Human Futures and Histories

With the backdrop of Singapore embarking on its bicentennial celebrations, the performance of history in Asia is a potent site from which to excavate alternative and forgotten notions of what it means to be human. Dramaturgs and artists in the region and beyond have worked to reimagine nationalist narratives, unearth marginalised histories, rethink social cultural reenactments as remembrance, and reconfigure political expressions through memorialisation. This panel focuses on the relationship between past, present and future in performance-making, critically engaging with what it means to take on the responsibility and burden of historical reflection in order to (re)imagine the future. Panelists also address questions about how the performance of history can interrogate the role of humans in the present, and advance a critical consciousness towards more inclusive and just futures.