American Lives Theatre's new season explores the Marine who saved a president and more
At the center of American Lives Theatre's 2025-26 season is the exploration of personal autonomy, capital punishment, family ties and patriotism. Five plays are scheduled between September and August 2026, and each fits into the theme of "Our American Legacy."
"With every play this season you're watching a human being make big decisions in real time," said Founding Artistic Director Chris Saunders stated in a news release. "There's something riveting about that. In real life we aren't usually privy to those moments. But that's why we see theater, isn't it? And these decisions have an effect, that legacy we mention in the season theme."
Unless otherwise noted, all shows are at the Phoenix Theatre Cultural Centre, 705 N. Illinois St. Tickets will go on sale later this month at americanlivestheatre.org and phoenixtheatre.org.
By Keiko Green. Sept. 11-28
A death row inmate and young woman become pen pals, leading to discussions about justice and capital punishment. The production is in partnership with The New Harmony Project, where "Wad" was further developed during PlayFest Indy last September.
By Jennifer Blackmer. Feb. 5-22, 2026
The play examines how colleges in the mid-20th-century often used "practice babies" from orphanages to teach women in home economics classes.
More theater: 'Great Gatsby' and 'Scarlet Letter' are on Civic Theatre's new season
By Stephen Sachs. April 16-May 3, 2026, at IF Theatre, 719 E. St. Clair St. Tickets will go on sale by September.
The playwright used public records and court transcripts to tell the true story of an 18-year-old son who turned in his father for his part in the January 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.
By Andrew Kramer. May 21-June 7, 2026
The story centers on Oliver Sipple, the U.S. Marine who saved President Gerald Ford from an assassination attempt. Media outlets subsequently outed him as gay, which led to mental health difficulties and harassment of Sipple's family.
By Makasha Copeland. July 16-Aug. 2, 2026
After losing their patriarch, a Latino family auditions for a popular home decorating show in this play about resilience and healing.
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Yahoo
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Wild Rice's Homepar banned by IMDA for glamourising drug use; Thai PM leaked phone call: Paetongtarn Shinawatra to visit army commander to defuse political crisis: Singapore live news
A performance by local theatre company Wild Rice has been banned by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA). The IMDA cited concerns that the revised script undermined Singapore's anti-drug policies and public trust in the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB). The show, titled Homepar, was initially approved under an R18 rating, but IMDA said the final script submitted on 5 June contained substantial changes from the original version cleared on 21 April. They said, "The new material depicts and glamorises drug abuse and portrays an undercover CNB officer shielding abusers from detection." Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is set to visit Lieutenant General Boonsin Padklang on Friday (20 June), in an attempt to repair ties with the military following a leaked phone call that has thrown her administration into crisis. Read more in our live blog below, including the latest local and international news and updates. 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The winning ticket was bought from an NTUC FairPrice at Yew Tee Point (1 QuickPick System 7 Entry). For more on the Group 2 winning tickets, read here. Two Singaporean men were arrested in Thailand on 17 June, along with a Thai national, for their alleged roles in running a transnational vice syndicate, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Wednesday (19 June). The Singaporean suspects, aged 36 and 38, and the 50-year-old Thai man, were arrested in a joint cross-border operation between the SPF and the Royal Thai Police (RTP). The operation saw assets worth over 20 million baht (S$790,600) seized, including luxury condos, cash, mobile devices and SIM cards. The SPF also froze over S$1.26 million in suspected criminal proceeds held in a Singapore bank account belonging to the 38-year-old man. 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Thailand Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra is set to visit Lieutenant General Boonsin Padklang on Friday (20 June), in an attempt to repair ties with the military following a leaked phone call that has thrown her administration into crisis. In the call with former Cambodian leader Hun Sen, Paetongtarn referred to Boonsin – commander of forces in northeast Thailand – as her 'opponent' while discussing an ongoing border dispute. The remarks, which surfaced online earlier this week, triggered political backlash, prompting the withdrawal of key coalition partner Bhumjaithai and fuelling speculation about the government's future. Paetongtarn, who has been in office for less than a year, issued a formal apology on Thursday while flanked by army and police chiefs. For more on Thai PM Paetongtarn Shinawatra's leaked phone call, read here. A woman is suing Singapore Airlines after she suffered a severe allergic reaction mid-flight, allegedly caused by a meal containing shrimp that was mistakenly served to her despite advance warnings. In her legal complaint, 41-year-old Manhattan resident Doreen Benary said she had informed the cabin crew of her shrimp allergy upon boarding flight SQ026 from Frankfurt to New York on 8 October 2024. But during the business class meal service, she claimed a crew member served her a meal containing shrimp, which she unknowingly ate. She only realised it after she "began to feel ill". "Despite the aforesaid warnings, during the course of the subject flight's meal service, a member of [the] cabin crew served [Benary] a meal containing shrimp," the complaint read. Benary questioned the cabin crew member who admitted to the error and apologised. By then, her situation worsened and Benary was 'violently ill', prompting an emergency diversion to Paris. She was rushed to a hospital in France, then a second facility, where she reportedly underwent "painful emergency medical treatment". For more on the lawsuit against SIA, read here. The Ministry of Health (MOH) is in discussions with insurer Great Eastern (GE) following the latter's decision to suspend the issuance of pre-authorisation certificates for Mount Elizabeth hospitals. In response to media queries, MOH stated that Integrated Shield Plan (IP) insurers "would have to ensure that policyholders continue to be able to access the full benefits of their policies in accordance with the terms and conditions for claims, as stated in their policy contracts". GE had notified its panel doctors earlier this week that it would temporarily halt the issuance of pre-authorisation certificates for Mount Elizabeth and Mount Elizabeth Novena hospitals from 17 June. The insurer high costs from the two hospitals, compared with other private hospitals, were the reason for the decision. GE clarified that the decision does not reflect on the quality of clinical care at Mount Elizabeth hospitals but that they were "prioritising facilities that deliver the same high-quality care with greater cost transparency and cost-effectiveness" A GE spokesperson told The Straits Times that the insurer "continues to be in active discussions with the hospital group involved and also the Ministry of Health on this topic". On the issue of IPs and additional coverage, MOH said in an email, "As these are commercial products, while MOH regulates the key parameters of IPs for financial sustainability, individual insurers' changes to administrative processes such as pre-authorisation framework and partnerships with private providers are based on their commercial and actuarial considerations." For more on the GE suspension of pre-authorisation certificates, read here. A cyclist who suffered a gunshot wound while riding in a gazetted area on 15 June may have taken steps to conceal his tracks from authorities. The 42-year-old man, identified as L, did not tell the police and National University Hospital (NUH) that he had been cycling near the Nee Soon live-firing range when he was hit by a projectile. According to checks by The Straits Times (ST) of the data on the Strava app, L entered the cycling trail from Chestnut Nature Park at about 9.50am on 15 June 15. He was with a group of about 10 cyclists at the time, and a regular riding partner identified as W. ST reported that W deleted details on Strava of his ride on 15 June 15. But, the route he took was mapped out on Garmin account, which is accessible to the public. After leaving Chestnut Nature Park, the pair entered the Woodcutter's Trail in the Central Catchment Nature Reserve (CCNR) at about 11am. The Ministry of Defence said in an earlier statement that the man was hit by a bullet slug at about 11.40am. The police said NUH alerted them at 11.55pm of the gunshot wound. In his initial interview with police investigators, L denied being anywhere near the restricted areas when he was injured. He only admitted to it the next day. W has privatised his Strava and Garmin accounts after the morning of 19 June. The cyclist is under investigation for wilful trespass. For more on the cyclist and the gazetted area, read here. Singapore Pools Toto draw for 19 June saw one lucky ticket take home the Group 1 prize of over $12.3 million. The single winning share amount of over $12.3 million is the third highest recorded by Singapore Pools behind $13.1 million in May 2024 and $13 million in October 2023. The winning numbers for Thursday's draw (19 June) are 1, 10, 37, 40, 47 and 45, with the additional number being 19. The winning ticket was bought from an NTUC FairPrice at Yew Tee Point (1 QuickPick System 7 Entry). For more on the Group 2 winning tickets, read here. Two Singaporean men were arrested in Thailand on 17 June, along with a Thai national, for their alleged roles in running a transnational vice syndicate, the Singapore Police Force (SPF) said on Wednesday (19 June). The Singaporean suspects, aged 36 and 38, and the 50-year-old Thai man, were arrested in a joint cross-border operation between the SPF and the Royal Thai Police (RTP). The operation saw assets worth over 20 million baht (S$790,600) seized, including luxury condos, cash, mobile devices and SIM cards. The SPF also froze over S$1.26 million in suspected criminal proceeds held in a Singapore bank account belonging to the 38-year-old man. According to Thai media outlet Khaosod English, one of the Singaporean suspects was arrested upon arrival at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport, while the other arrested at his residence in Thailand. Investigations started in 2023 and revealed that the syndicate allegedly recruited foreign women and deployed them to Singapore as vice workers. From April 2023 to May 2025, at least 76 such women linked to the operation have been arrested, and the SPF said the resulting investigations "established useful information" against the syndicate. Singapore's Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SAC) Yeo Yee Chuan said, "The SPF is committed to working closely with our regional partners, and we thank the RTP for their invaluable collaboration in dismantling this criminal network to prevent the exploitation of women, stem the scourge of transnational crimes and take affirmative actions against the laundering of criminal proceeds." For more on the arrests, read here.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Singapore bans Wild Rice's ‘Homepar' play for glamorising drug use, undermining trust in Central Narcotics Bureau
SINGAPORE, June 20 — The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) has barred Singapore theatre company Wild Rice from staging a dramatised reading of Homepar, citing concerns that the updated script glamorises drug abuse and undermines the country's anti-drug policies. In a statement issued today and reported by Channel News Asia, the IMDA said the revised version of the script — submitted on June 5 — had deviated significantly from an earlier script assessed on April 21, which had met classification standards and was cleared for staging under an R18 rating. IMDA regulates media content in Singapore to ensure it aligns with national interests and community standards. It also oversees classification guidelines for arts and entertainment under frameworks such as the Arts Entertainment Classification Code. 'The new material depicts and glamorises drug abuse and portrays an undercover Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB) officer shielding abusers from detection,' said the authority. 'It undermines Singapore's anti-drug policy, our drug rehabilitation regime, and public confidence in the CNB. Performances that undermine Singapore's national interest are not permitted under the AECC.' The assessment was made in consultation with the Ministry of Home Affairs. IMDA said it had informed Wild Rice that the original version of the script met requirements, but the theatre company did not revert to that version. 'Consequently, IMDA has disallowed the performance in its current form,' it added. According to a synopsis on Wild Rice's website, Homepar — a stylised reference to 'home party' within the gay party scene — follows a protagonist who throws a party to cope with a break-up and celebrate their evolving gender identity. The company is helmed by actor and theatre director Ivan Heng, who founded Wild Rice in 2000. Its purpose-built 20,000 square foot performing arts venue is located within the Funan Mall in central Singapore. Reaffirming its position, IMDA said Singapore's firm stance against drugs remains unchanged, and the AECC would continue to be enforced to 'protect national interest'.
