From The Wall Street Journal: Apr 2 2009
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123819982120262149.html
Singapore Lightens Up:The restrictive city-state relaxes some limits on theaters in a bid to become an arts hub
Hollywood actor Ethan Hawke stars in a production of Shakespeare’s "The Winter’s Tale," staged here this week by British director Sam Mendes. Meanwhile, across town, the curtain is rising on Oscar Wilde’s "The Importance of Being Earnest," with an all-male cast.

These are the latest marquee productions in Singapore’s ambitious bid to claim status as a global performing arts city on a par with London or New York—even if it means relaxing some long-held taboos. Theaters here increasingly are allowed to take on risqué social and political themes, a sign this tightly controlled Southeast Asian city-state is starting to loosen up.

As Singapore lost electronics-manufacturing jobs to China and India, it repositioned itself as a global center of financial services, a kind of Dubai in Asia. Now, it is working to make itself attractive to more international tourists and foreign expatriates, by creating a climate where theater and other performing arts can thrive. "The arts and a vibrant culture are needed for Singapore to develop," says Huzir Sulaiman, a Princeton-educated playwright and actor who runs Checkpoint Theatre, a local drama house. In 2006, Checkpoint staged "A Language of Their Own," a play about Asian-American gays by Chay Yew, a U.S.-based Singaporean dramatist. The play was banned here as recently as the mid-1990s.

A former British colony, Singapore gained independence in 1965 and today is a democracy with tight restrictions on freedom of assembly and expression. The government, led by one party since independence, requires public political gatherings of five or more people to get a police permit. The arts also have faced state control. A decade ago, theater groups were ordered to cut scenes that offended censors or else face withdrawal of funding. The government banned some plays outright. Television and films were also restricted: The TV show "Sex and the City" was blacklisted until 2004.

Just recently, though, authorities have been permitting a few mainstream theaters to explore subjects that were off limits. TV and film are still strictly regulated, but dramatists say they are getting some leeway to tackle sensitive political, racial and sexual issues. The homosexually-themed production of "The Importance of Being Earnest"—staged by Wild Rice, one of Singapore’s leading theater groups—is a milestone and a bold statement in a country where homosexual sex is illegal and local TV stations have been fined for running shows about gay couples.

Singapore’s efforts to foster the arts include the state-run Singapore Arts Festival in May and June, which attracts 700,000 people from around Asia to performances of theater, music and dance by local and international artists. In 2007, the number of plays staged in Singapore jumped to 620, almost double the number from a decade earlier, according to Singapore’s National Arts Council, which funds the arts. Local performing-arts companies increasingly attract the notice of international critics.

Serious, complex plays by local writers about issues like individual rights "have placed theater at the center of social discussions" in the city-state, says Paul Rae, a British citizen who teaches theater studies at the National University of Singapore. Plays by local groups like the Necessary Stage, TheatreWorks and Toy Factory Productions have been allowed to push the envelope while still receiving state funding.

New arts venues are being built in the tourist-friendly zone around the Singapore River and Marina Bay. Opened in 2002, the Esplanade Theater, where Mr. Hawke will perform, is a complex of theaters and concert halls under a roof shaped like a spiked tropical fruit. Across the bay, a $4 billion casino-leisure complex built by Las Vegas Sands is set to open later this year with a theater and museum.

At the river’s mouth, in the heart of the old British colonial district, stands the neoclassical Victoria Theater, which still houses plays. Next door, Singapore’s old parliament, another whitewashed colonial building, is now the Arts House venue. Elsewhere in the city, the 615-seat Drama Center opened a few years ago in the National Library, a modernistic steel-and-glass structure filled with tropical plants where the Oscar Wilde production is playing.

Ivan Heng, one of Singapore’s most popular actors (he plays Lady Bracknell in "The Importance of Being Earnest", founded the Wild Rice Company in 2000 and set up the Singapore Theatre Festival in 2006. Irreverent and privately-run, the festival has showcased a number of works lampooning Singapore’s paternalistic government. These include "The Campaign To Confer The Public Service Star On JBJ," by Singaporean writer Eleanor Wong, which became one of modern Singapore’s most controversial plays after its 2006 premiere. "JBJ" are the initials of J.B. Jeyaretnam, a leading opposition politician who died last year. The play is the fictional account of a political scandal stemming from attempts to award a public service star to a man with the same initials.

"Angel-ism" made waves with its 2008 premiere at the festival. Featuring a leader who’s resurrected to save a nation from destruction, the play was widely construed as an ironical allusion to Lee Kuan Yew, Singapore’s first prime minister who, before he stepped down in 1990, famously said he’d come back from the grave to help Singapore if he felt something was going wrong. The Necessary Stage, a small, popular theater in a community-center basement, last year staged "Gemuk Girls" (gemuk is a Malay word for "fat", about a woman whose political ambitions are complicated when she finds out her grandfather was detained as a Communist in the 1960s.

Singapore’s Media Development Authority, which oversees theater, film and TV content, says it has allowed plays in big venues like the Esplanade to be staged without prior government approval since 2005. Instead, theaters self-regulate by applying content ratings to plays based on government guidelines, says Amy Chua, the authority’s director of media content. The result, she says, is that fewer than 150 plays each year now have to seek performance licenses from the authority. The strategy has "enabled the theater scene here to grow and provide more choices for consumers," Ms. Chua says.

The state is also boosting other art forms. Trying to position Singapore as a film hub, the government is offering to pay up to half the costs of foreign productions that film on location in Singapore. The state has managed to lure a number of animation studios here, including one owned by U.S. producer George Lucas, with the offer of generous tax breaks. Local films also are subsidized. "My Magic," a Tamil-language film about an alcoholic father and his son, last year was the first Singaporean entry ever to be nominated for a Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

The government, now under Mr. Lee’s son, Lee Hsien Loong, still keeps a close eye on TV and film content shown in Singapore. Last year, the media authority fined a state-controlled TV channel the equivalent of $10,000 for airing an episode of the home-decorating show "Find and Design." The authority said a gay couple in the episode "normalizes and promotes a gay lifestyle."

"Television goes into people’s living rooms. We get away with a lot more," says Alvin Tan, founder of the Necessary Stage company. Its recent productions have dealt with pedophilia and a cancer patient who uses marijuana to ease pain and faces the death penalty. Neither one was cut by censors or faced a withdrawal of funds. There are still boundaries, Mr. Tan says, but "we take the limits as creative stimulation. You can feel a sense of opening up."

Trip Planner
Where to Stay: The Fullerton Hotel is a luxury hotel in an old colonial-era post office on the Singapore River. In April, it has special room rates of $200 (299 Singapore dollars) weekends, $215 (328 Singapore dollars) weekdays (www.fullertonhotel.com; +65-6733-8388). The Novotel Clarke Quay hotel has rooms on its club-floor level from $170 (260 Singapore dollars). Higher up, rooms have views of Boat Quay and the Esplanade (+65-6338-3333).

Where to Eat: Boat Quay, Clarke Quay and Robertson Quay—all on the Singapore River—have al fresco dining with all kinds of cuisine. A meal for two, without alcohol, starts at $65 (100 Singapore dollars) and goes up fast. IndoChine Waterfront Restaurant, in the Asian Civilizations Museum, close to the Arts House, has a mix of Vietnamese and French cuisine and a patio with great views of Boat Quay and the financial district. Try the spring rolls and beef stew ragout. Dishes cost $12 to $25 (20 to 40 Singapore dollars). (+65-6339-1720). Or sit on plastic seats under fans and dine at one of Singapore’s ubiquitous "hawker centers," serving noodles with roast duck or Malay curries. Meals start at $2.50 (4 Singapore dollars).

What to Do: Visit Singapore’s Chinese, Indian and Arab quarters to get a flavor of this multi-ethnic trading port. Singapore’s museums are also expanding. The National Museum of Singapore, which houses a permanent exhibition on Singapore’s history and interesting temporary shows, is an architectural gem that combines a colonial building with modern glass-and-steel extensions. Plans are afoot to turn the British-era Supreme Court, near the Singapore River, in to a new National Art Gallery by 2012.

Don’t miss Singapore’s award-winning zoo or shopping on Orchard Road. Or take a trip to Sentosa, a resort island joined by bridge, monorail and cable car to Singapore’s mainland. A Universal Studios theme park and a major casino will open on Sentosa in early 2010.

Over the years as the Area Director of Contact Singapore, one of the main considerations I gather from talent considering to work in Singapore is about life in Singapore. Today’s mobile individuals want to be assured that they can enjoy the lifestyle in their destination of choice while pursuing their dream career. And as a born and bred Singaporean who has also lived overseas for many years, I am usually more than happy and confident to share that my home country offers just that ideal mix of professional dynamism and exciting lifestyle choices.

And to add to my testimony, recently The Wall Street Journal published two articles on life in Singapore which I thought would make an excellent read for those considering to move to Singapore. Here is part I featuring the arts and culture scene in Singapore. Do check out my next blog entry for the gastronomic scene in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

We look forward to welcoming you to Singapore!

Till the next time,

Jynn

Last month, my colleague Tonny and I brought together a group of US and UK students to visit Singapore on our inaugural Experience@Singapore: Finance Immersion Program (you can read more about it here: http://tinyurl.com/qawhnc).

To enable the students to experience what it’s like to work and live in Singapore, the program incorporated both recruitment (visits to top financial institutions) and social aspects (visits to tourists spots). Accompanying the students during the week gave me a chance – a born and bred Singaporean – to view Singapore from the eyes of a foreigner and I was amazed at what that perspective offered.

Take Singapore’s financial sector as an example. It never fails to leave me in awe of how a small island state like Singapore that only gained independence slightly over 40 years ago have come so far and is now a key player on the world stage. During our visits to the financial institutions, many executives shared that they remained positive on Singapore’s economic outlook and were confident of the sector’s resilience despite the slowdown in the US economy. The exciting career opportunities that were showcased to the students offered a sharp contrast to the increasing layoffs on Wall Street.

On the social aspect, it was incredible for me to see Singapore as a tourist. The Singapore Flyer, newly opened in February this year, presented spectacular views of the Singapore skyline. The duck tours were similar to the ones in Boston and offered an exciting amphibious journey through Singapore’s downtown. And the Night Safari was as entertaining as many of the world’s top zoos I’ve visited (although I’ve never been to a safari so I don’t have that as a comparison).

Throughout the week, I couldn’t help but notice an emerging theme: that to a foreigner, Singapore can probably offer a lifestyle as similar or as different to your current one depending on your preference.

A banker from Wall Street or the City can work in the same global bank in Singapore’s financial sector, drink espresso from the same coffee shop chain, enjoy a meal at a restaurant serving familiar food and watch a summer blockbuster that is also showing in cinemas back home. In short, nothing has to change if one does not want it to.

And yet on the other hand, Singapore offers so much historical and cultural uniqueness that those who want a completely different lifestyle can easily do so. One could drink a traditional hainanese coffee [“kopi"], eat out at an open air food court [“hawker centre”], watch a local play and learn to speak Mandarin, Malay or Tamil since most Singaporeans speak a second language depending on their ethnicity.

So global flair or local flavor? It’s your choice. Or you can be like me and have your cake and eat it by enjoying the best of both worlds. That’s why I love Singapore. Come experience it for yourself.

Every year, the months of September and October have always been some of the busiest months for Contact Singapore (North America) as they coincide with the peak recruitment season at most universities. This year was no exception. The Contact Singapore (North America) team held 24 events and reached out to more than 2800 people across 10 cities in the US and Canada between the months of September and October.  We have provided a quick recap of the events below to update everyone.

Contact Singapore presents “Work in Singapore” Campus Series

US

1. New York University  
2. University of California-Berkeley  
3. Yale University
4. Harvard University
5. Columbia University
6. University of Pennsylvania
7. Princeton University
8. Stanford University

Canada

1. Simon Fraser University
2. University of British Columbia  

The team would like to thank everyone who supported us at the campus events. We were very happy to meet with so many people who were interested to learn more about working opportunities in Singapore and hoped that we were able to provide adequate assistance to facilitate your job or internship search in Singapore. If you have further queries, please feel free to contact us at boston@cs.org.sg. 

For those who are not from the universities listed above or whom we did not get a chance to meet, please also feel free to let us know when would be a good time to visit your campus.

Contact Singapore and the Monetary Authority of Singapore present “Singapore: International Financial Center – Opportunities and Careers”  

Contact Singapore (North America), in collaboration with the Monetary Authority of Singapore, held the “Singapore: International Financial Center – Opportunities and Careers” recruitment events for the second year running. This year’s events in New York and Chicago saw more than double the participants from last year, and our inaugural event in Boston was received with overwhelming response. Close to 500 participants attended the 3-day event to learn about the exciting developments and opportunities in Singapore’s financial services industry. The participants also had the opportunity to network with representatives from 6 Singapore-based financial institutions.

Contact Singapore (North America) hoped that the events provided a good platform to link Singapore-based employers with the talent in the US. For those who were unable to attend the events, we are planning to launch a video podcast of the event on our website so do watch out for it. We will also continue to organize more of such events in various cities and with different industry themes so do keep a lookout for us when we are in your neighborhood!

Next stop: Contact Singapore and the Economic Development Board (EDB) present “Singapore: Opportunities and Careers in Technology Sectors”. If you are interested in pursuing a career in

• biomedical sciences
• energy, chemicals & engineering services
• electronics
• infocomm & media
• transport engineering
• precision engineering
• logistics
• alternative energy

Contact Singapore and EDB will be holding information sessions at the following universities in the US Midwest:

• Nov 12: University of Michigan – Ann-Arbor
• Nov 13: Purdue University – West Lafayette
• Nov 14: University of Illinois – Urbana-Champaign
• Nov 15: Northwestern University
• Nov 16: University of Wisconsin – Madison

We warmly invite you to join us. More details will be posted on our blog very soon!

Signing off against a backdrop of the beautiful New England fall scenery,

Jynn

Area Director, Contact Singapore (North America)

As a recent graduate from the United States headed to Singapore for a year on a research grant, I had no idea what to expect. My university professors had encouraged me to journey to Singapore with descriptions of skyscrapers, a multitude of cultures, excellent health care services (much to the pleasure of my parents) and amazing food. On the other hand, my general guide book to Southeast Asia had suggested I travel with enough supplies to last me until I returned to the United States. I decided to play it safe and arrived at the airport with a heavy suitcase full of soap and toothpaste. Before long, I realized this was really unnecessary as I could find all my favorite toiletries and groceries in any supermarket. All these concerns were minute compared to a world of new exciting possibilities waiting to be explored!

Singapore is a fantastic place for a young expatriate to live and a great way to experience Asia.   It is as energetic and exciting as any American metropolis, with all the usual amenities and services. I worked near Singapore’s business hub, Raffles Place, where I experienced first-hand the buzz and excitement of the energy and activity. Only the tropical heat reminded me that I was in Southeast Asia, as I could have been anywhere in the world with the diversity of people in the city. There was no language barrier to speak of since everyone spoke English.  

What I really love about the Singapore is its thriving scene in the arts and culture. I truly feel that Singapore typifies the description of a melting pot in this regard. On a walk through the city you will pass Hindu and Buddhist temples, Christian churches and Muslim Mosques. Throughout the year I experienced amazing cultural events and celebrations like the Chinese Lunar New Year, Deepavali and Hari Raya Puasa, to name a few. The arts scene is also flourishing and on any given night, there is a gallery opening, a concert, a performance or a film screening somewhere. Before attending one of these events, I would often meet friends for dinner along the Singapore River at Clarke Quay or in the bustling Chinatown district with its quaint shops and colorful sights.

For an American girl used to driving around town in a car, Singapore’s public transportation is an excellent alternative. I did not miss the autonomy of having my own vehicle as trains, buses and taxis could get me anywhere around the country in under an hour’s time. I could attend meetings or meet friends at a moment’s notice. Most housing options are within an easy distance to public transportation. I stayed in a nice, but affordable, condominium in the Orchard Road area in the heart of the shopping district, complete with a pool, gym and Koi pond.

Now I am back in Boston, Massachusetts and working for Contact Singapore North America. I loved my time in Singapore and now I enjoy introducing people to the possibilities in Singapore for them. While I was only in Singapore for a year, I consider it to be my second home as I have many fond memories of my time there. I hope to return to sunny Singapore someday soon!

This is the sixth year that I have lived outside of Singapore, both as a student previously and now as the Area Director for Contact Singapore (North America). So I guess that qualifies me to be an Overseas Singaporean (OS) and since I meet many fellow OS during the course of my work, I thought, what better way to pen down my first blog entry than to share some of my thoughts as an OS?

“Absence makes the heart grow fonder”. Clichéd as the quote may be, it describes what I feel as an OS perfectly. Singapore’s year-round summer heat, which I have always complained about, is now a welcome reprieve from the bitter cold of Boston. Traffic congestions in the Central Business District (CBD), once a nuisance, now convey the dynamism and buzz of a booming economy. Singapore’s small land area, which sometimes account for why Singaporeans grumble about there being nothing to do except shopping and watching movies, is now much appreciated because everything is easily accessible within minutes.

And it seems like my fellow OS share my sentiments, judging from the number of OS associations in virtually every university and city in North America that have been formed to connect us to Singapore and to other OS. It is heart-warming to see so many OS willing to come forward to volunteer their time and resources to build communities where we share a common national identity despite being overseas. From New York to San Francisco, Chicago to Dallas, Vancouver to Toronto, the same Singaporean spirit and love for food continue to bind us as if we are back in Singapore.

So perhaps, this year’s National Day song “There’s No Place I’d Rather Be” performed by Kit Chan, best sums up our feelings as OS (visit http://www.ndp.org.sg/multimedia/audio/index.html for song download and lyrics). Some OS may not come back to Singapore due to personal circumstances but Singapore will always be the place where they grew up in and think of fondly. Others may relish the experience of living overseas to broaden their perspectives but see Singapore as the place they will ultimately return to. And for these OS, I hope that Contact Singapore will be able to help you be plugged into the latest developments and employment landscape in Singapore and make your transition as smooth as possible.

Stay tuned for our next blog entry featuring thoughts from an expatriate in Singapore!