Singapore's festival for all at an arts centre for everyone

I remember walking to the library, whose speciality is performing arts, and found that it was, and still is, the most comprehensive of its kind in Southeast Asia. I also noticed that there were many local people there studying for exams or simply reading.

During my subsequent trips to "the Durian", I noticed more. Almost every time I was there, I saw groups of young kids in uniforms, some of them obviously only in kindergarten, and that's a good sign for the future. Free, small-scale performances are presented almost every day, including in the small café in the library. This is quite different from the fact that the Esplanade comes to the attention of arts audiences in Thailand only when a touring production of Broadway musical, some of which bypass Bangkok, stop by, or when the Esplanade is a venue for hire.

And although the Esplanade is a performing arts centre, visual arts exhibitions are staged all year round, not only in exhibition rooms but also in the main lobby, as well as along the underground pathway that connects the centre to the MRT station. You don't have to make much effort in order to experience the arts here.

In the same compound, there are also pubs, restaurants and outdoor food courts. My favourites are beef satay, an Israeli chocolate place and a Singaporean tea and cookie café - the latter two have no outlets elsewhere in Singapore. Admittedly, some of my visits to the Esplanade are for culinary, not artistic, purposes.

Is there anything wrong with people coming to an arts centre for a cup of tea, a glass of beer, a chocolate fondue, or sushi? Certainly not. The more comfortable people feel at an arts centre, the more likely they will revisit - and, sooner or later, they will likely come for the arts, too.

The "for everyone" concept is clearly reflected in the programmes that are not scheduled in accordance with the Chinese, Indian and Malay celebrations. One example is the annual dance festival called "da:ns", held every October since 2006. Although each festival lasts only 11 days, the programme - both free and reasonably priced - is very diverse, ranging from classical ballet to hip hop to folk dances from remote corners of the world, and all venues in the facility, both indoors and outdoors, are used. Pre-festival workshops are organised to stir public interest, and audiences are invited to take part in some types of dance they may not be familiar with.

Certainly, not all ticketed programmes are sold out, especially those by companies or in genres not yet well known, but an arts centre is not a commercial producer. Profit is not the first priority - the audience's experience of as wide a range as possible of arts, is.

For the past three years, I've been working more closely with the Esplanade's media relations team. Apart from their commendable efficiency - my e-mails are usually answered in less than an hour and my requests for artists' and executives' interviews are always facilitated - their passion for the performing arts is obvious. They watch almost all the programmes that are presented at the centre, and we have had fruitful discussions about these afterwards. And even though they pay for many foreign media trips to their festivals and events, they respect journalists' personal views and do not expect positive or propagandistic reviews.

This is perhaps solid proof that what matters more than state-of-the-art, multimillion-dollar venues are the teams that runs them and invite us to programmes year-round. Here, apparently, they also think of the wider potential audience.

Of course, there is a downside to this "place for everyone". Finding a taxi back to your hotel after a Friday or Saturday evening performance is quite a daunting task, so much so that I learned how to take a bus - and when I can use the same card for the MRT, I cannot complain further.

On this note, what's happening - or rather, not happening - at the Muangthai Rachadalai Theatre here in Bangkok is quite unfortunate. This is probably because it was purpose-built by the company Scenario for musical productions, the number of which is quite limited. Muangthai Rachadalai Theatre has been dark on many days and nights, but lately has started holding concerts by Scenario's sister companies. A few plays have been staged but have not been successful, partly because the use of microphones has made the experience quite odd. For the record, the Royal Shakespeare Company performed "King Lear" at the Esplanade, Singapore, last July without the use of microphones, and that theatre holds 500 more seats than Rachadalai.

In Thailand, when one thinks of a "national performing arts centre", the first place that comes to mind is probably the Thailand Cultural Centre, even though no one would regard it as a "place for everyone". Although it holds many free-admission programmes year-round, the public rarely hears about them. Usually, it's up to the event promoter to advertise the programmes and invite audiences there. Besides, there are many days when there is no performance scheduled, as at Rachadalai, and thus there is no reason to pay a visit.

One piece of good news is that expansion, including the building of new venues to serve more art forms, is being planned. In fact, these have been in the planning stage for years, so let's keep our fingers crossed that the realisation will not take as long as that for Suvarnabhumi Airport or the Bangkok Art and Culture Centre.

Speaking of the BACC, the visual arts programmes are up and running, but performing arts have not made their home at this downtown centre yet, partly due to the decade-old design that gave little thought for the performing arts. Anyhow, some structural adjustments are in progress, and with accurate programming and curatorial vision that does not prioritise one art form over others, we hope that it will live up to its name - which includes both "art" and "culture" - very soon.

We'll see. We'll hear. And we'll dance.