Esplanade - Theatres by the Bay
Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep
A work that sweeps across the senses, Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep is a sonic portrait of new music icon Margaret Leng Tan – an evocative exploration of memory, time, control and loss.
New York-based Singaporean pianist Tan forged a path as a major force within the American avant-garde, serving as muse for such giants as John Cage and George Crumb, and transforming the toy piano into a serious instrument. Her stellar career is a touchstone for the past 40 years of experimental musical innovation.Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep combines spoken and recorded text, projected images and original music for prepared piano, toy piano, toys and percussion by Tan’s long-term collaborator Erik Griswold.
Created by a team of Singaporean and Australian artists, including director Tamara Saulwick, video designer Nick Roux, and dramaturg Kok Heng Leun and performed by Tan, this cross-cultural collaboration is an evocative collage of the forces that have shaped Tan’s life and how music has been both her passion and her refuge.
Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep is a Chamber Made and CultureLink Singapore co-production and is co-commissioned by Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay and AsiaTOPA
2023
Taiwan International Arts Festival
(10-12 March)2022
Singtel Waterfront Theatre at Esplanade, Singapore
(21-22 October)OzAsia Festival, Adelaide
(28-29 October)2021
Esplanade Theatres on the Bay season, Singapore
(1-4 April)2020
World Premiere – Asia TOPA, Arts Centre Melbourne
(28 February)2019
Creative development, Melbourne
(March, November)2018
Creative development, Singapore
(September)
Supported by the Australian Cultural Diplomacy Grants Program of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and is supported by Creative Victoria, Australia Council for the Arts, National Arts Council (Singapore), The SUBSTATION, Playking Foundation, Asia TOPA, Esplamade -Theatres on the Bay, Sidney Myer Fund and the Robert Salzer Foundation.
Winner of 2021 Australian Art Music Awards for Work of the Year (Dramatic)
Reviews
★★★★★ ‘[Tan] remains a vital and energetic performer… a rare insight into that which drives her passion as an explorer and pioneer of new musical territories.’
‘… most superlatives would short-change Tan for her display of artistry, grace, style, eloquence, presence and physicality … These aren’t just sounds that entertain…they’re sounds that stir emotions and jolt the senses.’
“… a uniquely structured, visually stunning choreographic, sound-based performance.
Productions on Tour
cpt:posts productions-on-tour
Dragon Ladies Don’t Weep
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