Those who enjoy attending performances at Esplanade might not know that the charity also works with welfare organisations to bring arts to underserved communities.

However, with safe distancing measures and the Covid-19 pandemic, a lot of the programmes that the non-profit used to offer for vulnerable communities have not been able to take place.

This includes bringing arts performances to homes, or inviting beneficiaries to Esplanade for performances.

Bringing live arts to the underserved in a safe manner

To bring live arts experiences to their beneficiaries while adhering to safe distancing efforts, Esplanade is running a pilot of Esplanade On The Go.

The initiative brings live music performances to residents of various welfare homes and eldercare facilities in Singapore via a truck parked in the private car park of these centres.

Beneficiaries will be able to enjoy the live shows from seats placed at a distance that is in accordance with safe distancing guidelines for live performances.

The non-profit hopes that these performances will "uplift the spirits of communities-in-need during this challenging period".

As part of the pilot, the truck will make stops at five homes, with 10 performances in total for their audience.

Each performance will run for 30 minutes and feature artists from Singapore singing multi-lingual songs that resonates with their audience.

After the pilot run, a spokesperson from Esplanade told Mothership that it will gather feedback from the social service organisations they have worked with and decide if the initiative will become a regular one.

Here are some shots that feature a performance by duo Two of Us, for their audience at St John’s Home for Elderly Persons:

According to Esplanade's spokesperson, the Esplanade On The Go initiative was possible due to financial and in-kind support from a donor and other partners.

This is what a senior social worker from the Bishan Home for the Intellectually Disabled had to say about the performance:

“This may be one of the first times since Covid-19 hit that the residents have enjoyed themselves so much... Our residents and staff thoroughly enjoyed the acoustic session by Two of Us. They certainly put in effort to engage our residents. A few residents were already asking me when your team will be back for another performance.”

Performances are free for eldercare facilities and welfare homes

According to a spokesperson from Theatres on the Bay, performances for eldercare facilities and welfare homes are free.

They are part of Esplanade’s community engagement efforts, which are funded by donors and partners.

If you would like to support Esplanade's community efforts, you can donate to them here.

For welfare organisations that would like participate in Esplanade's community engagement programs, you can contact them to find out more.

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Top images by Bryan van der Beek.