Lights On: The Story of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay

Guided Tours

PIP's Trail (Self-guided)

Virtual Tour

Lights On takes you through the first-person accounts of cultural workers and artists who have journeyed with Esplanade.

Esplanade Presents

Lights On: The Story of Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay


	Esplanade Concourse (exhibition), various locations in Esplanade (self-guided audio trail)

About the exhibition

What does it take to create and sustain Singapore’s national performing arts centre? Lights On takes you right to the beating heart of this story, through the first-person accounts of cultural workers and artists who have journeyed with Esplanade. Check out the main exhibition in the Concourse, as well as a self-guided audio trail spanning nine public spots in the centre.

Get up close with these insider insights and reminiscences through sound bites, video stories, documentary photographs and physical memorabilia. These will take you from the 1980s when the idea for this arts centre was first conceived, to our hard-won opening in 2002, and on to the aspirations for our next chapter after celebrating our 20th anniversary.

Featuring the perspectives of arts administrator Juliana Lim; architect Koh Seow Chuan; Esplanade’s first CEO Benson Puah; artists and cultural workers Alvin Tan, Aravinth Kumarasamy, Chen Sai Hua Kuan and Wang Ruobing, Gaurav Kripalani, Hasyimah Harith and Norhaizad Adam, Joanna Dong, Joel Tan (Gentle Bones), Kuik Swee Boon, Siti Khalijah and Tsung Yeh; and arts-loving tween Ellie Heng.

Experience the audio trail here on Esplanade Offstage.

About the Audio Trail

We all have personal memories attached to physical spaces. Listen to prominent Singapore artists and cultural workers share their perspectives on well-loved spaces in and around Esplanade. Their recollections can be heard on your mobile phone by scanning the QR codes at the spot.

Alvin Tan, The Necessary Stage's Artistic Director, on how black box theatres like this one have been formative to the growth of the theatre scene.

Gaurav Kripalani, Singapore Repertory Theatre’s Artistic Director, and actress Siti Khalijah share what the experience of performing in the 1,948-seat Theatre has meant to them.