《四马路》

With a little imagination, audiences can feel the swell of history under their feet as they are presented with eight mini-plays that transport them back 100, sometimes 150, years… Waterloo Street is all the richer for Four Horse Road's successful staging.

未附字幕的多语剧场借由肢体、镜像、声响、灯光等非文字语言多重建构四马路今昔的多元文化景象⋯⋯历史并非一张全知且权威的地图，《四马路》在隔阂与抉择中导引我们捡拾边角的灰烬与心内的自语，合力拼凑这块岛屿的模样。

This was a way for them to set up the experience as one which will have many languages – so many that no one person would likely understand everything being uttered. On the other hand, it would also set up the show as one which will intentionally leave the audience to come with an open mind and an open heart, ready to put in their half of the work. Would you be ready to help, or to ask for help? How much would you do to satisfy your curiosity about the stories unfolding before you?

In my opinion, this is a challenge for the audience to look closely at the stories of the past. A time when languages coexisted in single scenarios. Where speaking multiple tongues was normal. Where languages merely were. Instead of being a hindrance to understanding, they were multipliers of meaning and richness in the everyday. Perhaps a post-CMIO society might look like pre-CMIO Singapore.

Four Horse Road is an emotional and thought-provoking exploration of Singapore's heritage, skillfully interweaving real events into a mesmerising theatrical experience that will leave a lasting impression on its audience.

《四马路》这部剧打破了空间、时间和语言的疆界，剧外实践剧场也突破了种种不可控的外在挑战。或许呈现《四马路》这部剧的意义，是要让我们在瞬息万变的现实环境与社会挑战中，学习怎样看待历史，接着再一起创造新的历史篇章。

It often really does feel as if we're moving through some kind of writhing, ever-changing wormhole of time, where turning a corner will leave us in the middle of the Japanese Occupation, or heading upstairs will hurl us even further back… What every scene gets so right is the ability to draw out the most genuine of human emotions, rooted in friendship and affection, devastation and loss, or fear and uncertainty.

In essence, while the spaces are not necessarily transformed, the design team has done enough to subtly influence our perception of each scene, providing triggers that capitalise on the inherent quality of each space, just enough that we begin to believe that stepping through a doorframe takes us into a completely different environment and period…