From Tik Tok dances to livestream videos, all the world’s a stage for the youth of today. Yet, in this age of social media and performativity, how do we truly explore our authentic selves? And how should we respond to the constant bombardment of aspirational content?

In this In Conversation panel, hear from digital natives as well as those who remember life before Instagram as they explore the place of social media within their everyday lives and artistic practices. Drawing from their diverse experiences as content creators, educators, and creatives, our panelists will dive into a discussion on artmaking, intimacy, and personal identity within the cyber realm.

Featuring Rosie McGowan, Munah Bagharib, Barani Vicnan, and moderated by Adib Kosnan, join us on Thu 11 Mar, 3:30pm as we uncover what it means to be real while projecting a life online.

About the panelists:

ROSIE MCGOWAN is an applied theatre practitioner, facilitator and educator who comes from an extensive history of using the arts to explore potentially difficult and sensitive themes and issues. She holds a masters in applied theatre and counselling, often combining the two fields throughout her practice. Rosie has taught drama in numerous schools in Singapore and runs workshops exploring themes of self-care, sexual assault trauma, self-harm, communication, leadership and understanding mental health. She has also designed and run projects in two Singapore halfway houses: the Community Rehabilitation Centre, and The Turning Point. She is currently the President of the Singapore Drama Educators Association.

MUNAH BAGHARIB entered the entertainment business as a television actress and one half of YouTube duo, MunahHirziOfficial, a channel in which she co-hosted satirical videos on social and political topics. She has gone on to become a prolific actress on both television and stage, with her recent film debut in Tiong Bahru Social Club. Munah also received critical acclaim for her performance in Nassim Soleimanpour’s experimental improvisation piece, White Rabbit Red Rabbit. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress at The Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards for her performance in Potong (2019).

BARANI VICNAN is a student at Ngee Ann Polytechnic (Mass Communication). He previously interned with Checkpoint Theatre in 2020, assisting with the production of The Heart Comes To Mind. He has also crafted documentaries for Tampines West Community Club, capturing the neighbourhood’s community spirit through film. Barani sees social media as a multifaceted tool that can be used to express oneself or to connect with companies in a more human way. As a creative, he uses his online platform to produce content that connects and resonates.

About the moderator:

ADIB KOSNAN is a theatre practitioner, playwright, and educator. He is also an Associate Artist with Checkpoint Theatre and a founding member of Singaporean playwright collective Main Tulis Group (MTG). As a writer-director, his works include Rumah Hantu (Malay Heritage Centre’s Projek Bahasa Pengarah, 2019), 28.8 (2017) and Jangan Kurang Ajar (2014) by Teater Kami. He has mentored students in numerous schools (preschool to tertiary levels). He has also conceptualised, written, directed and facilitated school programmes for a wide range of students.