About
For more than 25 years, I have acted, directed and written for local English-language theatre in Singapore. I created various solo and collaborative performances, often based on original, self-written material while I was as an Associate Artist with The Substation (2002-09).
Three collections of my plays have been published: In the Company of Women: Selected Plays (Singapore: SNP Editions, 2004), In the Company of Heroes (Singapore: Math Paper Press, 2011) and Victimology (Singapore: Math Paper Press, 2011). An Honorary Fellow at the International Writing Program, University of Iowa (Aug–Nov 2007), I now write fiction, conduct the occasional creative writing workshop, and am studying part-time for an MFA in Creative Writing (City University of Hong Kong, 2012–14). Spectre: Stories from Dark to Light (Math Paper Press, 2012) is my first collection of short stories. During 2012, I also compiled and edited two other short story anthologies: Balik Kampung (Math Paper Press) and A Monsoon Feast (DFP Productions/Monsoon Books). My plays and short prose have also been published in More than Half the Sky: Creative Writing by Thirty Singaporean Women (1998), Tumasik: Contemporary Writing from Singapore (2009) and A Rainbow Feast: New Asian Short Stories (2010).
Apart from theatre and creative writing, I bring stories vocally and physically alive in my unique fashion. I choose my storytelling repertoire carefully, adapting folktales with strong characters or creating original tales with a twist. Where possible, I invest my quirky brand of humour, especially in my stories for adults, to delight and encourage my audience to appreciate a different perspective on life.
Together with Kamini Ramachandran with whom I founded MoonShadow Stories in November 2004, I have been telling stories at various community venues across Singapore, much to the delight and enjoyment of adults and children. In particular, MoonShadow Stories has done much to push the boundaries of storytelling for adults in Singapore. In addition, I have regaled audiences in the US, Australia and Malaysia with tales from Southeast Asia. A Professional Member and founding member of the Storytelling Association (Singapore), I have successfully coached members of the SAS and members of the public to improve their craft of telling stories through my workshop, Beyond Storytelling 101, since 2008.
Outside of theatre and storytelling, I have worked in public affairs, marketed books, and edited newsletters and books on teaching and learning issues in higher education. My interest in performance led me to pursue an MA in Voice Studies (2005) at the Central School of Speech and Drama, London during 2003-04, thereby augmenting my MA in English Literature (1993) from the National University of Singapore. Since 2005, I have taught voice, speech and presentation skills at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, LaSalle College of the Arts, Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts and other local institutions.