Admittedly, it feels like a silly question to ask when we are seated in front of four young theatremakers whose presence refutes the question somewhat—why choose a dying craft?

But that doesn’t mean that all is well in the Singapore theatre scene. For years, there have been questions of succession in legacy theatre companies and competing in an increasingly crowded arts and entertainment scene—particularly in the years after the peak of the pandemic. So, while the question is a bit of an overdramatisation, it stems from real changes in one of Singapore’s most established performing art forms. What are some of the issues that these young theatremakers face? What are their influences and what kind of work are they interested in creating? How are they evolving to keep up with a tumultuous arts scene?

Rich with analogies (a garden, forests, fungi, cake) and candid observations, Krish Natarajan, Irsyad Dawood, Tan Rui Shan and host Sindhura Kalidas lay their cards on the table—sharing their experiences and hopes for the future in this roundtable conversation.

Videos shot and edited by Grand Motion Media.