 As one of Singapore's most historic places, Kreta Ayer encapsulates the fascinating life of the early Chinese immigrants, and is frequented by tourists. Kreta Ayer People's Theatre is located at the hill-top of Banda Street and faces Kreta Ayer Road. It is built in the finest of Chinese architectural style. Within its ancient shell is an air-conditioned theatre equipped with the state-of-the-art lighting and audio systems. The stage which measures 19m long, 11m wide and 8m in height has been the platform of all kinds of cultural and artistic performances including drama, dances, musical and symphonic orchestra. The inclined seating arrangement ensures that audience will have a clear view of the stage from their seats. From an open-air stage, the theatre has evolved to its present state after several major expansion and redevelopment projects. In 1960's, Kreta Ayer Community Centre held a charity concert at the National Theatre during which the setting up of Kreta Ayer Community Centre Charity and Construction Fund was announced, marking the beginning of a new chapter in the development of Kreta Ayer People's Theatre. Kreta Ayer People's Theatre was completed in mid-mar 69 at the cost of $100,000 and was officially opened on 24 Mar 69. In the beginning, the Theatre comprised only an open-air stage. To provide shelter for the audience, a roof was added. Improvements were also made to the existing floor. This expansion work was completed in Feb 71 at an additional cost of $150,000. Not long after its completion, Kreta Ayer People's Theatre embarked on the 3rd phase of its construction plan. It included a rest room, ticketing booth, car park, new lighting, etc. The project which began in 1972 was completed in 1974 at a total cost of $220,000. Owing to more frequent and larger scale performances, its facilities were inadequate to meet the demands of these performances. In particular, the lack of a surrounding wall severely impaired the quality of the performances. As such, Kreta Ayer People's Theatre Board of Trustees decided to redevelop Kreta Ayer People's Theatre in 1976. The redevelopment project lasted for 14 months from Jan 78 until May 79 at a total cost of about $20,000. The opening ceremony was officiated by then the Deputy Prime Minister and Education Minister, Dr Goh Keng Swee, who was also the MP for Kreta Ayer. In 1975, Kreta Ayer People's Theatre was registered under the Companies Act and a foundation set up to facilitate its management as well as to qualify for tax exemption. According to its constitution, Kreta Ayer People's Theatre is a non-profit organisation. Its main objective is to promote performing arts. It also promotes multi-racial cultural activities. The proceeds from the performances are also channelled to the needy. Kreta Ayer People's Theatre Foundation is managed by a Board of Directors while its daily activities are administered by a management committee. The members of the board and management committee are volunteers. The Board and the early-day trustee committee were chaired by the then MP for Kreta Ayer, Dr Goh Keng Swee, until 1985. From 1986 to 2001, Finance Minister Dr Richard Hu, who was also MP for Kreta Ayer-Tanglin GRC was the chairman. Since 2002, the chairman of the Board of Governors of Kreta Ayer People's Theatre Foundation is Dr Lee Boon Yang, Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts and MP for Jalan Besar GRC. The management committee is formed prior to every performance. Its members are usually volunteers from members of the public. The operating expenses of Kreta Ayer People's Theatre come from earnings of the performance and public donations. The government gives plenty of encouragement and support albeit not financially. |
