Intercultural Theatre Institute’s graduating actors stage Tawfiq al-Hakim’s Fate of a Cockroach at the Esplanade Theatre Studio from Thursday, 12 November, to Saturday, 14 November 2026. Standard tickets are S$27, and the run is four performances long.
German director Ulrich Meyer-Horsch has adapted and directed the Egyptian playwright’s one-bathroom play, which ITI presents in collaboration with Esplanade.
A bathroom with two kingdoms
The story plays out in one bathroom seen from two heights. Under a leaky tap, a cockroach king tries to rule a kingdom he cannot control, while a minister, a priest and a savant argue with him and with each other. Above them, a husband and wife fight their own small war over who gets into the bathroom first.
Then a cockroach falls into the bathtub, and both worlds come apart. A doctor is called in. ITI’s own description of the piece is a satirical allegory on power, pride, imagination and the often ridiculous struggle to live.
Three actors carry every role between them: Henry Joseph Fundo, Jyoti Rana and Pratiksha Sindhu, who come from the Philippines and India. Meyer-Horsch’s adaptation asks each of them to switch between several roles, insect and human.
Dates, times and tickets
- Thursday, 12 November, 8pm
- Friday, 13 November, 8pm
- Saturday, 14 November, 3pm and 8pm
The show runs 2 hours 15 minutes, including one 15-minute interval, and is performed in English. Standard tickets are S$27 on the Esplanade event listing.
Concession rates apply with promo codes. Students pay S$16.20 with the code king. NSFs, persons with disabilities and senior citizens pay S$21.60 with the code queen. A pair booked together costs S$20.25 a ticket with the code bathtub, and both guests have to check in together. Concession holders show ID at front of house.
Esplanade&Me members on the Black, White and Discover tiers get 20 per cent off Standard tickets until 14 November.
Before booking
The age advisory is still pending classification under IMDA’s Arts Entertainment Licence, so parents of younger teenagers have no rating to go on yet. The nearest station is Esplanade MRT on the Circle Line.
The production team includes production designers Bernice Ong and Ulrich Meyer-Horsch, lighting designer Faith Liu Yong Huay and sound designer Syafiq Halid. The three performers are ITI’s graduating class of 2026.
