River of Luck!

River of Luck! is an immersive theatrical experience performed aboard a moving bumboat on the Singapore River. Combining character-led storytelling, traditional glove puppetry and audience participation, the show brings the river’s working history into conversation with the city that surrounds it today. At the heart of the story is a young person from a family that makes its living ferrying passengers and goods by sampan in 1967. An unexpected offer to learn the trading business presents an opportunity to pursue a long-held ambition, but leaving a familiar life on the river feels like a daunting step. Before they can decide, a mysterious turn sends them into 2026. Finding themselves at Clarke Quay, they meet the audience and discover a cryptic message from the River. Together, they board a bumboat and set off to uncover why the River has brought them here, and how they might return home. As the boat travels past Read Bridge, Boat Quay, the Fullerton Building and towards Marina Bay, familiar places reveal unfamiliar futures. Along the way, audiences meet a traditional storyteller questioning the future of their craft, a lighthouse worker worried about their livelihood and a present-day Singaporean searching for renewed purpose. Each encounter offers a different perspective on luck, change and the possibilities hidden within uncertainty. Audiences become part of the story through conversations with the characters and activities woven into the performance. They encounter potehi, a traditional form of glove puppetry, through a retelling of The Old Man Who Lost His Horse, a tale about the shifting nature of good and bad fortune. They write a complimentary postcard to someone of their choice, which will be mailed on their behalf after the show, and take on the roles of competing merchant houses in a lively trading auction inspired by the river’s commercial past. With the Singapore River and its landmarks as the backdrop, River of Luck! brings together characters facing uncertain futures, exploring how stories, skills and ambitions find new possibilities in a changing world. Humour, unexpected encounters and moments of reflection invite audiences to see the river afresh—and consider how a change in perspective can give us the courage to shape our future.