IMDA pulls the plug on Wild Rice performance over drug depictions

A dramatised reading by Singapore theatre company Wild Rice has been barred from staging after regulators deemed its revised script in breach of national content guidelines.

The decision, announced in a joint statement by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), cited concerns that the work glamorised drug abuse and undermined public trust in the Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB).

According to the statement, IMDA had reviewed a revised version of Homepar submitted on 5 June 2025 and found that it contravened the Arts Entertainment Classification Code (AECC). The new material, the authorities said, featured depictions of drug abuse and portrayed an undercover CNB officer shielding abusers from detection, a portrayal that "undermines Singapore’s anti-drug policy, our drug rehabilitation regime, and public confidence in the CNB".

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While an earlier script submitted in April was approved for staging under an R18 classification, IMDA said Wild Rice had opted not to revert to that version. “Consequently, IMDA has disallowed the performance in its current form,” the statement read, adding that "performances that undermine Singapore's national interest are not permitted under the AECC".

In response, Wild Rice issued a statement rejecting what it called a “reductive reading” of the play. It defended Homepar as a “nuanced and empathetic work” centred on themes of healing, resilience, and recovery, not an endorsement of drug use.

“The central character’s journey is one of struggle, resilience, and the power of community in overcoming addiction and stigma,” the statement read. “Homepar does not condone or glorify substance use. It seeks to ask why people — real people, in our society — turn to drugs, often as a response to trauma, discrimination, and marginalisation.”

Wild Rice also underscored that Homepar was part of The Rice Cooker, its incubator platform for developing new Singaporean writing, and that the performance in question was a limited script-in-hand reading intended to generate feedback and revision.

“It is deeply disappointing that a developmental work has been thrust into the public spotlight and judged as if it were a complete and finished work,” the company said.

While reiterating its respect for Singapore’s zero-tolerance approach to drug misuse, Wild Rice called for “space to explore complex, often uncomfortable realities” in theatre.

“Homepar does not ask audiences to approve of drug use. It asks them to understand the human stories behind it, and to imagine the possibility of recovery and belonging,” Wild Rice noted.

The company added that it remained committed to responsible storytelling and open dialogue with regulators.

The move comes as Singapore continues to take a hardline approach to drug messaging. In May, CNB unveiled an integrated campaign titled "Museum of us" to drive empathy and reflection on the wider impact of drug abuse. Similarly, it launched an activation in March aimed at addressing rising permissiveness towards drugs among youths.

The three-year public education initiative is designed to empower young people to resist pro-drug narratives — including those found on social media. A key feature of the campaign is an immersive escape room activation at the Stamford Arts Centre.

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