Just a day before its staging, a production by theatre company Wild Rice has been pulled by the authorities for “glamorising drug abuse”, with the company saying the play does not condone or glorify substance use.
The dramatised reading of Homepar by playwright Mitchell Fang has been disallowed in its current form, said the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in a joint statement on June 20.
A revised script submitted on June 5 had substantially changed from the version submitted on April 21, they noted.
The earlier script met classification requirements and could be staged under an R18 rating.
However, the revised script was found to have breached the Arts Entertainment Classification Code (AECC).
“The new material depicts and glamorises drug abuse and portrays an undercover Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officer shielding abusers from detection,” said the joint statement.
“It undermines Singapore’s anti-drug policy, our drug rehabilitation regime and public confidence in the CNB. Performances that undermine Singapore’s national interest are not permitted under the AECC.”
In a statement, Wild Rice said it categorically rejects the characterisation of Homepar as a play that “glamorises drug abuse”, calling it a “reductive reading of nuanced and empathetic work that is, at its core, about healing and recovery”.
“The central character’s journey is one of struggle, resilience, and the power of community in overcoming addiction and stigma,” it said in the statement.
“Homepar does not condone or glorify substance use,” it said, adding that the production seeks to ask why people turn to drugs, often as a response to trauma, discrimination, and marginalisation.
The theatre company also said the characters portrayed express a spectrum of attitudes, including rejection and ambivalence, and that “the play ends with a celebration of community that is explicitly and intentionally drug-free”.
The approximately 90-minute production centres on a Homepar, a house party in which the gay nightclub atmosphere is recreated in a living or hotel room.
According to a synopsis on Wild Rice’s website, a character called Oliver (who uses they/them pronouns) hosts one such party in a home shared with their widowed mother, as they “power through a tough break-up and celebrate their evolving gender identity”.
It is one of several plays in development under an incubator programme by Wild Rice.
These are presented as dramatised readings by actors reading early drafts in front of an audience, so playwrights can gather feedback.
In its statement, Wild Rice noted that these stagings, which comprise two performances of 60 seats each, “were never intended as a full production, but as part of a responsible dramaturgical process that includes feedback and revision”.
“It is deeply disappointing that a developmental work has been thrust into the public spotlight and judged as if it were a complete and finished work,” it said.
As Wild Rice has chosen not to revert to the April 21 version of the script, IMDA said it has disallowed the performance in its current form.
The statement added: “Singapore’s firm stance against drugs remains unchanged, and IMDA will continue to uphold the AECC to protect national interest.”
Wild Rice said it respects Singapore’s firm stance against drug misuse.
“But we also believe that the arts must have the space to explore complex, often uncomfortable realities – especially if we are to create meaningful, socially engaged theatre,” it said.
“Homepar does not ask audiences to approve of drug use. It asks them to understand the human stories behind it, and to imagine the possibility of recovery and belonging.
“We remain committed to responsible storytelling, and to working constructively with regulators to ensure that this important new Singaporean work can be seen, understood, and appreciated for what it truly is.”
Anjali Raguraman for The Straits Times
