May 17, 2002 - Singapore's biggest theatre event of the year at Fullerton Hotel on Wednesday (May 22) evening will see a constellation of local stars and talents. The DBS Life! Theatre Awards 2001 will recognise theatre workers for their contributions in 2001 through nine categories of awards - Play of the Year, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Ensemble Acting, Best Original Script and Best Production Design.

The theatre awards was started in February last year by Life!, the lifestyle section of The Straits Times, to celebrate the best moments in Singapore theatre.

Mr Richard Lim, editor of Life!, defines aptly the purpose of the awards, "Our theatre talents have worked passionately and with the awards, we hope to create the centrestage to properly recognise and honour their works."

Into its second year, the theatre awards is coming of age nicely and is named the DBS Life! Theatre Awards 2001 in recognition of the strong support from arts advocate, DBS Bank.

Mr Philippe Paillart, CEO, DBS Bank, said, "One important mission for DBS is to nurture the community that we serve. We do this through our community relations philosophy, which supports activities that enhance the quality of life."

"We actively help to promote an appreciation for Singapore's performing arts and are honoured to support the DBS Life! Theatre Awards. These awards recognise the best talents in Singapore theatre, and raise the profile of the performing arts scene in our country," added Mr Paillart.

Local theatre companies could nominate their productions in any language for the awards. A panel of 10 judges, including three journalists from Life!, gave their scores to a total of 31 nominated plays, all in English, for the 2001 awards. The top five scorers in each of the nine award categories formed the list of nominees. The judges have conferred and given their final scores for the nominations.

Results of the awards are tabulated by PricewaterhouseCoopers Services Pte Ltd which will be placed in sealed envelopes and handed to the presenter of each award category. This helps to heighten the suspense and excitement until the winner's name is read. Every nominee is a winner in his own right and when theatre people gather, be prepared for voice, noise, glamour and more theatrical antics!

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Acting Minister for Community Development and Sports, will grace the occasion and give away the highlight award of the evening - Play of the Year. Some 300 members of the arts community are expected at the award presentation.

Issued by Singapore Press Holdings Limited.

Journalist and photographer / camera crew are cordially invited to the DBS Life! Theatre Awards 2001 at 7pm on Wednesday, May 22 at the Fullerton Hotel Ballroom of the Fullerton Singapore. Dress code for the event is cool chic. A reception will follow the awards presentation. Please confirm your attendance with the following by Wednesday, May 22:

Esther Low
Executive, Corporate Communications
Tel: 6319 1280
Email: lowjwe@sph.com.sg

Main board listed Singapore Press Holdings Limited is the leading news and information provider, offering quality content for print, Internet, TV and radio. It is licensed to publish 11 newspapers in the four official languages and six lifestyle periodicals. Everyday, SPH newspapers reach 2.68 million individuals or 89 percent of persons above 15 years old in Singapore while online publication of its six main dailies enjoy some 120 million pageviews a month. SPH has ventured into the broadcast medium and in less than five months, Channel U, its Chinese TV channel, became the second most-watched free-to-air channel in Singapore.