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1960
Kreta Ayer Community Centre opened one year after the People’s Action Party was swept into power during the 1959 Legislative Assembly election when Dr Goh Keng Swee became the assemblyman for Kreta Ayer.
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1967
The idea of a theatre for the people in Kreta Ayer was mooted when Dr Goh Keng Swee wanted a permanent stage for cultural shows and Chinese opera performances in his constituency.
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1968
Dr Goh Keng Swee officiated at the foundation stone laying ceremony for the “Kreta Ayer People’s Stage” on August 10.
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1969
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1971
First phase of the expansion plans, costing $250,000, was completed when a permanent roof was built and cement on the stage floor and part of the audience’s area were replaced with teak wood.
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1972
Second phase of expansion, costing $220,000, began. It included a new toilet block, better lighting and sound systems, erection of screen walls around the auditorium and gates. Queen Elizabeth II visited the theatre on February 19. Three years later, another royal family, the King and Queen of the Polynesian Kingdom of Tonga and their two children also visited the Theatre.
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1974
First overseas opera troupe from Hong Kong came when the Ying Ling Cantonese Opera Troupe staged a month-long performance in January.
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1975
The famous Hong Kong Chor Fong Meng Cantonese Opera Troupe staged a record 77 shows over 66 days at the theatre between April and June. Kreta Ayer People’s Theatre Foundation was inaugurated in May.
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1979
$1.2 million reconstruction of the theatre with a fully air-conditioned auditorium, which also operated as a cinema in partnership with Cathay Organisation, was completed. The new theatre was opened officially on May 29.
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1980
Cantonese opera queen and movie star of the 1950s, Hong Xian Nu, returned to Singapore after 26 years. She performed with the China Guangdong Cantonese Opera Troupe between March and April.
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1984
Dr Goh Keng Swee stepped down as chairman of the Kreta Ayer People’s Theatre Foundation. Newly-elected Kreta Ayer MP and Finance Minister Dr Richard Hu took over the chairmanship the following year. Dr Goh became vice-chairman till 2001.
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1985
China Xiamen Ge Zai Xi Troupe’s performance at the theatre netted record profits with a collection of over $300,000 in ticket sales during its month-long performance in March and April.
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1990
The theatre received the Friend of the Arts Award from Mr George Yeo, the then Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts.
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1991
Guangdong Foshan Cantonese Opera Troupe performed a record 28 consecutive full-house nights between March and April. Hong Kong’s Chor Hwee Teochew Opera Troupe led by Chen Chu Hui ran a record 34 performances over 30 days in November.
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1992
The theatre invited the first Chinese Muslim art group, the Xinjiang Cultural Troupe, to perform in July and an acrobatic, song and dance troupe from Inner Mongolia earlier in May.
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1997
The theatre was leased to NTUC Income to manage the theatre and rental of the auditorium after it ceased to be a cinema hall by the mid-1990s.
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2000
The theatre celebrated its 30th anniversary in January with a three-night, sold-out charity concert.
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2002
Dr Richard Hu stepped down as Kreta Ayer People’s Theatre Foundation chairman after retiring from politics the year before. Dr Lee Boon Yang, then Manpower Minister and MP for Jalan Besar GRC, took over the chairmanship.
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2008
The theatre was leased to Show Station Private Limited to manage the theatre on a yearly contract.
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2010
The theatre celebrated its 40th anniversary with a three-night opera extravaganza.
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2012
The theatre underwent major renovation to upgrade its facilities including seats, audio visual and lighting systems, washrooms and laying of new carpets. The entrance to the theatre was also upgraded.
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2015
The theatre reopened to public after the renovation. In April, the theatre contracted SEATADVISOR Private Limited to provide computerized ticketing. Viewers could purchase tickets via the internet.
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2015
On June 19, the theatre celebrated its 45th anniversary and the Singapore Golden Jubilee National Day with a musical performance by famous Hong Kong artiste Feng Baobao. The event was presided over by the then Minister of Culture, Community and Youth, and Second Minister of Communications and Information, Lawrence Wong.
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2015
The celebration continued with performances by the Wu Opera Troupe of China Zhejiang Province from July 3 to 5 and the Hong Kong Cantonese Opera Troupe from November 18 to 22. Singapore opera fans gave their utmost support to these overseas troupes.