Cantonese opera in Singapore has a history of more than 100 years, arriving with the waves of Chinese immigration. It enjoyed its heyday in the early to mid-20th century with regular shows in theatres in Chinatown, on the streets ("wayang") and in entertainment venues like Great World. As Singapore modernised, opera declined but the state's support of the art form as part of Singapore's cultural heritage, passionate enthusiasts, an active grassroots scene, and cultural exchange with China kept this performing arts tradition alive. What is the current state of Cantonese opera in Singapore? What could be the contributing factors for Cantonese Opera’s sustainable development? What operating models could Cantonese Opera practitioners adopt within the next twenty years? Considering current trends, what could its future look like? Three speakers who are well-versed in Chinese culture and Cantonese opera will bring their expert perspectives to this discussion. The forum is presented with support from the National Arts Council and National Library. It is part of the 2025 Cantonese Opera Festival presented by Chinese Theatre Circle.
Venue and time: National Library Building Level 5, Imagination Room; 3 - 5 pm.
Speakers:
Joanna Wong: Artistic Director of Chinese Theatre Circle (CTC) and a Cultural Medallion award recipient (1981). Mrs Wong is well-known in Singapore not only for her contributions to the arts but also her professional achievements and community service. While helping to revive Cantonese opera in Singapore since the 1960s - introducing innovations such as English surtitling in the 1970s - she also had a career in university adminstration and was the Registrar of the National University of Singapore. Mrs Wong was awarded the Public Service Star (BBM) in 1974, inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO) in 2014, awarded Singapore's Chinese Opera Excellence Award in 2015 by the Chinese Opera Institute and honoured with the NUS Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016. Co-leading Chinese Theatre Circle with her late husband Leslie Wong, the group has presented over 2,000 performances in more than 20 countries.
Yow Wei Meng: President of Chinese Opera Society. Wei Meng graduated from the National University of Singapore with a B.A. (Hon) degree and the Nanyang Technological University with an M.B.A. (Accountancy) degree. She was awarded a scholarship by the Waseda University to conduct post-graduate research in Comparative Theatre – comparing Kabuki with Chinese Opera, under the late Professor Toshio Kawatake at Waseda University in mid-1980s. During the past 25 years, Ms Yow has been an avid speaker on Kabuki, Chinese Opera and a comparison of both art forms. She translates surtitles from Chinese to English and Japanese for stage productions of Chinese opera and lyric opera and also facilitates talks and workshops by directors and performers from Japan and China.
Wong Chee Meng: is an independent scholar in heritage studies who takes particular interest in research and promotion of ‘dialect culture’ as part of Singapore’s multi-ethnic cultural heritage. He holds a PhD from Brandenburg University of Technology Cottbus and has conducted heritage research as a postdoctoral fellow at Nanyang Technological University. Apart from English publications on Singapore’s history and heritage such as Remembering Singapore River (2023), he has authored a book on a history of Singapore’s Chinatown (2019) and continues to research on the transmission of Cantonese opera in Singapore.
