Theatre in Singapore
Theatre is a space where we can reflect on our culture, engage with others and learn about the world around us. But what worries the next generation of theatre-makers?
Take a seat and join Gaurav Kripalani (Singapore Repertory Theatre), Nelson Chia (Nine Years Theatre) and Ivan Heng (Wild Rice) as they share about the current Theatre industry, along with their respective companies' efforts to foster and support the skillsets of the next generation in Theatre.
Share your hopes and fears as you enter this field and let the veterans relay what they wish they could convey to the younger generation.
Panelist
SINGAPORE REPERTORY THEATRE
Founded in 1993, Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) is one of the leading English language theatre producers and presenters in Asia.
SRT produces the very successful Shakespeare in the Park season and is one of the biggest producers of children’s theatre in Southeast Asia with shows like The Cat in the Hat, The Ugly Duckling and The Three Little Pigs.
SRT is also very active in the local community with Learning & Engagement programmes that benefit thousands of young learners and educators underpinning a substantial investment in audience and talent development for the wider industry in Singapore.
Gaurav Kripalani
Gaurav is the artistic director of Singapore Repertory Theatre (SRT) and has produced over 100 plays during his 23-year history with the company. Under Gaurav’s artistic direction, SRT was the first Singaporean theatre company on Broadway in 1998. This was for Golden Child, which went on to earn three Tony Award nominations. SRT has presented work by several renowned international artistes including Ninagawa, Complicite, Peter Brook, Yael Farber and the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Gaurav also recognises the importance of education with SRT being one of the biggest commissioners and producers of children’s theatre in Southeast Asia.
NINE YEARS THEATRE
An award-winning Mandarin theatre company in multicultural Singapore, Nine Years Theatre l oves to dream up game-changing ways to do things.
Since the beginning, we are invested in actor training in order to create work that is consistent in quality. We believe in entertaining our audience in ways that are honest and thoughtful.
Our work is recognised for being relatable and culturally layered, possessing deep sensibility that speaks to audiences from all backgrounds.
Fluid in scale and genre, we create performances ranging from re-imaginations of classics and adaptations of literary works, to original plays as well as interdisciplinary and international collaborations.
Nelson Chia
Nelson is an actor, director, writer and theatre educator, he has been an active player on the Singapore stage for the last three decades. He graduated from Goldsmiths College in London with an MA in Directing and National University of Singapore with a BA (Hons) in Theatre Studies.
He was the first local artist to be commissioned for a consecutive three years to present works at the Esplanade’s Huayi Festival, and a two-time Best Actor (2011 and 2013) winner and four-time Best Director (2014, 2015, 2018 and 2019) winner at the ST Life! Theatre Awards. He is currently the co-founder and Artistic Director of Nine Years
WILD RICE
Wild Rice was founded in 2000 by Ivan Heng, an internationally acclaimed and award-winning theatre practitioner, and is recognised today as one of Singapore’s leading professional theatre companies.
Our mission is to provide an open forum for the shared experience of theatre: celebrating our diversity; reflecting on the problems and possibilities of our times; and presenting productions that inspire, challenge and entertain.
A commitment to the highest standards informs every aspect of Wild Rice’s creative work, which is first and foremost a celebration of Singapore’s theatrical talent. By producing and touring productions that are distinctively local in flavour and yet universal in vision and concerns, the company creates memorable experiences for audiences in Singapore and across the world.
Ivan Heng
Ivan Heng is one of Singapore’s most prominent and dynamic creative personalities. In a pioneering career spanning three decades, Ivan has directed, acted and designed many landmark Singapore theatre productions, which have been performed in more than 20 cities around the world.
Ivan founded Wild Rice in 2000. Under his leadership, the company has reached out to an audience of more than a million people, and is today at the vanguard of creating theatre with a distinctive Singaporean voice.
In 2013, Ivan was awarded the Cultural Medallion, Singapore’s highest cultural honour. He has a law degree from the National University of Singapore, and trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (RSAMD).
