AS A THEATRE COMPANY, W!ld Rice has never shied away from staging polemical plays that may split audiences. Whether tackling opposition politics (Public Enemy), the elections (Cooling-Off Day), the impact of language policies (Grandmother Tongue) or queer issues (Asian Boys trilogy), the company strives to take the pulse of the nation and respond to its concerns.

Its upcoming flagship event, the Singapore Theatre Festival, encapsulates its current and abiding interests. From July 5 to 22, the festival features eight ticketed plays and free forums and performances that look at topical issues such as the media landscape, migrant workers, racism and the last days of the so-called Thieves' Market on Sungei Road.

The most anticipated play among them is former journalist Tan Tarn How's first play in seven years, titled Press Gang. The play is set in a newsroom and tells the story of a group of journalists and editors who must decide whether to run a scandalous story involving the Prime Minister's wife. As with a few of Tan's previous plays such as Fear Of Writing and Undercover, the play tackles issues pertaining to freedom and censorship. Press Gang will be directed by W!ld Rice's artistic director Ivan Heng.