28th SEA Games Opening Ceremony to Break Records with Spectacular Show

28th SEA Games Opening Ceremony to Break Records with Spectacular Show

SAF leads the organisation of the ceremonies with support from prominent creative figures and about 5,000 performers and volunteers

Singapore, 15 January, 2015 – As part of an ongoing journey to Celebrate the Extraordinary, the 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games has set its sights on breaking records with a spectacular Opening Show come 5 June 2015. The Opening and Closing Ceremonies (OCC) will also involve diverse segments of the community, with tickets kept affordable in a concerted effort to make the Games accessible to all.

2. Mr Lim Teck Yin, Chairman of the Singapore SEA Games Organising Committee Executive Committee (SINGSOC EXCO) said, “It is our turn to host the SEA Games after 22 years and it will happen during Singapore’s Golden Jubilee. The occasion calls for a fitting celebration; one that will bring communities together and invoke a sense of pride and ownership in Singaporeans. We are pleased to have the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and various volunteer groups contribute to the SG50 celebrations by partnering us through the Ceremonies. I would like to thank the team for their hard work and countless hours of sweat and sacrifice. They are striving to make the Ceremonies a spectacular event and one that everyone will look forward to and remember for a lifetime.”

SAF and the community

3. Building on their experience from the 1993 SEA Games, the SAF will helm the Ceremonies through its Artillery Formation, with Chief Artillery Officer, COL Lawrence Lim as Chairman, OCC. They will be supported by a very distinguished and experienced Creative team led by Ms Beatrice Chia-Richmond, together with about 5,000 performers and volunteers as well as 3,500 soldiers.

4. COL Lim said, “The Singapore Artillery is honoured to be organising the OCC once again. Building on our experience from organising the Ceremonies for the ’93 Games, we look forward to staging an inspiring and spectacular show to kick off the 28th SEA Games. After 22 years, some of our pioneers who were involved in the last Games are still contributing today as volunteers and advisors in our committee. We are also heartened by the extent of support we have received from about 5,000 performers and volunteers. We look forward to harnessing the energies and capacities of these diverse groups of individuals and making their participation a meaningful and memorable journey.”

5. The volunteers include those from Deloitte Singapore, Eurasian Association of Singapore, HeartWare Network, Martial House, the Ministry of Education (MOE), Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP), Nanyang Technological University (NTU), People’s Association Youth Movement (PAYM), SAF Military Band, the SAF Music and Drama Company, SAF Silent Precision Drill Squad, Singapore Dikir Barat Federation, Singapore Indian Fine Arts Society (SIFAS), Singapore Police Force (SPF) Band and Singapore SOKA Association.

Spectacular Show to Celebrate the Extraordinary

6. Embodying the spirit of the Games with the theme Celebrate the Extraordinary, the Ceremonies will comprise three segments – audience interaction; ceremonial proceedings of the SEA Games; and the Show.

7. The Opening Show will be the first of its kind on many levels, namely:

• The largest and most spectacular extravaganza that Singapore has had in our National Stadium

• The most technically-demanding show to date – featuring an extensive aerial system which will enable performers and props to ‘fly’ in a stadium for the very first time in Singapore

• The largest high-definition floor projection created by 160 multimedia projectors

• A first-in-Singapore audience interaction system where all members of the audience will be given a medallion to wear and collectively form a giant LED video screen, thereby making the audience truly a part of the show

8. Of the inspiration behind the show, Ms Beatrice Chia-Richmond, Creative Director, Show-OCC, SINGSOC EXCO, said: “The 28th Southeast Asian Games will be a proud moment for us, as it will see the coming together of people from 11 different Southeast Asian nations. SEA is close in proximity, but very diverse in cultures. This region is full of extraordinary people and this inspired us in our quest to celebrate the spirit of the Games. The Ceremonies aim to truly demonstrate the 28th SEA Games theme to the region, and we hope that it will pave the way for everyone to celebrate triumph of the human spirit - be it in sport or daily life.”

9. As Creative Director of Show-OCC, Beatrice leads a team comprising several other talented individuals including:

• Kenny Wong, Technical Director

• Dr Sydney Tan, Music Director

• Haresh Sharma, Writer & Co-Conceptualiser

• Goh Boon Teck, Production Designer

• Brian Gothong Tan, Multimedia Designer

• Phisit Jongnarasin and Saksit Pisalasupongs, Costume and Puppet Designers

• Jeffrey Tan, Chief Choreographer

• Shah Tahir, Sound Designer

• Mac Chan, Lighting Designer

Bringing the Community to the Games

10. Today also marked the start of priority sale of tickets to the Ceremonies for individuals who had registered their interest last year. While the registration of interest for tickets is now closed, the rest of the public will be able to purchase their tickets to the Ceremonies from 22 January 2015 (10am) onwards.

11. Tickets are sold on a zonal basis and priced from $12 to $60 for the Opening Ceremony, and from $12 to $40 for the Closing Ceremony. Concession prices are made available to students, senior citizens and full-time National Servicemen. There is also a 20% discount off every purchase of four or more tickets, to encourage family and friends to catch the Games in action (refer to Appendix C for more information on ticketing).

12. The sales of tickets to the competitions will commence in February. Details will be shared in due course.

Please click here to view the following Appendices:

1. Curricula Vitae of Creative team
2. Information on volunteer groups
3. Information on ticketing (Ceremonies)