Why did you decide to tackle “Tiger of Malaya,” and how did you approach it?
Alfian: I’ve always wanted to create a work with Japanese artists, ever since I attended
TPAM (Tokyo Performing Arts Meeting) back in 2016. I was really inspired by the
diversity of the Japanese plays that I watched, and how contemporary it seemed to
me—there were works ranging from documentary theatre to those dealing with
multimedia.
Even though my training is in what one would call “classical” drama, I wanted to
challenge myself by creating a work with metatextual elements. So I’ve written what
is essentially a play within a play, except that it is a play that is responding to a film.
The actors in the show remake a film in the form of theatre, and I’m very interested in
that translation from one genre to another. In addition, part of that remaking is
complicated by historical responsibility and identity politics. Can we replicate
something without also reproducing its ideology? What are the choices we can make
to expose the propaganda that animated the original film? I think the key idea here is
“criticality”, where we keep on questioning how art has the power to not only
represent but shape reality, and how we are ethically implicated in these processes.
Despite its heavy themes, comic elements play an important role in this work.
What do you think about the function of “laughter”?
Alfian: On the surface, a play about war might not be associated with comic scenes. But
there are many ways in which one can approach the subject. Brecht uses a cynical
and detached tone in Mother Courage and her Children. Joan Littlewood and the
Theatre Workshop created the satire Oh! What a Lovely War, and satire was mixed
with magic realism in Oh Chang-Gun’s Toenail by Park Jo-Yeol. Hirata Oriza’s Tokyo
Notes approaches the subject of war so obliquely that it dares you to hear the sound
of distant bombs in the hushed corridors of an art gallery. In all these works, comic
elements exist; not to trivialise the human toll exacted by war, but to assert an aspect
of being human that the machinery of war often threatens to erase. On a
dramaturgical level, I’ve always found that humour is one way to connect audiences
who are on opposite ends of an ideological spectrum. It reminds us that there is still
something hidden inside us that we have in common, and that we are still capable of
a shared experience. Laughter, in that sense, is an expression of hope.
Fared: Comedy serves as a social commentary, helping audiences navigate difficult topics. By reframing overwhelming situations into manageable, sometimes absurd or exaggerated perspectives, it eases the audience into the weighty subject matter. This approach maintains the integrity of the story, ensuring that the comedic elements don’t derail the narrative. Theatre fosters a unique connection between the audience and the stage, where intelligent and engaged viewers can deeply think and feel beyond the laughter.
How was the play received by audiences in Singapore?
Alfian: There are quite typical or “standard” ways in which the history of the Japanese
Occupation in Singapore has been narrated. In some countries, Japanese wartime
aggression has been used to construct xenophobic nationalism, but in Singapore the
main “message” is that we need to maintain a military and to commit to a system of
mandatory conscription. The audience in Singapore was often surprised to
encounter certain perspectives from the movie Tiger of Malaya, such as the notion
that Southeast Asia was being “liberated” by the Japanese from Western domination.
We don’t really read about these ideas in our history books, and I suspect that
Singapore historians dismiss them as wartime propaganda rather than sincerely-held
beliefs. I was initially a little anxious whether the audience would accuse us of trying
to whitewash or even justify the more horrific aspects of the Japanese Occupation. I
was prepared to engage in debates on whether “humanising” the enemy means
“dishonouring” their victims. Thankfully, the audience recognised that we were not so
much questioning the “truth” of historical events, but more on how “history” is
produced—in film, in theatre, and in discourse.
Fared: Staging in Singapore was akin to embarking on a historical journey. Many audience members, coming from a generation relying on textbooks and the internet for their war knowledge, felt a sense of detachment. However, Tiger of Malaya offered more than what they had learned in school. It presented fresh perspectives and information that captivated audiences, keeping them on the edge of their seats as history unfolded in four languages, representing the diverse communities involved.
Message from Artists
Tiger of Malaya was born out of various research fieldtrips in Singapore and Japan,
and the process would not have felt complete without a presentation in Japan. We
are thus deeply thankful to the Shizuoka Performing Arts Centre for their invitation
and the opportunity to share the work with a Japanese audience. While creating the
work, we were often confronted with material that challenged our understanding of
history. At the same time, each provocation nudged us to widen the space where
competing ideas and beliefs can co-exist. With our production in Shizuoka, I hope
that space continues to expand, and with it, the possibilities of moving from co-
existence to reconciliation. —Alfian Sa’at
Festivals serve as a platform to share diverse stories that transcend cultural and linguistic boundaries. More importantly, they offer a chance for real-time storytelling, allowing us to engage with important issues and witness how different communities approach them.
Tiger of Malaya will take us back in time, helping us better understand our present. I’m thrilled to be participating in the World Theatre Festival Shizuoka for the first time, eager to immerse myself in the vibrant creative community and diverse audience. —Mohd Fared Jainal
Alfian Sa’at
Alfian Sa’at is the Resident Playwright of Wild Rice and a renowned writer with works spanning poetry, short stories, flash fiction, and plays. His published works include One Fierce Hour, A History of Amnesia, Cooling Off Day, and Malay Sketches, among others. Alfian has received numerous accolades, including the Golden Point Award for Poetry (2001), the National Arts Council Young Artist Award, and multiple nominations for the Singapore Literature Prize. He has also won Best Original Script at the Life! Theatre Awards four times for plays including Landmarks (2004), Nadirah (2010), and Hotel (2016).
Mohd Fared Jainal
A recipient of the Goh Chok Tong Youth Promise Award, Fared engages in cross-disciplinary work delving into both the realms of visual and performing arts. He holds a Master’s in Arts (Design) from Open University/LASALLE College of the Arts.
Fared has collaborated extensively with various theatre and arts groups in Singapore as a director, performer, visual artist, and set designer. He has won several awards as a director, designer and actor for the Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards and BOH Cameronian Arts Awards.
A founding member of Neon Tights, a visual art collective dealing with theatre design, Fared also served as the Artistic Director of Teater Ekamatra from 2013 to 2023. He also does consultancy work with Malay Heritage Centre (MHC) and teaches at School of the Arts (SOTA).
