There’s not exactly a free-love revolution going on, but Singapore has in recent years loosened its restrictions on sex in the arts. And more freedom is on the horizon: this month the government’s Censorship Review Committee (CRC) is expected to issue a report further easing the guidelines governing what Singaporeans read, watch and listen to. That means it may not be long before Singaporeans can enjoy Cosmopolitan magazine, and maybe even racy TV shows like HBO’s “Sex and the City.”
The new rules are part of Singapore’s efforts to bolster its arts scene. Last year it opened a world-class performing-arts center, the Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay, which has quickly become a visual icon and is tackling ambitious programs like the 19-hour opera “The Peony Pavilion.” Last week the Asian Civilisations Museum took its place in a renovated colonial-era building. And onstage, recent plays have featured such previously off-limits subjects as drug use and gang rape. “These are exciting times for Singaporean artists,” says Beatrice Chia, director of the explicit “Shopping and Fu***ing.” “Acting is no longer synonymous with prostitution.”
Singapore still has a long way to go to become a true bastion of artistic freedom. Sexually explicit scenes were recently cut from “Chicago” to give it a PG rating. Certain topics remain very sensitive. “Homosexuality is still a difficult subject to stage, because you cannot promote the lifestyle,” says Goh Boon Teck, artistic director of Toy Factory Theatre Ensemble. And few artists feel comfortable taking on religious or political issues.
In the end, the CRC is expected to recommend relatively small changes: loosening controls on pay-per-view TV and clarifying the rating system for films and plays so viewers know exactly what to expect. Such incremental change seems to be in step with public tastes. “I’m not a prude, but I don’t want to see a play that would embarrass me,” says Ng Siew Eng, general manager of the Singapore Dance Theatre. “The government has to play a role to preserve social harmony and uphold our society’s core values.” Indeed, a recent survey by the CRC found that most people favored remaining true to existing Asian values. So don’t expect to see Penthouse on newsstands any time soon.
