Fate of a Cockroach

“Do you know what is to be found behind this shiny wall? 
I have climbed to the top of it many times and have seen the strangest things…” 

Somewhere under a leaky tap, a cockroach king holds court over a kingdom he cannot control, dodging questions from a minister, a priest, and a savant – who disagree about nearly everything. Meanwhile, in the same bathroom, looking down from above, a husband and wife are fighting their own small war over who gets in first. When a cockroach falls into the bathtub, everyone loses their mind. A doctor gets called in. Clearly…nobody is well. 

ITI brings you the Singapore premiere of Egyptian playwright Tawfiq al-Hakim's Fate of a Cockroach, adapted and directed by German director Ulrich Meyer-Horsch, and performed by graduating actors Henry Joseph Fundo, Jyoti Rana, and Pratiksha Sindhu, from the Philippines and India. Equal parts philosophical and funny, the play is a microcosm reflecting the observer and observed.

Teetering between two realms, the insect and the human, Fate of a Cockroach is a satirical allegory on power, pride, and the hopeful - often ridiculous - struggle to live.

Meyer-Horsch’s adaptation challenges the three performers to transform between multiple roles, and invites audiences to ask what it means to be living beings in communion with each other, and how we might imagine worlds beyond our own in the spaces we share. 

Rating: TBC

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Ulrich Meyer-Horsch is the Artistic Director of the Schule für Schauspiel Hamburg and an award-winning theatre director. He has taught the Michael Chekhov method for over 30 years. This play marks his return to ITI, and to Singapore, after eight years.

Tawfiq al-Hakim (1898–1987) is recognised as the founder of contemporary Egyptian drama and a leading figure in modern Arabic literature. He has written over 70 published plays, alongside several pioneering novels, short stories, essays, and an autobiography. Fate of a Cockroach was first written and published in Arabic in 1966, then translated to English in 1973. 

Tickets:

Standard: $27
40% discount for Students
20% discount for NSFs, PWDs, Senior Citizens & Esplanade&Me

[ Ticket on sale from 5 Oct ]

Dates:
12–14 November 2026

Time:
Thu & Fri: 8:00 PM / Sat: 3:00 PM, 8:00 PM

Duration:
2 hrs 15 mins including intermission

Venue:
Esplanade Theatre Studio, 1 Esplanade Drive, Singapore 038981
(located on Level 4 and accessible by escalators and lifts)

Presented by Intercultural Theatre Institute
In Collaboration with Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Written by Tawfiq al-Hakim
Directed and Adapted by Ulrich Meyer-Horsch
Performed by ITI Graduating Class of 2026

Cast:
Henry Joseph Fundo
Jyoti Rana
Pratiksha Sindhu

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Production Credits:
Directed and Adapted by Ulrich Meyer-Horsch
Production Designer: Bernice Ong
Lighting Designer: Faith Liu Yong Huay
Sound Designer: Syafiq Halid

Production Manager: Clarisse Ng
Stage Manager: Cheryl Lee
Graphic Designer: Arvind Jay
Publicity Visual Photographer: Gwyn Lau