(fc worldtour樓梯又響了,計劃巡迴個幾年...這次是玩真的?) Sep 18, 2006 by Marcel Lee Pereira MADE-IN-SINGAPORE productions could be heading for Broadway and the West End under a new initiative by the Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT).The local theatre company has roped in four former members of the highly successful Cirque du Soleil circus show to help take its productions to the world stage. Their first task will be to fine-tune SRT’s musical, Forbidden City, and prepare it for an opening in London’s West End in 2008 - the first stop on its world tour. The team will also scour the world to bring overseas productions here. To achieve this, non-profit SRT has set up a commercial arm - SRT International Productions. The four ex-Cirque members will serve as its consultants. They are: Mr Jean David, former marketing vice-president at Cirque; Mr Danny Pelchat, a former Cirque managing director in Europe; Mr Andrew Watson, who was one of Cirque’s creative directors; and graphic designer Therese Mondor, who was in charge of the visual branding of Cirque shows such as Quidam, O, and Mystere. They were brought together by SRT’s production consultant Helene Larivee, formerly Cirque’s Asia-Pacific managing director, who joined SRT two years ago. The Dick Lee musical Forbidden City, set in ancient China, tells the story of Empress Dowager Cixi, and explores the numerous myths surrounding her reign. The team would not say how they would improve the show, but Mr Watson said he found it ‘extremely inspirational’. ‘There’s room in the world for Asian culture,’ added Mr David. ‘Singapore has the capacity and the openness to look at all of those cultures, see the best of it, and bring it to the world.’ They are now out to raise the US$8 million (S$12.7 million) needed to stage the musical in London for six weeks. SRT executive director Charlotte Nors disclosed that the company is in talks with the Economic Development Board and the Singapore Tourism Board. Ms Nors aims to recoup the US$8 million investment in five years, by holding 200 performances a year at 1,500- to 2,000-seat venues around the world. Forbidden City will be the first local commercial musical to embark on a world tour, said SRT’s artistic director, Mr Gaurav Kripalani. Many productions have gone overseas, but those were primarily one-city stops, or as part of arts festivals, he added. Forbidden City, however, could tour for years, and this would mean steady jobs for those in the industry, including technicians, costume makers, singers, dancers and musicians. Exporting local productions could be a multi-million dollar business, added Mr David. ‘When we created Cirque in 1984, circus shows from Canada almost didn’t exist. Now it’s worth almost C$750 million (S$1.07 billion) in annual turnover.’ Players from the local arts industry backed the move. Mr Robert Liew, director of arts presenter Arts Management Associates, said Broadway and West End seem to be ‘crying out for a new product, so now’s the time to go for it’. Forbidden City is now playing at the Esplanade until Sept 30. --

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