It’s important for me to clarify that this course does not train you to be an actor or backstage work, but it is more research-based. We do bodily-based research where we use our bodies to experiment with different acting theories. We were also given a 13-week course on the Lecoq theory of acting. We have to use our bodies to embody fire, water, earth and wind during the course and explore how our bodies would perform if we were 100% water or 50% wind and 50% earth. I was tasked to perform Skinner in Ratatouille, and I experimented with how to calibrate the amount of acid associated with the villain. It was quite a fun way to explore the different approaches to acting. We also learn about the Stanislavski method, Chinese Opera, and Indian Sanskrit.
Contrary to popular belief, my course does not only focus on Western acting styles. I really appreciate how my major could integrate both sides quite well. Besides the bodily research, we also did archival research that some professors were working on. They were working on the Shakespeare archives in particular. Some may wonder how we store performances in archives, and that was something the professors were also curious about. They also approached performances based on history and how it is possible to disrupt historical narratives through performances.
I went to Polytechnic and took Chinese Media and Communication. During my last year in poly, I realised that Theatre was an intriguing art form, and it gives space for us to critique and reflect on the different societal issues. The course is not entirely restricted to the theatre itself because it tries to be expansive by looking at other social phenomenons (e.g. popular culture, media, everyday activities etc.) through the lens of performance. My course was related to Theatre Studies as the oldest form of media is theatre.
Initially, I intended to go to NTU History because I had been quite interested in studying History ever since O Levels. However, I got accepted to NUS FASS, and I checked their history department modules, and I realised they focused more on political and war history. The type of history I wanted to study was the artistic side, so I decided to go into theatre because a big part of Theatre and Performance Studies is about learning theatre through its history, and it also complements art history.
I decided to do a minor in Art History at the start of NUS because NUS only offers Art History as a minor. I am always fascinated by how museums and exhibitions work. I always enjoy looking at artefacts and how curators curate them to form a narrative, and how the narrative can let people think about certain issues. The Art History minor works in partnership with the National Gallery and Singapore Art Museum and a lot of modules are taught by their curators. In fact, I was more certain about studying Art History rather than Theatre and Performance Studies.
When I entered FASS, I had to take more modules from Theatre and Performance Studies, but ever since they restructured it to CHS, students have to take more Common Curriculum modules and fewer modules from their major. Anyone interested in majoring in Theatre and Performance Studies has to take 1 exposure level and 9 other modules, which amount to 40 MCs. Those who want to do their honours have to take 60 MCs. There isn’t a big jump between 2000 and 3000 modules, and students can start with the 3000 modules. However, the 1000 modules are a prerequisite to many 2000 and 3000 modules, so it is highly recommended to start with a 1000 level module first. Because of the nature of the cohort, there are extremely few students in the batch(about 9-10 people or even less), including people who take it as a first major, second major or minor. Most classes are done seminar-style, 3h per seminar. We usually take 5 modules in one semester, so you will have 15 hours of classes per semester. A good thing about having a small batch is that the professors have more energy to spend on us, and you can reach them easily for guidance.
For every module, there is usually a group component. For example, for the acting module, the last assignment is the group performance, which is worth about 30%. The rest can take the form of an individual essay, weekly writings (400 to 800 words each week), or presentations (individual or group). Some professors like to have a work-in-progress presentation and a final presentation but the work-in-progress presentation’s weightage will not be as large. It is just to see if what you are proposing is on the right track. Participation is also graded, but it is not intimidating to speak up if you do your readings since the class is small. So far, I only have tests and exams for 2 modules, one is a 2000 module, and another is an exposure module. Because of Covid-19, the school also cut down a lot on the final exams, so many exams are changed to presentations and weekly readings.
For a minor in Art History, you need to clear 20 MCs. One is the introductory survey course, and 4 other elective modules. Topics can span from Modern Art, Contemporary Art, Collection Studies, Methods and Approaches to Art History, Southeast Asian Art, and Chinese Art. There is a wide variety of modules. In terms of the curriculum, it is not a seminar but a 2h lecture and a 2h tutorial. Tutorials have to be bidded for. There will be a lot of readings for art history, way more than theatre and performance studies. Usually, there will be a major essay to complete, weighing about 40-50%. A visual analysis paper and a tutorial presentation will also be used to get students started on different art topics.
There are recess weeks after week 6, but the break is usually for you to rush assignments. We don’t have exams for Theatre and Performance Studies or Art History, so reading weeks is just an early holiday because we will be finishing up when everyone is preparing for exams.
For a lot of FASS students, the curriculum is quite free, so it is easy to timetable such that you have 2-3 class days and free days. However, I’ll usually use the free days to rush my readings. Every semester, I will try to get a more practical module to balance out the more theory intense modules. I’m more of a theoretical person, so theatre and performance studies help me activate my embodied knowledge compared to focusing on the intellectual kind of knowledge. It is a rather holistic major. The fun part of practical modules is that you get to interact with your friends. A lot of soft skills can be learnt, especially through the practical modules. For theory modules, because the class size is very small for theory modules, it is very easy to go deep into certain topics, and I find it quite intellectually stimulating. There are a lot of concepts that can be brought over to Art History since Theatre is part of Art, so the pairing is quite useful in terms of the application of knowledge.
For Art History, it is interesting because you get to see the perspective of real-life curators and how they talk about different artworks and guide museum tours.
It is pretty average, in my opinion. It is doable because our timetable is quite free, so a lot of assignments can be completed during our free time. If you plan your timetable well and don’t overload your semester too crazily, it’s pretty doable. The only semester that killed me was Y2S1 because I took many theoretical modules and thus, a lot of readings were involved. It was quite harsh for that semester because I am not a fast reader.
I think the major itself is quite different from other majors because of the embodied learning, which I find quite different from what the other majors offer. Currently, there is a lot of emphasis on intellectual knowledge and theory in the university. I really appreciate how the major makes you see the value in embodied learning, which has already been marginalised in the learning culture. For example, I took a Balinese dancing course. Usually, when we learn about a culture or phenomenon, we learn from an outsider’s perspective. However, through learning the dance, you learn about the culture firsthand and why some moves are made in particular ways. Outside of school, I’m learning Cantonese Opera. Collaboration is very important for Theatre and Performance Studies because if teammates don’t collaborate, there is no way to salvage it, and the eventual product will be compromised.
We don’t have specialisations. However, to major in Theatre and Performance Studies, you have to clear 2 modules each from 3 strands, Framing History, Culture in Practice and Research in performance. However, you can choose your area of study. For example, my friends chose more modules in film studies, and I chose more modules related to Asia.
They are super approachable. Another reason why I decided to major in Theatre and Performance Studies was because of Dr Murphy’s enthusiasm for the topic. I have never seen someone so passionate about what she is teaching. We had the opportunity to watch a Japanese Kyogen play and managed to do a Kyogen acting workshop with them. You can always seek them for consultations, and if you really don’t know anything taught during classes, you can just go up to the professor to ask for a consultation, and he will be very willing to help. There isn’t any bell curve, so as long as you show passion and hand in quality work, you will be awarded the appropriate grades.
For year 3, if you major in Theatre and Performance Studies, you have to take this theatre lab which is worth 8 MCs, equivalent to 2 modules. For year 4, you can choose to do a thesis if you wish. However, the thesis is not compulsory now so maybe fewer people will take the thesis. I plan to write the thesis because I hope to do further studies. The thesis is a litmus test of whether you can work in academia or not. I also have a few topics in mind that I am interested in studying in-depth.
Most favourite: the Global Theatre module I took in Y1S1 because it was the first time I got the opportunity to learn Kyogen from a Japanese master and do a live acting presentation. It was very memorable because I used to have stage fright. I used to always NG a lot because I was too camera shy during my production modules in polytechnic. I didn’t have that experience when I acted live, and I felt the difference between acting live and acting in front of a camera.
Least favourite: Performance and popular culture. The professor was nice and tried to engage with us. However, I found that module very hard. That module had a lot of post-structuralist theories and intersected with performance studies. It was a struggle learning those theories because the writings were so convoluted.
Before coming to the major, I thought the major would not be as accessible as I thought it would be since it was under the department of English Language and Literature. I didn’t do well in English, so I feared that I could not write well. I did not expect that the major would be that accessible and also have a great focus on Asian theatre and performance. I thought it would be good to move out of the Western-centric kind of performance. I realised how open the department is in its topics, like gender studies which explore how gender is performed. I thought theatre and performance had a lot of acting stuff, but I appreciate the balance between acting and theoretical studies. I took a module about Making Contemporary Performances. We could create a performance about literally anything as long as the performance was inspired by Sun Wu Kong(Monkey King in the book Journey to the West).
I don’t regret my decision. I realise that many students take modules just because it is useful for their career and not because they enjoy them. These students fail to realise how difficult it is to stand out if so many students take the course. I chose Theatre and Performance studies because it makes me feel alive.
Not that I have heard of because very few students choose Theatre and Performance studies as a major or minor. Those who decide to take it most probably have thought it through, so it’s quite rare to drop out.
Firstly, you have to be passionate about theatre and performance studies. I feel like students should be open-minded and passionate about learning about things that might be in uncharted territory. No theatre knowledge is needed to do well in this course! If you are passionate, your class participation will be there. I feel that students who join our course should be team players because many group projects require students to work well in a team. If you are selfish or single-minded, it’s hard for you to do well in Theatre and Performance Studies. You also need self-discipline because many theatre studies modules have weekly writings, and it plays quite a big weightage in the grades. You have to manage your time well to complete these writings.
The first one would be becoming actors, for example, Janice Koh, a famous theatre actress in the local theatre scene. You can also work in theatre management, for example, Nelson Chia, who founded Nine Years Theatre. Other than theatre, people also go to advertising, marketing, and PR. There was also an alumnus who became the CEO of Burger King in Singapore. You can go to something that is not related to theatre. My career dream is to go into the museum industry. You can also go for a professorship or join publishing companies. You can also be a theatre practitioner.
I came to Theatre and Performance Studies due to my love and interest in watching theatre productions. It is only through the modules that made me realise my interest in culture and art history. So, I think the museum industry is a good place to talk about these issues. I firmed my decision when I took Theatre and Art History modules which made me realise my interest in these two aspects.
I did a couple of internships. I interned at Arts House Limited by myself through cold-emailing, and they opened up a place for me. My curatorial internship was through my Art History minor, but it was very competitive because it was bigger than the Theatre and Performance Studies cohort. I went back again to intern as a curator for another project because three months wasn’t sufficient for me since planning for an exhibition takes 2 years. I recommend that any future student do this Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme (UROP) module, where you can work with professors on research. It is a module offered for every FASS major.
I stayed at Tembusu College, which is an RC. They offer a confirmed 2-year stay, and you have to take modules offered by the college, and each college offers different modules. These modules are taken in place of the usual General Education curriculum. I enjoyed the Tembusu College modules because the professors encouraged us to think critically. RC life is quite interesting because we are split into different houses based on the floors. The names are based on animals that are going to be extinct. There will be a house committee and events to bond everyone in each house, for example, Lo Hei, mass games, Christmas gift exchanges, and Halloween dress-ups. There are also interest groups, which work the same as CCAs in the hall, but you don’t have to commit to the CCA. I am usually quite busy, so I’ll just go for interest group sessions when I feel like it. There are clubs like Baking Clubs, Movie Watching Club, Drama Club, and Poetry Writing Club. There is a wide range of interest clubs that you can join. Tembusu also brings famous people from different industries to give talks and workshops.
I joined SLATE, a theatre club, and Love Tembusu, a mental wellness club. We decorated a Tembusu room, called The Oasis, for people to chill. We also come out with different programmes to foster mental wellness. Sometimes, I will go for TWords, a poetry-writing club, and a baking club. Every week, there will be a new recipe for people to try, and you just have to pay a little to bake.
Many of us didn’t manage to go for overseas exchange because of Covid-19. Besides Tembusu College, I joined NUSSU Exco, and I was their Corporate Branding Executive. I design publicity collaterals for NUSSU and vet through other committees’ publicity proposals, and I also did my first hosting gig for their Appreciation Dinner. I became the Programme Director for E-Orientation. I also joined NUSSU Venture Enterprise, a new subcommittee that sells merchandise. I am also a student ambassador under the Office of Admissions for NUS, a paid opportunity.
Just follow your heart. Sometimes, you may see many friends going to a particular course because it’s popular and profitable. But you only have one life, so you should do something you are interested in. Even though you may be uncertain about it, life has ups and downs, and there will eventually be ups, so don’t just choose the course because it can give you the best returns.
The views and opinions expressed here are solely those of the interviewees and do not reflect the official policy or position of any institution. They are also not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, class, individual or organisation.
The information contained in this website is intended to provide general guidance only. It should not be relied upon as professional advice and does not 100% guarantee admission into any course.
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