MEDIA RELEASE
This October, The Theatre Practice and Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Proudly Presents The Nursery Rhymes Project 3 Official Launch
Singapore, 16 Aug 2022 — The Nursery Rhymes Project is BACK! Created by The Theatre Practice (Practice), Singapore’s longest running bilingual theatre institution, the third instalment of the beloved series is set to launch this September. Inviting the young (and young-at-heart) to travel back to the whimsical world of nursery rhymes, Practice has partnered with the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre (SCCC) to host a celebratory launch event, happening 8-9 October 2022.
First launched in 2017, The Nursery Rhymes Project preserves the classic melodies and stories we grew up loving, while offering a modern refresh so they can be enjoyed by future generations. Providing multiple entry-points into the world of Mandarin nursery rhymes, each instalment consists of three parts: Sing Our Songs (music album), Paint Our Songs (illustrated lyric book) and Imagine Our Songs (live performance).
“These were the songs I grew up listening to, but when it came time to introduce them to my own daughter, it was impossible to find material that was high quality, or didn’t feel dated,” explains Practice’s Artistic Director Kuo Jian Hong. “So we really wanted to update these classics so that a new generation of parents can introduce their children to the joys of nursery rhymes!”
Enchanting families with its catchy arrangements and unique Singapore flair, the project has since become a cultural tour-de-force. Songs from both albums have been streamed over 1.5 millions times, and over 6,600 copies of the lyric books have been distributed to families around the world. Performed at over 110 schools, educational institutions and community events all across Singapore, the touring show has reached tens of thousands of children, in both physical and digital formats.
The newest instalment features 12 Mandarin nursery rhymes – refreshed, rearranged and recorded by Singapore’s top music talents including Ethel Yap, Windson Liong, Ric Liu (DreamzFM ), Audrey Luo, Celine Rosa Tan, Juni Goh and other musical theatre performers, alongside Singapore vocal band group MICapella and children from the Practice Education Project. Adding a dash of local flavour to the imaginative wonders of nursery rhymes, it also includes a brand-new illustrated lyric book by popular Singaporean illustrator Lee Kow Fong aka Ah Guo.
“This round, we wanted to mix things up, by including some ‘future classics’ alongside the nursery rhymes we grew up with. This includes traditional folk songs from Grandma’s Penghu Bay to Mandopop hits like Paper Plane by Singapore songwriting veterans Xiaohan and Eric Ng and Hong Kong singer Sandy Lam,” notes Kuo. “These are songs not just for children, but the whole family.”
Envisioning these songs both as tools for learning Mandarin and a source of familial bonding, the 12 tracks have been curated to facilitate different types of interactions – alone, with siblings, or with grown-ups. Additionally, they also cater to different levels of Mandarin proficiency, making it suitable for listeners of all ages.
In order to celebrate this momentous occasion, Practice is excited to partner with SCCC to jointly present The Nursery Rhymes Project 3 Official Launch, a 45-minute performance cum celebration held at the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre Far East Organization Auditorium.
This event offers a rare opportunity to see the songs sung live by the recording artists themselves; the festivities will include musical performances by Ethel Yap, Ric Liu, Audrey Luo, Olivia Yi-Le Hatton and children from the Practice Education Project. Additionally, audiences can look forward to the interactive Theatre For Young Audiences performance, The Nursery Rhymes Project: Imagine Our Songs. Join beloved characters Kaya, Roti and their new friend Kopi, as they sing and dance their way through two brand-new stories: Pull The Radish and The Rabbit In The Desert. Limited edition signed copies of the The Nursery Rhymes Project 3: Paint Our Songs lyric book will also be available for purchase for both days.
Mr Low Sze Wee, Chief Executive Officer of SCCC also shared the reasons for collaborating with Practice, “Nursery rhymes are an intimate part of our childhood. It is an effective way to expose young children to the Chinese language, and introduce them to the context of our daily life and culture. Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre is delighted to launch the ‘The Nursery Rhymes Project 3’ with The Theatre Practice this year. Working with local musicians and artists, we hope to present a collection of nursery rhymes with its own distinctive local style for parents and children to enjoy together, as well as to have fun learning the Chinese language and our Chinese Singaporean culture.”
For invited guests only, the 8 October session will include a speech by Guest-of-Honour Gan Siow Huang, Minister of State, Ministry of Education and Ministry of Manpower.
Tickets for The Nursery Rhymes Project 3 Official Launch on 9 October will be sold on SISTIC from 15 August. The Nursery Rhymes Project 3: Sing Our Songs music album will be available on Spotify and Apple Music from 5 September, launched alongside The Nursery Rhymes Project 3: Paint Our Songs book at Practice and selected book retailers. More information can be found on The Theatre Practice’s Facebook and Instagram (The Theatre Practice/ @thetheatrepractice) or the Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre website.
Credit: Courtesy of The Theatre Practice
The Nursery Rhymes Project 3 Official Launch
Jointly presented by Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre and The Theatre Practice
Programme Writeup
The Nursery Rhymes Project 3 is finally here!
The newest instalment features 12 Mandarin nursery rhymes – refreshed, rearranged and recorded by Singapore’s top music talents and children from the Practice Education Project. Adding a dash of local flavour to the imaginative wonders of nursery rhymes, the project also includes a brand-new illustrated lyric book by popular Singaporean illustrator Lee Kow Fong (Ah Guo).
Celebrate the launch of The Nursery Rhymes Project 3 with us! Join our beloved Imagine Our Songs characters Kaya, Roti and their new friend Kopi, as they sing and dance their way through two brand-new stories – Pull The Radish and The Rabbit In The Desert.
Limited edition signed copies of The Nursery Rhymes Project 3: Paint Our Songs lyric book will also be available for purchase during the launch event.
The official launch of The Nursery Rhymes Project 3 is jointly presented by Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre and The Theatre Practice.
Programme Details
Date/Time: 9 October 2022, Sunday, 2pm – 2:45pm
Location: Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre, Far East Organization Auditorium (Level 9) (1 Straits Boulevard,
Singapore 018906)
Language: Mandarin
Ticket Price: $5*
*50% discount for HomeTeamNS, meREWARDS, NTUC and PAssion Card members
Get your tickets here: https://sistic.com.sg/events/nursery1022
About The Nursery Rhymes Project
A gift handed down from one generation to the next…
From the cradle, nursery rhymes have entertained and soothed us. Later, they became our first exposure to language, and a doorway to the wider world.
Providing a much-needed update to our childhood favourites, The Nursery Rhymes Project preserves the classic melodies and stories we grew up loving, with a modern refresh so that they can be enjoyed by generations to come.
Created by Singapore artists and offering multiple entry points, each instalment consists of three parts: Sing Our Songs (music album), Paint Our Songs (illustrated lyric book) and Imagine Our Songs (live performance).
Find out more here: https://practice.org.sg/the-nursery-rhymes-project/
The Nursery Rhymes Project 3: About the Creator
Artistic Director | Kuo Jian Hong
“Artistic Director of The Theatre Practice (Singapore), award-winning theatre director, lighting and set designer, and independent film-maker, Kuo has always taken on multi-faceted creative roles within the arts. Her extensive career spans over three decades, making her one of the key contributors to the development of the Singapore arts scene.
In terms of her artistic portfolio, she is best known for critically acclaimed local productions including Four Horse Road, “If There‘re Seasons…”, Lao Jiu: The Musical, and Liao Zhai Rocks!. These phenomenal works have brought new audiences to the theatres and nurtured a talented group of professionals involved both onstage and behind the scenes. Meanwhile, her passion for musical theatre and advocacy for the development of theatre for young audiences have led her to direct award-winning works such as Day I Met the Prince and The Wee Question Mark series. This has also led to her spearheading The Nursery Rhymes Project – a three-part initiative that seeks to rejuvenate the love for Chinese nursery rhymes amongst children today. Kuo’s repertoire also includes experimental ventures. Her work Blank Run was invited to the World Stage Design in Taipei. In 2018, she led a team of artists across the Chinese diaspora for I came at last to the seas, a meditation on the fluidity of Chinese cultural identity. This was the first-ever full commission undertaken by a local theatre company for the Esplanade Theatre at Huayi – Chinese Festival of Arts. More recently, her work Liao Zhai Rocks! was invited to the Shanghai International Musical Festival.
As the Artistic Director of Practice, Kuo’s vision has allowed Practice to evolve with the times and emerge as one of the most progressive theatre companies in Singapore. Under her grassroots leadership, Practice continues to be a vital and relevant voice in the local arts scene, while charging ahead in its mission to always be a voice for the underdog.”
Illustrator | Lee Kow Fong (Ah Guo)
Lee Kow Fong, or Ah Guo, graduated with a BA (Hons) in Chinese Studies from National University of Singapore and holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Translation and Interpretation from Nanyang Technological University. He received his MA in Children’s Book Illustration from Cambridge School of Art, Anglia Ruskin University, UK in 2011. Since then, he has been actively involved in the promotion and creation of picture books in Singapore. Presently, he is pursuing his passion in illustrating, writing and creating picture books full-time. He is also a regular columnist on Lianhe Zaobao and is an adjunct lecturer at several institutions including Ngee Ann Polytechnic and National Institute of Education.
A prolific painter, Kow Fong has held several exhibitions showcasing his digital and water-colour illustrations in recent years, including “The Colour of Silence” (2013), “The Songs of Wind” (2014), “Dreamscape” (2016), “Wonderful Day” (2017) and “So Much Fun” (2019). To date, he has published close to 20 books in Singapore, among which majority are Chinese picture books for young readers. His latest picture book “The Search” was awarded the “Best Children’s Title” in the 2016 Singapore Book Awards and the book has ventured into overseas markets including China, Korea, Hongkong, Vietnam and Malaysia.
Kow Fong is now a resident artist of the Chinese Media Group, SPH Media Holdings Pte Ltd.
Music Director | August Lum
August is a J.O.A.T. like Juni Goh — not the sibling of a goat, but a jack.of.all.trades. (perhaps he should have been named “Jack”). He creates original music, as well as arranges (and re-arranges) music of others. It is difficult to pigeonhole August, but that’s not important, because the heart of the creation lies in its ability to carry the story, and to emotionally affect audiences. He hopes that these arrangements of intergenerational musical favourites can be enjoyed by everyone in the family, and one will always find something fresh within.
About The Theatre Practice
The Theatre Practice (Practice) is Singapore’s longest-standing professional bilingual theatre institution. Artist-driven and deeply progressive, Practice strives to be an arts space in Singapore that consciously nurtures and empowers people who care about humanity. Over the past 57 years, we have developed and presented works that aim to reflect the richness and complexities of Singapore’s diverse cultures.
Today, we carry on the work of our visionary co-founders and cultural medallion recipients, Kuo Pao Kun and Goh Lay Kuan. Under the helm of current Artistic Director Kuo Jian Hong, Practice continues to shape Singapore’s cultural landscape as the definitive voice in Singapore theatre. Jian Hong is deeply influenced by the importance of play in art-making and under her leadership, Practice has become the embodiment of the irrepressible spirit and fearless experimentation of play.
Practice is motivated by a desire to always respectfully entertain. We have collaborated with Singapore and international artists alike to present a critically-acclaimed repertoire of over 350 productions including musicals, classics, original and experimental works. We have toured extensively in the region. Many of our works have entered the canon of Southeast Asian literature and have been adapted and presented by theatre companies worldwide, presenting an authentically Singaporean voice on the world stage.
Since our inception, Practice has served as a cultural bridge between Asia and the world. Our current theatre festival – Patch! A (Live) Theatre Festival of Play – comes from a legacy of carefully curated festivals and seminars that gather practitioners of all disciplines and cultures for sharing and exchange, while providing a valuable platform for outstanding international works.
As pioneers in Arts Education in Singapore, Practice has been instrumental both in nurturing leaders in the Singapore arts scene, and inculcating a love for the arts in generations of Singapore youth.
Artistically diverse and constantly relevant, Practice will always engage with the ceaseless exploration of new frontiers.
The Theatre Practice is supported by the National Arts Council under the Major Company Scheme for the period of April 2020 to March 2023. Practice is also an Institution of Public Character and a member of the Singapore Chinese Language Theatre Alliance.
About Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre
The Singapore Chinese Cultural Centre collaborates with arts and cultural groups and community partners to promote and develop local Chinese culture. Through engaging and accessible content, we hope to nurture greater appreciation of our multi-cultural identity and a stronger sense of belonging.
Opened by our Patron, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on 19 May 2017, our centre in the heart of the city welcomes everyone to enjoy exhibitions, fairs, performances, seminars, talks, workshops and other cultural activities throughout the year.
Website: www.singaporeccc.org.sg
Facebook: www.facebook.com/singaporechineseculturalcentre
Instagram: www.instagram.com/singaporechineseculturalcentre
Wechat ID: sccc_sg
