Ep 0: “Prologue: Building Bridges” feat. Serene Chen and Charlene Shepherdson
Host
Serene Chen
Charlene Shepherdson
Date
25 Jan 2022
Listen
About
In this introductory episode, our hosts Charlene Shepherdson and Serene Chen delve into the mysterious and unsung world of the arts manager in Singapore, and discuss the origins and objectives of Backlogues, the arts management podcast. They reminisce and muse about what arts management means to each of them, both personally as well as in the trajectories of their professional careers in the literary arts sector (Charlene) and the theatre industry (Serene). They outline the time periods of Singapore’s arts management history, sharing what listeners can expect in the upcoming episodes, and touch on its role as a process of research and documentation through the methodology of oral history.
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[00:09:20] Action Theatre: a former non-profit theatre company that was founded in 1987 by artistic director Ekachai Uekrongtham. It was known for its refreshing approach in creating new works, as well as nurturing new talent. It was in operation til the 2000s.
[00:10:02] The Necessary Stage: non-profit local theatre company established in 1987.
[00:12:42] Passion 99.5FM: an arts radio station set up by the National Arts Council Singapore in December 1997 that supported and played local music. The station was closed down on 31 December 2003 due to insufficient sponsorship and advertising revenue to cover operating costs. The frequency on the FM band was then awarded to Mediacorp and a new station Lush 99.5 FM started transmission on 31 December 2004 till 1 September 2017.
[00:13:22] Esplanade: Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay is a performing arts centre, which officially opened in October 2002. The idea that Singapore should have a performing arts centre was first conceived in 1975.
[00:13:50] Singapore Dance Theatre: Singapore’s national dance company which was founded in 1988 and renamed Singapore Ballet in December 2021.
[00:13:54] Singapore Lyric Opera: a western opera company founded by the late- Leow Siak Fah in 1990.
[00:12:10] NUS Centre for the Arts: an arts centre in the National University of Singapore (NUS), which was established in 1993 under the directorship of Edwin Thumboo. Today, it oversees NUS Museum and the University Cultural Centre.
[00:21:30] Landmark Books: independent publisher established in 1986.
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[00:09:20] Ekachai Uekrongtham: founding artistic director of Action Theatre and film-maker.
[00:09:17] Elsa Lim: a late arts manager who worked in theatre whose responsibilities include being publicity manager.
[00:10:50] Lee Sia Ang: an arts manager who has been working in theatre from the mid-1990s, mainly in the roles of production manager and stage manager.
[00:13:32] Lena St George-Street: an arts manager who used to work with The British Council in Singapore during the 1980s
[00:13:49] Ng Siew Eng: an arts manager who has worked with some of Singapore’s leading arts companies such as the Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Singapore Dance Theatre, and Singapore Lyric Opera
[00:13:54] Leow Siak Fah: founder of two Western Opera companies in Singapore: the Singapore Lyric Opera in 1990 and OperaViva in 2008.
[00:17:20] Lee Dai Sor: a renowned Cantonese storyteller who was especially popular amongst radio listeners during the 1950s and 1960s.
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[00:02:45] Lobang: a word from the Malay language. It is commonly used to describe an opportunity or deal.
[00:11:39] Bao Ka Liao: A Singlish term borrowed from the Hokkien dialect language, which is commonly used to describe “doing everything, covering all roles.
[00:23:56] IJ: Short form for Convent of the Holy Infant Jesus (CHIJ), which was a congregation of Catholic girls’ schools established in Singapore since 1854 by an order of French Catholic nuns.
About our Speakers
Serene Chen is a bilingual actress, host, voice artist and lecturer. She spent the first 3 years of her professional career as an Producer-Presenter in Singapore’s first arts radio station, Passion 99.5FM.
Charlene Shepherdson is a Singaporean poet and community organiser focused on language in written, performative and visual forms. She is the Station Control (General Manager) of Sing Lit Station.