Keeping artists and audiences connected on Esplanade Offstage

In October 2019, Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay launched Esplanade Offstage (www.esplanade.com/offstage), a one-stop digital resource for performing arts in Asia. The content-rich website is an all-access backstage pass and insider’s guide to Singapore and Asian arts and culture, featuring videos, podcasts, stories and more.

Barely a year later, everything seemed to have come to a halt and the world became a different place from what we are all familiar with. To stem the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019), many arts centres around the world, including Esplanade in Singapore, have had to temporarily close, with venues sitting empty and bereft of the usual buzz.  

The launch of Offstage could not have been timelier. Although live performances at the centre have been put on hold since March, Esplanade continued working with artists to create quality programmes and put them online instead for everyone—in Singapore and beyond—to enjoy. One could say that Offstage is now Esplanade’s “virtual venue”, a space that allows the centre to keep to its vision of being a performing arts centre for everyone, and connect artists and audiences even in these unprecedented times. 

Yvonne Tham, Chief Executive Officer, The Esplanade Co Ltd, said, “For individuals and society, the arts have been a source of comfort and joy, a platform to seek answers to difficult questions, and a stage for communities to mourn or celebrate together.  Especially in times like this, the role of artists and arts centres like Esplanade—while not on the frontline—continues to be important for people’s mental, social and emotional well-being. Many in the arts have already started to create or share music, stories, dance and theatre with audiences and communities online. Looking ahead, this will be the shape of things to come, even beyond the COVID-19 situation—creating, producing and presenting the arts will no doubt still involve the powerful physical and live experience, but it will need to meaningfully engage the digital and online spaces.” 

Arts for all ages to enjoy at home 

Since March, Esplanade has been rolling out never-before-seen archival videos of Esplanade’s past performances on Offstage as part of The Show Goes On…line. This is a series of weekly releases from Esplanade’s archives, featuring edited concert recordings by Singapore artists including jazz maestro Jeremy Monteiro and crooner Imran Ajmain, as well as international artists such as Taiwanese singer-songwriter Eli Hsieh and Indian guitarist Guitar Prasanna. 

On Mother’s Day on 10 May, two full-length recordings of past Mother’s Day concerts featuring evergreen Mandarin and Malay hits were released. The recordings, which garnered over 36,000 views in total, were available for everyone to enjoy on Offstage for a month.

And to help parents keep their children engaged as they stay at home, family-friendly content ranging from quizzes to sing-along videos featuring original tunes from Esplanade’s well-loved PLAYtime! theatre series for two to six year olds are available on Offstage.  

The best of Singapore’s stage on screen 

From 16 May, Esplanade presented The Studios Online—a digital season of theatrical works by Singapore artists—on Offstage. Comprising two new original productions and six productions from the series’ 17 years of archives, The Studios Online came in place of this year’s season of live performances, which was scheduled to take place from 25 March to 26 April, but later cancelled due to the COVID-19 situation.  

The two new productions—a video recording of Lost Cinema 20/20 by Brian Gothong Tan and an audio presentation of The Heart Comes to Mind by Checkpoint Theatre—were originally in the line-up for the live season. Although the performances could not take place, Esplanade and the artists were able to make arrangements for alternative modes of presentation for the productions before Singapore’s circuit breaker* measures were put in place. The six archival recordings were selected based on connections to the artists of the 2020 season, for their thematic threads that still resonate in our lived context, as well as for some of the wider conversations that have emerged from reflecting on COVID-19 and our society. To date, The Studios Online has garnered about 21,000 views and 1,400 listens. Lost Cinema 20/20, the final production in the season, will be screened on Offstage from 12 to 18 July.  

A recorded version of the new original production Lost Cinema 20/20 was presented as part of The Studios Online, after its live performances had to be cancelled due to COVID-19. (Photo Credit: Crispian Chan)

In addition, from 24 to 31 May, Esplanade also partnered ticketing agency SISTIC to release recordings of three well-loved original theatre and dance productions from Esplanade’s cultural festivals on its new streaming platform SISTIC Live. The screenings were provided for free but patrons were encouraged to buy a ticket and pay-as-they-wish ($5 / $10 / $20 / $50) to watch the screening online. About 5,200 tickets were sold and proceeds from sales went to the arts group behind each production.

“We hope that everyone will find something to enjoy and to keep their spirits up. These are tough times for everyone, including our artists. So, where it is possible, we hope that our audiences will show their support for the arts groups featured,” added Yvonne.

To encourage deeper engagement with the productions, supplementary resources such as digital artist talks were made available for The Studios Online and the cultural offerings.

The recording of Fatih – The Prince and The Drum, an Esplanade commission for Pesta Raya – Malay Festival of Arts in 2019, was presented on streaming platform SISTIC Live. (Photo Credit: Bernie Ng)

The recording of Anjaneyam – Hanuman’s Ramayana, an Esplanade co-production for Kalaa Utsavam – Indian Festival of Arts in 2017, was presented on streaming platform SISTIC Live. (Photo Credit: Lijesh Photography)

The recording of 7 Sages of the Bamboo Grove, an Esplanade commission for Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts in 2020, was presented on streaming platform SISTIC Live. (Photo Credit: Jack Yam)

In June, audiences were treated to even more content on Offstage featuring Singapore and Asian artists. Highlights included Pesta Raya Online, a 10-day celebration of the nusantara and Hari Raya Aidilfitri featuring nine productions which garnered over 38,000 views; as well as a collaboration with the Singapore Symphony Orchestra where a concert recording of Singapore composer Kelly Tang’s Two Symphonic Dances: Radiance & Spark was streamed.  

And from 16 to 31 July, Esplanade will release recordings of Chinese-American maestro Tan Dun’s The Martial Arts Trilogy concert, which was presented by Esplanade as part of Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts in 2012.  

In July, Esplanade will be releasing recordings of Chinese-American maestro Tan Dun’s The Martial Arts Trilogy concert on Offstage.

Business not as usual for the arts 

As the world emerges from the throes of COVID-19, many have acknowledged that business will not resume as usual for most industries, including the arts. Even as life slowly returns to arts centres everywhere, the nature of arts programming has changed irrevocably.  

At Esplanade, live and virtual programming for the centre’s festivals and series will continue to be conceptualised in tandem, wherever possible. From live performances that carry on the conversation to online post-show discussions; to self-led online activities for young audiences based on live performances; to regular online screenings that extend the lifespan of a production, arts programming must no longer be restricted to what can take place in a physical venue.  

For audiences, this can only mean richer and more meaningful arts experiences, while artists will not only gain a wider reach but will also be able to deepen engagement with audiences through their works. 

And in this new normal for the arts, the role of presenters, producers and arts centres, like Esplanade, includes a responsibility to help ensure the viability and sustainability for these unprecedented modes of presentation. Be it engaging and convincing supporters and funders—including government, donors, sponsors and audiences—about the intrinsic value of digital arts content and the importance of ensuring that artists are fairly compensated even as their work goes online, or establishing greater international collaboration through this additional channel, these are issues that must remain at the forefront as we navigate these unchartered waters together. 

 –

Stay tuned for more exciting programmes to be published on Offstage and sign up for the mailing list here. AAPPAC members who are interested to collaborate with Esplanade on digital programming may contact Joseph Sim at sjoseph@esplanade.com. Meanwhile, stay safe and sane!  

*From 7 Apr 2020, Singapore entered the circuit breaker period, in order to pre-empt escalating COVID-19 infections. During this time, Singaporeans were advised to stay at home as much as possible. The circuit breaker period ended on 2 June 2020 and thereafter, the country implemented three phases of gradual resumption of business activities.