Self-classification for arts shows kicks off in July

But some practitioners are sceptical about the term licensing scheme
By Lisabel Ting, The Straits Times, 13 May 2014

FROM July onwards, some performing arts companies will no longer have to apply to the Media Development Authority (MDA) for a licence before staging each production.

A pilot run of the Arts Term Licensing Scheme will kick in, through which arts groups can give their own age-appropriate ratings for shows, in accordance with MDA's content guidelines.

However, the announcement was met with scepticism from some theatre practitioners, who felt there was no actual liberalisation but the status quo being upheld in a different form.

Members of the public are invited to give their views on the scheme, which is set to roll out fully early next year. It is part of the proposed amendments to the Public Entertainments and Meetings Act, which regulates all public entertainment, from fashion shows to poetry recitals.

Term licensing was one of the recommendations of the Censorship Review Committee in 2010, and it was officially announced in Parliament in March last year by Minister for Communications and Information Yaacob Ibrahim.

Participation by arts companies in the scheme is optional. They can apply for one of two types of licences, each lasting for a year, after which it will be subject to review.

Any company or individual can apply for a Tier 1 licence, but to apply for a Tier 2 licence, a company needs a good track record of compliance with MDA regulations, and to have produced at least five shows over the last three years.

Tier 1 licences allow for the classification of General-rated performances, suitable for all ages, which made up about 90 per cent of the 1,200 arts entertainment licences MDA issued last year. However, unscripted performances, or those touching on race, religion or politics, will still have to be submitted for event-based licensing.

Tier 2 licences allow for the classification of all performances up to R18, restricted to those aged 18 and above, but unscripted and outdoor performances with an Advisory, Advisory 16 or R18 rating will have to be individually licensed.

Companies which take part in the scheme will also need to appoint an MDA-registered content assessor, who will be trained in classifying each show according to the authority's guidelines. It will be releasing a new arts entertainment classification code, which will take effect on June 2.

However, "content standards have not changed", according to Ms Chetra Sinnathamby, the authority's director of content and standards for film, video games and arts. She described the new code as "merely clarifying the existing standard to help the arts groups self-classify their content". The previous code "was worded a lot more broadly, so there may be a concern about different interpretations".

Theatre practitioners reacted with caution, noting that there are restrictions on the term licence even for Tier 2 companies, which they felt reflected a lack of trust in them on the part of the authorities and society.

Artistic director of Nine Years Theatre Nelson Chia said in order for artists to benefit from the scheme, they have to be involved in the creation of classification guidelines. He said: "If we're just applying the guidelines to our work, then that's just the artist sharing the task of the MDA."

At least one company, Theatre Practice, will not be taking part in the scheme. Its artistic director Kuo Jian Hong described the self-classification as "not assessing based on our own intelligence or our own beliefs, but rather, we're executing MDA's guidelines, like agents".

Call for boycott of MDA scheme
Artists argue plan to allow self-classification of shows encourages self-censorship
By Lisabel Ting, The Straits Times, 27 May 2014

ARTISTS have responded strongly to the Media Development Authority's (MDA) Arts Term Licensing Scheme, with several calling for a boycott of the plan.

The scheme aims to cut red tape by allowing individuals and companies to self-classify performances with age-appropriate ratings according to MDA guidelines. It kicks off with a pilot run in July. Public consultation for the scheme is ongoing and will close on Friday.

Artists argue that it passes the responsibility of censorship from the MDA to the artist, effectively encouraging self-censorship. They are also wary of penalties they would incur for misclassifying a performance.

Mr T. Sasitharan, a former Cultural Medallion recipient who heads the private Intercultural Theatre Institute, said in an online statement: "All artists should emphatically reject and refuse to participate in the MDA's new self-classification or co-regulation scheme."

Among the reasons he gave is that the scheme "is morally unconscionable because it forces the artist to self-censor", and "it amounts to the state policing the arts by proxy; this is censorship in the guise of regulation, ratings and advisories".

Under the scheme, set to roll out fully early next year, artists can apply for two types of licences. Participation is optional.

Tier 1 licences allow for the self-classification of General-rated performances, suitable for all ages, which made up about 90 per cent of the 1,200 arts entertainment licences MDA issued last year. However, unscripted performances, or those touching on race, religion or politics, will still have to be submitted to the MDA for licensing.

Tier 2 licences allow for the self-classification of all performances rated up to R18, restricted to those aged 18 and above, but unscripted and outdoor performances with an Advisory, Advisory 16 or R18 rating will have to be individually licensed by the MDA.

Arts groups each have to appoint a content assessor who will undergo training in classification.

Ms Chetra Sinnathamby, director of content and standards (films, video games and arts) at the authority, said: "The objective of the optional term licensing scheme is to empower industry players to classify the performances and events which they stage, while being mindful of prevailing community standards and expectations."

She also emphasised that participation in the scheme was optional. "Ultimately, while arts entertainment event organisers who choose to participate in the scheme stand to benefit from cost and time savings, those who do not wish to participate can continue to submit individual applications to MDA."

Mr Sasitharan is part of Arts Engage, a network of arts practitioners from various disciplines who discuss the policies that affect what they do.

There are more than 270 members in its Yahoo group and about 10 core members who lead projects.

The group held a meeting on May 17 to discuss the scheme, and it was attended by around 40 people including artistic director of The Theatre Practice Kuo Jian Hong, artistic director of The Necessary Stage Alvin Tan and managing director of TheatreWorks Tay Tong.

The group plans to gather feedback from the arts community and then submit a position paper to MDA on Friday, the last day of the public consultation process.

For now, the Arts Engage website has gathered personal responses from artists.

One is dancer Chan Sze Wei, who lauded MDA's move to reduce the "burden of censorship in Singapore".

However, she will not be taking part in the scheme, and says: "The proposed mechanisms of self-classification, content assessors and penalties for misclassification are confusing and flawed. These measures do not lead to a greater level of freedom for anyone. They represent the same regime of censorship in another guise, calling on artists to act on behalf of the censoring government."

45 arts groups oppose MDA licensing scheme
Self-classification of performances amounts to self-censorship, they say
By Lisabel Ting, The Straits Times, 31 May 2014

FORTY-FIVE arts groups have backed a position paper by artists' network Arts Engage, strongly objecting to the Media Development Authority's (MDA) Arts Term Licensing Scheme.

Signatories of the 12-page paper, released yesterday, included industry heavyweights such as the Singapore Dance Theatre and Singapore Repertory Theatre, and traditional arts companies such as the Chinese Theatre Circle.

The scheme, which begins a pilot run in July, allows individuals and groups to self-classify performances with age-appropriate ratings. The scheme is optional and companies which sign up must appoint their own content assessors to classify their works according to MDA guidelines.

The crux of the arts groups' objections is that appointing such individuals from within the company to do the work of the MDA conflicts with artistic integrity and amounts to self-censorship.

They expressed disappointment in the framing of a scheme meant to showcase the industry's partnership with the MDA on classification matters. They also suggest the MDA delay its implementation and engage artists and the general public in a more robust round of consultations before it is rolled out.

Under the scheme, groups can apply for two types of licences. Tier 1 licences allow for the self-classification of General-rated performances, suitable for all ages. However, unscripted performances, or those touching on race, religion or politics, will still have to be submitted to the MDA for licensing.

Tier 2 licences allow for the self-classification of all performances rated up to R18, restricted to those aged 18 and above, but unscripted and outdoor performances with an Advisory, Advisory 16 or R18 rating must be individually licensed by the MDA.

Rather than penalise arts groups for not classifying correctly, which MDA has the power to do, the paper by Arts Engage says that artists should have the right to open a dialogue with anyone who complains against the rating given to a performance.

It argues that the penalty framework signifies a lack of trust and reflects a double standard, as licensing officers in MDA are not liable to be penalised for misclassifications.

Far from arts groups being "empowered" by the scheme, "no other developed nation in the world requires the performing arts to be rated or classified in such a manner", the paper says.

In response, MDA emphasised that participation in the scheme is optional. Ms Chetra Sinnathamby, director of content and standards (films, video games & arts) said: "Those who choose to participate in the scheme enjoy cost and time savings while those do not wish to can continue to submit their individual applications to MDA."

One of the arts groups which backed the paper is the Singapore Lyric Opera. General manager Ng Siew Eng says: "The responsibility of classification, I feel, needs to be defined more clearly. Different people have different standards, so why should the person who submitted the classification be responsible personally?"