Listening to Voices of Care: What Now and What Next?
Participants taking part in experiential dance movement session at INTERMISSION 2025, a programme that supports the wellbeing of those in the arts.
Photo credit: Esplanade–Theatres on the Bay
venueBlack Box, 42 Waterloo Street
DATE29 Aug, Sat
TIME12.30 - 2.30pm
ADMISSIONWalk-ins welcome
SynopsisArts workers often hold space for others in emotionally complex environments such as hospices, care settings or youth residential facilities. As they spark creativity, care and human connection through their work, who offers them care in return? Join Rosemary (Rosie) McGowan, Grace Low, Chong Gua Khee, Hoo Kuan Cien, and Faye Lim for a conversation moderated by Charlene Rajendran on care in the arts, and the complexities of doing so within performing arts institutions and arts festivals.
The panellists will draw on their diverse experiences with creating initiatives to nurture care in the local arts ecosystem, referencing work by Esplanade’s Arts & Wellbeing team and CITRUS fest itself. Following this, Charlene will lead a collective discussion on how arts practice and practitioners can respond to issues of care and make a difference in the arts landscape.
About the Arts Workers
Charlene Rajendran (she/her)
Theatre Educator, Writer, and DramaturgCharlene Rajendran is a theatre educator, writer and dramaturg keen to explore dialogue, listening and learning with more intention and insight. As a theatre practitioner, she has collaborated with diverse artists in performing, devising and facilitating dialogical processes since she was a teenager in the 1970s. Her publications include Excavations, Interrogations, Krishen Jit and Contemporary Malaysian Theatre (2017, co-edited with Ken Takiguchi and Carmen Nge) and articles in RIDE, TDR, Theatre, Dance and Performance Training, Asian Theatre Journal and others.
Photo credit: Ngiam Su-Lin
Rosemary McGowan (she/her)
Theatre Maker, Applied Theatre Practitioner and Integrative CounsellorRosemary McGowan (Rosie) is a theatre maker, applied theatre facilitator, and counsellor who uses drama and theatre to explore themes such as self-care, sexual assault trauma, self-harm, mental health. She also offers artist wellbeing sessions with various theatre companies and organisations such as T:>Works, The Necessary Stage, Wild Rice and the Esplanade.
Photo credit: Crispian Chan (@crispiphotos)
Grace Low (she/her)
Head of Arts & Wellbeing, Esplanade–Theatres on the BayGrace Low is Head of Arts & Wellbeing at Esplanade – Theatres on the Bay, where she leads initiatives that harness the transformative power of the arts to nurture wellbeing, strengthen social connections and foster inclusion. Her work focuses on youth mental wellbeing, positive ageing and Arts on Prescription, building meaningful bridges across arts, healthcare and community sectors.
Chong Gua Khee (she/her)
Director and DramaturgChong Gua Khee is a director and dramaturg based across Singapore and Helsinki/Finland. She is endlessly curious about so many things, but especially about how your everyday experiences are shaped by societal factors - and how you in turn shape the world around you!
Photo credit: Antti Rintala
Hoo Kuan Cien 何光前 (he/him)
Independent Producer and Arts ManagerKuan Cien 光前 is an independent producer and arts manager. Trained in cultural management and theatre, his work is guided by values such as care, equity and reciprocity. He advocates for and supports arts workers through his association with CITRUS practices, Producers SG, and the Singapore Drama Educators Association.
Photo credit: National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre
Faye Lim (she/her)
Educator, Facilitator and ChoreographerFaye Lim is an educator, facilitator, and choreographer, with a background in research, training, and sexuality education. She specialises in developing movement connections through various states of play, and cultivating safe, inclusive and exploratory spaces. She is a co-director at Rolypoly Family and an associate of CITRUS practices.
