On April 1^st  members of ACAR had the chance to talk online with artists from Thailand and Myanmar about the alarming situation for the arts and the freedom of expression in both countries. The situation in Myanmar under military dictatorship, with disappearance of artists and the dissolution of public cultural live goes along with rising of protests in Thailand and massive attacks against artists, namely theatre artists with rising number of victims – arrested or killed.  Thai theatre artists have started a call for solidarity with theatre artists in Myanmar, passed to the Myanmar embassy. 

ACAR will follow the situation and has offered support via the ITI network and other connected initiatives.

Sources: Free Arts Movement (Thailand), Daily News (Thailand) 

Berlin-based Schaubühne has been touring several Chinese cities with its internationally acclaimed production of Ibsen’s „An Enemy of the People”, directed by Thomas Ostermeier. After the first stop in China’s capital Beijing, theatre administrators objected to a scene with audience participation in a discussion about the environmental and political scandal in Ibsen’s play. The current tour’s last two performances in Nanjing have been cancelled now.

The sensitive issue of censorship is remarkable in this case as Schaubühne is the leading German theatre company frequently visiting China since 2014 as part of a general development towards more international theatre shown in China. The company and their shows, e.g. “Hamlet” also directed by Ostermeier, have been celebrated by Chinese audiences on several occasions and Schaubühne’s artistic directorship is well acquainted with the pre-check procedures of each performance to be shown there. Official statements are yet to be expected.

Sources (German): Suedeutsche Zeitung, Der Spiegel, nachtkritik.de, Deutsche Welle

The festival ran from 4-15 January 2017. Two performances – Singaporean danceer Ming Poon’s ‘Undressing Room’ and Canadian Thea Fitz-James’ ‘Naked Ldies’ – were cut by Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), stating that the works have exceeded the R18 rating. Poon’s performance is a “one-to-one performance where the performer and an audience-participant execute a ritual of undressing each other in total silence” and is done in private, without an audience. Fitz-James’ performance is a “lecture about the history of the naked female body”, which the artist delivers in the nude. Festival organisers decided against compromising on the artistic integrity of these works and stay convinced that the performances made “deliberate attempts to distinguish nudity from sexual connotations”.

A Festival press realases says “Through history, the arts have demonstrated its power to open minds and hearts, to transform and heal, and to inspire – if not effect – real, valuable change. We stand resolutely for this, and despite the hurdles that can seem daunting and sometimes enervating, we are not backing down from doing what the Fringe Festival does best: challenge all that is taken for granted as intransigent, unwavering and unforgiving.”

Sources: Artsfreedom, The Straits Times,  The Online Citizen