| Birth date | 25 June 1987 (age 39) |
|---|---|
| Nationality | Singapore |
| Occupation | Playwright |
| Language | English |
Joel Tan (Chinese: 陈文传; pinyin: ‘‘Chén Wén Chuán’’; (born 25 June 1987), is a Singaporean playwright and dramatist.
Biography
Tan is the second son of three; his mother is a nurse and his father is a manager at a maritime company.[1] He was educated at the National University of Singapore (NUS), and spent one semester abroad at the University of Notre Dame. He is currently pursuing a Masters in Dramatic Writing at Central Saint Martins.
Literary career
During his time at NUS, he was mentored by Huzir Sulaiman. He is currently an Associate Artist with Checkpoint Theatre.[2]
Tan is often termed a rising star;[3][1] his work is described as "beautiful and admirably complex",[4] and has spanned a range of topics, such as single-sex parenting in Singapore,[5] and younger Singaporeans grappling with the impact of progress.[6] His body of work also frequently straddles genre boundaries, including drag theatre, naturalistic plays, and musical theatre.[7]
He has also worked as dramaturge and director for a range of productions.[8]
Works
| Year | Title | Director | Theatre Company | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Family Outing | Glen Goei | W!LD RICE | for Singapore Theatre Festival | |
| 2012 | City Night Songs | Huzir Sulaiman | Checkpoint Theatre and NUS Stage, Singapore | Tan was a team writer, performer, musical director | |
| 2013 | Postgrads | Joel Tan | Take Off Productions, Singapore | ||
| 2013 | The House | Joel Tan | Flamenco Sin Fronteras, Singapore | ||
| 2013 | The Voices Project | - | Australian Theatre for Young People, Sydney | Tan was a participating playwright. | |
| 2013 | Jack and the Beansprout! | Ivan Heng | W!LD RICE | Tan wrote the book and lyrics. | |
| 2013 | People | Ng Yin Ling (March); Jonathan Lum (December) | USP Productions (March), Singapore; I Theatre (December), Singapore | ||
| 2013 | Mosaic | Chen Ying Xuan | Take Off Productions, Singapore | Re-staged in 2015 for M1 Fringe Festival | |
| 2014 | Hotel | Engie Ho, Rizman Putra, Peter Sau | The Finger Players, Singapore; commissioned by The Arts House | ||
| 2014 | The Way We Go | Claire Wong | Checkpoint Theatre, Singapore | ||
| 2015 | Singapore Inside Out: The Actors' Tour | Tan Kheng Hua | Commissioned by Singapore Tourism Board | Staged in Beijing, New York, and London | |
| 2015 | The Emperor's New Clothes | Pam Oei | W!LD RICE | ||
| 2016 | Cafe | Chen Yingxuan | The Twenty- Something Theatre Festival, Singapore | Nominated for Best Original Script, The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards 2017[9] | |
| 2017 | Tropicana the Musical | Beatrice Chia | Tan Kheng Hua, Singapore | Lyrics by Tan, book by Haresh Sharma, music by Julian Wong | |
| 2017 | Tango | Tracie Pang | Pangdemonium, Singapore | Nominated for Best Original Script, The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards 2018[10] | |
| 2023 | G*d is a woman | Ivan Heng | W!LD RICE | Won Production of the Year and Best Original Script, The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards 2024[11] | [12] |
| 2025 | The Serangoon Gardens Techno Party of 1993 | Sim Yan Ying | W!LD RICE | [13] |
| Year | Title | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Joel Tan: Plays Volume 1 | ISBN 9789810958466 | Edited by Lucas Ho |
| 2018 | "Tango" in British East Asian Plays | ISBN 9781912430086 | Edited by Cheryl Robson, Amanda Rogers & Ashely Thorpe |
References
- ^ hermes (1 July 2015). "30 of Singapore's rising stars under 30". The Straits Times. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- ^ "Associate Artists | Checkpoint Theatre". checkpoint-theatre.org. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- ^ "Adrian and Tracie Pang on why "thought-provoking" works best for theatre company Pangdemonium | The Peak Singapore - Your Guide to The Finer Things in Life". The Peak Singapore - Your Guide to The Finer Things in Life. 13 January 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- ^ migration (23 January 2015). "Theatre review: Joel Tan's Mosaic critiques our obsession with the past". The Straits Times. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- ^ "Theatre review: Tango". Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- ^ "MOSAIC by Take Off Productions". Centre 42. 25 January 2015. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- ^ "Profile: Joel Tan". The A List Singapore. 26 April 2016. Archived from the original on 1 December 2018. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- ^ "Joel Tan CV (Oct 2017, online).pdf". Dropbox. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
- ^ Nanda, Akshita (14 February 2017). "M1-The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards: Big recognition for small shows". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ Nanda, Akshita (20 February 2018). "Arts fest hits dominate The Straits Times Life Theatre Awards 2018". The Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved 15 September 2019.
- ^ Yong, Clement (13 March 2024). "ST Life Theatre Awards 2024: G*d Is A Woman wins best production, Sharda Harrison is best actress". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ Clement, Yong (31 August 2023). "Wild Rice's G*d Is A Woman plays complaint culture and letter writing campaigns for farce". The Straits Times. ISSN 0585-3923. Retrieved 3 July 2025.
- ^ "THE SERANGOON GARDENS TECHNO PARTY OF 1993". Retrieved 29 January 2026.