Events

There are rooms in my mind. I like being alone. So I do not let many people in. Most doors stay closed. I only open them for some people.

What does a room mean to you? Is it a place to sleep? Is it a home of your own? What room are you in now? How did you get there? What do you remember about other rooms? What is your future room? Where do you want it to be?

Room is made by two groups of artists. They are Birds Migrant Theatre and deaf and hard-of-hearing artists in Singapore. It is a poetic and powerful work. It looks at how the places around us affect us.

My room holds things you cannot see. They are things like tiredness, hope, and missing home. Sometimes it also holds friendship.

The work uses texts from real answers and stories of people from these communities. Room opens the door to issues that are often overlooked or ignored.

With a good cast giving their all onstage, an unflinching, objectively written story that speaks truth to the limitations of being a migrant in Singapore, and imaginative script that explores the pitfalls of love and family, Foreign Bodies was a rare, big-hearted, honest glimpse into migrant life, by migrant workers with a story to tell.

— Bakchormeeboy.com on Foreign Bodies by Birds Migrant Theatre

Foreign Bodies is a well-told story that dramatises the legal precarity migrant workers may face in Singapore. It does so without resorting to mere sympathy or an easy us-versus-them set-up, choosing instead to let audiences into its protagonists’ dilemmas.

— The Straits Times Life on Foreign Bodies by Birds Migrant Theatre

The Troupe berdiri sebagai karya yang perlu ditonton, mengingatkan kita akan tanggungjawab kemanusiaan yang sering disisihkan. Di akhir pementasan arahan bersama Haresh Sharma dan Serena Ho ini, sama ada anda seorang yang percaya akan menerima pelarian mahupun ingin melindungi diri daripada pelarian, anda pasti dapat memahami pihak lain dengan lebih mendalam lagi. “ [“The Troupe stands as a must-see piece, reminding us of the human responsibilities that are often sidelined. At the end of this play co-directed by Haresh Sharma and Serena Ho, whether you are someone who believes in accepting refugees or wants to protect yourself from refugees, you will surely be able to understand the other side more deeply.”

— Pengkritik Sandiwara on The Troupe by Birds Migrant Theatre

International in scope and perspective, and humble in its use of props, [The Troupe] exemplifies the spirit of grassroots art creation and cross-cultural exchange that fringe festivals aim to celebrate.”

— Critics Circle Blog on The Troupe by Birds Migrant Theatre

There will be a dialogue with the artists after the 5pm performance on 17 January 2027, with speech to text interpretation available upon request. Please email your request to info@singaporefringe.com by 9 December 2026.

Artist Statement

Who are the people who are blocked from taking part fully in society?

Why must survival depend on unfair ideas of work and following rules?

And when will we truly listen to one another? When can we see one another, understand one another, and protect our shared humanity?

Room brings together stories and texts from two groups. They are from the d/Deaf and the migrant worker communities. These two groups do not often meet. It creates a shared space where these two groups can meet and speak with one another. This can spread beyond the two groups.

On stage, we ask an important question. What does it really take to build a world that does not put disabled people below others? This work shows short scenes. In them, both the real lives of these communities and imagined versions of their worlds are shown.

Room is a quiet call to remember our humanity. It is also a strong hope that we can still find a better way forward, even in hard times.