SINGAPORE — A blue building in Waterloo Street could very well house the future of Singapore’s theatre scene.

The much-awaited Centre 42 art space, located at the former premises of theatre group Action Theatre, officially opened its doors yesterday.

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Lawrence Wong, who was present at the launch, welcomed the presence of the new writing centre, citing its importance in addressing the gap in creating Singapore content. “We can talk about buildings, art spaces, movies ... (but) good writing underpins (all of these),” he said, adding that Centre 42’s presence in the middle of the arts belt was also “very apt” in the context of recent new developments, such as the reopening of the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall and the Singapore International Festival Of Arts.

“The arts scene looks optimistic and I encourage the arts sector to use this facility,” he added.

Kathy Lai, Chief Executive Office of the National Arts Council, which helped developed the centre, said the future of Singapore’s theatre scene “depends on our ability to create quality original texts that can be developed into the next landmark production”.

For Robin Loon, playwright and chief consultant at Centre 42, the aim of the space is to “document, create and promote writing for the Singapore stage”. “It is, literally, a space for you to create,” he said.

And “create” is exactly what the centre’s programmes are all about: Announced at the launch are the first three playwrights under its Boiler Room incubation programme: Student Chan Yee Ann Daniel, 18, as well as literature teacher Suzanne Choo and playwright Bryan Tan, both 40. They were chosen among from 28 applicants following a recent open call. Their scripts will undergo a 10-month process that will include writing, research and trial presentations.

Chan will be working on a play called Inside The Box, which is about “predestination and fate” and involves a cat as well as a ticking time bomb inside a box. Tan’s play, Paper Tigers, is a behind-the-scenes look at a fictional theatre group, while Choo is looking forward to transforming her six years’ worth of research on literature into a play tentatively titled Open Space, with 19th-century Singapore as its backdrop.

“I’m looking forward to getting feedback from different people. You can’t write alone,” she said.

Centre 42 also rolled out other initiatives such as the Basement Workshop and Guest Room, where artists can go to further develop their projects. An ongoing project under the Basement Workshop banner, for example, is 2 Houses by Lim Yu-Beng, which will be presented at the Georgetown Festival in Penang next month.

The first batch of writers for Centre 42’s Citizens Reviews programme (to develop critical writing for theatre) was also announced, as well as partnerships with theatre group The Finger Players’ Watch This Space initiative (to groom playwrights and directors) and bookstore Select Books (for the sale of theatre-related material). Mayo Martin

For more information on Centre 42, visit http://centre42.sg.