Parenting on Purpose

Cluck Cluck! Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the Golden Eggs of course! Wait a minute. That doesn't sound right. Of course.  She crossed the road because the sky was falling! Oops. I meant she actually had some delicious bread to bake, but no one was there to help her! Oh no. I got it all wrong. But did i? I Theatre presents a new and interactive musical production that tells the story of not one, not two, but three feathered friends! There's The Goose That Laid the Golden Eggs, The Little Red Hen, and Chicken-Licken! And the trio band together to hatch a tale which stitches together a whole host of well-known folk stories. And it's no fowl play. The chickies will be sharing with the audience how a musical is made, and will share about the themes and morals of the stories. As I Theatre promises, the show is "g uaranteed to engage young and old alike", and is "specially designed with exciteme...

Grow and change  Grow and change Look around and you will see Everyday a little difference Nothing stays the same you'll see. I Theatre's musical showcase The Ant and The Grasshopper  is all about change. Yet not everyone is keen to embrace the changes that occur each day. There's the Grasshopper, who lives from day to day, composing songs and dancing to the beat of the springtime sunshine. There's the Ant, who attempts to deal with the upcoming winter by neurotically gathering food and neglecting the beauty of the world around her. There's the Caterpillar, a little creature who is afraid of everything and everyone, and who spends her life resisting every iota of change. There's the Ladybird, who deals with change by escaping south to a warmer climate. And there are of course the Bees, who make it their business to question every single change that happens to everyone other than themselves. I Theatre has taken a classic tale from Aesop, and tr...

When Singapore girl Toni Lee makes a wish, little does she know that her dreams can come true! The 10-year-old travels back to ancient China, and becomes the poor painter Ma Liang, who is presented with a special gift by the Spirit of Creation. Anything Ma Liang paints can come to life! And he uses this gift to provide for the poor and the under-privileged. But what happens when the tyrannical Emperor finds out? Will this spell the end of Ma Liang and the Magic Paintbrush? "If only.... " A Singapore girl faces her dreaded exams; and her parents don't seem to understand how she feels. I Theatre's last production of the year, the Magic Paintbrush , is a theatrical work of genius. The first time the play was run was in 2000, and the musical generated so much hype it was made into a book by publisher Marshall Cavendish. The 2016 version stole the hearts of the audience from the get-go. With powerful songs put together by the I Theatre music trio of Kenneth Lyen, Ba...

I Theatre's spectacular production The Magic Paintbrush  starts its run this week. Parenting on Purpose goes up close and personal with the company's Creative Director Brian Seward, to learn more about why I Theatre is bringing back this popular play. Spectacular artwork from the original production of The Magic Paintbrush. Parenting on Purpose:  What made you choose this particular Chinese folk tale as the original inspiration for the play? Brian Seward:   It was an interesting story, with not too many characters, and with a very clear moral, that was suitable for younger children as well as older ones. A lot of Chinese folk tales can be quite long and involved. Others involve a lot of fighting and chopping off of heads. This story lent itself a bit more to a theatre adaptation - although we have the challenge of making things that are painted come to life! There were a number of different versions of the story - some more bloodthirsty than others....

I Theatre's The Magic Paintbrush is back in the theatres after 16 long years! Here are some fun facts about the acclaimed I Theatre production. If you read carefully and answer the questions below, you might just get a chance to win two free tickets to the play! 1)  In 2004 the play was made into a book, and published by Marshall Cavendish. It sold out! The books are now very rare as it was not reprinted. 2)  In 2000, I Theatre presented 13 performances in a 300 seater theatre. This time they are presenting 24 performances in a 609 seater theatre. 3)  The Magic Paintbrush was presented in 2000 by Imaginarts, the parent company that spawned I Theatre in 2001 - and the income from The Magic Paintbrush helped to launch the company. 4)  In 2000 they had a cast of 8 actors and 27 puppets. In 2016 they have 9 actors and… count to see how many puppets! 5) For 2016 there are two brand new characters - Peony Blossom and Lotus Flower. Exact...

The little star shone brightly in the living room of Cosmo and Celeste; a dazzling display of brilliance and enchantment. Lost in the midst of their squabbles, the brother and sister pair realise that there are better things to do than to fight - they need to help the little lost star find its way home! And so it's off on a grand adventure. Is the star's home beneath the deepest depths of the sea? Is it beyond the furthest reaches of the galaxy? Or is home really where the heart is? Little Star, Little Star, how can we help you find your home? Little Star  is I Theatre's second production intended for younger audiences between the ages of 2-6. The first performance, Round the Moon, Blue the Sky , was a regional collaboration with Asian theatre powerhouses in Hong Kong and Japan. But Little Star  represents a first locally for I Theatre in its outreach efforts to younger theatre audiences. It also represented an experiment by Artistic Director Brian Seward, who cre...

What happens if your BFF suddenly declares that you are boring and not worth her attention? What if this was the same friend that you had always looked up?  I Theatre's 15th Anniversary Production, "The Rainbow Fish", takes you to a world of adventure and exploration; of friendship and of community. Under the Sea. The fishy community welcomes you to the show! Enter Rainbow. She's a dazzling display of beauty; especially given her lovely shiny scales. And she's no less than a celebrity to all the other fishes, which makes her proud and arrogant. But the final blow is when Rainbow decides to insult her long-time fan and supporter, Small Blue, leaving him... well let's say our little friend was  feeling  more than a little blue.... What if no one ever talked to her again? Is it too late for Rainbow? Will she live a forever friendless life? "Bubble Bubble...." says the Starfish. "I can't hear you...." I Theatre's Brian Sewa...

Dive into the deep and be treated to a musical extravaganza that will dazzle the senses! I Theatre celebrates its 15th Anniversary with a re-make of its groundbreaking play, "The Rainbow Fish"! The play is  based on Swiss author and illustrator Marcus Pfister's award-winning book series, which was transformed into a TV series in the United States. I Theatre is bringing the show back after a 5-year hiatus. Artistic Director Brian Seward says  the show has been staged seven times, and it's been all over the world, including India, USA, Australia and the United Kingdom.   When?   26 April to 15 May 2016 Where?  Drama Centre Theatre, Singapore Who? Anyone from 3 to 103 years old! What can we expect? Like any good I Theatre production, expect a wholesome family production with strong characterisation, catchy songs and dances, and a moral in the story. And, I Theatre promises to showcase  the various techniques it has learnt over the ...

There was once a Boy. And he had one job - to tend to the sheep owned by a cluster of five villages. There was, however, one problem. The Boy was prone to falling asleep - especially when counting the sheep. So, it was time to make things more exciting. And what could be more exciting than pretending that there was a Wolf around! That very idea would send all the villagers into a frenzy and bring life to the entire place. And it would be terribly fun for a bored little Boy. But what if the Boy chose to cry "Wolf!" on more than one occasion? Would the villagers still believe him? What if there really was a wolf? Meet the cast. Boy and his Wooly Friends. Our little one was overwhelmed by the huge attention he was getting from the Sheep. Baa! I Theatre's interpretation of the popular Aesop Fable "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" brings to life a world where life is simple; where the grass is green, the skies blue, and the mountains a sight to behold. The musical b...

“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts…” “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare When master storyteller Aesop first presented his fables more than 2,000 years ago, he imbued them with a sense of justice and morality. This collection of more than 600 tales often served as a moral compass to guide people towards thinking of others rather than solely about themselves. I Theatre, in its usual tradition of seeking out stories with moral values, has taken eight of these tales, and transformed them into dramatic pieces that children and adults alike can relate with. This is done through the ensemble actors of the travelling Crowfoot Troupe, who attempt to tell the stories in a manner that is sometimes humorous but at other times seriously sombre. Artistic Director Brian Seward adopts elements of the Brechtian tradition in this production. Actors were encouraged to ...