【The Âtre 】：站在邊緣關懷人：戲劇盒的社群參與

The Âtre Issue 13 (April 2024) https://www.the-atre.com/

2011年，新加坡作家學者黄浩威為劇團“戲劇盒”編著《戏剧盒与新加坡的社会剧场：文化干预与艺术自主性—— 1990 - 2006》（以下簡稱《戲》）。在書中，他對戲劇盒自創團以來的劇場創作進行了思考與分析，並從戲劇盒的劇場作品探討藝術創作與國家機構之間的協商，也對劇團如何通過藝術走向社群進行社會參與進行審思。

戲劇盒最初以華語劇團的定位創團。新加坡建國之時，政府把英語視為能促進國家經濟發展的工作語言，華語也因此被邊緣化。戲劇盒成員們都是國家雙語政策下的產物，自由地在兩種語言文化裡遊走穿梭，但自創團以來，戲劇盒卻以華語創作戲劇，有意識地選擇為不諳英語的華語人士呈現戲劇演出，與他們一起思考社會課題。1998年，戲劇盒從業餘劇團成為專業劇團，創團成員之一的郭慶亮擔任了劇團的全職藝術總監。至此，戲劇盒更明確地走向進行社會批判、與社群參與的創作方向，劇團的作品一般關注社會議題，提倡社會參與、讓社群對複雜的課題進行反思與討論、為弱勢群體發聲。

值得一提的是，戲劇盒曾在2003年因財務透支，而從全職劇團轉成兼職運作。其中一個原因是因為國家補給不夠。黃浩威在《戲》裡提到，向來受到主流媒體關注，也一直得到國家的資助的戲劇盒竟然仍須結束全職運作，這一事件曾推動藝術社群積極討論資金與持續性發展的重要性。戲劇盒在2005年恢復全職運作。至此以後，戲劇盒在確保可持續發展與堅持藝術創作的自主性之間進行各種嘗試。

時隔13年，黃浩威推出了《戲》的英譯版，並對當年華文版的《戲》進行了更新。《戲》對一個劇團的剖析與深刻解讀，並進行批判性的反思—— 這在新加坡是少見的。更難得的是，由學者柯思仁編著的《戏剧盒30关键词》（2022年出版）、以及由劇場人Charlene Rajendran和編輯Richard Gough一起著寫的“Changing Places: Drama Box and the Politics of Space”（2022年出版），也都是專門研究戲劇盒進行的社會參與的重要書籍。

戲劇盒多年來以不同的方式進行多方嘗試，在時代的變遷下也在不斷地改變。例如，戲劇盒如今已不再以“華語劇場”定位，而是以“新加坡劇場”的身份去進行各種創作：以不同語言（華語、英語、馬來語）、以不同演出形式（參與式劇場、戶外劇場、實驗性演出、跨界藝術合作，等等），去引導觀眾探討社會課題，乃至全球課題（全球暖化課題等等）。這無疑讓劇團具備了更具流動性的特性，與更多群體探討課題。

劇團近年來進行跨媒介實驗、試圖打破藝術界線，並且在不斷的嘗試中思考如何在社群之間搭建橋樑…… 但多年來劇團唯一不變的宗旨，或許便是堅持站在邊緣關懷人。

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The Âtre Issue 13 (April 2024) https://www.the-atre.com/

"Positioning Itself With The Marginalised: Drama Box and Community Engagement”

Text/ Neo Hai Bin 

In 2011, Singaporean academic Dr Ng How Wee published "Drama Box and the Social Theatre of Singapore: Cultural Intervention and Artistic Autonomy 1990-2006", reflecting on Drama Box's theatre productions since its founding. He explored and analysed the deliberation between artistic creation and intention from state institutions, while also examining how Drama Box has engaged with the community through the arts.

Drama Box was originally founded as a Chinese language theatre company. After Singapore gained independance, the Singapore government regarded English as a working language that could contribute to the country's economic development. Mandarin was marginalized as a result. 

In 1998, Drama Box became a professional theatre company; one of its founding members, Kok Heng Leun, became its Artistic Director. Drama Box’s artistic practices focused on social commentaries and community participation: producing works that dealt with social issues, advocating social participation from the community, creating space for the community to reflect on and discuss complex issues, and giving a voice to the underprivileged.

It is worth mentioning that Drama Box switched from full-time to part-time operation in 2003 due to financial overdraft. One of the reasons was due to insufficient state subsidies. In his book, Ng How Wee mentioned how Drama Box, which has always received significant media attention, which has been receiving subsidies from the state, still had no choice but to cease full-time operation, and how that prompted the arts community to actively discuss the importance of funding and sustainable development. 

Two years later, in 2005, Drama Box resumed full-time operation. Since then, Drama Box has made various attempts to ensure sustainable development while maintaining its autonomy in artistic creations.

13 years after this book was published, Ng How Wee released an English translation of the book this year (2024), updated and edited for a wider readership. This book provides an insightful analysis and critical reflection on the theatre company, which is a rarity in Singapore. Along with Ng How Wee’s book, two other publications— “Drama Box 30 Keywords" (2022), published by academic Quah Sy Ren, and “Changing Places: Drama Box and the Politics of Space" (2022), written by theatre practitioner Charlene Rajendran and Richard Gough— are also important books that reflect on the role of Drama Box and its community engagement.

Drama Box has been experimenting and evolving in different ways with the changing times. In recent years, Drama Box no longer position itself as a Chinese-language theatre, but as a Singaporean theatre that creates works in different languages (Chinese, English, Malay), and in different performance forms (participatory theatre, outdoor theatre, experimental performances, cross-disciplinary art collaborations, etc), whilst facilitating its audience in exploring social and global issues. This undoubtedly gives the company more flexibility in investigating different issues with different forms, engaging with a wider range of communities.

The theatre company has constantly experimented with cross-disciplinary performances, breaking boundaries between art disciplines, and to explore various ways to build bridges between communities... Perhaps the one thing that has not changed over the years is the company's unwavering dedication to care for people— by positioning itself with the marginalised.