The Substation

Also in 1986, the building, together with the adjacent Tao Nan School (now the Peranakan Museum) and the shophouses along Armenian Street (now used by National Heritage Board), were earmarked for conservation under the Urban Redevelopment Authority's Civic and Cultural Master Plan.

In 1989, the MCD officially invited Practice Performing Arts Centre Ltd to manage The Substation and put up funding of $1.07m for the building's renovation.

In June 1990, the interior fittings and equipment installation works were undertaken, and The Substation officially opened on 16 September 1990.

Any of the artists who worked with The Substation in the early days were attempting things that were unprecedented in the history of modern arts and culture in Singapore.

The "Memories" seasons developed into The Substation's annual festival SeptFest which was notable for the seminal arts conferences that brought together artists, critics, cultural commentators, civil society activists, and the public.

From the beginning, The Substation received critical acclaim because it gave instrumental support to independent artists and arts groups like Zai Kuning and Theatre Ox, opening up a space for such practices.

Programs at The Substation were streamlined, international and regional networks expanded, and artists encouraged to develop rigour in their practices and approaches to art.

The Substation continues to be a place where young artists and arts groups can have their start and as a space for critical discussion that allows for experimentation.

The Substation's venues include a black box theatre, a gallery, a dance studio, Random Room and two multi-function classrooms.

Other memorable "outdoor" plays staged include "The Mahabharata Part I: The Game of Dice", presented in 1995 by William Teo and his company Asia-in-Theatre Research Centre.

Today, many groups prefer to use The Substation Theatre rather the Garden for various reasons, including not having to worry about the possibility of rain.

The Substation's Moving Images is Singapore's first year-round programme dedicated exclusively to independent and short films.

Established in 1997, Moving Images is known for its diverse and innovative programming focusing on experimental films, shorts, and documentaries, nurturing local and Asian filmmakers and connecting them internationally by giving them learning opportunities, exposure and dialogue with peers.

It brings together a large number of writers of different ethnic, sexual and linguistic backgrounds to write poems around the theme of love, loss and longing.

The Substation's Associate Artist Research Programme (AARP) is a two-year residency programme where selected art practitioners are provided with curatorial, financial, administrative and operational support to develop individual interdisciplinary art research and practice at The Substation.

Learn* consists of four individual public education and arts appreciation programmes available to Primary and Secondary schools.

Its main objective was to build a sense of gay-consciousness in Singapore and the group held monthly forums and meetings at The Substation on Sundays.

Many who came to the forum half-expected to be arrested, as individuals from the Internal Security Department and the police had questioned the group’s organisers and attendees about the nature of the meetings[citation needed].

at Select Books in March 2003, featuring papers presented at two closed-door forums that Joseph Lo organised in 1999 at The Substation.

The book also contained essays contributed by others on diverse topics, such as the representation of homosexuality in theatre, gay interracial relationships, and Christianity.

Since then, The Substation has also helped to host the yearly Short Circuit queer film-screening, featuring works by gay filmmakers from Singapore.

Held once every year since 2007, the most recent segment of Short Circuit took place on 6 Jan 2012 at The Substation Theatre, organised by filmmakers He Shuming and Boo Junfeng.