Culture & Society

Restaging 'Charged': Confronting Racism in Singapore

Teater Ekamatra's Shaza Ishak discusses the 15-year-old play 'Charged,' personal encounters with racism, and the ongoing debate about Singapore's racial harmony.

Shaza Ishak, Artistic Director of Teater Ekamatra, is restaging the 2010 play 'Charged' to examine racism within the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and broader societal issues. She highlights how victims of racism are often trained to minimize their experiences and discusses the complexities of Singapore's CMIO (Chinese, Malay, Indian, Other) model.

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90 minJul 17, 2026Yah Lah But

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#841: Quitting Banking For Theatre & Why S’pore Isn’t Being Honest About Race | Shaza Ishak

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Key takeaways

What to know before you press play.

Restaging 'Charged'

Teater Ekamatra is restaging 'Charged,' a 2010 play about racism in the SAF, at Funan from July 23 to August 2. The production aims to revisit these themes 15 years later to assess progress and ongoing challenges.

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Minimizing Racism

Ishak shares an anecdote about a lawyer who denied racism's existence in Singapore while singling out his only Indian colleague. She notes that academic studies show victims are often trained to minimize their own experiences of racism.

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Career Transition

Ishak transitioned from corporate finance to theatre, driven by a desire for artistic expression and a voice, despite family and social pressures that often favor media or corporate careers.

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CMIO and Integration

The discussion covers the CMIO model, ethnic housing quotas, and whether Singaporean identity is being diluted. Ishak explores the trade-offs of these policies and the need for more productive conversations about integration.

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Racism in National Service

Ishak discusses firsthand experiences of racism in National Service (NS), noting that ethnic minorities are often cast as comic relief in media and NS, which can obscure deeper issues of prejudice.

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Ask GenPod next

Keep the question moving.

“How has the perception of racism in Singapore changed since 2010?”

“What role does the CMIO model play in defining Singaporean identity?”

“How can theatre serve as a tool for social activism and change?”

Background reading

The context behind the episode.

About the Play

Charged by Teater Ekamatra

'Charged' is a play by Teater Ekamatra that originally premiered in 2010, focusing on racism within the Singapore Armed Forces. The restaging at Funan aims to spark renewed dialogue on race and national identity.

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Questions

Questions to carry into the episode.

Why is now the right time to restage 'Charged'?

Ishak believes the current social and political climate makes the themes of race and racism in the SAF particularly relevant, prompting a re-examination of progress made since 2010.

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How does Ishak describe the experience of being an ethnic minority in Singapore?

She describes being trained to minimize experiences of racism and facing situations where colleagues deny racism's existence while simultaneously marginalizing minority voices.

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What are the trade-offs of ethnic housing quotas?

The discussion explores how ethnic housing quotas aim to maintain multiculturalism but may also create trade-offs in terms of individual choice and the perception of integration.

How does media representation affect perceptions of race?

Ishak notes that ethnic minorities are often used as comic relief in media, which can dilute the seriousness of racial issues and reinforce stereotypes.

What does a productive conversation about race look like?

Ishak suggests moving beyond denial and minimization to acknowledge the complexities of race, class, and identity, fostering radical optimism and honest dialogue.

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Experts

Voices named in the source.

Shaza Ishak

Artistic Director, Teater Ekamatra

Sources and disclosure

Where this guide comes from.

This guide is based on episode #841 of the podcast 'Yah Lah But,' featuring Shaza Ishak. The episode was published on July 17, 2026.

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Teater Ekamatra’s Artistic Director, Shaza Ishak, restages Charged, its 2010 play on racism in the SAF, at Funan from 23rd July till 2nd August.
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Ishak recounts a lawyer who denied racism exists in Singapore, then made his only Indian colleague answer for it in front of the team, plus her academic study which revealed that victims of racism are trained to minimise their own experiences.
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🔔 Enjoyed this one? Please 𝗦𝗨𝗕𝗦𝗖𝗥𝗜𝗕𝗘 to the channel so you don't miss our latest episodes. Every subscriber helps us grow, open doors to new guests, stories, formats or ideas!
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Teater Ekamatra | Website
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Teater Ekamatra | Instagram
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CHARGED by Teater Ekamatra | Ticket
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• Haresh: Kane loses voice | FIFA World Cup 2026 • Terence: Why The Same Brand Is On The Bottom of Every Boot • Shaza Ishak: Complaint! by Sara Ahmed
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(00:00) Intro
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(01:56) Restaging Charged 15 Years Later
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(03:37) What Charged Is About: Race and Racism in the Army
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(04:17) Why Now Is the Right Time for Charged
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(07:16) Ethnic Minority Theatre and Inclusive Storytelling
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(07:57) How Teater Ekamatra Curates Its Stories
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(09:35) Shaza's Early Encounters With Racism
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(13:12) Finding a Voice Through Theatre
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(14:10) Art as Expression vs Activism
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(16:22) Media as a Career: Family and Social Pressure
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(18:05) Choosing Theatre Over Corporate Finance
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(21:33) What's Changed Since Charged First Staged
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(22:45) The Lawyer Who Denied Racism Exists in Singapore
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(26:02) Race, Class, and Why "Comfort" Matters
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(27:16) Social Media, Polarization, and Being Vocal About Race
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(30:36) Playing Devil's Advocate on Casual Racism
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(31:06) Is Singaporean Identity Being Diluted?
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(33:48) Rethinking Integration and Multiculturalism
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(37:11) Debating Whether Singapore Needs CMIO
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(39:59) Ethnic Housing Quotas and Their Trade-offs
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(41:19) Race in National Service
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(45:23) Firsthand Experiences of Racism in NS
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(49:49) Ethnic Minorities as Comic Relief in Media
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(51:29) Becoming the "Difficult Person" Who Calls Out Racism
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(52:51) Is Charged Still Relevant 15 Years On?
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(55:13) Race, Foreigners, and a More Complicated Conversation
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(58:48) Who Decides What's Tone-Deaf?
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(1:00:11) What Does a Productive Conversation Look Like?
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(1:02:51) Racial Harmony Day (Satire)
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(1:03:04) Looking at Other Multiracial Societies
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(1:05:35) Rejecting the Idea of Chinese Privilege
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(1:10:00) Can Racism Be Solved? Radical Optimism
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(1:13:43) Experiencing Racism Abroad vs at Home
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(1:16:28) Charged's Hoped-For Impact and Future Reruns
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(1:19:21) Marketing Charged: Bring a Racist Friend
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(1:20:04) Where to Watch Charged and Follow Shaza
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(1:21:05) One Shiok Thing
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(1:25:23) Post-Interview Reflections
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