PERSONALITY PROFILES

IVAN HENG

Ivan is an all-round theatre practitioner who acts, directs, writes, designs and teaches. Trained as a lawyer at the National University of Singapore, he confused his relatives when he decided to "earn an honest living and do theatre." Since then, his internationally acclaimed work has been seen in more than 17 cities around the world, playing at venues such as the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Battersea Arts Centre in London; the Karl Orff Saal in Munich (SIETAR Congress); Kannonhallen in Copenhagen (re: Map Festival); Intercult in Stockholm; and the Hong Kong Fringe (1996 and 1997).

Emily of Emerald Hill celebrates his third collaboration with Dramalab, the first two being the critically acclaimed, sold-out performances of The Woman in a Tree on the Hill (acting opposite Foo May Lyn) and Journey West. Emily is also his second adventure with Krishen Jit, who first directed him as Song in the groundbreaking Theatreworks production of M. Butterfly for the Singapore Arts Festival 1990.

Ivan was the first recipient of the B.A.T. Arts Scholarship in 1990 and trained at the Royal Scottish Academy in Glasgow. He graduated with top honours including the Royal Lyceum Award for Best Shakespearean Performance (Richard III), the Margaret Gordon Award for Best Final Year Performance, and the Dorothy Innes Prize for Best Studentship. That year, he directed and starred in Ovidia Yu's The Woman in a Tree on the Hill, the first Singapore production to be awarded the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe First, as well as the New Names of '93 Award.

This inspired a move to London where he founded the internationally acclaimed Tripitaka Theatre Company, which toured extensively throughout Europe, North America and Asia. The company's award-winning productions include Hot Dogs and Eternal Triangles, An Occasional Orchid and Journey West, his autobiographical solo show which completed a world tour of 98 performances in 15 cities.

Ivan returned to Singapore in 1997 and was Associate/Artistic Director of Singapore Repertory Theatre, where he directed Breastissues and Art (All-Asian Premier). He also co-wrote and directed Ah Kong's Birthday Party, Singapore's longest running play and first interactive dinner theatre experience, which is currently running at a permanent home in Far East Square. He also acted in Kiss of the Spiderwoman (as Molina) and Twist of Fate (as Albert).

Other acting theatre credits include: The Crucible (as John Proctor), Richard III (as Richard III - Scotland and Singapore), M. Butterfly (as Song - India tour, Canada, Singapore), original cast productions of Beauty World (as Frankie Wong), Army Daze (as Malcolm Png) and Descendants of the Admiral Eunuch (with Theatreworks - Singapore), Kantan (as Jiro), A Midsummer Night's Dream (as Robin Goodfellow), The Shadow Box, West Side Story, My Art Belongs to Me and Turncoat.

Film and television include The Fifth Element, Yellow Fever, Peggy Su!, Cardiac Arrest and Rab C. Nesbitt.

Ivan has a website at

KRISHEN JIT

Profile available at this website:

STELLA KON

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PRODUCTION CREW

Raja Maliq, Set

Raja Maliq spent eight years soaking up the British pop culture in London before returning to become Sheila Majid's stylist at the early stages of her career. In 1989, he began designing his own eccentric ethnic jewellery, which resulted in his sell-out line for Isetan in 1995. The next year, he designed the costumes for Dramalab's hit musical The Storyteller, starring Jit Murad, Sean Ghazi, Ning Baizura and Paula Malai Ali. Recently, he began exploring photo-collages and plans an exhibition of his works for early 2000. His set for this production of "Emily of Emerald Hill" is a fusion of both traditional Peranakan architecture and post-modern styles. Keeping in line with the new vision of Emily, he has reinvented Stella Kon's old house on the hill into a haunting new mansion.

Mac Chan, Lights

Mac Chan, a drama graduate from MIA and a lighting design student from the National Institute Of Arts in Taiwan, has quickly made his name by creating some of the most brilliant light displays the K. L. theatre scene has witnessed in recent years. Following his involvement with the Commonwealth Games celebrations and the opening of the Petronas Twin Towers, he set to work on The Tiger And The Typists and the recent revival of Hip-Hopera, winning respect from performers and audiences alike. By his own admission, he is excited by challenges and possibilities of his current project, thanks to the demands and requirements of the director and set designer.

Gracie Low, Stage

Gracie cut her teeth in the theatre scene the hard way: she came out of nowhere and was dragged into a big, bad production. But what doesn't kill you only makes you tougher and meaner. Following her sabbatical from the scene, Gracie is making her return to theatre with Emily of Emerald Hill. Plus, she has the best day job - she's a private snoop. When not digging the dirt, she takes care of 1 husband and 4 four-legged children. Woof!

Darius Yussof, Programme & Poster

Younger brother of singer Amir Yussof, Darius is a new force in the theatre scene, designing some of the most eye-catching posters and flyers recently being plastered all over the capital. Following his AIM-winning design for Amir's last CD sleeve, Dario (as friends know him) designed the poster for Actors Studio's The Killing of Sister George. In collaboration with Zahim Albakri and Raja Maliq, Darius produced Emily of Emerald Hill's striking poster.

Lennard Gui, Production & Publicity

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Once upon a time, Lennard Gui was the bane of existence for theatre crews, who were forced to suffer his illusions of actor grandeur. And he was pretty ghastly to publicists in his former capacity as a magazine editor. Well, what goes around comes around. Nasty little men always get their comeuppance, and now he's on the other side of the fence. You won't find him begging your indulgence anymore. These days, he's pleading for forgiveness from everyone he's tormented before. Oh, and if anyone owes him money, the number to call is…