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Where Nature Meets Stage: A Showcase Across Singapore, Manila, and Bucharest
Where Nature Meets Stage: A Showcase Across Singapore, Manila, and Bucharest
This featured article highlights site-specific performances that engage with their unique environments in Singapore, Manila, and Bucharest — blending art, community, and place. These are spaces used as part of the site-inspired workshops conducted by the three partner universities.
Figure 1 (The Business Times)
At Singapore’s Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, nature took center stage in A Nation In Concert 2014: A Wetlands Adventure. Here, familiar wetland residents like the queen crab, otter, and salt-water crocodile become characters in a vibrant musical production. Featuring over 100 differently-abled performers supported by a volunteer cast of 14 theatre professionals, this inclusive performance brings the wetlands to life through rhythm and movement. Performers of all ages, from 10 to over 50, contribute by playing percussion instruments to the beat of Shakira’s Waka Waka, performing Latin wheelchair dances, and signing the lyrics of Miley Cyrus' The Climb. The production transforms the reserve into a dynamic space where nature and human expression meet, celebrating diversity and environmental awareness.
Figure 2 (Philippine Collegian)
In Manila, the Student Union Building at Vinzons Hall, University of the Philippines Diliman, serves as a living performance space of activism and resistance. Historically home to key student bodies like the University Student Council and the Philippine Collegian, this iconic building has been a stage for generations of student protests and rallies. From challenging tuition hikes to confronting national human rights issues, Vinzons Hall has embodied the spirit of dissent and the fight fr justice. Its walls echo the collective voices that have mobilized around campus and national concerns, making it both a physical and symbolic ground for the ongoing performance of student power and activism.
Figure 3 (Teatrul Odeon)
In Bucharest, Romania, Urban Delta Scapes reimagines the Văcărești Delta through multimedia performance at the Odeon Theater. Presented by the UDS Collective and CINETic, this immersive work blends live music, animated visuals, and choreographed movement to celebrate the delta — a remarkable natural park that reclaimed urban space over 30 years without human intervention. Featuring artists and technologists like Grigore Burloiu, Andreea Belu, and Vlad Ilicevici, the performance explores the interaction between movement and sound, highlighting nature’s quiet victory over the city. Staged as part of the International Augmenting Performance Conference, Urban Delta Scapes reflects the rich intersection of art, technology, and ecology.
Works Cited
Dabu, Fred. “7-Story Student Union Building and upgraded Vinzons Hall in UPD inaugurated.” University of the Philippines, 21 March 2022, https://up.edu.ph/7-story-student-union-building-and-upgraded-vinzons-hall-in-upd-inaugurated/.
Teatrul Odeon. “Urban Delta Scapes Collective.” Teatrul Odeon, 2023, https://teatrul-odeon.ro/stire/urban-delta-scapes-collective/.
The Business Times. “Being able to showcase talents.” The Business Times, 6 November 2014, https://www.businesstimes.com.sg/lifestyle/being-able-showcase-talents.
Sizzle, Serve, Sustain: The Table as Performance
Sizzle, Serve, Sustain: The Table as Performance
This feature article highlights how sustainable food practices are implemented in Singapore. It also explores how the Performing Arts Conference integrates these practices through conscious choices, from welfare packs to a plant-forward lunch mixer hosted by Practice Tuckshop.
Sustainability takes centre stage at this year’s Performing Arts Conference, themed Performance and the Environment. Spearheaded by LASALLE College of the Arts, University of the Arts Singapore, the event has made deliberate choices to reflect its values, including a shift away from plastic mineral water bottles. Instead, the welfare team has prepared reusable water bottles for participants, as part of a thoughtfully curated pack that includes a foldable handheld fan, a low-energy, reusable alternative to electronic cooling devices. A conscious effort is made to ensure that all daily meals are packed in paper packaging wherever possible, in a bid to reduce reliance on plastic. Across the conference, these small decisions reflect a broader commitment: to live and create more consciously, one choice at a time.
Figure 1 (Reuseable Items from Welfare Pack)
Figure 2 (Reuseable Items from Welfare Pack)
Figure 3 (Chicken Rice Wrapped in Sustainable Packaging)
Across Singapore, sustainable food practices are gaining traction. Traditional methods like wrapping nasi lemak in banana leaves are re-emerging as biodegradable alternatives to plastic. Many cafés have phased out plastic straws for sippable lids or compostable options. The Bring Your Own (BYO) movement continues to grow, with incentives for customers using reusable containers. Apps like "Treatsure" and "Olio" help minimise food waste by redistributing surplus from restaurants and individuals. Urban farms such as Edible Garden City and Citizen Farm transform underutilised rooftops into food-producing spaces, contributing to Singapore’s 30 by 30 goal of producing 30% of its nutritional needs locally by 2030.
Figure 4 (Kuupa)
Figure 5 (Business Insider)
Figure 6 (Pop Up City)
Figure 7 (Issuu)
One of the key events of the conference is the lunch mixer, which will be hosted at the Practice Tuckshop. A black box theatre will be transformed into a communal dining space, featuring a menu of plant-based and locally sourced ingredients. The event will embrace sustainable catering practices, including compostable packaging, refillable carafes, and food waste separation. More than just a meal, the mixer invites participants to gather, reflect, and consider how eating together can also be a performance of values, a shared gesture of sustainability, hospitality, and intention.
The lunch is aligned with Practice Tuckshop’s broader mission. An initiative by The Theatre Practice, the Tuckshop blends food, art, and environmental awareness. Through programmes such as Pickle Party, Extinction Feast, and Recess Time, it has explored food waste and climate topics through community-centred events. Recognised locally and internationally, including features on A-List, zaobao.sg, and Viddsee, and awards from the Social Art Award and #CreateCOP27, the Tuckshop continues to model how creativity and sustainability can converge in everyday spaces. To sizzle, to serve, and to sustain.
Figure 8 (The Theatre Practice)
Figure 9 (BakChorMeeBoy)
Works Cited
Ariza, Abel. “Commentary: How Singaporeans can help beef up country's food security — buying local is one step.” CNA, 26 April 2023,
Accessed 4 May 2025.
“Food for Thought | A sustainable food system for Singapore and beyond.” Singapore Food Agency, 11 November 2022, https://www.sfa.gov.sg/food-for
thought/article/detail/a-sustainable-food-system-for-singapore-and-beyond. Accessed 4 May 2025.
“Home Blog 30 by 30 Singapore: A Guide to the Food Security Initiative.” FHA-FnB, 13 May 2024, https://fhafnb.com/blog/30-by-30-singapore/. Accessed 4 May
2025.
“Pickle Pop-Up.” The Theatre Practice, https://www.practice.org.sg/series/tuckshop/pickle-pop-up. Accessed 4 May 2025.
“Practice Tuckshop.” The Theatre Practice, https://www.practice.org.sg/tuckshop. Accessed 4 May 2025.
“Recess Time.” The Theatre Practice, https://www.practice.org.sg/series/tuckshop/recess-time. Accessed 4 May 2025.
Tham, Davina. “IN FOCUS: Will Singapore meet its 30 by 30 food sustainability goal?” CNA, 29 June 2024,
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/vegetables-seafood-singapore-food-price-cost-farmers-security-4442626. Accessed 6 May 2025.
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