With a total of 18 events from eight countries, the out-there multi-disciplinary festival will have a plethora of choices. If you can only do a few, these are the ones.

With/Out 

This is a reimagining of 1999 autobiographical play Completely With/Out Character, an account of the first publicly identified AIDS victim in Singapore, the late Paddy Chew. Directed by Loo Zihan, it will use multimedia and video documentation to explore loss and absence.

How Loneliness Goes 

A world premiere at the festival, this photography exhibition explores the sense of modern isolation in Singapore, one of the most densely populated countries in the world. By accomplished local photographer Nguan, it places people among the city’s architecture and mundane HDB locations.

White Rabbit Red Rabbit

This one-man stage piece by Iranian artist Nassim Soleimanpour, who is himself unable to leave Iran because of his refusal to perform national service, will be performed by Singaporean actors Lim Kay Siu, Pam Oei, Karen Tan and Benjamin Kheng (yes, of the Sam Willows). Each actor will take turns performing the play over four nights.

The Duchamp Syndrome

An imaginative Mexican janitor in New York starts to make imaginary friends with things like toys, marionettes and even an iRobot Roomba out of loneliness. Although this play is about the American Dream, it’s ultimately about making our mothers proud. 

Mambo Night For A King

Drawing inspiration from the hugely popular Mambo Jambo nights at Zouk, this is a series of recorded performances of Singaporeans doing mambo moves to Lee Kwan Yew’s From Third World to First: The Singapore Story. Yes, we don’t quite get it either, but it sure is going to be fun to see.