NOSTALGIA IN SINGAPORE MANDARIN THEATRE

Abstract

Nostalgia has been commonly used as a mode to depict certain themes in the mass media today. Prior to its charm and mystification, it also reflects how much imagination and longings people have invested in a lost time and space. The components of nostalgia are what makes it relevant in the context of Singapore Mandarin theatre: the concept of home and the acceleration of more loss caused by social and cultural changes. The belief of "'Home', is very much upheld in the Chinese culture, right to the Chinese term for country, which is called "state-home''. Secondly, while Singapore has radically changed over the past forty years, there is the need to constantly refer back to the past for a sense of identity. Theatre provides a channel to relive the past. Chapter One traces the history and development of Mandarin theatre in Singapore from the 1920s right to the 1980s. Here there is evidence that its growth and development is very much dependent on the historical and political changes over in China, where Chinese in Singapore still feel the presence of their Chinese roots, for example the salvation plays during the Sino-Japanese war. A significant play production from the eighties will be explored in depth. Chapter Two concentrates on analysis of play productions in the nineties, how nostalgia has been featured in the Chinese plays for various purposes: to reflect upon the dying folk arts in Singapore, how the values and attitudes which used to be treasured in the past days are now mutated and viewed less important. Nostalgia has also been used as a source of training in alternate theatre in Singapore. Seven plays will be analysed. An Chinese titles quoted in the paper are translated