I refer to the report “Two plays at upcoming M1 Singapore Fringe Festival exceed R18 rating: IMDA” (TODAYonline; Nov 25).

As someone who regularly attends and participates in Singapore’s performing arts programmes, I am deeply disappointed and frustrated that Naked Ladies and Undressing Room have been adjudged to exceed the R18 rating under the Arts Entertainment Classification Code, causing their staging to be contingent on a revision of their nudity content.

I support the festival team’s response that “nudity was not in any way used for the purpose of titillation. Rather, these are intelligent and well-crafted pieces exploring issues of vulnerability and identity”.

The nudity in these shows is key to their effectiveness in discussing their respective themes.

Asking for a removal or reduction of the nudity aspects of Naked Ladies or Undressing Room would be akin to asking for a reduction in the length of Pinocchio’s nose because it was “excessively” long.

In context, when nudity is an essential element of the performance, can it really be considered excessive at all?

Furthermore, a common theme between these two shows is to question the construct of nudity and disrupt “natural” associations between nudity and sex — associations which have clearly played out in online complaints about the 2017 festival’s theme and programming.

The fact that these are such strong associations for some Singaporeans reinforces our need for performances like these, and the aptness of the festival’s theme.

It is my hope that the Info-Communications Media Development Authority will reconsider its non-classification of Naked Ladies and Undressing Room, and allow them to be staged as they were meant to.

I believe it is important to give greater consideration to the values and interests of genuine arts audiences in decisions relating to the classification of arts programming.

By its name, it is clear that the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival is designed to provide a space for challenging audiences and pushing our boundaries. If Singapore closes its doors on groundbreaking works, how can we ever become a global city for the arts?