Emergency Stairs 避難階段

13/05/2026

LAST RITES
-A SIFA 2026 Commission

“If you could envision your last performance, what would it look like?”
Last Rites brings together five icons of Asian performing art – Didik Nini Thowok (Indonesia), Kanji Shimizu (Japan), Jung Dong-hwan (Korea), Yong Ser Pin (Singapore), and Nam Geung-ho (Korea) – to confront this soul-searching question.
This landmark cross-cultural production by Emergency Stairs avoids the clichés of mortality, turning instead to the artistic calling of these five masters (with an average age of 74). Through deeply personal – moving from legendary milestones and hidden struggles to the sacred pursuit of truth on stage – the work traces what it truly means to devote a life to the arts.
Written and Directed by Liu Xiaoyi, Last Rites moves fluidly between the virtual and the real, the body and the soul. In an age of fleeting spectacles, it asks a vital question: After the final curtain falls, can an artist’s spiritual legacy achieve immortality?

DATES & TIMES
22 May, Fri 8PM, 23 May, Sat 2PM & 8PM

VENUE
SOTA Studio Theatre

Director/Playwright/Set Designer: Liu Xiaoyi
Performers:
Yong Ser Pin (Singapore)
Jung Dong-hwan (Korea)
Kanji Shimizu (Japan)
Didik Nini Thowok (Indonesia)
Nam Geung-ho (Korea)
Sound Designer: Darren Ng
Lighting Designer: Liu Yong Huay Faith
Multimedia Designer: Chiu Chih Hua (Taiwan)
Co-Creator (Phase 1): Chong Tze Chien

Producer/Graphic Designer: Huang Suhuai
Production Manager: Victoria Wong
Stage Manager: Keira Lee
Assistant Stage Manager: Lilith Tan
Multimedia Systems Designer: Brian Gothong Tan
Lighting Programmer: Fezzes
Interpreters: Mio Nakano (Eng-Jap), Tan Wan Sze (Eng-Kor); Jeon Hakyung (Eng-Kor);
Creation and Research Assistant: Dia Hakim Khaeri
Hospitality and Admin Assistant: Jasmine Lee

#避難階段

13/05/2026

13/05/2026

11/05/2026

"The show becomes theatre reflecting on theatre — a loop, mirror, recursion, self-exposure."

TLDR; The grad show peels back the curtain to reveal backstage labour. It peels back theatrical training itself, making students examine how they learned to perform and make theatre. The show...

08/05/2026

Here is a little sneak peek into our rehearsal process for

Grab your tickets via the link in our bio!
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LAST RITES
-A SIFA 2026 Commission

DATES & TIMES
22 May, Fri 8PM, 23 May, Sat 2PM & 8PM

VENUE
SOTA Studio Theatre

Director/Playwright/Set Designer: Liu Xiaoyi
Performers:
Yong Ser Pin (Singapore) 
Jung Dong-hwan (Korea) 
Kanji Shimizu (Japan)
Didik Nini Thowok (Indonesia)
Nam Geung-ho (Korea)
Sound Designer: Darren Ng
Lighting Designer: Liu Yong Huay Faith
Multimedia Designer: Chiu Chih Hua (Taiwan)
Co-Creator (Phase 1): Chong Tze Chien
Producer/Graphic Designer: Huang Suhuai
Production Manager: Victoria Wong
Stage Manager: Keira Lee
Assistant Stage Manager: Lilith Tan
Multimedia Systems Designer: Brian Gothong Tan
Lighting Programmer: Feezah
Interpreters: Mio Nakano (Eng-Jap), Tan Wan Sze (Eng-Kor); Jeon Hakyung (Eng-Kor);
Creation and Research Assistant: Dia Hakim Khaeri
Hospitality and Admin Assistant: Jasmine Lee

#避難階段

05/05/2026

“This city feels like it’s made of a million heart beats.”

Pulau Rindu, the second production of our graduation season, has officially wrapped. Directed by Tan Shou Chen and performed by NAFA’s diploma in Theatre graduating class, the final curtain was a moving mix of joy and tears.
At Emergency Stairs, we value the Industry Project as a deep dive into the mechanics of how theatre is made. We hope this experience serves as a powerful launchpad for these young artists.
Congratulations on your graduation! We can’t wait to see the surprises you’ll bring to the future.

Presented by: Emergency Stairs & NAFA, UAS

Photo credit: Memphis West Pictures/Joe Nair

03/05/2026

Backstage Protocol officially concluded its run last weekend.
Our heartfelt thanks go to Director Selena Lu for her total dedication, the graduating class of NAFA diploma in Theatre for their profound commitment, and the professional spirit of all staff both front and back of stage. And to every audience member who joined us and continues to carry the dialogue forward—as we are “Flirting, on the boundary between life and theatre.”

《后台协议》已于上周末圆满落幕。
感谢导演吕雨舟的全情付出、南艺毕业班同学们的用心投入，前后台的工作人员的专业精神，以及每一位入场参与、并将讨论延续的观众，和我们一起，“在生活和剧场的边界上，暧昧”

Presented by Emergency Stairs & NAFA,UAS

Photo by Memphis West Pictures/Wesley Loh

#避難階段 #后台协议

02/05/2026

The gathering of masters. Last Rites rehearsals are now in session. Five cultures, five legends, one soul-searching question. See you at SIFA 2026.

29/04/2026

Part 2 of our director’s interview. Witness 12 young performers build a fleeting city with text, body, and soul. Opening 30 April at NAFA Studio Theatre.

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