About
Active Period
—
Genre
Subgenre
—
Geographic Location
—
About
The South-East Asia Cultural Festival was held in commemoration of the opening of the National Theatre of Singapore. The festival presented performances over eight days at the National Theatre, the Victoria Theatre, City Hall Steps, Hong Lim Green, and Bukit Timah Community Centre Grounds. The participating countries represented by delegates performing at the festival were Cambodia, Hong Kong, India, Laos, Malaya, North Borneo, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam, and Thailand. In addition to performances, the festival convened a national dress fashion show, exhibitions of musical instruments, costumes, paintings, sculptures, crafts, photographs and books. Delegates were accommodated at the University of Singapore, and sightseeing and shopping tours for delegates were arranged as part of the social program. The chairman of the festival committee was Mr Lee Khoon Choy. The festival opened with performances from the Singapore Festival Symphony Orchestra and Choir and a dance drama, Oceans Meet, performed by artists from Singapore. The closing event included a speech by Mr S. Rajaratnam, Minister for Culture, a display of national dress compered by Lily Gek-lan Chan, and a festival variety show by all participating countries.
Festival Date
Festival Duration
Frequency
Schedule
| Order | Schedule Item | Type | Date/Time | Venue | City/Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | – | – | – | – | – |
Person and Troupe
| Name | Type | Role in Festival |
|---|---|---|
| – |
| Performer (collaborateWith) | Purpose |
|---|---|
| – |
Associated Performance(s)
Media
Sources
Jennifer Lindsay (2010) ‘Festival Politics: Singapore’s 1963 South-East Asia Cultural Festival’, in Cultures at War: The Cold War and Cultural Expression in Southeast Asia, ed. Tony Day and Maya H.T. Liem (Ithaca, NY: Southeast Asia Program Publications, Cornell University, 2010), 227–46.
South-East Asia Cultural Festival in Commemoration of the Opening of the National Theatre, Singapore, 8–15 August 1963, National Library of Singapore.
‘Medley of dances to symbolise harmony’, Straits Times, 9 August 1963, 11.
Contributor
2024. “South-East Asia Cultural Festival“. In Performing Archipelagos, edited by Kyueun Kim, Alvin Eng Hui Lim and Hedren Wai Yuan Sum. Singapore: National University of Singapore.
