The Artistic Director of Pangdemonium Productions talks to Kurt Ganapathy about life, love and theater.

I was a very happy child, smiley and confident—well at least until my mid teens!

Our drama teacher was a bit of a ‘70s hippie but he was my favorite! I reckon my interest in theater stems from that.

I just loved being back stage, the smell, the adrenaline, it was such a buzz.

I stopped wanting to be onstage by my late teens. I couldn’t sing and I found that very inhibiting.

Now that I’m directing, I enjoy the creative process I go through, being involved from conception to last night is so fulfilling and I’m so proud and nervous on opening night—it’s almost like giving birth!

It’s important for local artists to have a voice and to have the opportunity to work on some of the fabulous plays available worldwide.

It’s only become acceptable in the last decade to actually make a career in theater here.

Funding is always an issue. Theatre is expensive to put on and our ticket sales only cover the costs of producing the play. We’re totally reliant on sponsorship as we have no funding. That means that much of our daily hours are spent courting sponsors.

There is no such thing as a “sure thing”!

We have to constantly strive to be better.

My husband Adrian and I are very different beings, he’s a “micro” manager and I’m a “macro” manager, so although some days we frustrate each other we actually complement each other well.

When I first met Adrian he was wearing black leather trousers. These things you don’t forget!

Singapore is home to me now, my kids know no other place to call home and we’re safe, happy and very lucky to lead the life that we do. Who could want for more?

I just want to get better at what I do. I believe we never stop learning.

Love what you do, you only have one life.

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Sinema Old School will sadly be closing its doors for good in a matter of weeks. The arts cluster will be torn down to make way for a new development in the middle of next year and as such Sinema Old School is screening its final round of films this month. Kurt Ganapathy looks through the sexy swansong program.

Orgasm Inc • (USA) What starts out as a humorous look at a pharmaceutical company’s attempts to create a “Viagra for women” to cure Female Sexual Dysfunction (FSD) turns into a more serious exposé of how women are being exploited by medical firms. Dec 10, 5:30pm.

Sex Volunteer • (South Korea) A priest, a female student and a disabled man are arrested on suspicion of being involved in prostitution, and a taboo practice surfaces. The disabled man simply wanted to experience sex before he died, the student wanted to make a film about sex volunteers, and the priest brought the two together. Dec 10, 9:30pm and Dec 11, 3:30pm.

Breath • (South Korea) When a housewife learns of her husband’s affair, she visits a prison where she meets a suicidal convict awaiting execution. She’s unsure why, but she’s drawn to him, and they begin to fall in love as his time of reckoning draws near. Dec 11, 7pm and Dec 17, 8pm.

Red Light Revolution • (China) The opening film of the 24th Singapore International Film Festival gets an encore. When a Beijing cabby loses his job, his house and his wife, he returns to his family home. Willing to take any job, he becomes the proprietor of an adult shop that spurs on a sexual revolution in the old-fashioned neighborhood. Dec 17, 5:30pm.

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… and Spring • (South Korea) Follow the journey of one Buddhist monk across the seasons of life—from his innocent youth, to his troubled adulthood and his atonement in old age—set against the backdrop of a floating monastery. Dec 17, 10pm.

All screenings at Sinema Old School, Old School. Get your tickets for $9 from the website.

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