School of Creative
Industries
Raesmi Devi Nambiar
Raesmi Nambiar places utmost importance on how the arts can be used as a powerful and inclusive tool for everyone. Passionate about theatre, Raesmi decided to pursue an Arts Management degree in LASALLE College of the Arts which gave her a plethora of new experiences. She has tried her hand in various sectors of festival and events management, marketing, docent training and curating which allowed her to work with organisations such as Singapore Tourism Board, National Heritage Board and exhibit a co-founded zine at The Substation. Raesmi’s undergraduate thesis aims to explore the accurate representation of racial minority groups in theatre and she hopes that her research paper can establish a premise for further discussions on theatre as a platform for inclusivity in Singapore.
Thesis abstract
A study on the development of racial representation in the theatre industry in Singapore
In a highly politicised and divisive world, representation is essential in establishing that everyone has a place in society. One medium of representation is through the use of theatre which has the means to provide a voice for marginalised communities. As a multicultural country, Singapore must ensure that all its citizens receive equal and fair representation on stage. However, how much of this representation portrayed on stage is accurate? The lack of proper representation perpetuates a stigmatised viewpoint of these racial minority groups. Hence, the purpose of this research paper aims to discuss the representation of Malays and Indians on stage and the extent of accurate portrayal of racial minority groups in the theatre industry in Singapore.
Semi-structured interviews and textual analysis based on research sources were employed in the course of this research to provide an in-depth analysis into theatre in its early years and administer a discussion of the government imposed racial frameworks to see if it determined racial representation in Singapore’s theatre industry. This methodology was used in the duration of this research to help gain a more qualitative understanding as well as a comprehensive analysis of the current theatre scene in Singapore. The findings of this research maintain the need for having more open and honest conversations in the industry to present an accurate representation of racial minority groups on stage. Ultimately, the outcome of this research hopes to establish a premise for further discussions on theatre as a platform for inclusivity.