Ivan Heng: Biography

 

Background and Training

Ivan Heng, born and raised in Singapore, is one of the leading practitioners of the Singapore theatre scene.

A multi-talented theatre practitioner, he is involved in almost every aspect of the theatre; acting, directing, writing and designing. His internationally acclaimed work has mainly been concerned with intercultural negotiations in a multicultural society, migration, gender and racial stereotyping and identity. His productions are noted for being fiercely theatrical, visually innovate and controversial if only for his commitment to negotiating difficult contemporary issues.

Heng’s background is in both Eastern and Western traditions: on acting scholarships at Yale Drama School and the British American Drama Academy; training as a director with Kuo Pao Kun of Practice Performing Arts in Singapore; dance at dance Arts Singapore where he was a scholar in Ballet, Luigi Jazz and Contemporary Dance; and training with the Peking Opera in Hong Kong (Hong Kong Tang’s Opera Troupe) and Singapore (Leling Peking Opera Troupe, Chinese Theatre Circle).

In 1990, when Glasgow was European City of Culture, Heng secured a place at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama and became the first recipient of the BAT Arts Scholarship. His scholarship launched the Memorandum of Understanding signed between Singapore and Scotland, which has since promoted a rich cultural exchange between the two countries. Heng was the first Chinese student to graduate from the RSMAD in 1993; he did so with flying colours and numerous awards including the Royal Lyceum Theatre Award (Best Shakespearean Performance), the Margaret Gordon Prize (Best Final Year Performance) and the Dorothy Innes Prize (Outstanding Studentship).

Directing

As a director, Heng’s work in Singapore include numerous productions with Theatreworks, The Necessary Stage, STARS and W.O.W. International. He also held positions as Artistic Director of the Singapore Armed Forces Music and Drama Company and the Wayang Wayang Theatre Company (London). Heng was founding Artistic Director of the London-based Tripitaka Theatre Company, which was committed to staging original intercultural work spanning the UK and Southeast Asia divide. Under his direction, the company toured extensively throughout Asia, Europe and North America, playing such important platforms such as the re:Map Festival in Copenhagen, the keynote at the SIETAR Congress in Munich and the WOTN Conference in Brussels. In 1997, Heng was awarded the Singapore National Arts Council’s Young Artist Award for contribution to Singapore theatre. This grant enabled him to stage Tripitaka in Triplicate, a retrospective of Tripitaka’s intercultural work at the Watermans Arts Centre in London. In October 1997, he returned to Singapore as Associate Artistic Director of the Singapore Repertory Theatre. He became Artistic Director in December 1998.

His favourite productions include: Ovidia Yu’s The Woman in a Tree on the Hill, which is the first and only Singaporean play to win the prestigious Edinburgh Fringe First Award, as well as the Scottish Daily Express New Names of ‘93 Award. This production also launched the Komedia Theatre in Brighton, and toured to London, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. An Occasional Orchid which he also co-wrote, represented Singapore and Britain at the Fortune Cookies Season, an international platform showcasing the work of the Chinese Diaspora at the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. It was also voted Best of the Hong Kong Fringe in ’97. He also directed the Asian Premier of Art, starring Randall Duk Kim, Lim Kay Tong and Remesh Paniker. Ah Kong’s Birthday Party, co-written with Dick Lee, is Singapore’s first interactive dinner theatre event and longest running play. In 1998, he was awarded the National Youth Award for excellence and outstanding contribution to the Arts.

Acting

As an actor, Heng’s acclaimed autobiographical solo show, Journey West won the Spirit of The Fringe Award in Edinburgh ‘95 and was Time Out’s Critic Choice in London. The production toured to fifteen cities throughout Europe, Asia and America. He played Song Liling in M. Butterfly in three different productions; the All-Asian Premiere, India, Canadian Premier , and the Singapore Festival of Arts ‘90), Shakespeare’s Richard III (Royal Lyceum Theatre Award for best Shakespearean Performance, Edinburgh), Molina in Puig’s Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Malcolm Png in Army Daze and Frankie Wong in Beauty World (both original casts). His film and TV credits are numerous, most recently opposite Gary Oldman in Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element.

Heng’s work has been the subject of several academic journals. He has also taught workshops at the Central School of Speech and Drama (London), Tramway (Glasgow), Intercult (Stockholm), Dramalab (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia), and Theatreworks and La Salle-SIA College of the Arts in Singapore.

Personal Details

Height: 175

Hair: Black

Eyes: Dark Brown Spotlight:

Nationality: Singaporean

Playing Range: 18-35 years Agent: Emptage Hallett Ltd.

Equity No. RG 104475

Training/Qualifications:

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama 1990-93: BAT/British Council Scholarship

British American Drama Academy/Yale Drama School: Professional Actor’s Course

Practice Performing Arts: Directors’ Course with Kuo Pao Kun

Peking Opera: Hong Kong and Singapore trained

Dance Arts Singapore: Scholarship in ballet, jazz and musical theatre

National University of Singapore: L.L.B. (Honours)

Awards

The Young Artist Award 1996 National Arts Council, Singapore- Outstanding Achievements and Contribution to the Arts (Theatre)

The Spirit of The Fringe Award 1995 Edinburgh Festival Fringe 1995, Solo Show

The Royal Lyceum Theatre Club Award 1993RSMAD- Outstanding performance in an Elizabethan/Jacobean play (King Richard III)

The Margaret Gordon Prize 1993 RSMAD-Best final year theatre performance (King Richard III)

The Dorothy Innes Prize 1993 RSMAD- Outstanding studentship award

The Scotsman Fringe Firsts 1993 Edinburgh Festival Fringe 1993, Director/Actor

Scottish Daily Express New Names of 1993 Edinburgh Festival Fringe 1993, Director/Actor

The Meritorious Award 1986 National University of Singapore

The Meritorious Award 1985 National University of Singapore

Languages

English (RP, Cockney, Scots, Standard American and most East Asian Dialects), Chinese (Mandarin, Cantonese, Teochew, Hokkien), Malay

Skills

Peking Opera (character and fights), tae Kwon Do, Tai Chi, Fencing (grade 4), swimming, strong singing voice (baritone), piano (grade 6), weapon Handling-Marksman (M16, SAR 80)

Other experience

After two and a half years of National Service as an infantry soldier, medic and journalist, I completed a law degree. Thereafter, I confused my relatives by taking the plunge into professional theatre, acting, directing, and designing; notably with Theatreworks, Singapore’s first professional theatre company. My sojourn West began when I won the BAT/British Council Arts Scholarship to the RSMAD, launching the Glasgow-Singapore Exchange in Glasgow’s Year of Culture 1990. I was the Artistic Director of the Tripitaka Theatre Company, an international touring company based in London and presently Associate Artistic Director of Singapore Repertory Theatre, a company based in Singapore.

Film

The Fifth Element (Left Arm, opposite Gary Oldman, Directed by Luc Besson, Zaltman Films)

Yellow Fever (Ernest, Directed by Ray Yeung, Sankofa Films)

Peggy Su! (Drama Coach, Directed Frances Amne Soloman, Deco Films)

Television

Royal Mail - Henry VIII (Directed by Simon Cheek, Spirit Films)

Cardiac Arrest (Directed by David Hayman, Island World Productions)

Rab C. Nesbitt (Directed by Colin Gilbert, BBC Scotland) Radio

Driven West (Producer: Gerda Stevenson) Theatre

 

Tripitaka Theatre Company

Journey West - One-Man-Show
(Heng & Rosas Cobian)
Directed by Lim Kay Siu

My Art Belongs To Me (Chiang)
Commissioned for Sotheby’s 10th Anniversary
Jubilee Theatre, Raffles Hotel.

Hot Dogs & Eternal Triangles (Casdagli)
Directed by Ivan Heng

Wayang Wayang Theatre Company

The Woman In A Tree On The Hill
(Ovidia Yu)
Singapore Arts Festival 1994 Man (lead)

Directed by Ivan Heng

Theatre Centre

Turncoat (Samuels)- TIE Workshop Tour Smith

Directed by Rosamunde Hutt

Alberta Theatre Projects, Canada

M. Butterfly (Hwang)- Best Play, Calgary Herald 1992 Song Liling (lead)

Directed by Glynis Leyshon

Theatre Arts Bangalore, India

M. Butterfly (Hwang)- All Asian Premiere, India Tour 1990/91 Song Liling (lead)

Directed by Arjun Sajnani

Theatreworks, Singapore

Descendants Of The Eunuch Admiral- Festival of Asian Performing Arts 1995

Directed by Ong Keng Sen Cheng Ho (lead)

M. Butterfly (Hwang)- Singapore Arts Festival 1990 Song Liling (lead)

Directed by Krishen Jit

Beauty World (Chiang)- Singapore Arts Festival 1988 Frankie Wong(lead)

Directed by Ong Keng Sen

Army Daze (Chiang) Malcolm Png (lead)

Directed by Lim Siauw Chong

Kantan (Mishima) Jiro (lead)

Directed by William Teo

Singapore Theatre American Repertory Showcase

The Shadow Box (Cristofer) Mark

Directed by Christina Sergeant

West Side Story (Bernstein) Baby John

Directed by Joseph Patton

Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama- Highlights

King Richard III (Shakespeare)- Glasgow-Arches Theatre King Richard III

Directed by Ian Wooldridge Singapore- Jubilee Theatre, Raffles Hotel

A Midsummer Night’s Dream (Shakespeare) Robin Goodfellow

Directed by Edward Argent Royal Academy of Music

Nuts (Topor) Frank Macmillan

Directed by Lewis Palter

The Caucasian Chalk Circle (Brecht) The Singer

Directed by Hugh Hodgart

The Cherry Orchard (Chekov) Gaev

Directed by Peter MacAllister

Singapore Repertory Theatre

Kiss of The Spiderwoman Molina (lead)

Directed by Tony Petito

 

Directing Credits

Positions Held

Temasek Junior College Artistic/Choral Director

Sheares Hall Music and Dance Committee Artistic Director 1984-1988

The Necessary Stage Founder Director 1987

Singapore Armed Forces Music and Drama Company Artistic Director (Drama) 1989-90

Wayang Wayang Theatre Projects Artistic Director 1993-94

Tripitaka Theatre Company Artistic Director 1995-1997

Singapore Repertory Theatre Associate Artistic Director 1998- present

 

Productions Directed

The Waiting Room (Bowen) The Necessary Stage

Annie Get Your Gun (Rodgers & Hart) S’pore Theatre American Rep

Over The Wall (Saunders) Best Play, S’pore Arts Festival 1988 The Necessary Stage

Mixed Signals (Chiang) Theatreworks Singapore

Gotta Sing Gotta Dance STARS/SAF MDC

Professor Schreber’s Nervous Disorder (Gems) RSMAD

 

The Woman In A Tree On The Hill (Yu) Scotsman Fringe First Edinburgh Daily Express Wayang Wayang Theatre Company

New Names of ‘93 Award

Light In The Village (Clifford) Theatreworks Singapore

My Art Belongs To Me (Chiang) Sotheby’s (Singapore)

Three Fat Virgins Unassembled (Yu) W.O.W. International

An Occasional Orchid (Heng & Leow) Tripitaka Theatre Company

Hot Dogs & Eternal Triangles (Casdagli) Tripitaka Theatre Company

Breastissues (Yu) Singapore Repertory Theatre

Ah Kong’s Birthday Party (Heng & Lee) Singapore Repertory Theatre

Art (Reza) Singapore Repertory Theatre