Visionary artistic director appointed for S’pore International Festival Of Arts

SINGAPORE — Gaurav Kripalani, currently artistic director of local theatre company Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT), will be appointed the new Festival Director of the Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA) with effect from May 1.

The appointment was announced today (March 23) by the Arts House Limited (AHL), a company of the National Arts Council (NAC) which commissions the annual SIFA. Kripalani’s tenure will last over three festivals from 2018 till 2020.

He takes the helm from outgoing Festival Director Ong Keng Sen, who will see through the 2017 edition, which begins in June.

Regarding the appointment, Kripalani said: “It is an honour to be passed the baton to helm Singapore’s premier arts festival.”

He added: “Keng Sen has done a stellar job and I hope to reach the high expectations that have been set. I look forward to reaching out to artists, locally and internationally, in order to achieve the Festival’s goal of pushing the boundaries of perception in the multi-disciplines. I look forward to welcoming the world to Singapore, and Singapore to the world.”

Kripalani is known for his bold artistic vision. Last year, he celebrated his 20th Anniversary at SRT with an acting comeback in the lead role of the production, Disgraced. The production, which ran in December, was the talk of the town for its nuanced take on sensitive issues such as race and religion.

Under Kripalani’s artistic direction, SRT was the first Singaporean theatre company on Broadway in 1998 for Golden Child, which went on to earn three Tony Award nominations. SRT is also famous for the musical Forbidden City, which was first performed in 2002 at The Esplanade — Theatres on the Bay.

The incoming SIFA festival director was one of the first to champion the use of outdoor spaces, with the productions of Singapore’s own Shakespeare in the Park. The production featured local and international actors, producers and set designers coming together annually to bring Shakespeare to life at Fort Canning Park.

“I am delighted to have Gaurav on board, especially at this exciting juncture where Arts House Limited is poised to be one of the key arts intermediaries in Singapore with all our own changes,” said Sarah Martin, chief executive at AHL.

“It is always good to see our Singaporean artistic directors rise to new challenges. Keng Sen, through his vision, has brought the festival to new dimensions and critical acclaim. We thank him for his process of creation and commitment to SIFA over the years,” she added. “We look forward to an interesting time for the landscape locally and internationally as the Festival embarks on a new journey with Gaurav and AHL.”

Ong is excited about Kripalani’s appointment, and said that his “team and I are committed to give him the best possible Festival to continue”.

“In these 4 years, we strived to initiate quality projects with Singapore residents connected to living, dreaming and creating here,” he said. “Our audiences deserve visionary projects of how art transforms humanity and makes the world a better place.”