It Won’t Be Too Long: The Cemetery

ITI’s graduating cohort, Al-Matin Yatim, Chang Ting Wei and Yazid Jalil, will be part of the Singapore International Festival of Arts 2015 in Drama Box’s production – It Won’t Be Too Long: The Cemetery.

Unfolding in two parts (Dawn and Dusk), The Cemetery examines the notion and reality of a burial ground – looking in particular at how Bukit Brown represents loss and being lost. Do we need a new road for economic growth or do we need to hold on to some roots in our land?

As Dawn approaches, slip into the rhythms of Bukit Brown in the wee hours of the morning. Watch as the shadows of performers evaporate, giving way to daily routines whilst the sun rises. From the ghostly to the earthly, this experiential event situates us firmly in the Bukit Brown Cemetery, which may disappear as contestations over land use continue. Experience the nature of Bukit Brown in the early morning, a site that has dominated the news in the last year but which you have perhaps never visited.

In the Dusk of evening, The Cemetery shifts into the genre of verbatim theatre, directed by Kok Heng Leun and shaped by playwright Jean Tay from the words and experiences of ordinary family members, as well as various stakeholders such as the Heritage Society, civil society representatives, institutions and agencies. Discover the heartbreak and hope of everyone involved in negotiating the fate of Bukit Brown.

Dusk ends with an elegy to this process, led by indie pop band The Observatory.

(Text source: https://sifa.sg/2015/sifa/show/the-cemetery/)