Esplanade Presents

Theatre

Pickle Party 泡泡菜狂欢也!

An Esplanade Co-Production
By The Theatre Practice
Co-directed by Ang Xiao Ting & Kuo Jian Hong (Singapore)

11 – 14 Sep 2025

View dates and time

1hr 15mins

(Intermission: None)

Esplanade Annexe Studio

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Photo Credit: Tuckys Photography
Photo Credit: Tuckys Photography
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Synopsis

“I enjoyed the ways it connects to the systems and limitations we all have to contend with as people who live in Singapore. I liked watching the ‘behind the scenes’ aspect, the VJing was very fun and the live camera work too. The kitsch-ness worked well with a cyberpunk visual aesthetic!” 
— Shaw En, Audience (Closed-door presentation, 2023)

 

“It challenged the typical usage and code of conduct of a typical theatrical space… and created a wonderful sense of community or intimacy. The text was also really powerful, and the fear of being overly dependent on others really hit home. I hadn’t previously thought about this in relation to food sustainability and pickling before.” 
— Elle, Audience (Closed-door presentation, 2023)

 

“My grandfather was a durian farmer, back when they lived in a kampung. But in those 10 years, most Singaporeans were forced to relocate to public housing. Even after he moved, my grandfather was still trying to grow everything he could from a sixth floor concrete corridor. Everything he knew about growing durians was made obsolete so that knowledge was never passed down.” 

 

A show disguised as a pickling workshop, Pickle Party is a multidisciplinary, multi-species performance. Set against the backdrop of Singapore’s rapid development from farmland to modern city, it dives into how humans, microbes and food security are connected—where does our food come from? What will we be eating next? 

 

Led by directors Ang Xiao Ting (Extinction Feast, ECOncert) and Kuo Jian Hong (All The World’s A Sea, Four Horse Road), Pickle Party features award-winning livestream technology (XIMI), live VJ-ing, live performance and community pickling. The production will be staged within a Singapore version of Tanja Beer’s critically-acclaimed The Living Stage, which combines stage design, permaculture and community engagement to create a recyclable, biodegradable and edible performance space. 

 

Experience Pickle Party your way! For each performance, participants can choose to be Picklers (get hands-on with pickling on stage, limited slots) or be part of the General Audience (watch the performance from a different perspective). Kindly select your preferred audience experience at the point of ticket purchase.  

 

Discover the power of edible hope. 

 

Can't get enough of pickles? Check out The Theatre Practice’s Pickle Party: Building the “Set” and unleash your culinary creativity in this fun and interactive workshop. 

 

Creative Team 

Co-Directors: Ang Xiao Ting, Kuo Jian Hong 

Scriptwriter: Wang Liansheng 

Original Script (2023) & Additional Text: Ang Xiao Ting, Sim Xin Yi, Zoea Tania 

Set Designer: Tanja Beer (Australia) 

Set Assistant: Sophie Dye (Australia) 

Lighting Designer: Faith Liu Yong Huay 

Sound Designer: Sandra Tay 

Costume Designer: Max Tan

 

Cast 

Izzul Irfan 

Elizabeth Loh 

 

Production Team 

Producer: Joey Cheng 

Technical Director: Lee Bee Bee 

Production Manager: Victoria Wong  

Stage Manager / Stage Crew: Eunice Yap  

Deputy Stage Manager: Woon Siew Yin 

Assistant Stage Manager / XIMI Wrangler / Stage Crew: Yaoyao 

Sound Engineer: Sandra Tay 

Multimedia Technician: Ian Lee 

Accessibility

Captioning

Advisory:

There will be a post-show dialogue with the artists for the performances on 12 Sep, 8pm and 13 Sep, 3pm & 8pm. 

 

Important Things to Note:

Picklers 

  • As you are directly engaging with the performance, you will be required to stand throughout most of the show. You will be directed to your seats at a certain point. 

  • You will have to participate in activities such as handling fresh produce with a knife and chopping board, as well as handling pickling agents such as vinegar.  

  • You will be able to bring home the pickles you helped to make during the show. 

  • You will have the opportunity to taste pickles provided by The Theatre Practice. All pickles are prepared by persons with food handlers’ licences and are made within a Singapore Food Agency (SFA) licensed kitchen space. 

  • Children under the age of 16 should be accompanied by an adult. 

  • You are encouraged to arrive 10mins prior to the start of the show to attend a pre-show briefing session. 

  • You will be required to complete an indemnity form prior to the performance. 

 

General Audience 

  • You will have the opportunity to taste pickles provided by The Theatre Practice. All pickles are prepared by persons with food handlers’ licences and are made within a Singapore Food Agency (SFA) licensed kitchen space. 

Recommended Age: 13 and above.
Admission Age:
6 and above.
Language: English
Things to Note:
Accessibility: All our venues are wheelchair-accessible. We offer various services to support patrons with access needs. For assistance, please contact Esplanade Customer Experience at 6828 8377. Concessions are available for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) and one accompanying companion. To learn more, read our accessibility guide.
Ticketing: Prices exclude ticketing agent’s booking fees. Entry to performance venues is granted to patrons with tickets that have been purchased through authorised ticket agents only. Read about ticketing or check our FAQs.
For information about late seating, photography and more, please read our general advisory.
With the growing threat of online phishing scams, please remain vigilant. Use official ticketing channels such as Esplanade.com or Sistic.com.sg and check that you are on legitimate websites before logging in to book tickets.

Captioning

Captioning is available for this performance.

Artist Information

The Theatre Practice

Website | Facebook | Instagram

The Theatre Practice (Practice) is Singapore’s longest-standing professional bilingual theatre institution. Artist-driven and deeply progressive, Practice strives to be an arts space in Singapore that consciously nurtures and empowers people who care about humanity. Over the past 60 years, the company has developed and presented a vast, critically-acclaimed, multi-genre repertoire that reflects the complexities of Singapore’s diverse cultures.

 

Today, Practice is a cultural force. As a bridge between cultures, we have brought practitioners of diverse backgrounds together for exchange and provided platforms for international works. As pioneers of arts education in Singapore, Practice has nurtured leaders in the Singapore arts scene and inculcated a love for the arts in generations of youths.

 

Under current Artistic Director Kuo Jian Hong, Practice continues to shape the cultural landscape as the definitive voice in Singapore theatre. Deeply influenced by the importance of play in art-making, Practice has become the embodiment of the irrepressible spirit and fearless experimentation of play under her leadership.

 

Artistically diverse and constantly relevant, Practice will always engage in the ceaseless exploration of new frontiers.

 

The Theatre Practice is supported by the National Arts Council under the Major Company Scheme for the period of April 2023 to March 2026. Practice is also an Institution of Public Character and a recipient of MCCY's Charity Transparency Award 2023-2024.

Ang Xiao Ting

Website | Instagram

Xiao Ting (angxiaoting.com) is a freelance hyphenated theatre practitioner (actor, director, dramaturg). She is an Associate Artist with The Theatre Practice and Programmer for Practice Tuckshop. As an actor, she was last seen in All The World's A Sea (The Theatre Practice, 2024) and The Heart of Jun: Memoirs of Zhaojun (Siong Leng Musical Association, 2025).

 

Her practice in eco-theatre prioritises the various degrees of an integrated ecological practice, with a focus on Southeast Asian foodways, such as Recess Time, which toured to World Stage Design 2022 (Calgary). It received an Honourable Mention at #CreateCOP27, a global open call for art in conjunction with COP27. Other works include Poppy, Extinction Feast and Pickle Party.

 

In 2023 and 2024, she was the staging director for both renditions of Ding Yi Music Company's inaugural ecologically-themed concert series, ECOncert 《声态不息》.

 

Xiao Ting graduated from Lancaster Institute of Contemporary Arts (UK) where she received the LICA prize for Outstanding Achievement in Theatre. She is now doing her Masters degree in London at Goldsmiths University.

Kuo Jian Hong

Instagram

Artistic Director of The Theatre Practice (Practice), theatre director, designer, and filmmaker, Kuo Jian Hong has always taken on multi-faceted roles. She has led more than 200 theatre projects in a career spanning three decades.

 

Transcending themes, genres and forms, Jian Hong’s vision encompasses Practice’s broad spectrum of works. She is a leading proponent of the Chinese Language Original Musical Theatre genre, with award-winning works like Lao Jiu: The Musical while her experimental ventures include All The World's A Sea.

 

As an advocate for Theatre For Young Audiences, her works include the beloved The wee Question Mark series and The Nursery Rhymes Project. She also spearheaded Practice’s groundbreaking exploration in Digital Theatre, notably through XIMI and The Bride Always Knocks Twice — Killer Secrets.

 

Under her direction, Practice continues to be a vital voice in the Singapore arts scene.

Date & Time

Captioned

11 Sep 2025, Thu

8pm

Esplanade Annexe Studio

12 Sep 2025, Fri

8pm

Esplanade Annexe Studio

There will be a post-show dialogue.

13 Sep 2025, Sat

3pm

Esplanade Annexe Studio

There will be a post-show dialogue.

8pm

Esplanade Annexe Studio

There will be a post-show dialogue.

14 Sep 2025, Sun

3pm

Esplanade Annexe Studio
Tickets & Prices
Standard
(Pickler / General Audience)

Students, NSFs, Seniors & PWDs
(Limited)
(Pickler / General Audience)

Price $40 $32

You can choose to be Picklers (get hands-on with pickling on stage) or be part of the General Audience (watch the performance from a different perspective).

  • Standard Ticket

  • Concession Ticket

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From 9 Jun 2025, 10am (Limited tickets)
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Discover: 10% savings (Min. 2 tickets)

 

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All Secondary Schools, Junior Colleges/ Centralised Institute & ITEs may use the Tote Board Arts Grant to subsidise up to 50% of the programme cost. 

 

For more details, please contact Esplanade Box Office at 6828 8389 or email boxoffice@esplanade.com.

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