Esplanade - Theatres on the Bay

Sing Out Loud This programme promotes the use of arts for active ageing among seniors. Each session is facilitated by artists, therapists and social workers and tailored to suit the needs of seniors with different levels of physical mobility. Seniors would undergo eight vocal training sessions over a period of two to four months in which they would learn about voice projection and essential techniques for singing. The programme is designed through continuous cross-sharing with organisations in the United Kingdom and Alzheimer’s Disease Association in Singapore before adapting it suit the cultural context of Singapore.

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Songwriting For Hope Using songwriting as a form of artistic expression, the project reaches out to vulnerable youth and enables them to share personal stories, while learning how to make music. Through a partnership with Singapore General Hospital, the project hopes to empower youths and allow them to discover the value in the life experiences which would turn into their hope for the future.

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Theatre for Dreams Theatre for Dreams is a drama and movement programme which engages youths in residential care, Singapore Boys’ Home. Facilitated by a drama educator and applied drama practitioner, Oniatta Effendi, the use of drama empowers participants to reflect and share about their difficult feelings and thoughts within the safe space. At the end of the programme, a private showcase was performed for the families and it provided an opportunity for parents and youths to establish a more positive relationship.

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This is My Song This is a programme that is facilitated by an applied theatre practitioner for individuals affected by cancer. Participants reminisce through songs and select those that resonated to certain points in their life. In 2019, the pilot programme was completed in a hospice with a small group of participants. At the end-of-programme showcase, the shared stories and songs were played for the family members which promoted emotional connections with participants and their loved ones. Going ahead, the Esplanade is also working with the Singapore Cancer Society to carry out this programme. Dance for Joy Conceptualised as a family programme, Dance for Joy is a creative movement programme for young people with autism. The programme is centred on encouraging family members such as siblings, caregivers and parents to participate together with their loved ones with special needs. Intergenerational Footwork Intergenerational Footwork is a programme aimed to reach out to troubled youths and seniors in the community. Through dance, it hopes to provide them with an opportunity for deeper engagement and keep active while the two generations participate in the activity together. Initially, the programme was created only for the youths and over the years was brought to the senior groups because of the known benefit that dance is able to enhance their physical and psychological well-being. Currently, the Esplanade had already made two runs of intergenerational footwork, bringing together students from Bowen and Kent Ridge Secondary Schools and seniors from Lions Befrienders Senior Activity Centre (Ghim Moh) and Thong Keng Seniors Activity Centre (Queenstown), to encourage intergenerational bonding within the community through the fun of Hip Hop.

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