This year, True Colors is returning to Singapore, from May 30 to Jun 1, 2025, as part of this year’s Singapore International Festival of Arts (SIFA).
A blend of dance, music and behind-the-scenes footage, COLONY – A True Colors Project is inspired by an ant colony.
The dance production features a cast of artistes without and with disabilities, including loss of limb, mobility impairments and Down syndrome, from Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand and the Philippines.
The storyline revolves around a community of people living in the same tenement. They are different, yet the same – though they don’t realise it. It follows the characters’ journey as they confront prejudice, fear and conflict those differences stir, ultimately forging a deep human connection.
NOT A CHARITY SHOW
One thing Perera wants you to know upfront: This is not a charity show.
“The mindset (in Singapore) is, when you see people with disabilities on stage, it’s usually in the context of a fundraising show,” the 63-year-old lamented.
“There is nothing wrong with a fundraiser – organisations have to raise funds, and that’s one way.
“But it can also be disempowering if you keep putting people with disabilities into that category – to think that first, a sad story about their life must be narrated, then you watch them play the drums badly, and then the cheque book comes out.”
