trip, he retraces the original journey made by millions of people - including his parents and grandparents - in 1947, during the partition of India and Pakistan. A short play that looks at three generations of men struggling with their dreams and their journeys, Eclipse is an intimate look at personal stories affected by historical events.

The Drama Centre, SINGAPORE

1997

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

3

3

-

Haresh Sharma was the writing facilitator for The Entire World is a Foreign Land (maybe some tea will help), which is a devised work by the actors.

History, literature and culture are used as starting points to create a play about dislocation and alienation.

Cairnhill Studios, SINGAPORE

1998

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

1

-

-

Every Moment is a Birth was co-written with Alfian Sa'at and Mohd Fita Helmi, the latter who also performed in this one-man play. The work was presented as part of I'd Like to Thank My Mother, My Father, Myself, alongside Silent Man by Verena Tay, Whoever Finds It, I Love You by Zelda Tatiana Ng and John and the Quay by Sim Pern Yiau.

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Gay World Stadium, SINGAPORE

1999

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

5

8

-

-

A group of people are cast out of their homelands, forced to travel across oceans, through refugee camps and over mountains. Some struggle to find their way home, while others desperately look for new lives. A mother who has lost her child, a soldier forced to kill his buddy, a bride and groom trying to get married, a general who wants to rule the world, and a god who wants to end it all.

Various Secondary Schools, SINGAPORE

1993

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

-

-

-

Expectations/Pressure was presented as part of Theatre-in-Education in secondary schools around Singapore. It is part of a series entitled The SINGAPOREAN Teenager, which also included Staying Out Late and Lack of Communication written by Haresh Sharma. Expectations/Pressure continued to be staged in schools in 1993, as part of a series entitled Growing Pains, along with Lack of Communication. Expectations/Pressure was later adapted as What About Me? by Haresh Sharma in 2003.

Kheng wants to take part in a school talent-time but her father would rather she help out more at the family shop. Her good friend Michael wants her to spend more time with him. Kheng has schoolwork, tuition and ECAs to manage as well. What can Kheng do?

The Necessary Stage Black Box, SINGAPORE

2006

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

1

1

-

Fundamentally Happy was first presented in Singapore in September/October 2006, and was subsequently restaged as part of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2007: Art and Disability from 9-10 February 2007 at the Gallery Theatre, National Museum of Singapore. The production had also traveled to The Actors Studio in Kuala Lumpur in January 2007.

Eric, a 30-year old social worker, returns to his childhood neighbourhood and looks for the home of his old neighbour, Habiba. He finds that the couple are still living there, older and with children. As Eric and his old neighbour Habiba reminisce 'the old days', a shocking secret is revealed - one that would forever change their lives. Fundamentally Happy takes an unflinching look at the personal and emotional issues surrounding paedophilia, without judgement or blame.

The Drama Centre, SINGAPORE

1997

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

5

3

-

-

A fusion of comedy, physical theatre and mime, this play interweaves the true life of visionary astronomer Galileo Galilei and the lives of modern characters who face dilemmas of their own. It is a take of deception, power and persecution inspired by Bertolt Brecht's The Lifes and Times of Galileo Galilei.

The Drama Centre, SINGAPORE

1991

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

6

8

-

-

This is a fable about The Garden. Shay, who lives in the garden, becomes a victim when the garden is destroyed. Banished to the tree with the seven branches, she has to endure the darkness and coldness of the destroyed garden.

National University of Singapore LT13, SINGAPORE

1992

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

8

4

-

-

It is a strange world . . . where the higher the blocks climb, the deeper the rats dig. . . where paper is worth more than gold. . . where there is real lemon in detergent but not in lemon juice.

The Necessary Stage Black Box, SINGAPORE

2002

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

2

2

multiple roles

godeatgod was first staged in 2002, and subsequently restaged in Singapore again in 2004. godeatgod has been performed in Glasgow, at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival (May 2005), Hong Kong City Festival - "Spotlight Singapore" (January 2006), and the Sziget Festival, Hungary in August 2006. It will be performed in Manila at the Cultural Centre of the Philippines in June 2007.

Starring an international cast that includes esteemed Singapore actors Aidli 'Alin' Mosbit and Peter Sau, Rody Vera from the Philippines and Eriko Nemeto from Japan. A layered and moving exploration of power and survival in the post-traumatic world, this multinational, multimedia romp is interwoven with the stories and emotional landscapes of its characters. Writing in response to 9-11, playwright Haresh Sharma excavates the tragedies that surfaced - dishonesties, power struggles, corruption and egos - which have made the world an elimination platform dominated by the powerful. Where do we look to for the new moral order? godeatgod is an intimate, personal and at times funny exposition about trying to live a better life; a take on censorship in the context of art; and an examination of love and grief.

Various Secondary Schools, Junior College and ITEs, SINGAPORE

2003

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

-

-

-

This adaptation of Hamlet toured schools in Singapore from January - November 2003.

Shakespeare's classic dramatic text is re-written to give meaningful access and relevance to our youths, whilst still engaging with the key characters and the core issues of family conflict, betrayal, madness and suicide.

Various Primary Schools, SINGAPORE

1999

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

2

2

-

Heroes are Everywhere was performed in various primary schools in 1999.

Homework, ECA, exams, tests and tuition. Is there more to life? Through song, dance, play and jokes, three friends learn about friendship, communication and care for others. They discover that they can be heroes in other people's lives.

Various Primary Schools, SINGAPORE

2000

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

1

2

-

History, Whose Story? was staged in various primary schools around Singapore from July - September 2000.

History, Whose Story? touches on Singapore's history in order to stimulate a discussion on the importance and relevance of history in the daily lives of students. It focuses on the relationship between Sir Stamford Raffles and Munshi Abdullah, as well as popular characters from Singapore's past, and is told through the eyes of a present-day student who discovers the many different voices of history.

The Substation Guinness Theatre, SINGAPORE

1994

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

3

1

-

-

For people lodged so deep in the core of their struggles, buried so deep in mud, at the edge of despair, so desperate that they will do anything, even hope, what choice is left?

Lecture Theatre, Neptune Orient Lines, SINGAPORE

1992

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

-

2

-

I Can Hear the Eclairs Call My Name was presented as part of Plays For Lunch alongside Kevin's Birthday Party, written by Chng Suan Tze.

I Can Hear the Eclairs Call My Name is a short play about healthy eating.

Various Secondary Schools, SINGAPORE

1996

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

-

-

-

I Have a Friend was presented as part of Theatre-in-Education around various secondary schools in Singapore.

I Have a Friend revolves around two friends driven to attempt suicide. It introduces avenues that are open to troubled individuals.

Singapore Art Museum, SINGAPORE

1999

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

1

1

-

IMPINGE: Concerning Difference was devised by Alvin Tan and Haresh Sharma, and presented in 1999 as part of BrainStorm (what's that in your head?) at the Singapore Art Museum.

We are impinged upon and we impinge on others. Often, most of us have many selves: the marginalised self and the privileged self. IMPINGE: Concerning Difference looks at how these .selves' interact with one another and with society at large.

Midlands Arts Centre, Birmingham, UK

1995

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

-

-

-

In the Centre, Right in the Core was commissioned by Brumhalata Theatre Company. It was published as part of This Chord and Others by Minerva Press in 1999.

A non-naturalistic play with reference to Hindu mythology, this play tells the story of a serpent who wants to leave the ocean, the ocean who cannot bear to part with the serpent, and the conversation between a blind man and a dead man.

Kyung-Sung University Little Theatre, KOREA

2003

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

-

1

-

koan was presented in the 2003 Asia Theatre Festival in Busan, Korea.

Drawing inspiration from Hesse's Siddhartha, Gibran's The Prophet and other stories of journey and search, Haresh Sharma employs techniques of storytelling, magic realism and narrative framing to create a theatrical and lyrical exploration of perspective and truth. The production also features interview footages with a 78-year-old Singaporean widow who talks about her husband, her son and herself growing up in Singapore.

Various Secondary Schools, SINGAPORE

1993

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

-

-

-

Lack of Communication was presented as part of Theatre-in-Education in secondary schools around Singapore. It is part of a series entitled The SINGAPOREAN Teenager, which also included Staying Out Late and Expectations/Pressure written by Haresh Sharma. Lack of Communication continued to be staged in schools in 1993, as part of a series entitled Growing Pains, along with Expectations/Pressure.

Kheng finds that her father is too busy to share her problems or even her joys. Her good friend Michael will not take her problems seriously and just wants to have fun. Can Kheng get them to listen to her?

The Substation Guinness Theatre, SINGAPORE

1997

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

2

1

-

Land was presented as part of the doublebill Moving Home Stories along with Sea, also written by Haresh Sharma.

A plot of land transforms from a cemetery to a condominium site. In the process, three stories are presented where ancestors are worshipped, ghosts are unearthed and a handphone becomes a murder weapon.

University Cultural Centre, SINGAPORE

2003

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

1

1

-

-

Lanterns is a brand new, fresh, exciting play inspired by Haresh Sharma's Lanterns Never Go Out. It revolves around an 18-year-old girl at the brink of entering adulthood. Journey with her as she screams and shouts, pushes and shoves to find her way and get her way!

PUB Auditorium, SINGAPORE

1989

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

2

4

-

Lanterns Never Go Out was first staged in 1989 as part of the Shell Friday Lunchtime Cultural Performance. It was later restaged as a co-presentation with The Arts Club at National University of Singapore LT 13 in the same year, as well as in 1990 at The Drama Centre as part of the Singapore Festival of Arts. The production was later presented in abridged versions as part of Lanterns Never Go Out: Lanterns PROJECT and Lanterns TOUR. The former was presented in March 1994 at The Substation Guinness Theatre, and the latter as a school touring play in the same year. It was adapted and restaged as part of Peer Pleasure in 2000 by East View Secondary School. In 2003, Lanterns, a new play by Haresh Sharma, was staged and is inspired by Lanterns Never Go Out. Lanterns Never Go Out was published alongside Still Building by EPB Publishers in 1994.

Lanterns Never Go Out revolves around Kah Wei, a 15-year-old girl who finds that being a teenager with new roles and new expectations is not easy. When her ideals and reality do not match, she wishes to return to her childhood of goldfish lanterns and comics. As the play progresses, we find ourselves questioning the dos and don'ts, the whys and hows. Or we may find ourselves questioning Kah Wei.

Various Secondary Schools, SINGAPORE

1998

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

-

-

-

Late Nights was presented in schools in 1998 and 1999. In 2001, Late Nights was presented alongside Waiting (also by Haresh Sharma) as a doublebill entitled Family Affairs for FamFest 2001.

Late Nights deal with the themes of change in the parent-child relationship and communication within the family.

Various Secondary Schools, Junior College and ITEs, and The Necessary Stage Black Box, SINGAPORE

2003

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

-

-

-

Let Me Go! toured schools as part of The Necessary Stage's Theatre-in-Education programme from January - November 2003. It will be restaged in September 2007 in collaboration with National Arts Council (Singapore) and Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay, as part of the Theatre Experience programme for students.

Let Me Go! is about Kheng, who is invited by her best friend to go to the concert of a lifetime! One major problem - she would get home way past her curfew and her mother will not budge. She is torn between following her mother's strict orders, her friend's tempting suggestion, her love for music and her impulse to just get out, enjoy herself and exert her rights.

Shell Theatrette, SINGAPORE

1996

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

2

1

-

Lizard was first presented as part of Shell Friday Lunchtime Cultural Programme at Shell Theatrette. It was later restaged from 19 - 20 July 1996 at Tampines Regional Library Theatrette. It will be restaged as part of Virgin Labfest 2 in Manila in 2007.

Mother, son and maid. A family turns topsy-turvy as they threaten to blow each other up.

Jubilee Hall, SINGAPORE

2003

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

6

3

-

-

A group of people come together to organize Singapore's first Pride Parade - Singapore's first Mardi Gras. As they plan, the tension mounts; the cracks in their relationship surface. Eventually, the very event that is supposed to show their unity threatens to tear them apart.

The Substation Guinness Theatre, SINGAPORE

1993

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

3

3

-

MPC was presented as a doublebill with Mixed Blessings. Both works are forum theatre pieces devised by the cast, with the final script edited by Haresh Sharma.

MCP is about an outspoken and independent wife who has to deal with her MCP (male chauvinist pig) husband and his friends.

The Substation Guinness Theatre, SINGAPORE

1993

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

3

3

-

Mixed Blessings was presented as a doublebill with MCP. Both works are forum theatre pieces devised by the cast, with the final script edited by Haresh Sharma. Mixed Blessings was staged again at The Necessary Stage Black Box as part of Marine Parade Theatre Festival in 2000.

Mixed Blessings is about a Chinese girl and her Indian boyfriend fighting against social and family disapproval to their relationship.

Drama Centre Theatre, SINGAPORE

2006

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

4

5

-

Mobile was presented as a commission by the Singapore Arts Festival 2006 in June at the Drama Centre Theatre in Singapore. It has since traveled to The Actors Studio in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, as well as to Theatre TRAM, Setagaya Public Theatres, Tokyo, Japan. Haresh was Head Writer for the project, with the other writers being Rody Vera (The Philippines), Narumol Thammapruksa (Thailand) and Tatsuo Kaneshita (Japan), the latter who was also co-director of the production with Alvin Tan from Singapore. Please note that this is a multi-lingual production with English and Japanese surtitles.

As the world becomes more mobile, has it also become more foreign? Mobile throws light on the new power dynamics of contemporary Asia, a world of Japanese businessmen, NGO workers, bureaucrats, Thai sex workers and Filipina maids - all caught in situations of being displaced because of labour needs. Based on research conducted in Bangkok, Chiangmai, Tokyo and Singapore, the narratives in Mobile highlight the desperate circumstances in which people find themselves while involved in overseas work. A unique collaboration involving artists from Singapore, Thailand, the Philippines and Japan, Mobile deals with women and men who are affected by labour migration.

The Substation Guinness Theatre, SINGAPORE

1991

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

3

3

-

More was presented as part of a doublebill entitled Pte Ltd in 1991.

More is a comedy about people and their obsession with status symbols.

The Drama Centre, SINGAPORE

1995

The Necessary Stage

-

-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

3

2

-

Mother's Day was translated into Mandarin by Quah Sy Ren in 1995, and presented as a doublebill entitled 1 + 1 = 3 alongside The Chosen One (also by Haresh Sharma) at The Drama Centre from 18 - 25 May 1995. Mother's Day was restaged in its original English version from 8 - 21 September 1995 at various community centres and regional libraries. In 2000, both The Chosen and Mother's Day were restaged in their original English language as the doublebill 1 + 1 = 3 at the Marine Parade Theatre Festival.

Mickey and Siew try all ways and means to please both mothers-in-law on their first Mother's Day together, but things still go out of control - a quarrel starts and celebration turns into disaster.

Singapore Art Museum, SINGAPORE

1999

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

3

2

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N.A. was co-written by Haresh Sharma and Gillian Stephens, and was presented in 1999 as part of BrainStorm (what's that in your head?) at the Singapore Art Museum.

A movement/dance piece, N.A. challenges our assumptions of the .traditional' classification of Race, hoping to ignite some thought and discourse on the related themes of prejudice and the common inheritance of the human race.

The Substation Guinness Theatre, SINGAPORE

1996

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

6

4

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October takes a look at the lives of six elderly people, all living in a small neighbourhood that is undergoing upgrading. Into this scenario comes Caleb, a young and ambitious property agent looking for prospective sellers. As their paths cross, they each find new sources of strength for renewal, regeneration and rejuvenation.

The Drama Centre, SINGAPORE

1993

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

6

6

-

Off Centre was first staged by The Necessary Stage in 1993, under the direction of Alvin Tan. The play was performed to public and critical acclaim, and was restaged from 3 - 7 August 1994 at The Drama Centre. In the same year, an abridged version of the play was staged at The Substation Guinness Theatre in conjunction with Mental Health Awareness Week, organised by Singapore Association for Mental Health and National Council of Social Services. Over the past 13 years, Off Centre has been made into an experimental feature film, published as part of a one-play series, adapted into a television movie, given a full reading in the UK, taught at a University in Kuala Lumpur and translated and staged as Otak Tak Centre in Kuala Lumpur. In 2000, Ethos Books published the play as part of its one-play series. As one of The Necessary Stage's landmark plays, Off Centre is part of the Singaporean canon of literary works, and now an .O. and .N. level Literature text selected by the Ministry of Education. The play has been recently re-published by The Necessary Stage in 2006, including a Student's Edition with notes prepared by Dr Christine Hatton of the National Institute of Education, and a special introduction by Dr Kirpal Singh. Off Centre is being restaged by The Necessary Stage as part of Esplanade's The Studios season, from 9 - 20 May 2007.

Off Centre traces the friendship of two ex-mental patients, Saloma and Vinod, and the problems and hurdles they have to overcome, including social stigmas, prejudices and personal conflicts. The play uses effective techniques of flashbacks; moving the character in and out of their schizophrenic and normal selves to elicit their rational and emotional experiences.

Marine Parade Community Building Theatrette, SINGAPORE

2003

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

8

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Oh Man! was co-presented with South East Community Development Council.

Macho, macho man! I gotta be. . . a macho man? OH MAN! What are men like in Singapore? Powerful? Confused? Boring? Sexy? The Necessary Stage grabs the issues by the balls, and probes deep into Singapore's MANHOOD. Are men in Singapore getting the short end of the stick? Are they losing their marbles? Are they still on top?

Various Regional Libraries, SINGAPORE

1997

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

1

3

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One Day at a Time was co-presented with The Lupus Association.

One Day at a Time is about Systemic Lupus Erythematous and the ordinary and extraordinary lives of the people who struggle, work, play and simply live with it from day to day.

Victoria Theatre, SINGAPORE

2001

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

2

3

11 ensemble

One Hundred Years in Waiting was co-written by Haresh Sharma and the late Kuo Pao Kun, and was presented as a collaboration between The Necessary Stage and The Theatre Practice. The production was a commission by the Singapore Arts Festival 2001.

It is seven days after Dr Sun Yat Sen's death. His second wife Chen Cui Fen sits, waiting for his .return'. She clings on to a watch which he left to her in his will. She soon realises that time is not what it seems to be, that an image can be an imitation. What happens when a woman loves too much? What happens when a man is too great? What happens beyond revolution?

The Drama Centre, SINGAPORE

1997

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

3

6

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Pillars was co-presented with Teater Kami as part of 1997 Festival of Asian Performing Arts.

An exploration of Malays and Chinese in Singapore past and present, this play uses music, movement, humour and strong visuals to weave yesterday's folklore and fables with today's images and metaphors. Sang Nila Utama has a vision for tomorrow. People run amok. SitiMat tells the story of the nangka. Three sisters try to resist rape. Father knows best. Virgins bathe at the well.

Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, UK >>>

2007

7:84 Theatre Company, Scotland, EUR >>>

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

-

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Written by Selma Dimitrijevic, Nicola McCartney, Linda McLean and Haresh Sharma. To celebrate the 300th Anniversary of the Act of Union between Scotland and England and the upcoming Scottish Elections, 7:84 has commissioned four writers - Nicola McCartney, Haresh Sharma, Selma Dimitrijevic & Linda McLean - to examine the theme of Separation and Reconciliation. They will use four momentous historical events as a backdrop: Ireland/England 1921; India/Pakistan 1947; Croatia/Serbia 1991; Scotland/England 2007.

When should you stay in a partnership and when should you walk away? When is compromise just another word for humiliation? Or are some partnerships worth the struggle? After all, whether it's family, friend or lover, it all needs work. . .

Jubilee Hall, SINGAPORE

2003

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

5

4

-

Revelations was commissioned for Singapore Arts Festival 2003 and was co-written by Haresh Sharma and Chong Tze Chien.

Revelations is a tapestry of stories, images, movement and soundscape. A man arrives home after 9 years. A married woman falls in love with a young girl. A brother asks, "Where is my husband?. Someone gets married. Someone becomes a man. Someone says, "Satyam. Shivam. Sundaram.. With a script partly inspired by Hindu and Buddhist legends, this multilingual, multisensory production builds an overarching theme of hope and salvation in seeming chaos.

The Drama Centre, SINGAPORE

1989

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

2

1

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-

Rigor Mortis deals with the lives of three people sharing an apartment. Alex invites his girlfriend Ashanti to move in with him and his best friend Francis, hoping that everyone will get along, that everything will be fine.

Tampines Regional Library Gallery, SINGAPORE

1995

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

-

1

-

Rosnah was first presented in 1995 at the Tampines Regional Library Gallery. It was later restaged in 1996 at The Substation Guinness Theatre, and in 2006 as part of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2006: Art and Healing. Rosnah also traveled to Australia in July 1997 for performances at The Old Market Theatre, Melbourne. The play was also published as part of This Chord and Others by Minerva Press in 1999.

Rosnah is the story of one young woman's journey when she leaves home for the first time to study in London. The play crosses boundaries between cultures, traditions and trends.

The Substation Guinness Theatre, SINGAPORE

1997

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

-

2

-

Sea was presented as part of the doublebill Moving Home Stories along with Land, also written by Haresh Sharma.

Sea is about two sisters on a boat trip. Trying to come to terms with an illness, they journey into different stories - of adventures, of humour, of horror.

Esplanade Theatre Studio, SINGAPORE

2005

The Necessary Stage (Singapore) & Dramalab (Kuala Lumpur)

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

2

2

-

Separation 40 was a collaboration between Singapore theatre company The Necessary Stage and Dramalab from Kuala Lumpur. Haresh worked with Malaysian playwright Jit Murad for the production.

In the year of the 40th anniversary of Singapore's separation from Malaysia, Singapore's The Necessary Stage and Malaysia's dramalab will come together to examine the relationship between the two countries over the past four decades. Playwrights Haresh Sharma and Jit Murad and Directors Alvin Tan and Zahim Albakri, incorporating historical fact and personal anecdote, will explore characters living under respective changing political, economic, social and cultural systems. The collaboration will produce a piece of theatre that explores intercultural dialogue between two countries that were once one entity. Examining themes of globalisation, migration and national and cultural identities in both historical and contemporary contexts, Separation Forty asks: What does it mean to be territorial?

Marine Parade Community Building Theatrette, SINGAPORE

2003

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

2

2

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Staying Alive! Was presented by Samaritans of Singapore for Suicide Prevention Week 2003. It was written and directed by Haresh Sharma.

A family that plays together, stays together. But what if this family has no time to play? What if this family is plagued by problems - a father who has recently been retrenched and has difficulty finding a new job; a daughter stressed out by school and relationships; a son who has no time to enjoy his youth; and a mother trying desperately to hold the family together. A family that plays together, stays together. This family is not only trying to stay together; this family is fighting to stay alive.

Various Secondary Schools, SINGAPORE

1993

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

-

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-

Staying Out Late was presented as part of Theatre-in-Education in secondary schools around Singapore. It is part of a series entitled The SINGAPOREAN Teenager, which also included Expectations/Pressure and Lack of Communication written by Haresh Sharma. Staying Out Late was later adapted as Let Me Go! by Haresh Sharma in 2003.

Kheng wants to go for a concert with her classmate Michael but fears that her mother will not allow her to stay out late. Under pressure, Kheng relents and Michael buys the tickets. When Kheng asks her mother, she is proven right as the latter disapproves of Michael and the expensive ticket price. Can Kheng negotiate with her mother?

Theatreworks Black Box, SINGAPORE

1992

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

1

2

-

Still Building was first staged as part of Theatre Carnival on the Hill in April 1992, and was directed then by Josephine Peter and Alvin Tan. It was later restaged in 1993 at The Substation Guinness Theatre, directed by Alvin Tan. It will be restaged as part of the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2008: Art and History. Still Building has also traveled to Egypt for the Cairo International Experimental Theatre Festival from 1-10 September 1992, Mayfest Glasgow from 29 April - 4 May 1994 (touring various venues in Scotland), and Albany Theatre in London from 6 - 8- May 1994.

Still Building is about people trapped by family, by friends, by buildings and by themselves, and their attempts to break free.

Atrium Ballroom, Westin Hotel, SINGAPORE

1996

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

2

2

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-

Based on Neil Simon's Plaza Suite, this fast-paced comedy looks into the lives of three couples and their escapades in a hotel.

The Drama Centre, SINGAPORE

1998

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

3

2

-

Superfriends at the Hall of Justice was presented as part of Singapore Festival of Arts 1998.

Superfriends at the Hall of Justice explores how a basic human function, such as communication, is problematised. Solipsism and narcissism replaces the humility to learn and the process of self-discovery. As the desire for stability and self-definition becomes the premise for existence, truth is no longer an important journey. Powerful people retain their status by defining others according to their own perspectives. Others cannot co-exist, let alone be recognised on their own independent terms.

Jubilee Hall, SINGAPORE

2007

The Necessary Stage and CAKE Theatrical Productions

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

4

2

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Survivor Singapore premiered at the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2007: Art and Disability in January 2007.

A group of students have been given the task of creating projects that 'think outside the box'. They wrack their brains to find what they can do that will really MAKE A DIFFERENCE. Instead of going on field trips learning to make ketupat or performing a multi-racial dance, they decide to create projects that will make young Singaporeans VALUE LIFE and not take their comforts for granted. They decide to create Survivor Singapore. But. . . have they gone too far to prove a point? A must-see for every teenager, Survivor Singapore written by Haresh Sharma and directed by Natalie Hennedige, touches on issues such as identity and community, and the youthful passion to fight for what you believe in. Entertaining and thought-provoking.

The Substation Guinness Theatre, SINGAPORE

1994

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

2

1

-

Talk was presented as part of a doublebill alongside Logos written by Andrew Koh. It was later presented as part of the Shell Friday Lunchtime Cultural Programme at Shell Theatrette on 1 July 1994. Talk was reworked and restaged as part of 3some, a triplebill, from 4 - 21 May 2000 at The Necessary Stage Black Box. The play was presented at the Macau Fringe Festival as a doublebill with Talk from 27 - 29 October 2000.

Talk is a play about a talk show that deals with all sorts of problems we face today; for example, misconceptions about love, women, family and the good life. The 2000 staging took a different slant where the narrative was less clear and less coherent.

Jubilee Hall, SINGAPORE

1997

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

5

3

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Adapted from Adrian Tan's novel The Teenage Textbook, this play brings the audience on a journey through some of life's greatest moments during puberty and adolescence.

Strathclyde Arts Centre, Scotland, UK

1995

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

-

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-

There is No New Thing Under the Sun was co-presented with The Strathclyde Arts Centre for Mayfest in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1995. It was published as part of This Chord and Others by Minerva Press in 1999.

The grandmother of a soap opera star is dead. Police suspect foul play. The media start hounding her. When will it end?

The Drama Centre, SINGAPORE

1991

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

3

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-

This Chord and Others was first staged in 1991 at The Drama Centre.

Dev, Gerald and Thomas are three good friends working together and enjoying the time they spend with each other. However, not everything is as neat as it appears. All three have problems with their race, religion or background. They discover things about their friendship they never knew existed until a promotion and a talentime come between them.

The Substation Guinness Theatre, SINGAPORE

1990

The Necessary Stage

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I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

2

5

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Those Who Can't, Teach was staged in 1990 as part of the opening celebrations of The Substation in Singapore.

Set in a secondary school, Those Who Can't, Teach focuses on Mrs Phua Su-Lin, a teacher and single mother trying her best to manage both roles. Faced with constant and rapid changes in her life, she finds increasing difficulty coping with her two major roles. Further complications arise when there is news that her school is moving to another district. Changes take place everywhere but what happens to those who are unable to adapt?

XXX, SINGAPORE

1993

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

9

10

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Three Year in the Life and Death of Land was first staged in an abridged version on 12 November 1993, as part of Shell Friday Lunchtime Cultural Programme at Shell Theatrette. In June 1994, it was staged as part of the Singapore Festival of Arts at The Drama Centre.

Three Years in the Life and Death of Land is about the Lims, the Mulchands, a ghost, a cat and three mosquitoes - one big family, trying hard to be happy.

Victoria Theatre, SINGAPORE

1995

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

4

8

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Top of the World was published as part of This Chord and Others by Minerva Press in 1999.

Devi, a salesgirl, lies about her work to impress her more successful friends. Trouble begins when the lies grow bigger, friendships are taken for granted and relationships become fragile. This production blends comedy and tragedy, songs and movement, anger and reconciliation.

The Necessary Stage Black Box, SINGAPORE

2001

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

-

1

-

untitled cow number one was presented as part of [names changed to protect the innocent] at The Necessary Stage Black Box in 2001. It was later presented alongside untitled women number one as a doublebill called The Untitled Series at the 2002 Asia Theatre Festival in Busan, Korea. The Untitled Series was later presented at the National Theatre Festival in New Delhi, India in 2003, as well as the ESB Dublin Fringe Festival in Ireland in 2003.

A performative meditation on bovine consciousness.

Singapore Art Museum, SINGAPORE

1999

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

1

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-

untitled man number one was conceived and directed by Jeff Chen, and written by Haresh Sharma. It was presented in 1999 as part of BrainStorm (what's that in your head?) at the Singapore Art Museum.

untitled man number one is a mono-performance unfolding at the intersection of technology, gender and sexuality.

The Necessary Stage Black Box, SINGAPORE

2000

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

-

2

-

untitled women number one was presented as part of the triplebill 3some from 4 - 21 May 2000 at The Necessary Stage Black Box, alongside Talk (also by Haresh Sharma) and Princess Diana is Dead (written by Chong Tze Chien). The play was presented at the Macau Fringe Festival as a doublebill with Talk from 27 - 29 October 2000. It was later presented alongside untitled cow number one as a doublebill called The Untitled Series at the 2002 Asia Theatre Festival in Busan, Korea. The Untitled Series was later presented at the National Theatre Festival in New Delhi, India in 2003, as well as the ESB Dublin Fringe Festival in Ireland in 2003.

Two women, who are absolutely still throughout the play, talk about their relationships, their past and future. The text makes references to gender, tells stories about women and talks about sexuality, but the play ultimately transcends its very title in its portrayal of pain, death and interdependence.

Shell Theatrette, SINGAPORE

1993

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

1

2

-

Waiting was first staged on 3 July 1993 as part of the Shell Friday Lunchtime Cultural Programme at Shell Theatrette. It was later staged at Tampines Regional Library Theatrette from 10 - 17 December 1994. In 2001, Waiting was presented alongside Late Nights (also by Haresh Sharma) as a doublebill entitled Family Affairs for FamFest 2001.

Waiting is about what happens when three lonesome waiters bond together as a family to combat cold soups and demanding diners.

Jubilee Hall, SINGAPORE

1998

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

-

Play/Drama

3

3

-

Walking Into Doors was presented in collaboration with the Ang Mo Kio Family Service Centres.

A no-punches-pulled, in-your-face exposé of violence in the Singapore home that is fun to watch. Think of Chaplin's comedies: funny vignettes which drive home the message that being poor is painful.

Various Secondary Schools, Junior College and ITEs, and The Necessary Stage Black Box, SINGAPORE

2003

The Necessary Stage

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-

I don't think the play has been published but you could try abebooks.com
or the playwright direct where their email is shown at the top of the page

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Play/Drama

-

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-

What About Me? toured schools as part of The Necessary Stage's Theatre-in-Education programme from January - November 2003.

What About Me? is about Kheng, who is torn between her responsibilities and her dreams. When she realizes she does not have the time or energy to follow her heart and join the Talent Time, because her school, her mother and her best friend are pulling her in different directions, Kheng realizes she wants to place her own needs above theirs for a change.