Works in Development 2019 is part of Checkpoint Theatre’s script development process, and is the first time the general public is able to experience drafts of new plays through dramatised readings. Through written feedback, audience members are able to contribute to the writing process, bringing us a step closer to staging these important Singapore plays!

Scripts that have undergone this careful and considered process include Zenda Tan’s Eat Duck (2019) and Dana Lam’s Still Life (2019).

This event was supported by The Arts House.

Fri 6 Dec, 8pm-10pm
How the Millennials Killed the X (where X has yet to be defined)
by Myle Yan Tay

This story follows five passionate and stubborn undergraduates as they attempt to navigate friendship, love, and the social pressures of Singapore. As they attempt to advocate for the causes they believe in, they meet all sorts of outlandish characters, who force them into new and unexpected situations. This biting comedy is a humorous take on the socially-conscious youth, that explores what it means to fight for justice in Singapore.

Sat 7 Dec, 8pm-10pm
A Shadow or a Friend
by Jo Tan

Jo Tan has been in an on-going process of learning how to love and embrace herself, flaws and all. But what happens when a medical procedure that is intended to improve her appearance goes wrong? Based on her real life experiences, it explores how insecurity can truly affect a person’s self-confidence. Crafted with heart and honesty, this intimate piece is a semi-verbatim play about ideal beauty expectations in the modern world.

About the Playwrights

Myle Yan Tay is an actor, playwright, and director. He is also an Executive at Checkpoint Theatre. He graduated from Yale-NUS College, majoring in Global Affairs. His works include Master Race(2018), Overtime: An Original Musical (2017) co-created with Nathaniel Mah, and Lemmings (The Second Breakfast Company, 2017). He played Lucas in Zenda Tan’s Eat Duck (Checkpoint Theatre, 2019), was the Assistant Director for Lucas Ho’s FRAGO (Checkpoint Theatre, 2017) and was a Citizen’s Reviewer for Centre 42 (2017 – 2019).

Jo Tan is a theatre-maker who trained in Paris (with a residency at École Philippe Gaulier, awarded by the National Arts Council) and has performed as far as New York, London, Yeosu and Beijing. As an actor, she has worked with many of Singapore’s top theatre companies, with her performance in FRAGO (Checkpoint Theatre, 2017) scoring a nomination for Best Supporting Actress at the Life! Theatre Awards (2018). She can also be seen on various screens – including on Mediacorp’s various channels, and as the female lead in Ho Tzu Nyen’s Cannes official selection film, Here. As a playwright, Jo began writing her own full-length scripts just three years ago at Huzir Sulaiman’s playwriting masterclass. Since then, she has performed her one-woman show Forked (The Finger Players, 2019), with more works to be staged in 2020.

Admission is by registration on a Pay As You Wish basis.