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 (2017 to 2022).
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 four traditional Singapore family businesses over two Singapore Heritage Festivals 2020 and 2021. 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. Currently, Theatre Today is in a five months National Arts Council’s Community Arts Residency at Lion Befrienders (Ang Mo Kio) (Apr to Sept 2021).
Contact: jefftancl@gmail.com
INTERNATIONAL WORK
OPEN HOMES by Jeffrey Tan
#LBOPENHOMES
LIKE MEETING AN OLD FRIEND FOR THE FIRST TIME
PRESENTED BY LA BOITE & BACKBONE
Personal stories from Brisbane’s neighbourhoods — this is theatre in someone’s living room.
Ever wanted to step inside someone’s house, out of sheer curiosity? Open Homes is your invitation—a unique theatre experience coming to Brisbane in 2019.
The doors of local homes will be flung open over three weekends as residents invite us into their private spaces and enchant us with personal stories, histories and anecdotes. Facilitated by Brisbane-based theatre-makers, each 30-minute performance will deliver an intimate view of the heartbreak and humour, comedy and chaos, and domestic dramas and dreams that take place in our apartment buildings, Queenslanders and neighbourhoods across the city.
This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council for the Arts, its arts funding and advisory body.
Lead Artist: Jeffrey Tan
Theatre Facilitators: Ayeesha Ash, Nadine McDonald-Dowd, Grace Edward, Katrina Graham, Lucinda Shaw, Todd MacDonald, Sean Mee, and Katherine Quigley
Storytellers: Amanda & Troy Casey, Virginia & Bob Dyer, Valerie Ferdinands, Léonie Flood , Lauren & Simon Fung, Angela Chaplin & David Gerrand, Abdul Ibrahimi, Michael Jeh, Anshula & Michael Jones, Gerald Keaney, Sam McGeown, Leon Miller, MJ O’Neill, Dee & Renny Rennie and Colin Young
Process Drama workshops with Korean Teaching Artists.
SINGAPORE WORK
Workshops
REMEMBER WHEN
MEMORIES TO MONOLOGUES #4
Presented By The Arts House
LITERARY ARTS
What do we remember? How do we capture our memories? Come free your imagination in Remember When: From Memories to Monologue, a creative writing workshop guiding you to remember, reflect and map your memories.
Conceptualised and facilitated by theatre director and drama educator Jeffrey Tan, no prior writing or acting experience is required for this workshop and it is suitable for seniors from all walks of life.
Through a series of eight practical workshops, Remember When will guide you to capture precious moments and aspirations, and transform these life memories to monologues.
This programme is open to the general public and is recommended for seniors aged 55 and above.
Intergenerational Theatre
Legend of Bukit Merah – a presentation between kindergarten children and seniors.
Commissions
INTO THE BLUE FOREST
100 and 100 More – Into the Blue Forest
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.
MY Bridge of Light
A Bi centennial community play with residents from Limbang, Marsiling, Woodgrove and Yew Tee.
Speak to Jeffrey for possible collaborations!
