Performance • Adult Audience
ReStory: Celebrating the Feminine in Folklore
The Singapore Showcase
Verena Tay, Mindy Neo, Dawn Lau, Akshita Nanda, Soumee De, Cyril Wong, Annaliza Bakri, Nandini Nagpal, Aswani Aswath, A Yagnya, Stephanie Dogfoot, Shivram Gopinath
ReStory & Stories from Our Shores (SGD 25)ReStory (SGD 20)ReStory 1 (SGD 15)ReStory 2 (SGD 15)
In celebration of our fifth anniversary, we honour the extraordinary stories of women. Women who are silenced when they choose to honour their roots. Women who use their wits against those who feel entitled to their beauty. Women who uplift their sisters. Women who give men strength. Women who betray their own. Women who are painted as villains, even as their aggressors leave with sympathy.
While we have come a long way, these narratives remain all too familiar today. Through these stories, revisit female archetypes from mythology who revelled in their own skins and manifested power, even when the odds were stacked against them.
Experience the different forms each story can take with our largest collection of stories from Asia. This special collection features 12 unique stories of betrayal, strength and more, performed by oral storytellers, spoken word artists, dancers, writers and poets. Delve into the stories!
Enjoy the stories from 20 June – 11 July as Videos On Demand.
- StoryFest Showcases - ReStory & Stories from Our Shores (14 stories for SGD $25) [Recommended]
- ReStory (12 stories for SGD $20)
- ReStory 1 (6 stories for SGD $15)
- ReStory 2 (6 stories for SGD $15)
RESTORY #1
Vengeance is Mine (Singapore)
Verena Tay
When a village girl announces that she is carrying his child, the young Datuk who had promised her the world abandons her. The girl, who transforms into a Pontianak after dying during childbirth, waits patiently to get even. Adapted from Malay folklore, Verena retells her chilling revenge story ‘Broken’ from Spectre: Stories from Dark to Light.
Includes the Malaysian and Indonesian folk song: ‘Burung Kakak Tua’
Amrita’s Tree (India)
Mindy Neo
Before ‘sustainability’ became a buzzword, Amrita Devi sacrificed her life in 1730 to prevent the destruction of Khejri trees. She believed in the sacred tree and in protecting nature. Her actions sparked a movement that led 363 Bishnoi people to do the same. They are considered to be India’s first environmentalists, and their beliefs continue to inspire the country.
The Golden Lotus (China)
Dawn Lau
All Pan Jinlian ever wanted a better life for herself. Driven solely by this goal, she turns from devoted daughter to adulteress, using the most powerful tool she had – her beauty. Examine the life of one of the most notorious femme fatales in classic Chinese literature in this tale rife with betrayal and seduction.
Savitri: The Woman Who Walked With Death (India)
Akshita Nanda
How far would you go to save the person you love? Princess Savitri marries the dispossessed prince Satyavan despite knowing that he only has a year to live. When Yama, the God of Death, claims her husband, she refuses to accept his fate. Find out how she charms Yama into reviving her fallen husband in a retelling of the legendary couple’s timeless story.
From Dirt to Dust (India)
Soumee De
Get a peek into how the universe emerged from darkness through the eyes of Kali, the goddess from Indian mythology who governs time, death and change. In this retelling accompanied by live beats from the dhak, the goddess Kali transforms fears and embraces freedom, if only for a moment, before life emerges from the dirt and concludes in dust.
The Angel’s Dream (Singapore)
Cyril Wong
An angel once had a strange dream. In it she saw a row of oddly dressed people, sitting inside a train. Out the window lay a realm where nobody grew old and everyone would play, make love, then sleep and enter dreams about strange, alternate worlds. Experience this tale from Let Me Tell You Something About That Night as it is told and sung.
RESTORY #2
Puteri Gunung Ledang (Malay Peninsula)
Annaliza Bakri
There was once a celestial princess (puteri) who lived on Gunung Ledang (Mount Ophir) in Malaya. Having learned of her beauty, the Sultan was determined to marry her. In response, the princess made several demands before she would consent – including a bowl of blood from the Sultan’s son. Will the princess’ requests be enough to keep her suitor at bay?
The Princess and the Fool (Korea)
Nandini Nagpal
Princess Pyeonggang of Goguryeo cried all through her growing years, which infuriated her father, the king. To get her to stop, he did the unthinkable! He threatened to marry her off to Pabo Ondal, the beggar and the fool. Will the strong willed Princess actually succumb to her father’s threat? Find out what happens next.
The Wife Who Didn’t Eat (Japan)
Aswani Aswath
Female ghosts have a significant place in Japanese folklore, predominantly condemned to an afterlife as villainous ‘yokai’. But what often goes unheard are their tragic origins. In this folktale, an unmarried man’s wish for a spouse who does not eat is granted. Yet, the food supplies in his house start to disappear, leading him to uncover a monstrous secret.
The Dragon Tamer (Japan)
A Yagnya
Facing the small island of Enoshima in Japan sits the Dragon’s Mouth Hill. Legend has it that the hill was once a five-headed dragon called Gyozuru that plagued the villagers by destroying homes and eating their children. Accompanied by the plucked strings of the koto, learn how the goddess Benzaiten, guided the fiery dragon to transform and atone for his sins.
The Toilet Goddess (China)
Stephanie Dogfoot
When women gather in toilets, to cry and befriend each other, they invoke the spirit of Zigu, the toilet goddess who makes them feel safe. But before she found her squad, she haunted unsuspecting toilet visitors out of anger for her unjust death. In this adaptation of the Chinese legend, celebrate sisterhood and empathy through toilet confessions.
Surpanakha and a Mutilation of Our Understanding (India)
Shivram Gopinath
Surpanakha's failed seduction of Rama and Lakshmana resulted in her brother Ravana igniting a war. As characters recount that moment in The Ramayana, explore the ethics of alleged seduction, the gaslighting of Surpanakha and her subsequent mutilation. Bear witness to the dynamics of two men waging war over a “wronged” woman.
Note
Photography & Video Recording Rules:
- Unauthorised video and audio recording of this performance is strictly not permitted for this event.
Admittance Rules:
- All patrons are required to purchase a ticket for access to videos on demand (VOD).
- From 20 June – 11 July, enjoy unlimited access to the high quality storytelling videos when you log in to your Peatix account.
- No refunds, no exchange of tickets.
Get Tickets
ReStory & Stories from Our Shores (SGD 25)ReStory (SGD 20)ReStory 1 (SGD 15)ReStory 2 (SGD 15)
Verena Tay (Singapore)
Verena Tay is a seasoned storyteller, theatre practitioner and writer. With over 25 years of experience performing, directing and writing for Singapore English language theatre, Verena has published four collections of her plays as well as two short story anthologies. She has edited 12 volumes of short stories including the popular Balik Kampung series. She has also successfully coached adults to improve their storytelling craft and conducted numerous creative writing workshops.
Mindy Neo (Singapore)
Mindy enjoys telling stories to both adults and children. A member of the Storytelling Association of Singapore, Mindy has performed for adult audiences, told stories to children at libraries. She hopes to grow an appreciation for biodiversity through telling nature stories to children at Jurong Lake Gardens. Mindy has conducted storytelling workshops for Primary school students and uses her skills in storytelling to make her lessons come alive.
Dawn Lau (Singapore)
Dawn is a performer who loves stories. She actively participates in creative writing, movement, voice, storytelling, improv, and spoken word workshops. As a result of some of these workshops, she has been featured in Body Poetry and Spoken Word performances. She has performed at Stories for Grown Ups with Moonshadow Stories at NLB and at both the 2019 and 2020 editions of StoryFest.
Akshita Nanda (Singapore)
Akshita Nanda grew up in a family that used the power of storytelling to build bridges between new nations, and shape lives. She tells stories through her journalism, policy research and also novels. Her debut Nimita's Place (Epigram Books) co-won the 2020 Singapore Literature Prize for English fiction. She is also the author of Beauty Queens of Bishan (Penguin Randomhouse SEA).
Soumee De (Singapore)
Soumee De is a dancer, teacher, choreographer who has trained in the Indian Classical dance forms of Kathak and Odissi since she was four. Soumee currently teaches Odissi at Apsaras Arts. She founded Ethos-Exploring the Odissi Spirit, a dance collective in Singapore for Odissi dancers and offers ‘Dance-telling’ programs at The Artground for young children. When not dancing, she works as a management consultant to create a better working world.
Cyril Wong (Singapore)
Cyril Wong is a poet and fictionist in Singapore. His recent book was Infinity Diary, published by Seagull Books in 2020.
Annaliza Bakri (Singapore)
Annaliza Bakri holds an MA from the Department of Malay Studies at NUS. Her research interests include the intersection between translation, history and humanity. She edited and translated Sikit-Sikit Lama-lama Jadi Bukit (2017), a poetry anthology with contributions from Singapore’s best Malay poets, and she co-translated Alvin Pang’s ‘What Gives Us Our Names’ (2011) into the Malay – ‘Yang Menamakan Kita’ (2019).
Nandini Nagpal (Singapore)
Nandini Nagpal is a passionate storyteller who performs a broad range of stories for adults, teenagers, and children at storytelling festivals, public events, libraries and schools across Singapore. She conducts storytelling workshops and has been a workshop presenter at conferences. Apart from being a storyteller, Nandini is a mindfulness trainer and coach and is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in counselling.
Aswani Aswath (Singapore)
Aswani Aswath is an educator and a playwright. Her plays include Angry Indian Woman – The Trial for the Singapore Writers Festival and Locker Room God for the Esplanade’s Kalaa Utsavam. Most recently, was mentored by Haresh Sharma as part of The Necessary Stage’s Playwrights’ Cove.
A Yagnya (Singapore)
A Yagnya is a collaborative theatre maker and Japanese translator. She wrote Between 5 Cows and the Deep Blue Sea… which was read at Esplanade’s Raga 2020, and developed the Zoom play, Hi, Can You Hear Me?, under the mentorship of Haresh Sharma as part of The Necessary Stage’s Playwright Cove. Yagnya was also the devising playwright and co-director for subTITLED 1.0 and actress for Goddesses of Words: Angry Indian Women.
Stephanie Dogfoot (Singapore)
Stephanie Dogfoot (she/they) is an award-winning spoken word poet and stand-up comedian. She has been featured at the George Town Literary Festival, Melbourne Spoken Word Festival among many others, and has toured internationally with her poetry. She wrote Roadkill for Beginners (Math Paper Press). She ran Story Slam Singapore, a true life storytelling event that ran from 2014 to 2018, and currently runs a poetry night called Spoke & Bird.
Shivram Gopinath (Singapore)
Born in Chennai, Shivram Gopinath is a poet who has called Singapore a home since 2002. His work has been heard at Singapore Writers Festival, Jaipur Literary Festival and more. He teaches workshops structured around poetic identity at the Haque Centre of Acting and Creativity, and is a twice-winning Singapore National Poetry Slam champion. He is currently the Creative Director of UltraSuperNew Singapore, an advertising agency and art gallery.
