SINGAPORE – The Esplanade’s annual Studios season – which showcases cutting-edge, small-scale theatre works – opens on July 24 with Fragments Of Tuah, directed by Malaysian theatremaker Mark Teh under the auspices of Five Arts Centre.

The long-running showcase of contemporary theatre and performance works organised by the Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay also features award-winning works from Australia, Belgium and Iran.

The Straits Times takes a deeper dive into four key shows which kick off a new three-year story arc exploring aspects of power. This year’s theme is Precarious Bodies.

Award-winning Fragments Of Tuah finds contemporary relevance in 15th-century Malaysian warrior Hang Tuah

Doomscrolling during Covid-19, Malaysian theatremaker Mark Teh encountered a puzzling phenomenon: Content creators, many of them young, were racing each other to visit the birth and death locations of Hang Tuah, a 15th-century warrior who is a household name in Malaysia.

While a resurgent interest in history among the youn...