Until 28 September 2025, Singapore Management University (SMU) will transform its campus and surrounding precinct into a vibrant hub of creativity with SMU Arts Fest 2025. This six-week celebration marks a dual milestone: SMU’s 25th anniversary and Singapore’s 60th birthday.
Themed “2560”, the festival reflects on how institution and nation have grown in tandem, weaving together heritage and imagination through youth-driven narratives, professional collaborations, and an impressive line-up of original homegrown works. Organised by SMU’s Office of Student Life, the festival showcases five major flagship programmes and multiple campus-wide activations, featuring over 300 SMU performers and crew, alongside 160 collaborators from other universities.
Among the most anticipated highlights is MAD The Musical (26–28 September) – a bold, original production co-created by SMU students and some of Singapore’s most acclaimed theatre professionals. With a book by playwright Jo Tan, direction by George Chan, and music from veteran songwriter Jimmy Ye (who also serves as executive producer), the musical promises to be both playful and profound.
Set against the little-known history of the Bras Basah precinct, MAD follows a present-day SMU undergraduate who stumbles into the layered past of the district, once home to Singapore’s first mental hospital and prison. What unfolds is a time-crossing journey that wrestles with memory, identity, and society’s shifting definitions of “madness.”
The production doesn’t shy away from big questions: What does it mean to be called “mad”? How do individuals navigate the expectations of society while carving their own paths? Through witty dialogue, inventive staging, and a score filled with original songs (including the soaring ballad “Mad About”), the musical blurs the lines between past and present, student and professional, institution and imagination.
Adding to its charm, the cast isn’t limited to students. Alumni and even a surprise SMU staff member take the stage, underscoring the festival’s spirit of community and inclusivity.
Tickets are priced at just $25, a symbolic nod to SMU’s 25th anniversary, making this professional-grade production both accessible and unmissable. Staged at the Drama Centre Theatre, MAD The Musical is poised to be a cultural milestone in its own right, offering audiences a uniquely Singaporean story told with heart, humour, and originality.