THEATRE TODAY

Theatre Today was established in 2016 by Singapore based experienced Theatre Director and Creative Producer Jeffrey Tan. Jeffrey Tan holds a BA (Drama), Queensland University of Technology, QUT (Australia) and MA (Drama and Theatre Education), University of Warwick (United Kingdom). He was Resident Director, The Theatre Practice (1997 to 1999), Drama Lecturer, LASALLE SIA (1999 to 2001), Associate Artistic Director, TheatreWorks (S) Ltd (2002 to 2006), Assistant Director, National Arts Council (2007 to 2012), Assistant Director, People’s Association (2012 to 2015). Jeffrey has also been an Adjunct Lecturer at Ngee Ann Polytechnic’s Arts Business Management (Since 2017). In 2022, Jeffrey was invited by the National University of Singapore to start ‘Theatre and Community Engagement’ a new elective for the undergraduates. Jeffrey also started teaching ‘Global Arts Perspectives’ for the Nanyang Academy of FIne Arts, Arts Management Department.

Theatre Today aims to bring independent artists together for arts projects that celebrates the diversity of stories and lived experiences through intergenerational arts/theatre workshops, creative development, commissions, special events and site-specific productions. Theatre Today’s motto of ‘capturing imagination at play’ can be seen in the numerous creative projects and commissions. From the online and physical process drama workshops on identity, gratefulness, love, trust, caring, filial piety, duty to being critical on social media, the aims of the interactive workshops are to encourage the pleasure of reading, writing, speaking and the celebration of Singapore and world literature. Theatre Today has also collaborated with several theatre companies overseas in different cities of Australia.

Theatre Today’s innovative OPEN BUSINESS has showcased six traditional Singapore family businesses over three Singapore Heritage Festivals 2020, 2021 & 2022. SAME-SAME, an online collaboration between No Strings Attached Theatre of Disability (Australia) and Diverse Abilities Dance Collective of Maya Dance Theatre (Singapore) was selected as a Singapore International Foundation’s Arts for Good Project in 2020. SAME-SAME2.0 toured to Melbourne Fringe 2021, New Zealand Fringe 2022 and Adelaide Fringe 2022.

Currently, Theatre Today is in a five months Community Arts Residency at Lion Befrienders (Blk 344, Clementi Ave 5) (Nov 2022 to Mar 2023).

Contact: jefftancl@gmail.com

INTERNATIONAL WORK

OPEN HOMES by Jeffrey Tan

Six Asian Australian Families @ OzAsia Festival 2021.

In collaboration with NO STRINGS ATTACHED THEATRE OF DISABILITY

https://www.ozasiafestival.com.au/events/open-homes/

Adelaide Exclusive | Australia | Singapore “A rare glimpse into the lives of people you might pass on the street and never meet” The Guardian Behind every door of every home, there are stories that might never be told. Open Homes is a chance to hear them. Featuring personal and moving accounts from everyday people, audiences are invited into the homes of strangers to hear their stories. First conceptualised by artist Jeffrey Tan for the Singapore International Festival of Arts, this season includes six generous Asian Australian storytellers as they host listeners and share stories of their own lived experience making Adelaide home. A rare opportunity for a very small audience, Open Homes uses no actors – just real people sharing their terraces, backyards and apartments in this series of fleeting yet intimate encounters. Understated, sincere and humbling, it is an authentic theatre-going experience about the importance of fostering community and taking a moment to walk in someone else’s shoes. Book early – places strictly limited!

Fri 22, Sat 23 & Sun 24 Oct 2021, various times

Fri 29, Sat, 30 & Sun 31 Oct 2021, various times

Fri 5, Sat 6 & Sun 7 Nov 2021, various times

https://fb.watch/8_oVHTnuNt/

Process Drama workshops with Korean Teaching Artists.

SINGAPORE WORK

Past Workshops

REMEMBER WHEN-MEMORIES TO MONOLOGUES #6

Presented By The Arts House

Between 2018 to 2020, Jeffrey presented six batches of workshops.

Over eight sessions, the participants learnt creative writing and were guided to wrtie their own 10 minutes monologus which were eventualy shared at a public reading at the Arts House Play Den.

However due to COVID19, the sixth batch had their sharing over two Facebook live.

Here are some video links to the nine monologues!

Intergenerational Theatre

Legend of Bukit Merah – a presentation between kindergarten children and seniors.

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Commissions

INTO THE BLUE FOREST

https://theartground.com.sg/100more/blueforest/“We hope to empower children who come to see Into the Blue Forest to believe that their voices are heard, and that they are all special in their own ways.” – Jeffrey Tan, Producer, Scriptwriter & Director

About the Show

Imagine, a green tree trying to stand out in a busy green forest.
Who will the tree meet? Can the animals help?
Will the green tree ever achieve the dream of being in a blue forest?

A new intergenerational performance for children inspired by the drawings by Dario Moretti and original story by Jeffrey Tan, this immersive performance is best for children 4 to 7 years old. Children will be invited to participate and play the different characters through interactive storytelling, and along the way, learn about friendship and how we can all lend a helping hand to one another.

About the Artist

Jeffrey Tan has been working as a theatre director, drama educator and arts producer for the last twenty-nine years since 1989. His recent productions include the Singapore International Festival of Arts commission ‘Open Homes’ (2017), ‘Island Stories’ for the Singapore Heritage Festival (2017), ‘Shrimps in Space’ for Generasia (2016) and ‘CrossRoads, You. Terrorist’ for the Association of Muslim Professionals (2016). For 2018, Jeffrey conceptualized ‘Speeches That Changed the World’ for the Arts House in January as part of the ‘Light to Night’ Festival. Jeffrey returns to his first love children’s theatre with “Into the Blue Forest’, an interactive, intergenerational, multilingual production for the inaugural children’s festival by The Artground in May 2018.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=llEccSVoZCU&t=50s