FESTIVAL MESSAGE FROM BERRIES
I believe that art resides deep within the soul of every child, and it is my hope that they can all harness this innate creativity to lead vibrant and exciting lives.
Over the years, Berries World of Learning School has been dedicated to creating an enriching Chinese language environment, transcending traditional boundaries, and extending Chinese language learning beyond the confines of the classroom. In line with this, I am also committed to integrating life and art, offering both children and adults multifaceted experiences with the Chinese language.
With child-like excitement, I look forward to our collaboration with The Theatre Practice to present "2024 Berries Chinese Theatre Festival: Family Edition". At the heart of art lies the essence of human expression, creativity, and emotion. May the festival spark joy and wonder in the hearts of our children as they embark on an unforgettable journey.
Let us extend our warm applause to the talented actors and creatives, and provide loving companionship for our children to realise their potential.
We are grateful to have The Theatre Practice alongside us in fulfilling our mission.
Together, let us unite our efforts in inspiring the children of today, to light up the world of tomorrow.
Ms Wynne Li Wai Lan
Managing Director, CLS International (1993) Pte Ltd (HQ for Berries World of Learning School)
ARTISTIC DIRECTOR'S MESSAGE
When we started thinking of festival names, it felt especially important that the focus was placed on families, not just children. An invitation to rediscover the magic of our world through the eyes of a child, the festival allows parents AND children to participate, play and enjoy the fun together!
While Practice has been a pioneering force in Singapore arts education since our inception, our family-oriented Theatre For Young Audiences (TYA) journey began in earnest in 2010. Since then, we have created a diverse canon of works (plays, musicals, storytelling sessions, participatory experiences, music albums and lyric books), building shared experiences that encourage intergenerational bonding. We are excited to extend this legacy with the launch of a new festival.
Amidst today's rapidly changing world, how do we hang on to the elements of our identity that make us "Singaporean"? Practice has always been at the forefront of developing accessible, high-quality Mandarin TYA works. By creating happy memories for our young audiences, it will not only allow them to better understand the language's relevance to their lives, but to form genuine relationships to both Chinese language and culture.
Of course, the success of this festival would not be possible without our presenter: Berries World of Learning School. As a long-time supporter of Practice, we are grateful for our shared values: championing the importance of play, promoting Chinese language and culture, and supporting the development of the arts. At the same time, we hope that this new festival will inspire like-minded artmakers to create more TYA works, and join us on this journey!
Kuo Jian Hong
Artistic Director of The Theatre Practice
