SINGAPORE - An administrative step forward, but potentially two steps back when it comes to openness and trust.
Most Singapore theatre practioners interviewed by Life! expressed disappointment with the Media Development Authority's new term licence scheme that will give out yearly licences to stage performances, instead of on a per-event basis, and allow arts groups to classify some or virtually all of their own performances without the need to submit scripts to the authority.
The yearly licensing scheme divides arts groups into two tiers. Tier1 groups can self-classify performances with a General rating and without racial, religious or political content. Groups with a good track record selected for Tier 2 can self-classify all scripted performances.
But their licence to do so is subject to an annual review, in which the authority will evaluate whether licensees have complied with regulations and classified performances accurately.
Most theatre practitioners say this additional layer of checks, instead of liberalising the current system of regulation, betrays the lack of trust in artists, and as Theatre Practice's artistic director Kuo Jian Hong puts it, amounts to "regulating how we regulate".
The new scheme was announced by Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim last Friday during Parliament's debate on the ministry's budget. It is expected to take effect early next year, following amendments to the Public Entertainment and Meetings Act.
The authority said that devolving the regulatory function to arts groups was in line with its principle of "co-regulation" and greater partnership with industry players. Groups will no longer have to pay licensing fees for self-classified performances, though those in Tier 1 have to furnish a $1,000 performance bond signed by a guarantor.
The three types of ratings for theatre remain: General, Advisory and R18, restricted to audiences aged 18 and above. For works containing racial, religious or political content, an advisory of mature content or a rating of R18 may apply. An advisory attached to a performance is meant as a guide to help audience members make an informed choice when buying tickets and does not restrict admission.
Based on this framework, arts groups will have to send a representative to undergo a training programme on how to classify performances.
One practitioner who took issue with the yearly-licensing and annual review is Chong Tze Chien, 36, company director of the puppet theatre group The Finger Players.
He said: "Why only a year? And who is it reviewed by? Essentially, the MDA is saying that it is still putting terms and conditions to whatever it is that we are doing. They don't trust the artist, at the end of the day, to be responsible."
He suggested that the review panel be an independent one comprising artists and audience members, instead of an authority panel "acting on behalf of a group of conservatives who may or may not exist in reality".
He thinks that the prevailing mindset in regulating art is still "equating art with activism. But what we're doing is not activism. When we put up a gay play, or a political play, the Government is saying that these pieces are no different from a political party's rally. Until we start to differentiate between the two, we'll never move forward".
One practitioner who expressed cautious optimism about the new scheme was Natalie Hennedige, 39, artistic director of Cake Theatrical Productions, who said the new scheme "will ease the application process".
The group applies for about three licences a year, and waiting for the results can be to the detriment of the process of creating original works. This is because the group usually needs to submit its script and video footage to the authority two months before the performance, but the content of the work might change leading up to the staging.
She said that in general, "individual artists and arts companies committed to the scene, and especially those who have spent years contributing to its development, should be enabled to put forth their works without hindrance, especially when it affects the work artistically".
But theatre director Kuo, 45, felt that the new scheme amounts to the authority regulating the groups' methods of regulating themselves, rather than regulating the works directly.
She questioned the motivation behind the new scheme: "Are they doing this because they feel they are not in a position to judge and hence let us judge? In that case, don't regulate at all.
"If you want to regulate, then you regulate everything. If you want to trust us, then trust us to do our job. Don't micromanage."
Playwright-director Jonathan Lim, 38, the brains behind the parody show Chestnuts, notes that in his previous submissions of scripts to the authorities, he included his own recommended ratings and advisories based on the content of the work. And more often than not, the authority agreed to his suggestions.
He has a question: If under the new scheme, an artist puts out his work with what he feels is an appropriate rating or advisory, and audience members complain, will the artist be penalised?
He says: "At the end of the day, if anything goes wrong with this self-regulating, is the authority going to be responsible? Or will it be an excuse to point fingers at a theatre company?"
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