1 September 2011 – 10 September 2011 @ 72-13 Mohamed Sultan Road

Synopsis

Fear Of Writing portrays a playwright’s creative handicap – the writer’s block – under intense anxiety and scrutiny. Through this crisis, Tan uncovers the existentialism of self-censorship and freedoms in Singapore. An urgent provocation of the country’s boundaries – as bound to art, artist, citizen and humanity. Fear Of Writing proposes a theatrical parable for the politics of today, a future for the Singapore dream.

“This play is about the complacency of the average Singaporean, of theatre audiences and practitioners because there is no danger, no real change enacted by our works. It is about the commercialization of theatre; hijacked as entertainment rather than being an engine of change. Can we find a real political theatre, where the audience goes in X and comes out Y? This is the difficulty in writing this kind of work in this day and age, hence the long gap between my last play and this one.” – Tan Tarn How

Director: Ong Keng Sen
Writer: Tan Tarn How
Video: Boo Junfeng

Set & Costume Design: Myung Hee Cho
Light Design: Andy Lim
Sound Design: Jeffrey Yue

Principal Cast: Janice Koh, Lok Meng Chue, Ling Poh Fong, Serene Chen, Tan Kheng Hua 

Ensemble:
Dayah Rahim
Evan Yeung
Faizal Abdullah
Karina Sindicich
Kong Yit Sim
Nicholas Tee
Pavan J Singh
Wilson Xin

Youth Actors:
Clara Tan
Daniel Yao
Emma Yoon
Gracia Lam
Leanne Pestana
Lydia Tan
Nur Farhana Zolkifli 

Producer: Tay Tong
Production & Stage Manager: Brynn Baudier
Technical Manager: Kailash 
Technical Management: Chong Wee Nee, David Li, Ian Tan, Teo Wee Boon

Associate Director: Lok Meng Chue
Associate Set Designer: Chan Silei
Sound Engineer: Akira Yamauchi
Set Coordinator: Jed Lim
Costume Coordinator: Theresa Chan 

Stage Team:
Bryn Herdrich
Celestine Wong
Goh Yi Jing
James Khoo
Jeremy Leow
Johanna Pan
Kng Hwee Mae
Kueo Gua An
Myra Loke
Nadia b Noordin
Ng Jing
Tan Xiang Yi
Terence Tan 

Front of House:
Adlina Zolkifi
Cherie Tan
Eugene Tan
Geraldine Lim
Jamie Ng
Jaslyn Quek
Lyra Tan
Millennia Wang
Natalie Khoo
Vincent Teoh
Vivienne Lim

Administrator: Ong Soo Mei
Documentation: Don Aravind Rajah, Teow Yue Han
Project Management: Hoo Kuan Cien
Production Intern: Ng Siaw Hui

(Source: T:>Works Archive)


credits

Ong Keng Sen
Director
Tan Tarn How
Playwright
Myung Hee Cho
Set Designer, Costume Designer
Andy Lim
Lighting Designer
Jeffrey Yue
Sound Designer
Lok Meng Chue
Cast, Associate Director

artefacts

Fear of Writing (2011), Review
Tan Tarn How's latest play is about different types of fear. On a literal level, Fear of Writing is about a playwright's fear of the act of writing a politically themed play – in this case, about opposition party member Chee Soon Juan - because it may get him into trouble with the government. On the other hand, it is also about the fear that the authorities have traditionally had of writing produced by artists and activists because of their concern that it will undermine the status quo which keeps
Kenneth Kwok
Reviewed: 10 September 2011