Synopsis:

The Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) returns with its strongest focus yet on creating brand new works. With the attention back on the international arts scene, SIFA 2016 will present 20 productions for the main festival and 43 programmes for its pre-festival of ideas – The O.P.E.N. (Open, Participate, Engage, Negotiate), a public engagement initiative.
Continuing the journey from past (2014, Legacies) to present (Post-Empires, 2015), the future is suggested by the 2016's season which centres on the theme of Potentialities – the potential to develop in the future and transform society. "Potentialities is the in-between state between Potential and the actual realisation. It is about this in-between state where the power of the unknown is taking shape and developing. That unknown gives forth to so many possibilities and that is the attraction," said Ong.

This year, SIFA moves towards becoming a creations Festival, where there are an increasing number of productions commissioned for the Festival. 15 new creations in total – the most yet – forming the majority of the SIFA line-up. These creations are from major artists from the international domain such as Milo Rau, and from the Singapore scene such as Checkpoint Theatre; and ranges from emerging artists such as Loo Zihan to master artists – Bill T. Jones and Wu Man, who have developed the potential of many others. A key element, eight productions involve Singaporean artists collaborating closely with international artists in the presentations here. This situates Singapore at the core of the creative process globally.

Hamlet I Collage
By Theatre of Nations, Robert Lepage
12, 13 Aug | 8pm | 2 hr 25 min | Drama Centre Theatre
$40, $60, $80

The Last Supper
By Ahmed El Attar
11, 12, 13 Aug | 8pm | 1 hr | Victoria Theatre
$25 THEATRE RUSH! (no further discount); $35, $45

Everything By My Side
By Fernando Rubio
12 Aug, 6pm – 9pm | 13 Aug, 2pm – 5pm & 6pm – 9pm | 14 Aug, 2pm – 5pm | National Gallery Singapore
10 min (Individual performances every 15 minutes)
$10 (no further discount)

The Sardono Retrospective Presents: Expanded Cinema
By Sardono W. Kusumo
13 – 28 Aug | Tue – Sun: 11am – 9pm (last admission 8.30pm) | Closed on Mondays | Malay Heritage Centre
Free Admission

The Sardono Retrospective Presents: Solo Live Painting
By Sardono W. Kusumo
20, 21 Aug | 5pm | 2 hr (come and go as you please) | Malay Heritage Centre
Free Admission with ticket to Black Sun; $10 (no further discount)

The Sardono Retrospective Presents: Black Sun
Conceived and Choreographed by Sardono W. Kusumo
26, 27 Aug | 8pm | 1 hr 20 min | 72-13
$30 (includes free admission to Solo Live Painting)

I Am LGB
By Loo Zihan, Ray Langenbach
18, 19, 20 Aug | 7pm | 4 hr durational performance | 72-13
$25

Five Easy Pieces
By Milo Rau/ IIPM – International Institute of Political Murder, Campo
18, 19, 20 Aug | 8pm | 1.5 hrs | Victoria Theatre
$30, $45, $60

The Last Bull: A Live In Flamenco
By Checkpoint Theatre, Huzir Sulaiman, Claire Wong, Antonio Vargas
25, 26, 27 Aug | 8pm | 2 hr 20 min | SOTA Drama Theatre
$35, $45

Still Life
By Dimitris Papaioannou
25, 26, 27 Aug | 8pm | 1 hr 20 min | Victoria Theatre
$25 DANCE RUSH! (no further discount); $40, $55

Paradise Interrupted
Composed & Conducted by Huang Ruo | Directed & Designed by Jennifer Wen Ma | Featuring Qian Yi, T'ang Quartet
31 Aug, 2 & 3 Sep | 8pm | 1 hr 20 min | Drama Centre Theatre
$25 OPERA RUSH! (no further discount); $40, $60, $80

In the Mood For Frankie
By Trajal Harrell
1, 2, 3 Sep | 8pm & 9.30pm nightly | 50 min | 72-13
$35 (includes free admission to The Return Of La Argentina)

Bonus Track: The Return of La Argentina
By Trajel Harrell
4 Sep | 2pm, 3pm & 4pm | 30 min | 72-13
Free Admission (with ticket to In The Mood For Frankie); Single entry ticket at $25

Ron Arad's 720°
By Ron Arad
2 – 11 Sep | 7pm – 11pm | 4 hr durational event (come and go as you please) | The Meadow @ Gardens by the Bay
Free Admission

Tropical Traumas: A Series of Cinematographic Cheoreographies
By Brian Gothong Tan, Ron Arad
2, 3, 4 Sep | 9pm | 1 hr 10 min | The Meadow @ Gardens by the Bay
Free Admission

Time Between Us
By Fernando Rubio, Oliver Chong
7 Sep (10am) through 11 Sep (10pm) | 108 hr durational performance | Marina Bay Sands Event Plaza
$10 (no further discount)

Sandaime Richard
By Hideki Noda, Ong Keng Sen
8, 9, 10 Sep | 8pm | 2 hr 20 min | Victoria Theatre
$30, $45, $60

Making And Doing
By Bill T. Jones
14 Sep | 8pm | 1 hr (inclusive of Q&A) | 72-13
Free Admission with ticket to A Letter/Singapore; Single entry ticket at $25

The Letter/Singapore
By Bill T. Jones
15, 16, 17 Sep | 8pm | 1 hr 10 min | The Singapore Airlines Theatre, LASALLE
$25, $40, $55 (includes free admission to Making And Doing)

Borderlands
By Wu Man, Master Musicians from The Silk Road
15, 16, 17 Sep | 8pm | 1 hr 20 min | SOTA Studio Theatre
$40