'Something To Write Home About' Singapore Arts Festival Begins Today

Inspired by their love for their home country, a group of New York-based creatives from Singapore have come together to organize the inaugural Something To Write Home About: Singapore Arts Festival in New York to celebrate the 50th year of Singapore's independence.

The festival will run from today 12 - 22 September 2015 at the world-renowned cultural institution La MaMa in downtown Manhattan. Wholly citizen-initiated and run by a committee of volunteers, Something To Write Home About (STWHA) will showcase the best of Singapore's arts and culture, featuring over 40 Singaporean artists from a wide range of disciplines, including visual arts, dance, music, theatre, film, literary arts, and culinary arts.

Based on the theme of "home/Singapore," STWHA will offer 11 days of programs from dance performance to storytelling, from short film screenings to theatre, to provide a window into Singapore's multi-ethnic, multi-lingual heritage, and history.

To celebrate the Golden Jubilee halfway across the world, the creatives have come together, doing what each does best, to achieve something greater than the sum of the individual parts. Not only is this festival an opportunity to introduce Singapore to the world through award-winning works that capture the lives of ordinary Singaporeans, it is also a chance to build citizenry and generate social capital within the community.

The festival's Producing Artistic Director Dr. Hong-Ling Wee says: "Singapore has made such tremendous progress in building an economic footprint. We've gone from being a Third World nation to being the third wealthiest country in the world in the last 50 years. This is no small feat. But what has Singapore contributed to world culture? This festival is a great opportunity for us to begin creating an artistic footprint and to serve the role of cultural diplomacy."

Audiences in New York can look forward to a festival that celebrates Singapore's milestone through its rich tapestry of vibrant history, diversity, common memories, and experiences.

La MaMa is located at 66 East 4th Street, New York, NY 10003. Tickets to the festival is on sale now. For more information, please visit SomethingToWriteHomeAbout.NYC.

Featured Artists:

Visual Arts:Angie Tan & Gregory Burns, photographer/painter, San Francisco; Hong-Ling Wee, ceramic artist, New York; Jimmy Ong, painter, Vermont; Jonathan Teo, photographer, Boston; Kok Boon Lim, mixed media artist, Singapore; Sheryo and Yok, street artists, New York; Sze-Chin Lee, new media artist, Chicago

Literary Arts: Amanda Lee Koe, writer, New York; Jee Leong Koh, poet, New York; Jeremy Tiang, writer and translator, New York; Yen Yen Woo & Colin Goh, writers/graphic novelists, New York;

Film Makers and their short films: Kirsten Tan, director and curator, New York; Lilin Wee, Autograph Book, Singapore; Junfeng Boo, Homecoming/Keluar Baris, Singapore; Koh Sun, Singapore Panda, Singapore ;Srinivas Bhakta, Curry Fish Head, Singapore; Sin-Yee Lee, The Longest Distance Relationship, Singapore;

Theatre Performances: The Necessary Stage, production of Best Of, Singapore; Checkpoint Theatre, production of Recalling Mother, Singapore; Verena Tay, production of Cursed Earth, Singapore

Playwrights and their works: Damon Chua, playwright and director, New York; Huzir Sulaiman (playwright) and Claire Wong (director), Singapore; Haresh Sharma (playwright) and Alvin Tan (director), Singapore

Actors: Elisabeth Ng, actress, New York; Elizabeth Lazan, actress, Los Angeles; Hansel Tan, actor, New York; Siti Khalijah Zainal, actress, Singapore

Music: Eli Tyler, singer and producer, New York; Tammy Ying, singer-songwriter, New York; Shun Ng, singer and guitarist, Boston

Dance: Maya Dance Theatre & Singai Tamil Sangam, Singapore; Yun-Chun Chua, dancer, New York

Culinary Arts: Larry Reutens, chef, New York