A comedy pokes fun at the military. A drama depicts a local stripper from the 1950s. A satire portrays an ethnic Malay Muslim general who becomes a dictator. The biennial Singapore Theatre Festival, which wrapped up last month, showcased how artists here are taking advantage of relaxed government censorship to explore once taboo subjects - even, to some degree, the highly charged issues of race, religion and politics. There s a huge difference in what s allowed now compared to five years ago, said Gaurav Kripalani, who has helped stage Rent, Death of a Salesman and Avenue Q as artistic director of the Singapore Repertory Theatre. There are limits. The government banned a 2006 play for portraying Muslims in a negative light, along with documentaries about opposition political figures and even a couple of Janet Jackson CDs for racy lyrics. Still, the notoriously straight-laced Southeast Asian city-state is finally letting its hair down, a few strands at a time. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announced recently that the government would lift a ban on films with political themes, while maintaining one on political commercials and what he called partisan stuff. The ban was lifted in part because of widespread Internet use, which has undermined government censorship efforts. I don t think an outright ban is still sensible because this is how people communicate on the web in daily life, Lee said. So we ve got to allow political videos, with some safeguards. Another reason for loosening up is economic: Faced with a shortage of skilled workers and an aging population, the government is trying to attract qualified foreigners to live here. It also wants to keep locals, who are becoming more sophisticated, from migrating abroad. So Singapore, which still suffers from a reputation as a quirky place that canes vandals and bans chewing gum, is trying to become a hip and fun place. Making the city of 4.6 million people an arts and theater hub is part of that drive. Singapore also will host the first nighttime Formula One race next month and unveil a casino resort next year. The government has poured money into theater, music and dance during the last decade. The number of theatergoers has almost doubled since 2000, while registered theater companies grew to 73 last year from 18 in 1997, according to the government s National Arts Council. Artists applaud the government for establishing the Media Development Authority in 2003, which put in place a ratings system that can prohibit Singaporeans below the age of 16, 18 or 21 from attending certain performances. Now there s a buffer between the police and the artists, said Alvin Tan, who has directed plays about capital punishment, pedophilia and marijuana use. Before the MDA came about, it was more high-handed. We would just get a letter that would say, Take this line out, take this paragraph out. Now we can negotiate. The authority requires playwrights to submit scripts for approval and bans plays that threaten the stability and harmony of the city, where Malays and ethnic Chinese clashed in riots in the 1960s. Race and religion remain powerful and emotional subjects, especially in our multiracial society, said Amy Chua, the Media Development Authority s director of media content. Such issues should continue to be dealt with and presented sensitively. To avoid the censor s wrath, playwrights often use satire or metaphor to discuss sensitive topics such as the People s Action Party, known as the PAP, which has ruled Singapore since independence in 1965. One play at this year s festival depicts Stamford Raffles, who founded Singapore as a British trading port in 1819, as a debt-ridden and often irresponsible dreamer, a far cry from the noble, visionary hero of history books. I wanted to expose the founding myth as a myth, said Ng Yi-Sheng, who wrote the play. It s a way of attacking some of the myths of today. The PAP very much rules as a neocolonial government, placing order and morality above all. Some Singaporeans doubt the greater freedom given to theater will spill over into other media, such as television, radio and print. Theater only challenges the mindsets of a limited, middle-class audience, said Stefanie Chan, a 20-year-old university student. Censorship is stricter in mass media. The government did lift a ban on the Sex and the City TV program in 2004. Cosmopolitan and the men s magazine FHM are allowed; Playboy and Penthouse are not. The government still doesn t believe the people are mature enough to give completely uncensored views, Ng said. But I think Singapore has reached a stage that it does not need limitations. Discussions about censorship often come back to the relative maturity of Singapore, with the society sometimes talked about as if it s a teenager about to leave home. Over the past years, performance guidelines have changed in tandem with community needs and expectations, Chua of the Media Development Authority said. As our society matures, we can accommodate more debates and exploration of issues. Since independence, Singapore, a tiny island with almost no natural resources, has grown into a developed nation. Gross domestic product per capita rose to $35,163 last year from $512 in 1965.The general population thinks two things, said Chua Beng Huat, a sociology professor at National University of Singapore: The government has done a good job economically, but there needs to be more public discussion about everything. You cannot have a society that has been economically progressing for 50 years and not expect it to become much more complex, educated, and demanding, Chua said. The long-ruling People s Action Party, with an eye toward the next election, recognizes this shift. They know what public opinion is, and they know what the cost would be if they continue to be stubborn, Chua said. They re in the business of staying in power.
