Mr Krish Natarajan is a theatrical Swiss Army knife – from writing to directing, to producing and, of course, acting. His latest project is as a writer and director for Sight Lines Entertainment’s Crack the Case: Wonderland.
Crack the Case plays blend escape rooms and theatre, with sections for solving and interacting with the cast, as well as scripted sequences.
Mr Krish, 30, was one of the founding ideators of the concept for the company, with the goal for both parties to bring more people to theatre shows and break away from any traditional misconceptions of the scene.
While he found difficulty navigating his cultural identity as a Singaporean Indian in his craft in his earlier years, he now believes in the fact that diversity comes more from storytelling rather than a focus on identity.
“If I were to write a play that’s not about Indianness, is it not still a piece of work from an Indian?” he said.
Among the many ways Mr Krish has made a mark in the Singaporean theatre space, he also founded Strawberries Inc., a theatrical production company that specialises in immersive experiences.
“I think I’ve been very privileged to be able to make theatre in Singapore. Honestly, I don’t know if I have like big dreams and big goals, I just want to keep doing what I’m doing, I really just want to have more opportunities and more space.
“As long as I can keep providing Singaporeans and my community with a good time, a good laugh and a provocation or two, I would be very happy,” he said.
Crack The Case: Wonderland
At the Mad Hatter’s B-I-R-T-H-day, hosted by the March Hare, Cheshire Cat, and Blue Caterpillar, the Hatter’s new hat goes missing. The Queen of Hearts arrives at the crime scene to start the investigation, but the audience are the main detectives.
Crack the Case: Wonderland is a wonder-ful and unique experience for families or a group of friends, excellently blurring the lines between stage and seat.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Black Box space transformed like this before, with every nook and cranny filled with whimsical sets of mushrooms and retro TV monitors.
There are also plenty of laugh-out-loud bits and inside jokes for adults too, with characters like the Queen saying: “Speak good English; did my campaigns teach you nothing?”.
“You know how many watch shows like SpongeBob as a kid; you only see the Kid Stuff. But when you watch it as an adult, you see all the adult stuff. So I'm hoping, and I don't know if I've achieved that with this show, but I'm hoping there's an element of that,” said Mr Krish.
The show moulds to whichever way the audience members choose to interact with the space and characters, but the overall puzzle is not too difficult to solve, so it’s great for parent and child to solve together.
The show is playing at the Goodman Arts Centre Black Box from Oct 9 to Nov 1, and is suitable for children aged six and above. Younger children will require an accompanying adult. Book your tickets at bookmyshow.sg.
