Natalie Hennedige, SIFA’s Festival Director / Courtesy of Arts House Limited

Launched in 2024, Tomorrow and tomorrow is an incubation programme by the Singapore International Festival of the Arts (SIFA) in which theatre groups can present their works-in-progress to an audience.

To find out more about the incubation programme and how some of the works in that programme have developed since, I caught up with Festival Director Natalie Hennedige.

What was your vision for SIFA’s Tomorrow and tomorrow incubator programme when it was introduced in 2024?

Tomorrow and tomorrow was conceived as a platform to enable fertile artistic ground to flourish with works receiving a process showing at the Festival.  Stamford Arts Centre was transformed into a sandbox of works-in-process, opening up vistas for future presentations and unearthing Singapore’s fertile ground for contemporary theatre-making.

Ten local theatre groups were invited during the 2024 edition to bring their processes and working methodologies to the fore before audiences who would witness nascent ideas at play. Tomorrow and tomorrow became a platform not only for exploratory ideas, but also for showcasing the dynamic voices shaping Singapore’s theatre landscape, reflecting SIFA’s commitment to nurturing and celebrating local artistic process and innovation.

What is unique about Tomorrow and tomorrow, as compared to other incubator initiatives?

What sets Tomorow and tomorrow apart was the opportunity for audiences to experience a showcase of diverse, in-progress works by ten established local theatre groups, presented together on a single platform. That apart, Stamford Arts Centre became a larger canvas with visual artists commissioned to install works specific to the physical qualities of the center. We also had musicians in nooks and crannies charging the building with experimental sound. 

Crucially, Tomorrow and tomorrow shows also eschewed a price tag—creating a space that was open and accessible to all who sought deeper, more unexpected connections. It encouraged engagement through observation, interaction, and conversation, free from the commercial expectations that often frame artistic encounters. At its core, the initiative was about witnessing the genesis of ideas and being part of a living, evolving tapestry of Singaporean theatre and expression.

Waiting For Audience by Nine Years Theatre and hello, is this working? by Drama Box were part of the 2024 incubator programme, and they are being presented as full-fledged productions in SIFA 2025. Why were these two works selected?

Waiting For Audience captures the inextricable link between the theatre and its audience, reflecting too an artform as old as time and how its vitality endures. This resonates with SIFA 2025’s MORE THAN EVER frame, which encompasses why more than ever the arts matters.

hello, is this working? returns under very different conditions; the first iteration of the work occurred in one of Stamford Arts Centre’s rooms. In 2025, it takes place at the SIFA Pavilion at Bedok Town Square in response to the context of the space which includes the neighbourhood bustle and a colossal installation stage doubling as a stage by visual artist Wang Ruobing. All these contribute to an extremely evolved version. It will be exciting to have witnessed the evolution of these works or to encounter them as a first. 

Looking back on your tenure as SIFA’s festival director and your artistic career, what does Singapore’s arts ecosystem need more of to foster a vibrant arts scene?

An international festival plays a critical role in shaping Singapore’s arts landscape. It serves as a nexus for experimentation, exchange, and discourse—bringing artists and audiences together to engage meaningfully through the arts.

Beyond fostering artistic dialogue, a festival like SIFA amplifies the visibility of homegrown talent, situating local artists within a global context and creating opportunities for collaboration that drive both artistic and professional growth. It also deepens public engagement by presenting multifaceted perspectives, encouraging audiences to encounter and interpret works through a critical lens.

Singapore’s arts ecosystem benefits from such efforts that connect artists across borders and support long-term artistic development. As a small but vibrant nation, we are constantly negotiating between the local and the global. SIFA mirrors this dual gaze, fostering regional and international collaborations that open pathways for new creations and deeper artistic inquiry.

In varied ways, Singapore artists have made their presence felt on the international performing arts stage. Take Ramesh Meyyappan, for instance—a Glasgow-based Singaporean theatremaker who creates prolifically in the UK and helms LEAR, a reimagining of Shakespeare’s King Lear for SIFA 2025. Though based abroad, Meyyappan remains deeply connected to the arts scene here.

In commissioning LEAR, the Festival not only brings a bold new work to local audiences, but also showcases the vibrancy and reach of Singapore’s arts ecosystem—one that nurtures talent with international resonance. The production is set to travel to Traverse Theatre in Edinburgh and Aberdeen following its premiere at SIFA, further extending the reach of Singaporean artistry to global audiences.

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The Singapore International Festival of Arts runs from 16 May to 1 June 2025.