Message from our Concept/Co-director

Pickling?! Theatre?!

The story really began with two years running Pickle Pop-Up at Practice Tuckshop, where we worked with volunteers from all walks of life. I realised that while Singaporeans care deeply about food, many of us are disconnected from the realities of our food systems — and remain increasingly anxious about our food futures. I also began to envision pickling as an act of care.

So how does care intersect with the climate crisis? Rather than typical narratives of doom and gloom, I wanted to pivot the conversation. To care is to remember what came before, to tend to what’s here now, and to protect what might come after. That’s why in the creation of this work, we asked ourselves: Are we looking back in search of answers? Examining the present? Or speculating about the future?

Pickle Party allows us to time-travel. And in experiencing this trajectory, we open up space to imagine possible futures. Whether it’s the future that is 30 minutes away, or decades later. This kind of speculation feels especially urgent in urban contexts like Singapore, with 68% of the world’s population expected to live in cities by 2050. For me, theatre offers a way to make that urgency felt. Pickle Party moves from facts to feelings — grounding abstract concerns about food systems in something deeply human: the impulse to nurture, to protect, to preserve — whether it’s a child, a policy, a culture, or even a microbe.

At the heart of it, Pickle Party performs visions of care unfolding in real time. What are different models of care? And against this backdrop of uncertainty, how do we continue to care for ourselves and our loved ones?

Ultimately, any work related to sustainability is work you cannot do alone. It’s been such a pleasure to create this work alongside this team, many of whom have been with us since day one. Including our more-than-human counterparts.

Finally, thank you for attending this show and we hope you walk away with a little bit of hope. Edible hope.

Ang Xiao Ting Concept/Co-director

Make Your Own Pickles!

Want to (re)create the pickles you have just seen on stage? Here are the two recipes our picklers used during the production.

Tip: Play around with different ingredients (whatever you have lying at the back of your fridge)

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Quick Pickle

Ingredients : 1 carrot 1 chayote 200ml vinegar 200ml water 150g sugar Selected aromatics

Sichuan peppercorn
Kiam sng tee
Bay leaf
Garlic
Lemon

Method:

Cut the vegetables into sticks. Toss it evenly in salt and leave it for 30 - 40 minutes.
Squeeze liquid from the vegetables and transfer them into a jar.
⁠Prepare the pickle liquid - combine vinegar, water, sugar and selected aromatics in a pot. Heat liquid till it almost boils and all sugar is melted.
Pour pickle liquid into the jar. Refrigerate. Leave it for a day before enjoying the pickles. </aside>

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Sauerkraut (Lacto-Fermentation)

Ingredients: 500g cabbage (half a cabbage) Salt (3%)

Method:

Slice cabbage into thin strips.
Weigh sliced cabbage and calculate 3% of the weight — this is the amount of salt needed.
⁠Combine salt with cabbage
Transfer the cabbage (including liquids) into a jar. Use a tool (e.g spoon) to press the vegetables to extract the liquids. This is the fermentation brine, ensure that it covers the vegetables fully to prevent rotting.
⁠Leave the jar aside for a minimum of 3 days (in a cool and dark place) and maximum 5 days. Do not open the jars. You will notice bubbles producing. Keep the jars in the fridge once they’re ready for consumption (after 3-5 days). </aside>

Making Of… Pickle Party

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“Pop-Up to Party”: Our Incubation Process

DID YOU KNOW? Pickle Party had a THREE year incubation process? Find out how we multi-purposed resources in our attempt for a more ecologically-conscious creation model!

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